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“Okay.” She steps back, taking my hand in hers. Opening the front door, she leads me into the living room, and we sit on the sofa. She turns to me, her eyes sparkling, her lips curving upward.
“What is it, J?”
I take her hands in mine, lifting them to my lips and kiss her knuckles tenderly.
“I have some news to share with you.” I smile and rub my thumbs over the back of her hands.
“Did you get the funding you need for your restaurant in New York City?” She tries to smile, but her smile fades quickly as she drops her eyes from mine, and her shoulders slump.
“It’s better news than that, kitten.” I tug on her hands to make her look at me again.
“What could be better than you making your dream come true?” She sighs and blinks slowly.
“I’ve got the funding I need, but it’s not for a place in New York?—”
“Wait, why not?” she interrupts me.
“Because…I’m buying The Oasis.” I pinch her hands gently and tug her closer to me.
She tilts her head to the side and twists her mouth. “I didn’t know it was for sale.”
“Well, I’d talked with Chef Thomas right after graduation, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to retire just yet. Then his sister unexpectedly lost her husband last week. He’s moving back to Idaho to be with her and help her.” I pause and study her face.
“After my shift on Wednesday, he came up to me and asked if I was still interested in buying The Oasis. Of course I was, so I said yes. Then on Thursday, I talked with Mr. Coble and Paul Pierson via a conference call to be sure they were still with me as investors. We close on the sale in the next few weeks.” I lift her hands to my lips and kiss her knuckles.
“So, Blaire. What do you think?”
Her jaw falls open, her eyes are wide. She starts to speak, “But what…” She shakes her head and yanks her hands free.
“What about your dream of being the best chef in New York City, J? That was what you always talked about.” She slaps her hand to her mouth and knits her brow.
“Jaden, baby. Please don’t do this for me. Please don’t give up your dream for me. I can’t let you…”
“Blaire. I am not giving up my dreams at all. Owning my own place is my dream and staying here makes it all the sweeter. Yeah, sure, I said all that stuff about moving to the city and being the best ever, but I realized I can do that right here. With you by my side, I have the best of both worlds.” I grip her hips and turn her to face me.
“I swear I’m doing this because this is what I want. The Oasis is familiar and established. It’s a no-brainer to buy it with my investors.”
“Jaden, I… don’t… know.” She tries to move from my grasp, but I don’t let her.
“I promise you, this is for me and for us. I want you to quit the university and be part of my team at The Oasis. Whatever you want to do. It’s yours.” I cup her face with my hands, caressing her cheeks with my thumbs. I lean in and kiss her soft lips.
Our eyes meet after the kiss breaks. A single tear slides down her cheek and I rub it away.
“This is a happy moment, kitten. We can have it all. What do you say? Please say yes to it all.”
Her hands cover mine and she nods.
“Oh my, god. You’re amazing, Jaden. Are you really sure?—”
Knowing how goddamn stubborn Blaire is, I have it all under control. I slide from the sofa and onto my knee.
“Jaden!” she screams as I pull a red velvet box from my pocket.
“Blaire Turner. Will you marry me? Will you be my life partner and my business partner? Will you be my everything, kitten?” Lifting the lid of the velvet box, I raise it to her.
Blaire’s hands cover her mouth as tears begin trailing down her face. She takes short, quick breaths as her head nods. She drags her hands across her damp cheeks, then cups my face with them. Her blue eyes shine as she leans down and kisses my lips.
“Well, will you make me the happiest man alive?” I take her left hand in mine and begin to slide the two-carat round diamond solitaire on her finger.
