Page 238 of Champagne Nights

Taking her hand, we climbed in, and the coachman took us into Central Park. It was a warm, calm night, and the bright moon was nestled amongst the stars that twinkled like little pulses of light.

“I have something for you,” I signed. “Close your eyes.”

A smile graced her lips as she closed her eyes. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the Tiffany box and placed it in her hands. When she opened her eyes, she looked at the box and then up at me.

“Go on. Open it,” I signed.

Opening the lid, she placed her hand over her mouth when she saw the platinum open heart pendant encased in diamonds.

“Oh my God, Henry. It’s gorgeous,” she spoke as she ran her finger over the heart.

Taking the box from her, I removed the necklace and placed it around her neck.

“This is my heart, and I’m giving it to you,” I signed as I watched the tears fill her eyes. “You stole my heart, Ellie, and I have never been more in love with anyone as I am with you.”

“I love it so much, and I love you,” she signed as she spoke. “No one has ever given me anything like this, and I’m never taking it off. Thank you, Henry.” She placed her hand on my cheek as her lips met mine.

Chapter Nineteen

Ellie

I stood in front of the full-length mirror in Henry’s bedroom and ran my finger over the heart pendant he’d given me. As I was admiring it, I felt two hands grip my hips from behind as his lips pressed against the flesh of my neck. I took in his masculine scent of earth with a touch of spice before turning around in his arms and meeting his lips with mine.

“I have to get to the office. Delilah made breakfast. So go and enjoy it and stay if you want.” I studied his moving lips.

“I wish you were staying with me.” I smiled.

“So do I.” He kissed my lips.

“When am I going to meet your parents?” I asked out of the blue.

“We can talk about that later. I have to go.” He kissed my forehead.

I walked him down to the elevator and told him goodbye. Walking into the kitchen, Delilah poured me a cup of coffee and set it on the island.

“What a beautiful necklace. Did Henry give that to you?” she signed.

“Yes.” I grinned as I placed my hand on it. “He gave it to me last night.”

“He has excellent taste in jewelry,” she signed before plating a couple of pieces of French toast and setting it down in front of me.

Henry tookme to the Hamptons, where we spent the weekend on a yacht. Being alone with him and away from the city on the open water, where it was just the two of us, was incredible. We ate, drank, had a lot of incredible sex, swam, and just enjoyed each other before we docked and before Ben and Frankie were to arrive to spend our last hours on the boat with us.

As I was lying out on the deck soaking up the warm sun, I opened my eyes and saw Henry pacing back and forth while he was on the phone. He looked angry, and his lips were moving a mile a minute. I tried to make out what he was saying, but he was talking too fast. When he noticed me staring at him, he turned around, and a knot formed in the pit of my belly. He obviously didn’t want me to know what he was saying, and it bothered me. After he ended the call, he placed his phone on the table.

“What was that all about?” I asked.

When he turned and looked at me, I saw the anguish all over his face.

“It’s nothing. It's just a business deal that isn’t going the way I thought it would—nothing for you to worry about. We should probably go and get dressed before we dock and Ben and Frankie show up,” he signed before walking away.

Since I’d met him, I’d never seen him upset like this. Something inside me wondered if it was more than just a bad business deal. I went down to the bedroom to change into asundress and found Henry lying on the bed with his hands tucked behind his head. The way he stared at me gave me an uneasy feeling. I turned away and opened the closet to get out my sundress. Suddenly, I felt his hand wrap around my arm. He turned me around and pulled me into a tight embrace. I gasped at the feel as my head rested on his chest. We had hugged a million times since we’d met, but this time it felt different.

Henry

“I know you can’t hear me, but I’m so sorry,” I softly spoke, holding her tight against me. “I love you so much and don’t want to lose you.”

She broke our embrace, and our eyes met.

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