Page 92 of Just A Little Magic

“Sitting here? It does seem like it could be interpreted that way, but I didn’t think about it like that before.”

“I don’t like it. It sounds dumb, but I was so proud that I helped raise that much money, but it wasn’t me at all. It was a guy with money who could spend it trying to get his way. That’s nothing for me to be proud of. I mean, I figured you bid high, but triple? That’s overkill.”

Fuck.

“How I picked that number isn’t important.”

Owen might be pissed at me, but I wouldn’t throw the boys under the bus to save my own ass. I might have been a dick for doing it, but I wasn’t an asshole.

“Even before my donation, your offer was the highest and had the most bids. That part was one hundred percent true.”

“Well, that’s nice, I guess.” Owen sighed but finally looked at me. “I dislike feeling like I’m being manipulated, and I especially dislike people going behind my back to get what they want. And I know Rory and Jakob named the number.”

Well, hell. I might seriously regret the fucking surprise waiting for him upstairs.

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to throw them under the bus since I’m the one who put the money down. And while we’re on the subject of honesty versus manipulation, I had an ulterior motive to having you check out the lodge this weekend.”

Owen studied me with those golden eyes of his, making me concerned I was close to being his prey if I didn’t step carefully.

“What’s that?”

He stilled his hand from petting Bitty, and she jerked her head up and glared at me.Yes, Bitty, I know it’s my fault he stopped. Sorry about that.She settled back down when his strokes resumed.

“A while back, even before the auction, I found your dream board in the office cabinet.” I held up my hand when he started to speak. “It wasn’t intentional. I was looking for some costing sheets for the Quill renovation and found it.”

Owen nodded and let me continue. “So, yeah, I found them, and I thought they were beautiful. I wanted to do something that would be your very own here.”

“Why?”

“So you’d know I’d always be your home.”

Owen took a steadying breath before he gathered Elizabeth in the crook of one arm and stood. Even with the weight she’d put on, she was still a tiny thing. I wasn’t expecting him to stop next to me and reach out his hand, but I sure as hell wasn’t turning him down. I clasped his hand in mine, and we walked into the house.

My heart pounded as we climbed the stairs and approached the primary bedroom. He gave me a quizzical look but kept his questions to himself. I pushed open the door and led him to the bookcase that hid the secret room.

“If I did it wrong or it’s not for you, say the word, and it’s gone.” I let go of his hand and gestured for him to pull the secret lever that released the bookcase entrance to the room.

When Owen stepped inside, it was hard not to prompt or prod him for a response. He gasped, but that had the potential to go either way. He raised his free hand to his mouth and slowly turned in a circle to take it all in.Oh shit.He didn’t say anything, even after making a few turns around the room.He must hate it.

“It’s…it’s…oh fuck, Bear, it’s wonderful.” A wave of relief crashed over me. Somewhere around three a.m., it had occurred to me that surprising a designer with a design they had not personally and completely signed off on may have been a less than bright move on my part. Still,wonderfulas a description had to mean good things.

Owen wandered around the room, looking at the changes we had made. The walls had been repainted the darkest green, which highlighted the vintage-style wallpaper. Original pieces of art were in the wall panels installed by the carpenter.

Lucky for me, the artist was local, which had made my life infinitely easier. A few of the pieces had already been sold by the time I tracked them down, but the artist made substitution recommendations that I hoped Owen would like. The crib was hand-turned black walnut and adult-sized. The tufted leather rocking chair had more than enough room for two. The play area was the faux fur rug with baskets tucked away in benches made of the same wood as the crib. The chest of drawers was handmade and decorated with vintage paper that the artist painted and gilded. Owen always put his client first, but this was a room totally and completely for himself.

“How on earth did you get this done in a weekend?”

“I found the designs a while back and started planning it. It’s been in the works for months. Years, if you include the time I thought about doing something like this but never actually did it. With the month ending, I needed to lay it all out or walk away.”

“So this is you laying it out?”

“This is me laying it out.”

“I’m not totally happy with the way you did this.” Owen’s fingers trailed over the crib railing and reached down to touch the duvet covering the mattress.

“You mean how I put the room together?”

“Oh my God, no. The nursery is exactly like I’d imagined it. The part I don’t like is the manipulation behind the scenes. It reminds me of the worries I had when we first met. Rich guy love bombs and then walks away, and I’m left reeling and wondering what I did wrong.”

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