Page 88 of Hello Billionaire

“What is this?” I asked.

Setting the box on the bed, he replied, “Your outfit for tonight.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You bought me more lingerie? Okay, now I know I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

With a shake of his head, he said, “We're eating dinner at the Skylight Lounge, and my siblings are coming to meet you.”

My jaw dropped, and I wrapped the rope more tightly around me. “I'm meeting your siblings already?”

He reached out, cupping my face with his hand. When he did that, I felt so loved, protected. “When I said I was in, I meant I was all in, and I cannot wait for your biggest fans to meet you.”

“My biggest fans?”

“I wasn’t exaggerating when I said they’ve been begging me to date you since you started.”

“Why?”

“Maybe because I complained for half an hour about the way you made phone calls,” he teased.

My cheeks heated, and I shook my head. “So what is in the box? I’m assuming it’s not a teddy.”

His chuckle warmed all the corners of my heart. “I assumed you didn’t pack any evening gowns, so I thought I would take care of it for you.”

“I didn't think to pack an evening gown. But maybe I should have, considering my boyfriend is a billionaire.” I tapped my chin. “You know, boyfriend sounds kind of strange for someone like you. So serious and responsible.”

He played with the tie around my waist. “You’re the responsible one, managing three extra lives. I only have to take care of myself and a business.”

“With more than a thousand employees,” I pointed out. He acted like he didn’t have a million things on his plate.

“Fair,” he replied. “So are you going to open the box? Because I’m pretty sure this dress is going to look amazing on you.” He tugged harder on the waistband on my robe, and I swatted his hand away.

“It’s already four o’clock, so I need to get ready if we’re having dinner out. Especially since you’re so obsessed with being on time.”

He pouted. And I’ve seen a lot of Gage Griffen, his laughs, his smiles, his frowns. But his pout was absolutely adorable.

I reached for the box, pulling the end of the satin bow, and it slowly slipped apart. Then I lifted the white edges of the lid, seeing a deep red satin gown inside. My jaw dropped. “Gage, it'sbeautiful.” I reached in, lifting the bodice. The material was so light, it fluttered to the floor. “I feel like this is too fancy for me.” I stood, holding it to my chest, amazed this dress was mine.

“You could be wearing a crown, and it still wouldn't be fancy enough for you,” he replied.

I smiled, shaking my head. “I know we’re dating, but you don’t have to treat me to expensive gifts. I've never really needed to have the finer things in life.” I set the dress down in the box. “Okay, maybe it would be nice to have a machine that dispensed Sonic ice whenever I wanted it, but I'm happy with my life, you know? You don’t have to do all this for me.”

He gripped a loose fold of my robe and tugged me closer to his chest. He had to tilt his head back so our noses wouldn’t touch. “That's one of the things that I liked best about you. I knew you never wanted me for my money.”

I smiled up at him. He looked so beautiful this close. “Well, my mom always said if you marry a man for his money, you earn every cent.”

He chuckled. “Your mom's a smart woman... I can't wait to meet her.”

“She’s going to love you.”

His blue eyes widened, and for a moment, I caught a glimpse at the vulnerable person underneath his strong exterior. He was nervous. “You think so?”

“I know so.” I kissed the tip of his nose. “Now, it’s gonna take me some time to get ready and look good enough for this dress, so shoo, or I’ll get too distracted.”

“Okay,” he replied, giving me a last kiss that stretched from seconds into minutes that I wished would last for hours. “But hurry.”

I smiled against his lips. “I will.”

He left the bedroom, giving me run of his bathroom, which really should have been called a spa. The shower was amazing, but there was also a luxurious soaker tub that could rival the one in the hotel. And dual vanities with so much counterspace my younger two could lie end to end and still have plenty of room leftover.

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