Page 119 of Surprise! I'm Engaged To My Boss
When we pulled away, we noticed Alice looking at us with both her little hands over her mouth, laughing at the scene she had witnessed. Michael gave her a kisson the cheek while I started tickling her tummy, causing her to burst out laughing.
“Will you marry me?” Michael asked suddenly.
I laughed and raised my hand, showing off the huge diamond in my engagement ring.
“We're getting married soon, honey.”
“But there's still a long way to go. Let's get married today, what do you think?”
I rolled my eyes, pretending to think about the proposal.
“Can we leave it for tomorrow? Did you know I stayed up all night? Today I just need to sleep.”
“My God, what happened to the romantic women in this world?”
“Well... Would it be a little more romantic if I slept right next to you?”
“Much more.”
He came closer again, placing a kiss on my lips.
Chapter fifty-six
MICHAEL
Three months later...
We were just over a month away from our wedding, but I could tell that this was an equally special day for us, for two reasons.
The first was where we were. Again, at a 'company party', only this time the company belonged to my fiancée's family and not mine, although I also had a modest share of participation in that.
I became an investor in the bookstore, which accelerated the construction, and, in a few months, the new space was delivered fully finished. The place had more than doubled in size, gained a more modern look, an area for events and a coffee shop, which had everything it needed to become the new hotspot in theneighborhood. Jenna was beaming, and I was moved by her happiness. I already loved that lady so much...
I already loved everything about Camila's life, in fact. I think even her cat, even though he forced me to always have a pack of anti-allergy pills in my wallet for when I went to her apartment.
The second reason was that, in the middle of the party, Camila and I were alert, waiting for news. Janet would be late for the party because she had several jobs to do that day. One of them was to receive the most important court decision of our lives, regarding Alice's final custody.
The Harrises were being investigated for crimes committed against us. But it was incredible how, when you find something dirty about someone, it's like stirring up a hornet's nest and more fraud starts to come to light. Now, the business couple was also facing other charges such as money laundering, not to mention the number of former employees of their companies who, after hearing the news, felt safer to report them because they had also been coerced or threatened into doing dirty work. Among them was the man who tried to attack me with an iron bar on the street next to the bar on the night of Camila and Alice's birthday.
With so many lawsuits and investigations behind them, who would have thought, the perfect couple was now clearly a bad influence on a child?
And I, who would have thought, was the ideal model of a father. I didn't even believe I had reached that point.
A respected businessman, about to get married and return to college to finish his degree. Camila and I were even planning to do a master's degree together.
Alice had been living with me under temporary custody since the day of the hearing and Camila was practically living with us, she already spent most of her nights at my house – which would soon be officiallyours– and, not by chance, a little over a month ago she had been, for the first time, called ‘mamma' by Alice.
She would know about Leah, I would tell her every little detail I knew about her. Alice would always know that she was loved dearly by her birth mother, who was now in heaven. Here on Earth, she would have another mother, who bore her in her heart.
“Mamma!” my little girl repeated, on my lap, every time she saw her mother passing by.
As the organizer of the opening party, Camila practically didn't stop. The place was full, but she could still hear Alice's calls. This time, she was carrying a package of bookmarks that had just arrived to be distributed and as soon as she heard Alice's voice, she looked at us, smiled, and ran from where she was standing to us.
“Mommy is very busy, my love!” she said to Alice, kissing her on the cheek. “Be good and obey Daddy. Tonight, we’re going to sleep at Grandma’s house, and you can play with Waffle.”
“Affle!” she repeated, breaking into a huge smile.
Camila kissed her again and looked at me.
