Page 139 of How to Fall for the Secret Billionaire
“You have thousands of soft cashmere sweaters.”
“None of which are blue! Margot!”
I huff, dramatic as ever. “Fine, fine.”
I steal another piece of cake—vanilla this time, for balance—and dash out of the kitchen. I almost collide with a blur of fur and energy.
“Waffles!”
He barks at me like I’m the one in the way, then nudges my ankle with his cold nose before bolting off toward the garden. I laugh, shaking my head. It might as well be his birthday with how much fun he’s having—darting between guests, stealing bites of food, being the center of attention like only a beloved dog can.
I hurry up the stairs, eager to get back downstairs to my family. But when I push open my bedroom door and step inside, I stop dead in my tracks.
Cal is there.
Standing by the window, hands in his pockets, like he’s always been waiting. I freeze.
For a second, I forget how to breathe.
Cal is here! He’s here!
I try to calm my heart, but it’s raging inside my chest, threatening to burst out. I don’t know how he got here, but everything in me is screaming to hear him out. To listen.
Maybe we can come to a compromise. Maybe… just maybe… my happiness is possible.
CAL
I’m thrilled to see Margot again. Even though she hasn’t said a word.
She’s just standing there, frozen in the doorway, her hand still curled around the doorknob. But I don’t mind. I’d take this silence over a thousand conversations with anyone else. Just being in the same room with her again feels like breathing after being underwater.
I take a slow step toward her. Then another.
“Hi,” I say softly, like a question, like a prayer.
She clears her throat, blinking rapidly. “Hello. Cal… what are you doing here?”
I smile—nervous, hopeful, wrecked. “I came for you.”
Her expression shifts, flickers. She doesn’t move. Doesn’t run either. That’s something.
“I love you, Margot,” I say. No preamble. No games. “And I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make this work. You were right to be angry. I should’ve told you everything. From the beginning.But I didn’t want to be a billionaire to you. I just wanted to be yours.”
She doesn’t say anything, but her eyes soften, just a little.
I take a breath. “I’m sorry for lying. Truly. It was cowardly, and it hurt you, and I swear to you it will never happen again.”
Two more slow steps toward her.
“My life has been miserable without you,” I say, my voice low and rough. “Two weeks without you, Margot. I can’t go another day. Please…” I step closer, close enough to see the flicker of emotion in her eyes, even if she’s trying to hide it. “Please give us a chance. I know you liked me—really liked me. Please remember that. Let’s get through this… together.”
She exhales shakily and looks away, toward the window, toward anything that isn’t me. “Our lives are different, Cal. You’re a tech success from a world of wealth and travel and big cities. I’m just a small-town girl running a family inn. Be realistic—it can’t work.”
I take her hands gently in mine. “Don’t say that. It can work. It will work.” I squeeze her fingers. “I’ll adjust. I’ll do whatever it takes to make this life comfortable for you.”
Her eyes lift to mine. “It’s not about my comfort,” she says quietly. “If we’re going to do this, it has to be about your comfort too. How do we find balance between two worlds that are so different?”
“Look,” I say quickly, reaching into my pocket. I unlock my phone and pull up the bookmarked listing I’ve looked at a dozen times. “There’s this house in town. Ten minutes away from here. An old mansion—stone columns, wraparound porch,vines growing up the front like something out of a storybook. It reminds me of the inn. Every time I look at it, I think of you.”
