Page 140 of How to Fall for the Secret Billionaire
I hand her the phone and watch her expression shift as she stares at the photos. “I’m ready to make this investment. I want to live here. I want to build a life here. Just say the word, Margot. I only need you. Please.”
She opens her mouth like she wants to argue, but my name comes out instead. “Cal…”
“Please,” I say again, because I mean it. Because I’d kneel if she asked me to.
She looks down at the phone again. “What about your job in L.A.?”
“I sold my company,” I say, watching her reaction carefully. “I’m still on the board, and I’ll have to be there sometimes, but it’s not full-time anymore. I can manage. We can manage. My plan is to stay in Everfield most of the time. And when I do need to be in L.A., you can come with me. Think of it as a short vacation. Change of scenery. Then we come home. Together.”
Her lips part in surprise, eyes wide. And for the first time since I stepped into this room, I feel it: hope.
Real, pulsing hope.
She’s thinking about it.
So I double down.
“I don’t care where we live, Margot. I don’t care what we do. You want to run the inn for the rest of your life? I’ll be your handyman. You want to start something new? I’ll back you.You want quiet mornings and town fairs and Waffles chasing squirrels up trees? I’m in.”
She huffs out a soft, disbelieving laugh.
“I mean it.” I take a breath. “You’re the first person I’ve felt at peace with in years. You see me—not just the money or the company or the reputation. Me. And I see you too. I see your strength, your stubbornness, your kindness—Margot, I’ve never met anyone like you.”
She bites her bottom lip, and I can see the cracks in her resistance forming.
“I know it’s fast. I know it’s complicated. But life is always going to be complicated. I’d rather face it with you than live it without you.”
Then softly, one last time:
“Please.”
Margot finally nods, her voice quiet but sure. “Okay. I’ll give you a second chance.”
I freeze for a beat, then grin—relief crashing over me like a wave. “You will?” I pump my fist in the air like a teenager. “Yes!”
I start forward, about to wrap her in my arms, but she holds up a hand, stopping me in my tracks.
“Wait,” she says, serious now. “If we’re doing this, it’s not just a clean slate. You don’t get to lie to me again and think a few grand gestures will fix it.”
I nod immediately, sobered.
“I need honesty, Cal. Every time. No matter what. And if something’s hard to say—say it anyway. I can’t build anything with you if I have to second-guess everything coming out of your mouth.”
“I understand,” I say quietly.
“And I need time,” she continues. “To trust you again. I’m not going to pretend the hurt disappeared. You broke something, and now you’ll have to rebuild it. Slowly.”
I step closer now, gently this time, my voice low. “Then that’s what I’ll do. I’ll show up every day and earn that trust back. I’ll never betray you again, Margot. Never. You have my word.”
She studies me for a moment, then nods—just once.
And finally, she lets me pull her into my arms.
“Margot.” I kiss her cheek. “I know I lied. I made myself smaller—because I was tired of people only seeing the wealth. But I’m scared now that maybe… maybe the version of me you liked was the one who didn’t come with all that baggage.”
She meets my eyes thoughtfully. I keep going.
“I need you to know that both are real. The quiet guy in Everfieldandthe one who built a company from nothing. I’m still figuring out how to be both at once. But I want you to see all of me.”
