Alpha Billionaire Series
Valentine’s Day Proposal Chapter 21

CHARLES

I stood in the small jewelry store, well known for making custom handmade jewelry. It was three days before Labor Day-the day Willow and I considered our anniversary years ago. We'd made it official that we were dating at a Labor Day event, and forever that had been the day we celebrated our relationship. I'd searched high and low for a perfect gift for her. I knew it was no longer our anniversary because I was an idiot and I'd f****d things up, but I wanted her to know that I was appreciative of her help with the campaign, even if she only considered this an arrangement.

The shop owner smiled as she held the small brooch out. I'd requested a small silver setting with ony and mother of pearl inlaid in the shape of a tuxedo cat like Mr. Boots, Willow's cat she had to leave with her parents for the time being. I knew the cat meant everything to her, and I thought the brooch would remind her of him, of better times.

"This is so perfect." I took the brooch from the woman's hand, turning it in the light to see the intricate details formed into it. I'd brought a picture of the cat in so they could make it as close as possible to his markings, and they'd done a phenomenal job, right down to the heart-shaped marking on his face, just above his nose. "How much?"

"It's $149 plus tax." The woman smiled as she typed something into her tablet, then spun it around on the counter so I could see. That was nothing for such a precious gift I knew Willow would love.

"Wow, thank you so much. She's going to love this." I handed the brooch back to the woman and pulled my card out, tapping it on the sensor to pay.

"She seems like a very lucky woman to have a man love her so much. Was the cat yours? Did it pass?" It was just small talk, but the woman had no idea how she was pulling my heart strings.

"Uh, well it's for a friend actually." Bile rose as I said the word friend. This situation had gotten so complicated the minute we had sex the first time. I was more in love with her now than I ever had been, but with the rallies and dinners I hadn't had a single spare moment to tell her. We went from one location to the next, flights, hotels, restaurants, all with Peter and Nina at our side. If we had been married for real, this would have put a major strain on the relationship with no privacy. At times we even shared hotel rooms with them.

"Well, she is a lucky lady to have you for a friend." She touched a part of her screen and the machine next to the tablet spit out a receipt. After handing it to me, she packaged up the brooch, placing it in a small box lined with red velvet, and tying a ribbon around it. I watched her dexterous hands work quickly as if she had done this a million times, then accepted the package with a smile.

"Thank you." I left that little shop feeling like I was on top of the world. It wasn't exactly the gift that was going to undo all of the bad things that had happened between us or erase my being an idiot, but it was a start. I was on cloud nine when I entered the apartment, replaceing Willow in her favorite chair reading yet another classic.

I wanted to run over to her and give her the gift, eagerly waiting for her reaction to see if I'd done a good job, but I waited. She was invested in her reading, and I wanted her to enjoy that as much as possible. So, I scooted into the kitchen to prepare dinner. I cooked her favorite, brussels sprouts drizzled with olive oil and garlic, and a neat chicken breast filet with basil and thyme rubbed into the skin. The scents were glorious, wafting out toward her. It wasn't long before she joined me.

"What smells so good?" She had a shawl draped around her shoulders. Fall was beginning to settle in,ng the city chillier than we were used to. The orange color against her creamy skin made her eyes pop. She was gorgeous.

"Uh, well your favorite." I used the wooden spoon to push the sprouts around the pan, keeping them from burning as I opened the oven to check on the chicken. I knew she'd cave and eat the sprouts even though I'd used oil to fry them. She loved them more than she loved her "clean" eating routine.

I could see her try to hide a smile behind a fake cough. "I'm hungry. This smells good."

"Hungry enough for all this?" I gestured at the food, and she nodded.

Without asking, she reached for the cupboard, pulling out plates and glasses for our meal. While I finished cooking, she set the table and even opened a bottle of wine. I served our food, plating it like a chef would. With a sprig of fresh basil on the side and sat across from her. When I produced the small, wrapped gift, her eyes took it in, then focused on my face.

"What's that?" She took a cautious bite of food, her eyes fluttering shut as she moaned out her enjoyment of it. "F**k, this is delicious. You really know how to cook."

I chuckled. "Yes, well I do have a zest for the culinary arts." I winked, popping a sprout into my mouth. I had to admit; she was right. The olive oil with garlic did the trick.

"So, the package? A gift for Nina or something?"

I couldn't help but detect a hint of dryness in her tone. Perhaps it was jealousy, or maybe it was just because I knew how much she disliked my intern. Either way, I had to put an end to that thought because Nina and I were nothing more than working professionals. I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off.

"More wine?" she asked, picking up the bottle. Neither of us had even had a sip yet, but she poured more wine into her glass. "You know Nina and I-"

"No? Okay, I'll drink it." She poured more into her glass. The way she cut me off mid-sentence told me she wasn't interested in hearing what I had to say about Nina. And the way she downed the entire glass at once before refilling it told me she didn't just dislike Nina; she hated the woman.

"The gift is for you." Changing the subject was the only way to get around the roadblock she'd just thrown down. The entire point of the gift was to have encouraged her to see me differently. We had been living together now for more than six months, traveling, sleeping in the same bed, sharing meals. I didn't know how much more proof she needed that I wasn't an a*****e. I had made a mistake.

"Me? Why?" She set her glass down, wiping her mouth with her napkin. Her plate was already half empty, her angry shoveling of food yet another indicator that Nina was a topic not to be discussed.

"Well, I know things are slightly different than they used to be, but Monday is our anniversary and..." I pushed the gift toward her and smiled.

She looked at it, touching the ribbon lightly as she looked up at me. She didn't smile or fawn over it. She didn't even pick it up or open it. The reaction I had hoped for did not come, nor did any conversation after that point. Willow ate in silence, downing two more glasses of wine before she stood, said "thank you" and excused herself to the bedroom.

A crushing disappointment weighed on me as I cleaned up dinner. No matter what I did, she would never forgive me. She would never come back to me, love me, choose me again. I had fucked it up too badly. I didn't want an arrangement. I wanted the woman I loved to spend the rest of my life with me, even if there were horrible unspeakable things in our past. Even if Peter was right and she had aborted my baby.

When I cleaned up and everything was put away, I headed for bed. Our over-under, shared bedding situation had to resume its strange normalcy now that we were not in separate hotel rooms. I wished it was different, but it was at least the same room. A room that now felt cold and tense because I had been thoughtful enough to buy her a gift.

The gift sat on the nightstand, still unopened. And Willow lay in bed snoring. I stared at her sleeping form wondering how I could get through to her or if I really did have no chance. She just wanted the payout and a ticket home.