The look on her face left no doubt that she’d expected more. Probably some douche in a suit with a seven-figure salary, a Porsche, and an Ivy League education. I was man enough to admit that kind of guy would be more suitable for Chloe, at least on paper. But what she had was me. Tonight was about Chloe’s needs, not my ego or issues.

A server approached Sabrina and consulted with her, and she excused herself to follow him to address whatever he needed.

I returned my attention to the dictator. “I know she’s devoted to your company, so I’m flattered she chooses to spend her extra time with me. A lot of her extra time lately.” I poured it on thick, smiling down at Chloe.

The boss lady raised a brow at me in challenge. “And this all just came on suddenly?”

“I like to think of it more as we’ve spent two and a half decades building our relationship and it’s only deepened recently. Finally.”

“And yet Chloe didn’t mention it until this week.”

“It’s been…” Chloe spoke up at last, but she hesitated, and I silently encouraged her to keep going, whatever she was going to say. “It’s felt a little too good to be true. I was afraid to jinx it.”

“But now suddenly you’re more sure?” the dictator asked, that damn brow going up again in doubt.

It pissed me off that this woman had so much power over Chloe. I was determined to set her straight once and for all. If this was my one chance to sell us, I was going all the hell in.

“Seems that way, since she agreed to marry me not two hours ago,” I said, looking Angelica Marks straight in the eye. I wasn’t proud of my skills at little lies, but let’s just say growing up as the Henry troublemaker, I’d had some practice. Unlike all those times, this was for a damn good cause. One that was of the utmost importance to Chloe.

With my arm back around her, I felt a little jolt from her, and I hoped her boss had missed it.

I looked at my “intended” with a sheepish grin and said, “Was I not supposed to say anything? I’m sorry, darlin’.” I pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “I’m dying to yell it from the rooftops.”

As Chloe gazed up at me, her eyes spoke volumes. Chapter one was that she was going to kill me later.

“The ring will just have to be that much bigger,” she joked, and not for the first time, I thought she was a genius.

“You don’t have a ring?” the dictator asked, still looking skeptical.