I stepped closer, nudged her chin up with my finger so she’d look at me and hear me. “I’m the one who sprung an engagement on you. To help you.”

“True,” she said, one side of her mouth twitching toward a half grin. “But there’s a difference between a fake engagement and actually getting married.”

“I was okay with it before, Chlo,” I said, “and with the possibility of you investing in my dream…” I shook my head, overwhelmed that she would do this, still slightly stunned that she had the means, and blown away that she’d do it for me. “Quit trying to talk me out of it. We’ve got a deal. We have a lot of details to work out, but…” I glanced around, noted that we were still alone out there, with no one visible on the shore in either direction, no boats nearby on the lake. What the hell. Actions… louder than words…

I went down on one knee, grasping her hand in both of mine. “Chloe Abrams, will you marry me?”

Chapter 7

Chloe

“Eighteen months,” Holden said as we drove from Nashville to Dragonfly Lake Sunday evening.

“A year is plenty,” I told him.

We might have slept on this whole plan of ours, but I still didn’t believe he’d truly thought it through. One year was a long time to have a roommate. To have a wife. To be monogamous… and didn’t that just bring all kinds of uncomfortable thoughts to mind?

Today had started with a seven a.m. text plea from Angelica for me to meet her at the construction site. Knowing it was the last one of those less-than-reasonable asks for a while—maybe forever—I’d jumped in the shower, thrown my hair up still wet, and made the trek south without hesitation.

Looking like she hadn’t slept all weekend, Angelica had handed over the keys to everything, taken me through the worksite without any workers around, pointing out expectations, potential trouble spots, and a zillion other tidbits I might or might not remember. She’d also broken the news that Sabrina, her assistant, was shifting from Angelica’s work assistant to her personal one.

Sabrina had been a layer of reassurance for me, some crossover between everything Angelica had in her mind and everything I needed to pick up. While I could still consult with Sabrina if necessary, I’d need to have good reason. I couldn’t deny that I was relieved Angelica would have someone who was at her side during what would certainly be some ugly times.

After our meeting, I’d picked up Holden, and we’d headed back to Nashville to pack my clothes, toiletries, and other necessities—my coffee stash and three plastic tubs of Twizzlers, for example—to move in with him, plus some other eventful stuff, like lunch, and oh…

Holden Henry had bought me an engagement ring today.