Page 298 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 1

"I've been here on Sundays before."

"It's closed today because I bought it and I closed it." He smiled at me.

"You bought it?"

"I don't want anything to ever change about this place. I want to be able to come back here when we're old and gray and talk about how this is where we first met." He put his hand on the side of my face. "This place changed my life."

"So last night...you weren't out drinking?"

"No. I didn't even have one drink."

"But Melissa said..."

"What I told her to say. I knew you'd be totally consumed thinking that I was out getting wasted and never suspect that I was planning to propose. I told her to say she thought I was drunk if you started to get suspicious. Which I guess you did."

"You're such a jerk." Even as I said it I was smiling. He knew me so well. He actually realized how much I cared about him. And Iwas so relieved. He finally realized how much I loved him. I felt closer to him than ever.

"I am sorry that I worried you. That wasn't my intention. I just really wanted to surprise you."

"You did surprise me. But wait, Rob was definitely drunk when I talked to him last night, though."

"No. Rob is great at pretending to be drunk. I had to make it seem like the story Melissa fed you was true. And Rob was definitely up to the challenge."

I laughed. "So you went to New York last night and got me into a new school. And bought a coffee shop. You've been busy." I couldn't stop smiling.

"And I went and talked to your parents."

"You did?"

"I wanted your father's blessing."

"Did you get it?"

He smiled at me. "Yes, I did. Although I still would have proposed without it."

"I love you so much."

"I also bought you a ring. Don't you want to see it?" He was still holding the box in his hand. I had attacked him before he had gotten a chance to show it to me.

"Yes."

He opened up the box.

"James." It was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. The diamond was huge, but it didn't look tacky. It was classy and elegant. And perfect.

"Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful."

He took the ring out of the box, grabbed my hand, and slid it onto my ring finger. "Now you're mine."

"I've always been yours." I looked back down at my hand.I'm engaged to my professor.I smiled up at him. "So why did you call Melissa?"

"I wanted her help deciding what kind of ring you might like. And I wanted to run the proposal by her. She knows you best."

"You know me best."

He flashed me the smile that had made me fall in love with him in the first place. "I'm excited to introduce you to everyone as my fiancée." He ran the tip of his nose down the length of mine.

"I'm excited to introduce you to everyone as my fiancé."

"Hmm." He kissed the side of my neck and placed his lips next to my ear. "I still prefer when you call me Professor Hunter."

"You'll always be Professor Hunter to me."

***