Page 30 of The Wrong Bond (Wolf Billionaire #4)

CHAPTER 30

ARLENE

“ I ’m scared,” Ruby mumbled, throwing Shawn and I into fits of laughter.

Shawn leaned on the counter, closer to her, and asked,

“Why are you scared, Rubes?” He’d adopted the nickname I had given her, and it was so cute to hear him say it.

“Because you’ve never cooked for me and I’m scared,” she mumbled.

We chuckled again because she was just the most adorable thing ever. Shawn had invited Ruby and I back to his place, where he’d offered to make a meal for us. This moment took me back to the first time I’d visited his home, when he’d made me pasta.

It was one of the first moments I’d come face-to-face with how I truly felt about Shawn, and I’d been so terrified and excited all at once.

Now watching him bond with our daughter warmed my heart.

We’d been doing great these past few weeks, and our lives were becoming completely blended with each other’s. He’d invited me to a company event, and unlike before, his parents didn’t look like they wanted to spit on me. They’d accepted me and Ruby with open arms, which still felt simply surreal.

Things were good, great even, but I didn’t want to get into my head too much and ruin it.

Just like Shawn had advised, I wanted to enjoy all the small moments without ever having to worry if they were going to end or not.

I took a deep breath and focused on the present.

“So, would you like to be my sous-chef, Ruby?” he asked Ruby, who looked ecstatic.

“Yes, Daddy.”

Shawn put a little apron on her and they both worked in the kitchen as I watched.

“Can you guess what I’m making, Ruby?” Shawn asked her.

She paused for a couple of minutes, thinking, and then she screamed when she saw the fettuccine sitting on the counter. “Pasta!”

“Exactly!”

I just sat on the sidelines, taking in everything happening in the kitchen and thinking about how far we’d come from the days I was working at Mark’s Bar. Shawn had just been a random stranger in the bar, and now we were here, in love, and we had a little family too.

“I’m also making dessert,” Shawn said, winking at me.

I raised an eyebrow. “Dessert? What dessert are you making?”

From the corner of my eye I could see a tub of vanilla ice cream in the freezer, and my heart melted.

“You’re making brownies with ice cream?” I asked.

“That’s Mommy’s favorite,” Ruby piped up.

Shawn chuckled. “I know. That’s why I’m making it.”

Brownies with ice cream may seem childish, but it was my all-time favorite dessert and had gotten me through many dark times. It may seem basic, but to me, it was heavenly.

It was also great that Shawn was practicing his cooking skills with Ruby and I as his tasters, because it was a part of him that he’d hidden for too long.

Tears stung at my eyes at the sight of this beautiful scene.

He meticulously measured ingredients, his brow furrowing in concentration as he sifted flour and cocoa powder. Each movement was precise, filled with care and intent, while Ruby was beside him talking his ears off, which made me giggle.

“You really did your research,” I said, breaking out of my thoughts before I became a bawling mess.

He smiled. “Of course I did.”

I felt a warmth spread through me that had nothing to do with the heat of the kitchen. “That’s sweet. You’re sweet.”

Shawn shrugged as he glanced at me. “You deserve the absolute best.”

He poured the batter into a pan and added some purple edible flowers as a nice touch. Ruby helped sprinkle the flowers into the brownie pan.

“Those will disappear into the mix,” I chuckled.

He shrugged. “I wanted it to be pretty, but there’s only so much I can do to make a brownie pretty.”

“Well, I appreciate the effort. That’s all that counts,” I said.

“What made brownies and ice cream your favorite dessert?” he asked as he and Ruby cleaned up, the pasta almost done.

“It’s more of a nostalgic food than anything else. I had it all the time throughout college and it became my staple. It just made everything better, no matter how bad things got. Everything can be solved with brownies and ice cream—I’m not exaggerating!”

“She’s not,” Ruby added for extra effect, and I smiled.

“Well, I hope I recreated that nostalgia perfectly.”

I was touched by his thoughtfulness. “You’re succeeding,” I said, my voice catching slightly.

Shawn reached out, gently brushing a stray tendril of hair from my face. “I’m glad.”

When the pasta was ready, we ate it as we giggled and chatted in between bites. We felt like a perfect family, and it made my heart completely warm.

After dinner, it was time for the dessert, and Ruby and Shawn went to plate it. They were whispering amongst themselves and I knew immediately that they were up to something.

“What’s going on?” I called out.

“Nothing,” Ruby yelled back.

“You two shouldn’t play a prank on me.”

“We’re not,” Shawn said with a chuckle, but I didn’t trust them.

The dessert came out and when we were almost done eating, Shawn excused himself. Ruby had a look in her eyes that screamed that she knew something I didn’t.

“What’s going on, Rubes?” I asked, peering closely at her.

“Nothing,” she said softly, looking down at her shoes.

“I know something is going on. You can tell me,” I urged, still too impatient to wait for any kind of surprise.

“I’m not supposed to say,” she replied.

I knew it, there was something going on! And as I was just about to turn around to get Shawn, I was completely caught off guard by the sight of him kneeling behind me, a ring box in his hand.

I gasped, my heart in my throat. “What’s going on?”

“Daddy wants to marry you,” Ruby screamed, unable to hold onto the secret any longer.

I swallowed and chuckled. “Yes, I can see that.”

My heart was pounding in my chest and I was trying not to cry.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for as long as I can remember, but so many obstacles stood in our way.”

I chuckled and he continued.

“From the first moment I saw you five years ago, I knew you were something special,” he said, his voice trembling a bit. “I’ve always been so sure of you, but you got to know me each step of the way and watched me unravel and put myself back together again. You’ve shown me what love truly means, and I’ll be grateful for that lesson every day of my life.”

I was completely frozen to the spot in awe, my hands over my mouth. My eyes drifted from the gorgeous diamond ring to Shawn, and then to Ruby, who was smiling hugely.

“Arlene, will you do me the honor of being my wife?” Shawn asked me.

“Oh my,” I gasped.

“Take your time,” he joked, and he and Ruby chuckled.

“Yes. Yes, I will marry you, Shawn Elton. Yes!”

He slipped the ring onto my finger and stood up, pulling me into a passionate kiss. Ruby screamed and clapped, and I was so happy that she got to experience this.

Finally, my life was perfect.