Dane set her gently on her feet. “Let’s talk about all the things I tried to avoid talking about. Money, kids, where we’ll live. Where you’ll work. I can fly in a lawyer for you so we can get everything written up.”

“You’d do that?”

“I should’ve done it from the get-go,” he said. She had wanted to make sure they really knew what they were getting into, and he had shot her down. Now that she wanted to marry him, he didn’t intend to make the same mistake again.

The prospect of having such a serious discussion scared the hell out of him, but Allyson was worth it. He had vowed to spend the rest of his life making her as happy as she made him. And he intended to stick to that vow. Even if it scared him. Even if it was difficult. Even if it meant that she’d conclude that all he brought to their relationship was money.

His chest tightened as he headed back to the villa with her. He was so close to making her his wife, and now there was a real chance she would turn and run for good. But she needed this. Needed to see that he was committed to her no matter the consequences.

Dane guided her into the small office that was adjacent to the living room. Ordinarily he would have spent all day in the office getting work done away from work, but he had been so focused on helping Allyson through her ordeal that he hadn’t set foot inside. Which was for the best, considering how energized and stress- free he had felt spending all his days and nights with her.

He motioned for her to take a seat at the office desk while he made some quick phone calls. “The lawyer will be here in a few hours,” he said after he hung up the phone. “So, we have time to talk things over.”

She leaned forward in her chair, all business. He tried not to get distracted by how sexy she looked sitting at his desk like she owned it, but it was futile. Allyson in professional mode was always going to turn him on. “Well, if we’re going to pick up where we left off…the last time we talked about our issues, you didn’t want me to work as an assistant.”

He leaned against the desk and stared down at her. “I still don’t, but you’ve decided to quit Prescott—”

“Let’s not be too hasty,” she said, cutting him off.

He laughed. “All right, would you like me to put in a good word?”

“I’ve practically missed a whole work week. Forget a good word, you’ll need to twist arms.” She pursed her lips. “I’d rather not be the spoiled rich wife who got her way because her husband runs the company.”

He mulled over her words. “So, do you want to quit? Because, even though I wasn’t crazy about you working as my assistant, I didn’t want you to leave the company. You’re a terrific worker. Prescott needs talent like yours.”

“What if I worked as an assistant somewhere else?”

“I know this is hard for you to understand, but I’d rather you didn’t. I’m not making ultimatums or anything like that, but the thought of you being ordered around by one of those high-society snobs doesn’t sit well with me.” He crossed his arms.

“That’s funny, because I’ve been working for a high society-snob for years.” Her lips twitched like she was trying to suppress a smile.

He chuckled. “I’m surprised that one rich jerk hasn’t put you off.”

“He really was bossy, but it’s lucky he’s so good-looking,” she said. “I swear, you get your last name on a corporate skyscraper and you think you own the place.”

“Wouldn’t hurt to work at the place that has got your last name on it,” he said. “I mean, if you want to take my last name.”

“Prescott has so much more character than Smith,” she murmured.

“It looks great on the monograms. Plus, all the baseballs in New York city will have our last name,” he pointed out.

“Our.” She paused and smiled. “I like the sound of that.”

“So…where are you going to work?”

She frowned. “If I work at Prescott, a lot of the staff won’t like me.”

“Allyson, with all the money we’re going to have a lot of people won’t like you,” he said. “But I will.”

“That’s encouraging.”

He tapped her nose gently. “I’m your biggest fan.”

“I have an idea.” She chewed her lip for a moment. “Honestly, it’s one of those wild, crazy ideas I’ve always had for Prescott Global but never took too seriously.”

“I’m all ears.”

“What if we had a woman’s division?” She steepled her hands. “We always made sure to incorporate women athletes and have done a respectable job hiring women in top positions, but we don’t have a division just for women. We’re pushing beyond sports into fitness, but what are we doing for women? We’ve focused on athletes, but I think it’s time we focus on regular people. Girls doing sports at school. Women who want to incorporate fitness into their lives. And, instead of expecting them to be like pro-athletes, we should be meeting women where they are. Making them feel good about themselves and applauding them for getting into sports in the first place.”

He watched as her entire face lit up. Seeing her so engaged, so animated and excited made him excited, too. “So, you’d want to be an assistant in the woman’s division?”

She sighed. “It sounds crazy to have the idea for a whole new division only to be an assistant to the people who get to run it.”

“See what I mean?” He laughed. “You’re not assistant material. Not that there’s anything wrong with being an assistant, but you have the potential to do other things. I have the money to get you there. Let’s combine my money with your talent and ideas.”

“If I can go to night school and get another degree, then I’ll take a senior position.”

He grinned. “That sounds fair.”

“I guess it’s a deal. But enough about work.” She waved her hand. “I’d rather stay here with you.”

“We don’t have to go back,” he told her. “We can stay here forever.”

They moved on to talking about their relationship next. Together they figured out how they wanted to raise their kids. They settled on having no nannies, but agreed to let their kids go to private schools. Allyson agreed to live with Dane in an upscale area, but only if they bought a place they both agreed on. So much of their negotiating was about compromise, but there was one thing they both agreed on. They both loved each other.

When the lawyer finally arrived, Dane made sure a contract was drawn up. Allyson was going to get the prenup that she wanted. He hated the idea of doing it, but at least now he knew that if the worst happened she would be financially secure for the rest of her life. If they got divorced she’d get fifty million dollars for every year they were married. If she ended up widowed, she’d get at least half of his wealth. No matter what happened he made sure to set aside a trust for her, which would kick in after they got married.

She stared at the contract in disbelief. “I can’t take this.”

He exchanged a glance with her lawyer. “Didn’t I tell you she was stubborn?” He sighed. “Yes, you can. It’s money that’s independent from mine, which means you can do whatever you like with it.”

“Dane, there’s three-hundred-million dollars in this trust!”

“Well, if you ever want to set it all on fire that’s up to you,” he said with a laugh, and rolled his eyes at the lawyer who looked shell-shocked. “But this is one thing we’re really not going to compromise on.”

Her lawyer took the contract from her hands. “I’m going to have to advise you to accept the money.”

Allyson huffed, but eventually, to his relief, she agreed and the documents were signed.

 

*  *  *

 

The lawyer left after everything was sorted out, leaving Allyson alone with Dane. She thought all that negotiating might have exhausted her, but instead she felt lighter. Rejuvenated almost. They had gotten through it. Compromised, and come to an agreement.

Now, she was brushing her hair in front of the mirror in her bedroom. She was getting ready for an evening of sightseeing and shopping in town with Dane. When they got into town she planned on getting a wedding dress while he ran some errands. She smiled to herself, excited about choosing a dress for the wedding ceremony tomorrow.

Dane appeared in the doorway of her room. “Hello, beautiful.”

“I’m almost ready, I swear.” She set down her hairbrush and grabbed a tube of lipstick.

“Take your time. We men like to complain, but the truth is, watching you get ready is kind of a turn-on.”

She laughed. “Oh, so that’s the secret.” She applied the glossy pink lipstick and adjusted her sundress.

“I’ve got something for you,” he said.

“What is it?” She smoothed her hair and then turned to him.

There was a familiar-looking gold necklace in his hands. It made her heart start to race.

“I still have your engagement ring if you want to wear it,” he said shyly. “I took it with me…”

Suddenly, her vision blurred with tears. Her heart was overflowing, and if she didn’t fight the tears she’d be a blubbering mess and her mascara would run. She nodded, too overcome with emotion to speak.

Dane approached her and placed the necklace around her neck, the diamond ring hanging from it.

“Wait.” She placed her hand over the ring.

He frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to wear it like this.” Slowly, she took the necklace from his hands and slipped the ring off. Before, she had worn the ring on the necklace. Partially out of fear and hesitation. Partially because she wanted to keep the ring close to her heart. As a reminder of her love.

But she didn’t need to be reminded now. She loved him so much that it wasn’t even a conscious thought anymore. Allyson loved Dane with her entire being and she wanted the world to know it, too. Wanted the world to see their love. They had spent so much time lying, hiding, and sneaking around. That was over now. The world was going to know that they had chosen each other, and nothing was going to stop them.

With a smile, she set the necklace down on the dresser in front of the mirror. Then, as her heart fluttered, she gently slipped the diamond ring onto her finger.