The words were embossed in gold lettering, the words glittering with a unique shimmer.

The man who had delivered the invitation waited politely at the door, half turned in deference to Kira’s privacy as she stared in shock. Stammering, she turned to show her father. “Look at this, Dad.”

Her father read the invitation and glanced into his daughter’s face. “Looks to me like this man has pretty good timing in more ways than one.”

“Is there a reply, Miss Bancroft?” the man said at the door, the resonance of his voice quiet, but projecting across the open threshold.

“Uh, yeah—I mean, yes. I’m trying to think. I can’t think.” Kira’s heart stuttered inside her chest. She had never received anything remotely like this before. Finally, she stepped forward, gripping the beautiful invitation in her hand. “Please tell Mr. Davenport I will be very happy to accept.”

“Excellent. He will send a car for you at 7:00 p.m. that evening,” the man replied with a slight bow. “Good evening to you.”

He stepped off the porch, where old leaves swirled in the February breeze, making Kira cringe at how much outside work there was to do here at this dingy, little house. It must kill her father to not be able to take care of it, but he never complained.

When Kira closed the front door, she pressed the invitation to her chest, feeling overwhelmed. Caleb was still in Spain, of course, but he was already thinking ahead two weeks for his return.

Her mother was all aflutter when she read the gorgeous invitation. “Oh, my, what class this young man has.”

“Do you want to go dress shopping with me?” Kira asked, grinning at the sudden light appearing in her mother’s eyes.

“That’s a great idea,” her father said behind them, wheeling his chair around to peer through the narrow front window curtain at the black Lincoln Town Car pulling away from the curb.

* * *

Two weeks later, Kira got the night off from Rossi’s and allowed herself extra time to dress.

She hadn’t seen Caleb since his return from Spain two days ago. He’d hoped to be home sooner, but the trip turned into a whirlwind of cities; not only Barcelona, but Madrid and Valencia on the coast as his various vendors multiplied by referral. He had sent her a text message, since he wasn’t able to see her, reminding her of their planned evening.

Caleb: We’re celebrating tonight! Come hungry. I hired a superb chef.

Kira: Like a girl is supposed to show up on a date hungry and stuff her face.

Caleb: You mean, that’s really a thing? I guess I’m ignorant of that tradition.

Kira: I’m not usually a trend-follower.

Caleb: I know. . .

Still wearing her towel from the shower, Kira laughed as she pulled out her blow-dryer.

A gold Lincoln arrived to pick her up, but the chauffeur wasn’t the same man that had shown up at her parent’s doorstep with the invitation.

How many staff did Caleb employ? Or were they all from an employment agency hired as temps for the evening?

The thought made her smile.

A light dusting of snow had fallen in the late afternoon, but the temps weren’t too horrible. All the snow from a week ago had melted with a sudden, unexpected warm spell and full sun, a phenomenon that occasionally delighted Denver’s citizens during particularly brutal winters and gave them hope for spring.

Kira felt like Cinderella arriving at the ball as the Lincoln Town Car meandered its way down the winding drive and pulled up before Caleb’s mansion. The estate glowed with dozens of lights along the stone walkways as well as lanterns hanging from the pines and fir trees.

When the chauffeur opened the car door and helped Kira step out, she noticed that the pathways toward the front door were heated and dry, no ice to slip on with high heels.

Picking up the hem of her quarter-length deep blue organza dress so she didn’t trip, Kira walked up two sets of stairs to the double carved doors. She loved the dress she’d found off the rack at a Nordstrom sale. A square neckline, belted, but not too narrow, and not too fluffy like a teenage prom dress.

The dress also came with a half-length white lace jacket, but at the moment she was also wearing a heavy coat over it so she didn’t turn into a Popsicle. Including a cashmere scarf her mother had given her from the stack in her bureau, and leather gloves. Even so, the tips of her fingers were cold.

Lifting her eyes when she reached the last step on the landing to the front doors, Kira gasped at the profusion of lights blazing in every window of the house. Warm and golden and welcoming.

It was breathtaking to see the house at night. The sight reminded her of Darcy’s Pemberley estate from Pride and Prejudice.

She wasn’t at the doorstep for more than three seconds when the door flew open and an older gentleman greeted her with a small bow and a slight Spanish accent. “Miss Bancroft, welcome to the Davenport Estate. I am Mr. Penrose at your service. Mr. Davenport awaits you in the music room.”

“Oh, my,” Kira murmured as Mr. Penrose took her coat and scarf, hanging them on a coat rack. After she tugged off her gloves, the butler neatly placed them on a silver platter sitting atop the entryway table.

“This way, please, Miss Bancroft.”

The interior of the house was even more stunning than the exterior. Every room and hallway was lit up like it was still Christmas. Chandeliers dropped from the ceilings with hundreds of sparkling crystals. Long, tapered candles flickered gold flames against the mantle’s filigree.

Kira could hardly breathe as she followed Mr. Penrose through the second hallway toward the music room. When he opened the door, her heart slammed against her rib cage because the music room was the prettiest of all.

“Miss Kira Bancroft, sir,” the butler announced, ushering her inside and then closing the door behind him.

At least one hundred tall white and gold candles surrounded the oblong room, sitting on top of the tables and fireplace mantle, including the top of the glossy black Steinway, which created a warm hue against the oak paneling.

Caleb stood beside the grand piano, wearing a dark gray suit and deep blue tie which miraculously matched her dress color.

His wavy brown hair was curled around his ears and tapered along the back of his neck. His straight nose and startling blue eyes reminded her of a model on the cover of a magazine. Or a Greek prince. But she would never tell him that. It might go to his head, she mused, although she seriously doubted that. Caleb had no idea the effect he had on women—and especially her.

“Kira,” he breathed, a note of relief in his voice, as if he was worried she might not show up.

“I feel like I’ve stepped inside a dream,” she told him when he pulled her close, his breath on her hair, and his lips on her ear.

“I’ve been beside myself to see you again,” he said in his deep voice.

“I agree,” she whispered back.

“I never want to be away from you that long again.”

“Next time take me with you,” she teased.

“You read my mind. You look astounding. Perfect. More beautiful than I’ve ever seen you.”

“My, my, you’re full of compliments,” she quipped. “You look good enough to eat yourself, Mr. Davenport.”

He grinned, his white teeth sparkling under the candlelight. “Call me Caleb.”

“Have we known each other long enough to drop the formalities?” she teased.

“I think it’s been about ten years too long.”

His arms circled her waist and Kira found herself breathing in the delicious scent of his skin, shivering at the way he looked at her.

His white shirt was crisp against her cheek, his arms muscled and strong while he held her, and when they broke apart at the opening of the door, she was suddenly cold without him.

“Dinner is served,” Caleb said as a set of doors opened and Mr. Penrose appeared with a cart holding their meal on fine gold-rimmed china.

A fire snapped in a grated fireplace at the end of the room, and that’s when Kira noticed that a dinner table had been set in front of it, complete with linen napkins and crystal goblets.

“Everything is so beautiful, so perfect,” she exclaimed. “I think I’ve been transported inside a palace.”

“I’m glad you like it. I hope you like dinner, too. I cooked the filets myself.”

“What dream have I fallen into? A man who’s also a chef? And you kept your suit clean, too, I see.”

“Masculine aprons come in handy. Actually, I’m a quick-change artist—after the beef came off the grill.”

“I like a man of many talents.”

“I’m relieved to hear that.” Caleb pulled out her chair and Kira sat down, a feeling of light-headed fizziness was about to make her head explode.

She’d never had any man treat her like she was the most special person in the world—except her own father. Kira could see the boyish excitement in Caleb’s eyes, feel the heat of his adoration. Her heart was in her throat every time he placed a hand at her back, or his fingertips touched her neck when he brushed at a tendril of her hair.

Dinner consisted of medium rare tenderloin, grilled new potatoes with garlic and pepper, brown sugar glazed carrots, hot fresh bread slathered with honey butter. For dessert, a caramel pecan cheesecake with real whipped cream.

“I think I’ve died and gone to culinary heaven,” Kira said. “Are we still on earth?”

“I hope so,” Caleb told her, “but right now I think I’m somewhere between earth and the celestial stars.”

“The gentleman before me has a way with words.”

Caleb let out a big laugh. “Hardly. I flunked English. I’ll bet you were a straight A student.”

“I was when I did my homework,” Kira said with a sideways smile. “The piano was so important to me, and I practiced constantly to get a music scholarship because my parents couldn’t afford to send me to a school like Juilliard. I drove my brothers crazy because, as they put it, I was always banging on it. Homework sometimes suffered. Do you think I’ll ever finish and use my music degree?” she asked wistfully.

“You’ll finish it and use it,” Caleb assured her.

“You sound pretty confident.”

“If you’ll accept what I’m about to show you.”

Kira narrowed her eyes. “What are you up to?”

Caleb drained his goblet of ice water and refilled hers. His hands were shaking ever so slightly. “Sorry, my nerves are showing,” he said. “Tonight means a lot to me.”

“It does to me, too,” she whispered. “I missed you. More than I expected.”

“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day. I thought about you every single moment while I was gone. The vendors I was wooing and trying to impress probably thought I was the most distracted, day-dreaming idiot they’d ever met.”

Kira leaned in for a moment, brushing up against his cheek. “But did you get their business?” she asked wickedly.

A smile crossed Caleb’s face. “I did. And eagerly. But I offered them a world-wide audience they can’t refuse. And now—I want to offer you a deal I hope you won’t refuse.”

“You have me intrigued.”

Caleb took her hand, lifting Kira to her feet. Gripping her fingers in his, he led her toward the glowing candelabras on the piano.

“It looks like Christmas in here,” she told him. “My favorite holiday, because I love lights. Sparkly, fairy lights. Neighborhoods ablaze. Luminarias. Strobe lights. You name it, I’m all in.”

Out of the dusky candle-light, Caleb lifted a black cloth from the top of the all-black grand piano Kira hadn’t noticed before. He moved the two candelabra sitting on the piano to another table. Then he raised the piano lid so she could read the placard placed just above the ivory keys. It read:

This Steinway belongs to Kira Bancroft.

Kira took a step backward, her legs unsteady and trembling. Her heart raced straight up her throat while she looked between the piano and Caleb and back again. “This piano is for me?” Her voice cracked. “Oh, Caleb, you can’t. You mustn’t.”

“What am I going to do with a grand piano? I can’t even play Chopsticks.”

“This instrument must have cost over twenty thousand dollars, how can I possibly accept it?”

“Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it—the money doesn’t matter. It’s already bought, already paid for. I have terrible credit because I pay cash for everything.”

Kira turned weak with sudden laughter. “You mean you don’t have to sit down and pay bills every month and wonder if you can afford more than mac and cheese for your dinners. Or ramen noodles?”

Caleb shrugged his shoulders, making a funny face that just made Kira laugh harder. “I used to live on ramen in high school when I was keeping it a secret that my folks weren’t around and I was living alone.”

“I don’t know why, but I find that so funny. I can picture you vegging out on the couch with a big bowl of ramen noodles watching Star Wars over and over again.”

“Please don’t picture that! It wasn’t a pretty sight. Sometimes I didn’t do dishes for a month.”

Kira stepped closer to him, placing a hand on his cheek. His skin was warm, his chin smoothly shaven. She resisted the urge to kiss him. “Giving me a piano is too much, you sweet, generous man. Besides, my apartment doesn’t have an extra two feet, let alone ten feet by ten feet of space.”

“You can play it right here, in your own music room.”

“Oh, Caleb!”

“I’m serious. I want you to play again. Regularly. I want you to try again.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Try again for what?”

“Your dream of performing. The dream you began when you were ten-years-old and held on to it until two years ago.”

Kira sighed. “Oh, Caleb,” she said again, biting at her lips. She stared at the instrument with a fierce longing, including a fierce feeling of self-consciousness that washed over her.

“I can’t wait to hear you play again. It’s all I’ve thought about since I first brought you here, which is already two months ago.”

“I—I can’t. It feels indecent to accept something like this.” Kira gave a self-conscious laugh. “But that’s probably my mother talking.”

Caleb lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “Would it make you feel better if I gave you a ten-foot-long cardboard cut-out of a Steinway grand piano?”

“Probably!” She burst out. “You are amazing and generous, but you can’t give me an entire room of my own.”

“I’ll make you a deal. The piano stays here. You come here whenever you’d like and play for as long as you like.”

“I’ll make the staff sick of me.”

“The staff would love having private concerts while they work, and you can lock us all out. Even me,” he added.

Kira’s lips twitched while she studied the boyish eager expression on his face. “Okay, I accept.” As soon as she spoke the words, her eyes filled with unexpected tears at the thought of her very own Steinway.

Discerning the emotion she was feeling, Caleb opened his arms and Kira walked into them, gripping the front of his shirt with both hands while he kissed the top of her hair.

She breathed in his scent, the smoky vanilla from the candles, and the sunshine-scented soap his shirt had been laundered in. His chest and shoulders were perfect, strong, and yet gentle. She felt completely safe. She felt loved, she realized. Cherished. Adored.

What a strange sensation that was. She also had a peculiar awareness of how fate had brought them together, and now, even after a few months, she didn’t want to go anywhere else where Caleb wasn’t. She wanted to stay in his arms forever.

Ten years ago, they had been set on different courses through life, one feeling like their dreams could come true and the other not believing that would be possible. Yet as time passed and life threw curve balls, their lives had turned out differently than planned. They’d both survived tragedy and loss and hurt and anger…and yet they were whole in the ways that mattered most.

“Hey,” Caleb said, his embrace tightening. When Kira glanced up, his eyes made her stomach go into overdrive like she was on a roller coaster. “I have something else to show you.”

“You mean there’s more? Tonight is already perfect.”

“Not yet, but pretty close because I’m still dying to kiss you,” he added with a murmur.

She threw her head back to gaze at him, a teasing smile on her lips. “And why don’t you, Mr. Davenport?”

“Because there’s a perfect moment coming up. Come on, this is really cool.”

She laughed. “You sound like a kid.”

“I’m as excited as one.”

He tugged her hand and they flew out the door of the music room where the fire was dying down into glowing red and orange coals. Down the hall, past the living area, the large sitting rooms, and finally reaching the rear gardens.

When they stepped through the double glass doors, they were entering a night filled with a galaxy of moon and stars.

“The views are so spectacular away from the city,” she said in awe.

“Yeah, they are,” Caleb agreed, but when Kira glanced at him he was only gazing at her.

She wagged a finger at him and he pulled her across the stone pavings and then down the wide balustrade to the far side of a porch that overlooked the gardens and grounds. Dark clusters of trees stood silent on the edge of the property.

“What a beautiful night,” she breathed, rubbing at her cold arms. “My coat is inside.”

“You don’t need it. Come on, this is the best part.” Walking around the corner, they followed the enormous balcony that wrapped around the house. Caleb finally stopped and uttered the magical word of “Tada.”

Standing before them was an enclosed square structure made from billowing white linen and fastened to the porch like a tent. “Wow, that’s gorgeous.”

“Let’s go inside.”

Caleb parted the curtained doors and Kira stepped inside a room laid with carpets and sofas. An electric heater blazed red, warming the room. Two standing lamps gave a soft glow and a small chandelier had been erected in the center, hanging down to cast a warm yellow light.

“You must have spent all day getting ready for tonight.”

“Yep, but it was a blast. I couldn’t wait for you to come.”

She reached up to place her hand on his face. “Thank you. Tonight has been spectacular.”

“I told you the best part was yet to come,” he teased.

“What could make it better than all this?” She swept a hand around the cozy room, a barrier between them and the chilly February night.

“Cheetos and Dr. Pepper.” Caleb announced, opening a chest filled with ice and sodas. He took out two and popped the cans open, pouring the fizzy drink into two tall goblets, clinking with ice.

Kira began to laugh again. “It’s a party.”

“Of course.” Next, Caleb ripped open a bag of Cheetos and poured them into a bowl. He set everything down on a low table and then took Kira’s hand to help her down to the plush rug so they could sit together.

“My favorite, you know,” she said, eyeing him. “How did you guess?”

“I pay attention.”

Wrapping an arm around her, Caleb brought her close while Kira took a sip of the icy Dr. Pepper.

“Oh, yum. Even though I’ve had dessert, there’s always room for Dr. Pepper and Cheetos.” She bit into one and let out a giggle. “Now I’m going to have orange dust on my mouth.”

“I can fix that.” Caleb leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers so deeply Kira thought she’d faint with the desire she felt toward him. “Can you tell I bought the high-end brand?”

She smiled against his mouth and kissed him back, leaning in from her seated position. All at once, she was Elizabeth Bennett and he was Mr. Darcy kissing on the Pemberley balcony.

“We’re only missing the moonlight,” she finally said, breaking the kiss to take a breath before she literally swooned.

“Not a problem. We even have moonlight.”

Caleb rose to his feet and pressed a lever. The roof of the tent slowly scrolled back, cool air rushing through, but with the heater going, Kira barely felt it. Instead of the canopied roof, a giant silver moon shone down on them, bathing the tent’s interior. Caleb switched off the lamps and the chandelier. “We don’t need them anymore.”

“It’s true,” Kira said, amazing at the shafts of moonlight falling over the rugs and chandelier.

Caleb grabbed two of the long sofa pillows and placed them on the rug next to their table. He leaned back and Kira sank back against the pillow next to him, his arm underneath her as she tucked herself into the crook of his arm and chest.

For several long perfect moments, they stared up at the night sky, dazzling with thousands of stars embedded into the blackness. Turning to face Kira, Caleb leaned in towards her, softly holding her face in his hands. They kissed each other until Kira could hardly breathe.

Finally, Caleb broke away, tracing a finger down the side of her face and studying her as if he couldn’t believe she was actually beside him. “I have to stop before I can’t.”

Kira rose to a sitting position, still welded to his side, her skin on fire. “I don’t want to stop either, but I know exactly what you mean.”

“I know a way that we don’t have to stop,” he said, a smile on his mouth. “We could be together all the time. We’d never have to say goodbye.”

“And how would that work?”

Caleb reached behind Kira to one of the tables and pulled out a small drawer that fitted inside one of the larger ones.

“How clever is that?” she said, intrigued.

“It’s one way to hide a billionaire’s valuables,” he said with a sideways grin. “But this—what’s inside this box—is the most valuable thing I own at the moment.”

Before Kira realized the double meaning of his words—and all the words that had just come before about never saying goodbye again—Caleb snapped open the lid of a small jewelry box. Under the moonlight, a diamond ring sparkled in a bed of blue velvet.

Kira’s eyes swam with sudden emotion. “My heart is beating so hard I can’t even speak,” she choked out.

Caleb’s face broke into a smile. “Actually, I think you’re doing pretty well. I hope this ring—that me, myself—is enough, Miss Kira Bancroft.”

The ring was not too overbearing for a billionaire’s bride, but exquisitely detailed with a marquise diamond and clustered with tiny red rubies all along the band. Diamonds and red rubies both.

“It’s designed like my grandmother’s heirloom necklace,” Kira choked out. “I’ve never seen a more gorgeous ring in my life. Of course, it’s enough. You are enough. More than enough.”

“I know I hurt you,” he went on. “I know I have a ton of family baggage. I know you have your own dreams to fulfill . . . but I can’t imagine going the rest of my life without you in it. Not just as a friend texting or talking past midnight, but as my wife beside me in my bed all night long. I want you more than anything else I’ve ever wanted. Even though you were my dream, you’re more than I ever dreamed you would be.”

“Oh, Mr. Caleb Davenport,” she whispered.

“I’m not saying this right, am I?” he said, a sheepish look on his face. “I’m eighteen again and a total geek. Inside, I’m still a geek.”

Kira moved closer. “Then you’re the most handsome, most amazing geek I’ve ever met.”

“Before I forget, Kira, there’s something else I have to tell you. There’s an entire apartment suite in the gatehouse cottage ready for your parents. We can move them here onto the property and you’ll be close by. They’ll be well taken care of. I’ve also been searching for doctors for your father—and your mother. The best doctors who specialize in—”

“Oh, my gosh, Caleb,” Kira interrupted, hot tears spilling over. “Could you get any more generous or wonderful?”

He blinked at her, his expression concerned at her emotions. “Am I doing something wrong?”

“Just shut up and kiss me.”

“Are you saying—does this mean what I think it means?” His hands caressed her face, and Kira knew exactly what he was feeling, the inexplicable joy of this moment. “I love you Kira Bancroft—if you’ll have me, flaws and crazy, and all that goes with it. I know that any dream will be within our reach as long as we’re reaching together.”

Caleb kissed her cheek, her hair, and the corner of her lips. A thousand shivers ran from the top of Kira’s head to the tips of her toes.

“Yes,” she whispered, savoring the nearness of him, her arms around his neck. “This is exactly what you think it means. I love you, too, so much more than I ever thought was possible to love someone.”

She paused while Caleb placed the diamond and ruby ring on her left hand. It sparkled under the moonlight like a falling star. A promise of so many good things to come.

Kira pressed herself closer to kiss him, whispering against his warm lips, “My answer is ‘yes’ a thousand times, Caleb Davenport. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!”

* * *