“I could have but I already have a lot of money. This one was on the house.”
He slugged my shoulder. “On the house my ass. You still cleared a few million.”
“You and I both know it was worth ten times that.”
“You should consider going into marketing,” he said with a laugh. “I never would have given something away with the goal of it paying off like that.”
“It’s the oldest trick in the book,” I told him. “I gave it to a small company, and when the big guys noticed, they all wanted it. It was basically my coupon.”
“Your business does not need coupons.”
“It worked though,” I said with a grin.
“It did. That fleet represents the biggest shipping company in the world. You did what you always said you would.”
“What was that?”
“You changed the world. I rub elbows with the guy that changed the world.”
“Hey, you two,” Evie said as she walked toward us.
“Hey, baby.” I greeted her with a kiss. She was wearing a navy-blue dress that was supposed to go with the theme of our little celebration. She insisted we have a celebration. There was champagne and appetizers and even some music.
“You guys are hiding from the party. I have cars ready to take everyone to the hotel. Do not think you are escaping the party that celebrates the two of you. I will not have it.”
I kissed her. “I wouldn’t dare.”
She hooked her arm through mine and led me to the waiting limousine. We climbed in with Charlie and a few of the other guys from his team. We were delivered to the hotel where a large crowd was already gathered in the ballroom.
“This is all for you,” she whispered in my ear as we stood just inside the doorway.
“I feel like this is a little much,” I told her.
“Of course, you would think that. This is a big deal. We are all here to celebrate you and your brilliant brain.”
“Thank you,” I told her.
“I have one little surprise. I know you are not fond of surprises but this one was a must.”
I groaned. “I don’t want to give a speech.”
“You won’t need to give a speech.”
She led me away from the door. While my anxiety wasn’t as bad as it used to be, I was never going to be a social butterfly. Never.
“Son!” I heard my father’s voice.
I spun around, looking at my father. “Dad?” I questioned what I was seeing with my own two eyes. “You’re here?”
“I would not miss this!” he said and shook my hand. “I can’t believe you are the man of the hour. You are a big deal.”
My chest puffed out a little. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I’m happy to be here. I’ve met a few people and they all sing your praises. You are a really big deal. I feel like a fool, but I had no idea.”
Evie looked up at me, her face glowing with pride. “He is a very big deal.”
Evie damn near dragged me around the room, forcing me to shake hands and smile at a lot of people. She must have sensed the moment I was done with it all. She escorted me out of the ballroom and onto the patio lit by pretty lights hanging overhead.
“How are you doing?” she asked me.
“I’m doing good. I’m glad I have you alone. Finally. There are a lot of people in there.”
“They are all here to celebrate you and what you have accomplished. You have made a big impact on the shipping industry. I don’t really understand any of it, but I know they all love you for saving them a lot of money.”
I shrugged. “I aim to please.”
“Yes, you do.”
“I didn’t see your father,” I commented.
“He’s here. I can bring him around if you would like. He has a new lady friend I think you should meet.”
My eyes went wide. “No way.”
“Yes way.”
“He never said a word to me.”
“When did you talk to him?”
This was the part where I fessed up. I learned a long time ago not to try and hide anything from my lovely lady. She was smart, savvy, and downright ruthless.
“I stopped by his office yesterday,” I told her, unable to hide my smile.
“You did, huh?”
I nodded. “I did.”
“Well, aren’t you two the best of friends?” she teased.
That was a bit of an exaggeration, but we were friends. Things had not been easy, but I felt like we had a mutual understanding. He wanted what was best for Evie and so did I. She was our main concern. “We had some business to discuss.”
Laughter floated out of the ballroom behind us. I was glad everyone was having a good time. It was the culmination of a lot of hard work over the year. Every person in there deserved to celebrate their success, including Charlie’s crew.
“What kind of business?” she asked. “Are you guys cooking up another scheme to make ships even faster?”
“No. I think I’m good for a while now. I have more important matters to focus on.”
She touched my cheek. “I better be one of those matters.”
“You are. You absolutely are.”
“My dad is pretty excited to be a part of all of this,” she commented.
“He should be. He made it possible, which is why I gave him a check for his cut of the profits.”
Her mouth fell open. “You did what?”
I shrugged. “Without him, I never would have gotten those first few ships to try out the new hardware. He offered suggestions that made it work even better. He deserved—no, he earned—that money.”
“Wow. Did he accept it?”
I laughed and nodded. “Oh yeah, he did. His name is also included on the patent. Your father is not going to have to teach another day of his life if he doesn’t want to.”
“You are amazing,” she whispered.
“Nah, I’m just lucky to have really amazing people in my life that make me look good.”
“I think you are incredible all on your own.”
“There was something else your father and I needed to discuss,” I told her.
She made a face. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”
I reached into the inside pocket of my suit and dropped to one knee in front of her. She gasped, putting both hands over her mouth. “I needed to ask him a very important question.”
“You did?” The words were barely audible through her fingers covering her mouth.
“I asked him for permission to ask you to be my wife. Evie, you have taken this old, wounded soul and shown me what living really is. You have given me a life I didn’t know was possible. You have shown me light and love and I never want to be apart from you. Will you please marry me?”
I opened the box, flashing the ring I hoped wasn’t too big but big enough to convince her to say yes.
She was staring at the ring, tears in her eyes. “Xander.”
“Evie?” I prompted.
“Yes! Oh my god. This is so crazy! Yes!”
I got to my feet and pulled her into my arms to kiss her. I was sealing the deal. I was going to make the woman who’d changed my life my wife. After a heated kiss, I stepped back to slide the ring on her finger.