During the day, Gael had to work, as usual, so he was cooped up in his office upstairs while Angela was inspired to write her next book. If she could work on it daily—even for just a couple of hours per day for a month, she'd be able to release the new one in less than two months. Gael gave her the guest room to use as an office where she could write peacefully without disturbances.
By the time the clock struck at eleven in the morning, she was done for the day. Stretching her arms up, her spine cracked satisfyingly, making her let out a sigh.
Angela thought she'd go check up on Gael and ask him what he wanted for lunch so she could order in for them. However, her phone rang before she could step out of the room and when she saw that it was the real estate agent in Mayne calling, she picked it up right away and closed the door again.
She had been waiting for new listings with specifications she requested that probably made the realtor curse her to hell for being so difficult. He was a friend of Oliver's, so she hoped his patience was huge—she didn't want to make things awkward between the two.
The agent would call her every couple of days to present a new potential home that somewhat fit her checklist. Even though they looked beautiful in the pictures, she wasn't drawn to them. Angela knew that only seeing the houses in pictures could probably lessen her interest, but she was far at the moment. Visiting the properties wasn't possible until she went back home to Mayne.
The agent must think Angela was only wasting his time or that she didn't really have money to purchase and was just goofing around, seeing as she had turned down everything he showed her. Of course, he didn't tell her that. However, part of her was already feeling bad, but what could she do? The houses just weren't what she was looking for.
"Hey, Stanley. How's it going?" Angela greeted with a smile on her face, hoping her chirpy tone would appease the hardworking agent.
"Ms. Su, I hope you're having a great day. Happy Valentine's day, by the way," replied the thirty-eight-year-old realtor.
"Oh, thanks. You too. What do you have for me today?"
"Ah…" He paused for a moment and then hesitated, "I…found another house. It's actually from a different property management, but the owner's a friend and he kindly hooked me up with this. It checks all the boxes, but it's an unfinished home. They were supposed to renovate or make a project out of it when they got it, but the team assigned was suddenly unavailable. Anyway, at the moment, it's not actually for sale…yet. But for the right price, they're willing to sell it."
"Okay. Well, just send it in and I'll check it out." After a couple more minutes of conversation, the phone call ended and Angela sat on the bed as she waited. Not a minute later, she received an email from the realtor with files attached to it. Her back hit the mattress as she casually tapped her screen and watched as the images loaded.
A gasp escaped her lips, and she sat up on the bed, zooming in on the photos as her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Her heart was now beating frantically inside her chest, and she couldn't believe she had found the home she was looking for. Stanley was right. This recent house definitely checked the boxes. Without wasting another second, she called the realtor, the words tumbling out of her mouth as she told him to lock in the deal and not show it to anyone else anymore.
"Wait… Really? You want this house?" Stanley probed like he couldn't believe she was finally making a purchase. "It's only been…five minutes. Have you checked everything?"
"YES!!! I don't care how much they're asking. I want it now, Stan."
He chuckled. "Wow… Okay, I'll take care of it."
"Can you send everything I need to sign like….now? I'm sorry for rushing you, but I just don't want to lose this. I won't find another one like it. Please?"
After Stanley reassured her that he'd close the deal, Angela waited eagerly like a kid on Christmas day in front of presents. She was so nervous and excited at the same time. Her hands trembled as she quickly and carefully reviewed the documents and signed them. As soon as he confirmed everything was done, she squealed in excitement, jumping out of bed and kicking her legs.
[ Realtor - Stanley: Congratulations on your new home, Ms. Su. ]
The door to the guest room abruptly opened, and in came Gael with wide eyes, instantly scanning the room as if he was looking for danger. "What happened?"
Running forward, Angela jumped on him, her arms circling his neck and her legs wrapping around his waist. By instinct, he caught her and steadied both of them. The familiar scene prompted a déjà vu where she was the koala, and he was the tree.
"I bought my house!" she excitedly announced.
Gael let out a sigh of relief and chuckled, a grin ghosting his face when he realized what the squeal was about. All he could do was hug her tightly and be happy for her.
***
Gael wasn't kidding. He really went all out just like he said he would. In the evening, he took her to the same restaurant he brought her before—the Italian restaurant by the river co-owned by the De Lucas. That night, they were seated at a balcony that was adorned by fairy lights and beautiful flower arrangements.
It was cold outside, but there were ample heaters that Angela was comfortable enough to wear her white strapless wrap dress throughout their date. Gael promised they wouldn't talk about work or anything stressful that night, so their conversation centered around their dreams and wishes when they were a child and how they changed now that they were older.
After the Evan incident and the recent happenings in their life, taking a break tonight was such a breath of fresh air.
Whenever Gael talked about what he wanted to do in the future—normal stuff—namely, the places he wanted to see and the food he wanted to taste, Angela could easily forget that he was carrying the world on his shoulders. He was a natural protector, leader, and businessman, and his skills made him one of the important people that his family would rely on. Hearing him talk about the simple things in life made her fall in love with him even more—if that were even possible.
They were leaning against the railing, facing the river when he nodded at her, a smile lifting on his lips. "What about you, new house owner who wouldn't show me the house she bought…"
"I told you, I'll show it to you once it's done!" Angela's smile was so bright, a small giggle came out of it. "I want you to see it when it's ready."
"Fine." Gael rolled his eyes. "So… What about you? Back on the island, I asked you what your future looked like. And you said you wanted a gated white house away from prying neighbors so you can write all the books you want. Now you've achieved that. What's next?"
Her gaze softened and an appreciative smile cast on her face. She squeezed his hand. "I can't believe you remember that…"
"Of course, I would. Why wouldn't I?"
She laid her head against his shoulder and hooked her arm with his. "You're amazing. Do you know that? I'm so lucky to have you."
"So am I." He smiled as he shifted to stand behind her, placing his hands on the railing on either side of her, caging her in his arms. Gael kissed the side of her head. "Do you remember what else we talked about after that?"
"Huh? What did we talk about after?"
"Well… I asked you a question."
She tilted sideways to peer up at him. "What did you ask?"
"I asked if you would still be single by the time you have your gated white house."
Angela threw her head back and laughed. "Right. You did ask that!" She leaned against his chest, and he slid an arm around her waist. "And then I told you, 'maybe…or maybe not'. Holy crap. Who would have known we would be together now? Crazy. Back then, you were such a flirt!"
Gael softly chuckled. "I know… Who would've known?"
There was a moment of silence as both of them went back to recall that afternoon in their head with a smile on their face.
"Baby…" He whispered above her ear. "Turn around."
Angela, who was staring at nothing in particular, snapped out of her trance as he released her, and she turned just like he asked. At first, she studied his face, waiting for him to say something, but he just stood there with a slight tilt at the corner of his lips.
That's when she felt a sudden pull to lower her gaze, and the moment she did, a gasp fell on her lips.
Standing before her in all his dashing glory, Gael held out a navy blue velvet box, and inside it sat a breathtakingly gorgeous pink oval diamond ring.
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