The CEO(54)

‘What’s going on?’ Chris leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

‘The Meadows should stay in the Malone family because I figure it will be a fantastic place to have a wedding reception.’

‘What the—?’ He could hear Ava’s sharp intake of breath.

Callum stood, fished a red velvet box out of his back pocket and flicked it open. Then he turned to Ava and knelt down on the plush carpet.

‘Oh, Callum …’ she said on a sigh and the tears welled. She peered into the box at the huge square emerald surrounded by diamonds, nestled in a bed of white satin.

In front of the best men he knew, Callum looked up at the woman he’d been waiting for his whole life.

The tears in Ava’s eyes simply emboldened him to say what was in his heart. Every word of it.

‘I love you, Ava. And I’m asking you to marry me. What do you think about having the wedding at The Meadows?’

‘Callum,’ she said, with a mixture of laughter and happy tears. ‘It would be perfect.’

Ava held out her hand and Callum slipped his mother’s engagement ring on Ava’s finger. When it was safely in place, looking perfect on her tanned skin, he kissed the back of her hand, softly, slowly and happily. She reached for his cheeks and leaned down to plant a loving and utterly familiar kiss on his lips. He knew her well enough by now to know that the tears rolling down her cheeks were from joy.

‘My wedding gift to you is that garden. It’s yours, Ava. If you want it.’ The look in her eyes told him she understood the importance of the place, how much it meant to them, not as a grand old house with enviable views, but because it was the place he’d fallen in love with her.

‘I love you, Callum Malone,’ Ava said, beaming.

‘Lucky for me,’ he replied as he sat next to her, an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. ‘And Coop,’ he called out, ‘The place is big enough for you to crash in when you’re back in Sydney.’

‘Cool. Congrats you two.’

Callum laughed when Chris threw his arms around him from behind, giving him a great big old bear hug the way he used to do when they were kids. ‘Bloody brilliant move, mate. We like her.’

‘We like her a lot,’ Ellie added, smiling warmly at Ava.

Callum turned to his older brother. ‘And there’s room for you both too, Chris, and don’t look at me like I’m crazy. You and Ellie need a bigger house now that you’ve got Charlotte, and I bet you won’t stop at one kid, right?’

He watched Chris and Ellie exchange knowing glances.

‘I’ve thought it all through. You two can have the east wing.’

‘I don’t know,’ Chris said, rubbing his jaw. Callum knew his brother was hedging his bets on agreeing to anything before he’d discussed it privately with his wife. So Callum went right for her soft spot.

‘And Ellie, I figured the ballroom, reception areas and the kitchen would be useful for functions for the Malone Foundation. Think of all the events you could have there. You could raise a lot of money.’

Ellie’s eyes shot wide open. ‘We’re in.’

Next to him, Ava nuzzled his neck, her soft lips were against his ear and he breathed her in.

‘You are the best man I’ve ever met, did you know that?’

He was the luckiest man in the world, he knew that for certain. ‘Only because of you, Ava. You didn’t just change my gardens, you changed me, too. You’re the reason I decided to keep The Meadows. We can put family and love back in that house, you and me.’

He felt Ava’s shoulders shake as she slipped her arm around him. ‘I can’t wait.’

‘You’re going to have to give up your flat in Bondi,’ he grinned.

‘It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.’ Then she moved closer and whispered in his ear. ‘I’ve got five hundred bucks and two hours. You want to show a girl a good time?’

He met her eyes. ‘Only every day for the rest of our lives.’

Ava smiled up at him.

‘Now that sounds like a plan.’





Epilogue




‡


Three years later…

‘Another slice of cinnamon cake, Mrs Malone?’

The voice in Ava’s head sounded indistinct in her still half-asleep haze and she blinked her eyes open. Above her, a cloudless Sydney sky glittered like sapphires. All around her, her city oasis, her dream garden, her haven, came to life in shades of green and white and grey. And there, fuzzy at first but now clear as a bell, her husband was kneeling next to her offering a plate. She didn’t have to see what was on it to know what it held. The delicious aroma of cinnamon almost had her salivating.