Yours Completely(68)

“What's it say?” Jace asked. His face was soft and full of concern for her.

“It's bad.” Ella felt like falling through the floor. “Apparently, my stepmother hasn't paid taxes on this place in a very long time.”

The more she read, the more she felt like the world was collapsing around her. The amount of back taxes on the inn was more than Ella had saved in all her years working here. As soon as she inherited, those taxes would be hers.

She was going to lose the inn without ever having it. A tear rolled down her cheek. All that work. All those years.

Wasted.

In a moment, she felt the futility of the past few years crashing down on her.

Jace's arms were around her, comforting her even though she hadn't said another word. It made her love him more. He was there for her. Her world was falling apart, but he was holding her together.

“It will be okay, Ella,” Jace promised. His soft words whispered through her hair as she sniffled and tried to put the letter back in the envelope, but her hands were shaking so hard she couldn't do it.

“How?”

Jace's brow furrowed for a moment and then he slowly smiled. “You are dating a billionaire.”

She looked up at him confused. “I don't understand. How does me dating the owner of a corporation help?”

Though she did like that he said they were dating.

His smile grew bigger. “I love that it didn't even cross your mind.” He took the letter from her hand and quickly skimmed it. “I can take care of this.”

“What?”

“I can take care of this. I have lawyers that will negotiate this down, and it really isn't even that much money,” he told her with a shrug.

Ella could feel her eyes bug out of her head. “Not that much money? That's a hell of a lot of money!”

“Billionaire,” he reminded her.

“I can't take that much money from you,” she insisted. She knew he was rich, but the kind of money they were talking about was still more than she could imagine. “It's too much.”

“If anything, it's not enough.” Jace took her shaking hands in his and kissed them. “Let me do this for you. That money doesn't mean anything to me, but this place means everything to you.”

Ella struggled to find the words. She knew that he wasn't going to let this go. He had helicopters and private jets. This wasn't that much compared to a private jet, yet it still felt like too much.

“It's not even mine yet, though.” She sagged into him as he wrapped his arms around her and held her up. “I don't get the inn for another six months.”

“I can take care of that.” The limo door slammed shut as Charles stepped out. Ella hadn't even heard it open. “That's what lawyers are for.”

“What do you mean?” Ella felt like the world was spinning and she was flying around like a sock in a dryer.

“I have a lawyer who is an expert in inheritance laws. If your father meant for you to have this place, you'll have it.” Charles moved to look through the door into the inn and shook his head. “Your stepmother is obviously not prepared to handle the responsibility any more.”

Ella looked back and forth between Jace and Charles. She couldn't believe what was happening.

“I don't know what to say...” she whispered.

“Say yes to him,” Charles advised. “I'm going to go inside and make some phone calls.”

Ella nodded and stared after him before turning to face Jace again.

“You'd do that for me?”

“Ella...” Jace smiled and kissed her cheek. “I'd do anything for you. Anything.”

She looked up into his blue-green eyes and melted. Love flowed through them and steadied her world. When she looked at him, everything made sense. Everything was the way it was supposed to be. He was her happily ever after ending and so much more.

“Thank you,” she whispered. The words didn't feel like enough, though. She kissed him, putting all of herself into it and hoping that at least a fraction of her gratitude got through.

Jace kissed her back. “I love you, Ella.”

“I love you, Jace,” she whispered. “And not just for this. I loved you from the moment you hid in my barn.”

“I know,” he replied, grinning. “I'm kind of irresistible.”

“You most certainly are,” she agreed, and she kissed him again.





Chapter Thirty-One


One year later...

Everything was ready. Or as ready as it was going to be.

It felt different being on this end of the preparations.

“Okay, the caterer is set up and on time, here's your bouquet, the DJ is already set, the photographer is just finishing up the boys shots, and the only thing that seems to be an issue is your lack of smile,” Mia said, peering over her clipboard at the bride.