23. Grant
23
GRANT
Grant
T hree and a half weeks after Elise and I decided to be a real couple, she moved in with me. At the same time, Claudia moved in with Derek. The apartment Elise had was up for a lease renewal, anyway. She adored the natural sunlight in my place, and I was amused with how quickly she managed to fill the spaces with so many houseplants.
That was how long it took for me to receive a repeat invitation from Mr. and Mrs. Newman. They postponed the wedding reception for Reese, and per the email that just came to my inbox, they wanted to have a redo of the party at their estate in New York.
“Did you see it?” Elise called out from her office.
I glanced up. We only closed our doors if we wanted some privacy. Most of the time, both of our doors were open so we could see each other. I was addicted to watching her, and I suspected she suffered the same.
I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. “Yeah, it’s your birthday weekend.”
She sucked her lower lip between her teeth, playing just as dirty as me. “Oh, well. We can celebrate it there.”
I shrugged. “Whatever you’d like to do, I’m all for it.”
“Oh, I couldn’t possibly miss out on catching up with Ginny.” She stood and sauntered into my room. “I’m going to grab us lunch.”
I nodded, crooking my finger to beckon her closer. “Love you.”
“Love you too,” she replied before she planted a sweet kiss on my lips.
As soon as she was gone, Vince Newman arrived. He’d called to make an appointment to stop in, but I wasn’t sure why. If he was here to explain the invitation, it seemed silly. I could read the email. All talks about Bowen Industries buying Newman Inc. had stalled. Elise was convinced it was simply because the man was dealing with planning for another wedding reception, but I wasn’t so sure.
“Good to see you, Vince,” I said after he entered my office.
He shook my hand and sat. “It’s about time we catch up.” He chuckled and shook his head. “It’s been busy. All that wedding reception business. Planning and such.”
I nodded, smiling at how Ginny must be driving him crazy for the second time in a row. Double jeopardy.
“You know how it goes.”
I nodded again, feeling like a little bit of a liar. Elise and I agreed that she should wear her ring on her right hand so we wouldn’t be outright fibbing about our status. She was taken. She was undoubtedly mine. I was hers, too.
I wasn’t at the phase of planning our wedding. First, I had to backtrack and actually propose, and I couldn’t wait to do so.
“Plus, the baby on the way,” I added. “Elise was so excited to get the baby announcement.”
“Reese has been over the moon,” Vince said, smiling easily. “And Ginny is just…” He laughed. “She’s just as excited as I am to be a grandparent.”
“I think Derek and Claudia will be expecting about the same time, then.”
He raised his brows. “I saw that news too. Or Ginny showed me the post. They sure didn’t wait long to start a family.”
“No, they didn’t.” It seemed that they were impulsive to start a family, first in rushing to marry, and then in conceiving twins. Claudia had suffered so swiftly with morning sickness, and a preliminary ultrasound showed that they would be greeting two kids, not one. “I can’t wait to meet my nieces and/or nephews.”
“Do you think they’ll want to find out the genders? You know, see what they’re having?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
As laidback as ever, he chuckled some more. “Look at us. Talking about weddings and babies. It feels good. This is what life’s all about.”
“It sure is.” I felt like a new man since admitting my love for Elise.
“This is what retirement is all about for me,” he added. “Looking forward to grandbabies and spoiling them with love.”
My brows hiked up high. “You retired, then?”
He frowned, then snapped his fingers. “Well, yeah. Damn. I can’t believe I didn’t tell ya. Next month, I’ll be officially stepping down from the company. It’ll be yours.”
“Wow. That’s…”
“It can’t be a surprise now, can it?” After more chuckles, he nodded, sober again. “I always planned to sell it all to you. Your price was fair. Your staff is legendary. You’re going places, Grant, and I’ll be proud to know that Bowen Industries will keep Newman Inc. treated well.”
“This is wonderful news. Thank you, Vince.” I leaned over to shake his hand. It did come as a surprise, though. He hadn’t ever come out and told me that he’d sell to me. He kept stringing me along, making me wonder with how he hedged.
“I wanted to make sure I thought it all through, but I never doubted that you would be the one to buy it.” Then he narrowed his eyes playfully and wagged his finger at me. “Just as long as you remember not to let this company—and mine—be your whole life.”
I smiled, shaking my head. “No worries there. I love Elise too much.”
“I can tell. You two were a great pair in the Bahamas. When will Ginny and I be getting your wedding invitation?” he asked.
“Soon.”
This time, it wasn’t a lie.
I only need to propose to her first.
A wide smile stretched over my lips as I looked forward to the night I'd planned to do so.