Participation Trophy
. . .
Ellie
Who knew messing around with a unicorn would be one of my biggest fantasies?
Cade shed his onesie pajamas not long after he followed me onto the cabana bed, and we “lit the sheets on fire,” as Dr. Lovejoy would say.
I gave it all the thumbs up.
The postsex cuddling under makeshift stars was just as satisfying, with me pressed against Cade’s side and his arm slung over me. My finger kept tracing endless circles around his cute little belly button.
I could’ve easily stayed there forever.
Another thought gave me pause. “You know, going straight to engaged when we haven’t actually dated is skipping a pretty big step.”
“Who says we haven’t dated? We’ve been camping. Stargazing. Hell, we won the Love Olympics.” Cade squeezed my hip, making my lips twitch. “We’ve also already done couples counseling. That’s gotta count for something.”
I laughed, shaking my head.
“I want you, Ellie,” he murmured, all traces of playful teasing leaving his voice. “More than I’ve wanted anything in my life. Dating feels like moving backward, but I want to move forward with you. We can date for as long as you want. We’ll just do it with my ring on your finger.”
I rolled my eyes with a laugh, snuggling even closer and trailing my finger up his beautiful chest. “You’re very convincing. I can see why you got the promotion.”
There was a long pause before Cade cleared his throat. “I’m not taking it.”
My finger froze against his skin. “What?”
“The promotion. I’m not taking it,” he repeated. “I haven’t broken it to my grandfather yet, but it’s the right decision.”
Shock thrummed through me, and I pulled back to gape down at him. “What do you mean you’re not taking it? You’ve worked so hard for that promotion! Our entire deal was about you getting that job—”
Cade tugged me back down, cutting me off by fusing his lips to mine.
I only melted into the kiss a little before coming to my senses and jerking back. “Cade! Why would you turn it down?”
He watched me from beneath hooded lids. “I’ve had some time to think, and I’m going to start my own thing. Build an empire of my own where I call the shots. It’s what my grandfather would’ve done—what he did do—and then I’ll know I’ve earned every bit.”
The fight left me in a whoosh.
“Well, I can’t argue with that.” I bit my lip. “I’m really proud of you.”
It got me thinking about my own future, too. I didn’t cuddle professionally while in a relationship, so I needed to deactivate my Sunshine Cuddle Services profile for good. What was I supposed to do now?
I’d never really had ambitions in life. I’d always been so focused on clawing my way out of debt and keeping Whiskey healthy and just surviving that I’d forgotten to live.
But I knew what I didn’t want.
“I won’t be a trophy wife, if that’s what you’re expecting. I don’t have it in me,” I warned Cade. We needed to set the record straight before any expectations could form. “At best, I would be the participation trophy of trophy wives. You would hate it. I would hate it.”
His answering snort sounded like one of agreement.
“Trust me, I know,” he murmured. “I don’t expect you to be anything but yourself, Ellie. Which leads to my engagement present for you.”
He pulled away just long enough to reach over the edge of the cabana bed and rifle through his unicorn onesie to dig his phone out. Then he was right back cuddling against me.
Curiosity parted my lips as I nestled closer—way too intrigued for my own good—but I tried to hide it by keeping my tone casual. “You got me a present? But you didn’t know I’d say yes.”
His dark eyes gleamed. “Hopes and dreams, remember? I hoped you would.”
Oh, I was in trouble. Romantic Cade could turn me to putty with a single sentence.
Curse him.
While I melted into a puddle, he found what he wanted on his phone and passed it to me. He’d opened an app with a light blue background and big yellow logo—featuring a furry cat at its center.
“Sunshine Cuddle Cats,” I read slowly off the screen, before recognizing the grumpy face of the illustrated cat. My jaw threatened to hit the floor. “Hey, that’s Whiskey! Wait, why is he in a logo? What is this?”
“It’s your new cuddling app,” Cade answered, sounding very pleased with himself. “Well, an early mockup of the design. The artist will make whatever changes you want.”
My gaze flicked between the screen and Cade, before settling on him. “What is happening right now?”
A smug smile tugged at his lips. “It’s an app that’ll connect people with cats they can cuddle. I hired a dev team to build it, and I’ll provide the seed money. But it’s your company. You can do anything you want with it.”
My company? I stared and stared, then stared some more, because this was the most bizarre and incredibly thoughtful gift I’d ever received.
“Sadie’s husband bought her a dog treat bakery for an engagement present,” I said slowly, finally grasping what was happening. I grinned so hard it hurt. “You got me a cat cuddling business?”
“The start of one,” he corrected lightly.
“It’s not fleshed out yet. We’ll still need to figure out the logistics.
It can be a similar setup to Sunshine Cuddle Services, where people hire out their cats for cuddling.
But we can also lease a place in Westport if you’d like to hire your own cats and have a base for local clients. ”
My entire body vibrated with happiness.
“I know the perfect place,” I blurted, then swallowed when a wave of shyness hit me. I hesitated before continuing. “With us getting married, we’ll probably live together… right?”
He raised a challenging brow. “You showed me how addicting cuddling can be, so I dare you to try sleeping anywhere without me right beside you again.”
A laugh burst out of me, making me shake against him.
“Then I won’t need my apartment over the café anymore.” I wet my lips, getting excited. “If Kitty’s all right with it, maybe Sunshine Cuddle Cats could lease it?”
Cade nodded along. “Once Kitty puts her new marketing budget to work, the café could be a built-in audience for your clientele. Already thinking like a business owner, Darling.”
I glowed brighter than a sky full of stars at the praise.
“The penthouse isn’t your style, so we don’t need to stay here,” he added, thinking aloud. “We can find a new place you like better.”
“Oh, no way. We’re definitely living here. It’s where we met! And got engaged. I’m never leaving.” I paused, then lowered my voice to a whisper. “Plus, Hughes and the boys treat me like royalty now. I like it a little too much.”
A smirk played at the corner of Cade’s lips, and he pulled me even closer so he could press a kiss to the top of my head. “It’s exactly how you should be treated.”
This grin was never leaving my face.
“Plus, this place gave us the best proposal story ever.” I gazed around us. “Unicorns and twinkly lights and romantic rooftops are way better than anything your team could come up with.”
“A private story,” Cade added pointedly.
I snickered, unable to resist teasing him. “What? You don’t want Harrison hearing that you wore a unicorn onesie?”
“This is only for you,” he whispered, pulling me into another kiss.
When we parted, I let out the happiest of sighs. “That’s fair. But I’m still sharing the rest of the story—like the balcony and lights and Sunshine Cuddle Cats.”
“And the seven orgasms I’m about to give you on this roof?” he asked with a grin.
I snapped my mouth shut, eyes widening. “The what now?”
Cade rolled us over until he pressed me into the mattress, attacking my neck with kisses and play growling while I laughed in delight.
When I first got into the professional cuddling business, I never thought it would lead me into the arms of a grumpy work-obsessed billionaire. Or down a path of masterful deceit, incredibly convincing roleplay, and lies the size of a superyacht.
But as Cade kissed and licked his way down my body before keeping his promise to properly worship his very real fiancée—his words, not mine—I couldn’t stop a dopey smile from spreading across my face as my laughter rang out into the night’s sky.
There was nowhere I’d rather be than in a cabana with this man.
And if I had the chance to do it all over again?
I’d accept his fake proposal in a heartbeat.
… But I was even more thrilled to be doing it for real.
~fin~