Battle for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #3) (30 page)

“It's
not like you bought me a dress or pair of shoes. It's a freaking
Ferrari. There's a huge difference. I can't let you do this, Ethan. I
love you so much. You know I do. I can't accept this. I have a car
already. It works just fine. If I need a car, I'll buy a new one.”

He
shook his head and let out a long breath.

“Listen,
woman. Everything I have is yours. Do you hear me? You are going to
keep this car, because you know you love it and it was a gift from
me. I am going to take care of you, whether you like it or not.
You're mine and I'm yours. We are together, and that's not going to
change. If you are having that hard of a time with it, I can think of
a way you can thank me every night,” he said with a laugh.

“Stop
it!” Gavin blurted out. “I don't want to hear that kind
of stuff about you and my sister. I'm so not there yet.”

“If
you don't want the car, I'll take it for you,” Becky said.

“I
don't think so,” Julie replied.

She
looked at Ethan and hugged him tight as she grabbed the keys.

“I'm
sorry that I doubted you. It was hard enough to hear Jenny talk about
how hot you are and how much time she wants to spend with you. I
wanted to kick her ass, and I like her. When I saw that hot blonde
hand you keys to a car you don't even let me drive, and you took them
with a huge smile on your face. I couldn't deal with the thought of
you being with someone else. You have no idea how much I love you. I
used to dream about you in high school. You were my dream guy. I hope
you can forgive me for the way I acted. I feel so bad. Everything you
did today was to make me happy, and I was a giant bitch. I'm so
sorry. I am so going to thank you tonight over and over again,”
she said, as she kissed his cheek and ran for the car.

“You
coming, Becky?” she shouted behind her.

They
both hopped into the car. Julie got back out of the car holding an
envelope.

“What's
this?” she asked.

Ethan
looked at her and shrugged his shoulders. She opened the envelope,
pulled out two tickets, and gasped.

“Hawaii?”
she asked.

“You
better hurry your sweet ass home and pack your bags,” he said
with a smile. “You're going to be beneath me, crying out my
name for an entire week. I might let you out of the house long enough
to go to the beach for a minute. Don't bother packing clothes.
Bikini's and lingerie will be more than enough.”

She
looked up to see Gavin with his hands over his face.

“I'll
have to go buy some new panties first. I don't have many left,”
she said with a wink.

“Buy
some extra. I plan on ripping every last pair off that fine ass,”
he snapped.

“I
know you two are doing this on purpose. I'll get even with you
somehow,” Gavin snapped as he walked back into the building. He
leaned back and yelled over his shoulder. “Be careful with my
little mama. Keep her safe.”

Ethan
walked up and wrapped Julie in his arms.

“I
know you're going back to work soon and we have some rough things to
get through. I haven't had a vacation since the cruise I took with
the guys. I wanted us to have a nice, relaxing trip before jumping
into it all. If you want to go somewhere else we can.”

“I
would love to go to Hawaii. All I need is you and the beach. It's
going to be so wonderful. Thank you for the car. It really is
beautiful.”

Julie
gave him the most loving kiss.

“I
have some shopping and driving to do before you get home tonight,”
she said as she turned to get into her car. “I'm not cooking
dinner. Can you pick something up on your way home?” she asked.

He
laughed and shook his head. She turned back to him.

“Do
something about Jenny in there. She says one more thing about how
fine you are, and Gavin's going to need a new secretary.”

Ethan
laughed as he walked back into the building. Julie looked over at
Becky.

“We've
got some shopping to do mama.”

Becky
and Julie spent the next several hours shopping for lingerie and
swimwear. Both of their men would be pleased when they saw their new
purchases. They both drove the new car. Julie couldn't remember the
last time she had that much fun with one of the girls. They even
drove to Lisa's so she could take the car for a drive. Lisa was so
excited about Becky being pregnant. The three of them spent the
afternoon talking and playing with baby Jack. Julie dropped Becky off
at home on her way.

When
she pulled up at home, Ethan was waiting for her on the front porch.
She hopped out of the car, grabbed her bags, and rubbed her car
before going to greet him.

“It
looks like you had a fun day,” he said as she walked up to
where he was sitting.

He
grabbed her in his arms and pulled her onto his lap.

“I'm
so sorry I made it seem like I was up to no good. I really wanted to
surprise you.”

She
dropped her bags on the ground and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I'm
sorry that I doubted your love.”

Julie
kissed his cheek and looked into his eyes.

“Becky
and Lisa love the car too,” she said with a smile.

“You
let them drive it?” he asked.

She
shook her head and laughed.

“I
love seeing you so happy,” he said. “It makes me feel so
good to see a smile on your face. We need to pack for our trip.”

She
got off his lap and grabbed her bags from the ground.

“Everything
I need is right here,” she laughed.

He
got up and went after her.

“Let
me see what you bought.”

“No
sir, not until we are in Hawaii.”

Julie
ran into the house and up the stairs. He caught her just as she made
it to their bedroom door. She laughed and squirmed out of his reach.

“No,
no, no. Get to packing buddy. We have a plane to catch.”

Julie
felt so good, as they unlocked the door to Chris' house in Hawaii.

“It's
been so long since I've been here,” she said.

“I
was only here once,” Ethan said.

“I
remember being here with you. I had just graduated and was getting
ready to leave for college. You were so cute. I remember you out on
the beach with your hair all messy, flirting with every girl out
there,” Julie laughed.

“I
remember watching any guy that came near you, thinking about how I
wanted to kick the shit out of them. I missed you while you were at
college. It was strange without you around. Who would have thought we
would get together this many years later?” he asked.

When
she walked into the house, there were flowers everywhere. The house
smelled amazing. They put their bags in the guest room.

“How
did you do all of this?” she asked. “It's beautiful.”

“Get
changed,” he said. “We're going to check out the beach.
That way, when I keep you in bed for the rest of the week, you can
tell everyone that you spent time on the beach.”

Julie
laughed as she went through her bag and pulled out a very cute, small
bikini and a pretty, pink cover-up. She went into the bathroom and
changed. Ethan was gone when she came out of the bathroom.

“Ethan,
where are you?” she called out.

When
she couldn't find him in the house, she opened the back door that led
to the yard and beach. Her mouth dropped open and she felt her heart
race. The site in front of her was beautiful. There was a red runner
going from the back door all the way down to the beach. There were
roses everywhere and petals all along the ground. Julie looked to the
beach and saw Ethan standing barefoot in her favorite pair of jeans,
with the biggest smile on his face. Slowly she walked toward him.
There were trees with chairs in the shade around them. He walked
toward her. When she was almost to him, he winked and dropped to one
knee. Instantly she stopped and her hand went over her mouth. He
looked up at her and reached for her hand. Tears instantly began to
slide down her cheeks.

“Julie,
I love you more than you will ever know. You are everything to me. I
have worked for so long to have everything I have ever wanted. I
thought my life was perfect just the way it was. I had an amazing
group of friends that were my family. I had the business of my dreams
and the money to go with it. I traveled on business trips all over
the world.”

He
stopped for a moment.

“You
were my best friend's little sister. I enjoyed going to parties and
dinners just to be able to pick on you. Then everything changed. At
the wedding, you spoke to me in a way no woman ever has. I was
speechless and shocked. Feelings were bubbling to the surface, and I
tried so hard to shove them down. Then, you took a risk that nobody
ever has. You cared about me enough to come after me that night I
left Gavin and Becky's. You knew something was going on. I had never
told anyone about my past. For some reason, as we sat on my couch, I
wanted to tell you everything. I wanted to share my life with you.
When we were together that night, I knew you were meant for me. You
were mine.”

She
reached down and put her hand on his shoulder.

“We
fought our feelings over and over but kept coming back to each other.
I tried to tell myself that we could never be together. Time and time
again, I was proven wrong. You are mine, Julie. You were made for me.
I love you more than I have ever loved anyone. Every breath I take is
for you. You have made me see that there is more to life than money
and business. I want to be with you every day for the rest of my
life. You own my heart, baby. I want to have a family with you. I
want to chase our babies around together. I want to grow old with
you. I want to spend every single moment of my life loving you and
showing you how special you are.”

He
opened the beautiful box in his hand.

“Julie,
will you be my forever? Will you be my wife?”

She
dropped down to her knees in front of him as tears flooded her face.
Her arms flew around his neck and she pulled him close to her.

“Please
tell me that's a yes,” he said nervously.

She
pulled back and brushed her hands over her face.

“Yes,
I want to marry you. I love you, Ethan. You're my everything.”

He
slid the ring on her finger and took her face in his hands and kissed
her.

“I
have one more thing to ask you,” he whispered.

“What?”

“Will
you marry here and now?” he asked.

Ethan
stood up, helped her to her feet, and led her down to the beach.
Gavin, Becky, Josh, Lisa, Heath, and John walked out from next to the
trees. Julie gasped as she looked around at each of them. She looked
over at Gavin, Becky, and Lisa.

“You
three all knew about this yesterday,” she said as she shook her
head.

Gavin
walked up and wrapped her in a hug.

“I
love you, Julie. I am so glad you two found each other.”

With
the sand between her toes and the man she loved next to her, she had
no doubt that marrying him was what she wanted in that moment. She
looked over at Ethan and smiled.

“Are
you sure you want to be stuck with me forever? This is your only
chance to run,” he said.

“There
is nothing that I want more than to be stuck with you forever.”

They
walked hand in hand to the edge of the beach and vowed, in front of
the minister and their closest friends, to love and cherish each
other for the rest of their lives. As soon as she said I do, Ethan
grabbed her and spun her around as he kissed her. Everyone hugged and
congratulated them. He scooped her up in his arms and walked back
toward the house. Before they walked through the door, he turned back
to his friends.

“I
need to go and show my wife how much I love her.”

Ethan
turned back toward the house.

“Open
the door, woman,” he said, as he kissed her neck and got close
to her ear. “I need to feel you wrapped around me now. I'm
going to have you screaming your husband's name, loud enough for
everyone to hear.”

Julie
took his face in her hands and kissed him hard before she reached out
and opened the door.

“I
love you, Ethan. You are my knight, my prince, and my best friend.”

Their
friends went home after a few days, and Ethan spent the rest of the
week appreciating every inch of Julie's body over and over. They left
the house only to relax on the beach. He helped her cook dinner and
make breakfast each day. They enjoyed being with each other and
making love every moment. Their last morning there, they relaxed in
bed. With her legs wrapped around his, her head on his chest, and her
arms over his stomach, she let out a sigh.

“I'm
not ready to go home,” she said. “It's so beautiful here.
I haven't had a single bad dream the entire time we've been here.”

“I've
noticed how relaxed you've been.”

“I'm
sure it helps that you've had me beneath you most of the time we've
been here,” she said with a laugh.

Julie
leaned forward and kissed his nipple before she ran her tongue across
his muscles.

“I
honestly do love it here, Julie. I think we should get our own place.
That way we won't have to ask Chris if we want to stay here. Gavin,
John, Heath, and Josh can use it too,” he said.

“Do
you really think we are going to be here that much?” she asked.

“I
think I'm going to cut back at the office. If we had a place here,
our kids could live on the beach. Do you know how much fun we would
have chasing them around. We could stay here for weeks at a time.
What do you think?” he asked.

“Do
you really want kids?” she asked looking up at him. “I
know how you feel about things. I don't want you to feel like that is
something you have to do. We can wait until later or just enjoy our
nieces and nephews.”