Read Online Sweet for You: A BBW Billionaire Romance by Harper Ashe - Free Book Online Page B

desk.
    Stephen was surprised. “You do?”
    “Go on, open it.”
    He pulled the ribbon apart, lifted the top of the box, and parted the tissue. Inside was a custom pink tie adorned with the Sweet for You cupcake logo. The gesture moved him deeply and he didn’t know what to say or how to react. Nobody had ever given him something so personal before.
    “I was thinking you could wear it at the launch if you wanted,” Abby said. “But now that I think about it, I can see it’s kind of silly, so you don’t have to. I just wanted you to have something unique to signal the launch of your innovation. It’s okay if you just stick it in a drawer or something.”
    He didn’t understand what her rambling was about. He certainly wasn’t going to put her gift in a drawer! “It’s perfect for the launch party. Thank you.” He put the lid back on the box; he didn’t want anything to happen to the tie before the party.
    “You’re welcome,” Abby said, moving toward the door. “Like you said, it’s late. I better get going.”
    He got up from his desk and closed the gap between them. “Abby, wait.” He was tempted to drop down on one knee right then and there and pop the question, but he stopped himself from doing so. He wanted his proposal to be the icing on the cake, so to speak, of the biggest night of his life. Of her life. Without Abby, there wouldn’t be a party to celebrate the launch of Sweet for You.
    “What is it?” she asked. He watched as she licked her plump, juicy lips and he fought the desire to kiss her.
    “I just wanted to say good job. And to thank you again for the tie.”
    He watched as her face fell. “You’re welcome, Stephen. Again,” she said, almost sadly, before walking out the door.
    Stephen watched Abby leave, kicking himself for being an idiot. Good job? That was the best line he could come up with? Holy hell. No wonder he was almost 40 years old and still single despite having more money than God.
    He reopened the tie box she had given him and picked it up, admiring the quality of the silk and the details of the custom embroidery. Smiling to himself, he marveled at how much he had changed over the last few months. A year ago, he wouldn’t have been caught dead wearing a pink tie. Now, he couldn’t wait to wear it. Not only was the tie a symbol of Abby’s affection for him, it represented his transformation from a reclusive billionaire to a man in love. 
    If he was going to convince Abby to marry him, he needed to work on his proposal so it didn’t come across as some sort of stilted business proposition. Part of him wished that he had confided in Martha about his intention because he could use one of her pep talks right about now. But he wasn’t sure if Abby would accept his proposal. If she turned him down, he didn’t want to endure Martha’s pity.
    He pulled the ring box out of his pocket and opened it, looking at the colorless, five carat, pear-shaped solitaire. He had thought about buying her a larger diamond, but he wanted something she could wear every day. His jeweler had told him that anything bigger than this would get in the way. If Abby said yes, he vowed to shower her with diamonds, rubies, emeralds...anything her heart desired.
    If she said yes...
    ~~~
    A bby cringed as she walked toward the penthouse office elevator. Stephen hated the tie. In retrospect, it was a stupid gift. Only a BBW with a sweet tooth would give a billionaire a pink tie with a cupcake on it. So what if the cupcake happened to be the logo for a product line he created? It was still a cupcake on a pink tie.
    For a minute, she thought he actually liked her gift and was maybe even touched by her thoughtfulness. But when he didn’t pick it up to look at it more closely and quickly put the lid back on the box, she realized she had misread his initial reaction. Thankfully, nobody knew about the tie but her, so she wouldn’t have to field questions from Martha, Jenna, or even Molly about why he