Chapter 21

Lexus.

As the car rolled to a stop, I stared out the window at the house in front of me.

It was small. White. A bungalow with a wraparound porch and hanging flower baskets that swayed gently in the breeze. It looked like something straight out of a feel-good movie—simple, warm, and completely opposite of the cold, sterile mega mansions I was used to.

Billie reached for the door handle, but I stopped her.

"Wait."

She turned to me, eyebrows raised.

I pulled a velvet box from my pocket, flipped it open, and took out the diamond ring. Without a word, I slid it onto her finger.

Her lips parted slightly as she stared at it.

"You didn't have to do that," she mumbled.

I smirked. "Do you want them to believe we're engaged or not?"

That snapped her out of whatever thoughts she was having.