Miles

Chapter 6

Miles couldn't believe it. She'd said yes. His world as he knew it was again vibrant and complete. He wasn't lying when he said he'd bought the ring ages ago. From the very beginning, he knew she was the one, the only one he wanted. And from that time on, everything he did was to take a step closer to making her his forever. If he had known the stunt his mother would play, he'd have asked her to marry him earlier. But the timing couldn't be more perfect and right now, as he was watching her mark her territory with his mother, he was smiling because his woman was finally setting her foot down.

"You're not worth carrying this family lineage," his mother said as she set the spray bottle down. She began walking toward them. "What makes you think you can have the privilege to waltz in here and become Miles' bride?"

Ella smiled, a sweet smile and replied, "He asked me to be his wife, it's as simple as that. I don't need to do any waltzing when I've been given full permission. As far as I'm concerned, I already own my place in here as his wife." She stepped forward. "I'm not a bad person. I was raised well and although you may have sparred unfairly with my mother before, she always taught me to respect my elders. So here I am, laying myself before you, that I will respect you as long as you return it to me."

"Mother," Miles stepped up, crossing his arms. "I don't think I need to say more than this. I hope you can understand where I feel regarding Ella. She's everything to me and I will protect her. I'm not going to choose her over you but I will if you make me. That's my final draw, Mother. Take it or leave it."

The car ride home was quiet as Miles drove and Ella sat beside him, her hands folded neatly in her lap. He'd been afraid she would back down at some point and end up crying. She'd been strong standing before his mother but now in the car, where they were alone, he wasn't sure anymore. He reached over and took her hand in his, focusing on the road and trying to comfort her as well.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded quickly and lowered her head. "I hope I wasn't too mean to your mother. I'd hate to be known as a bitch to others."

Laughing, Miles replied, "You'll fit right in with her if you're known as that."

She smiled and covered his hand with her other one. "Thank you for standing up for me."

He brought her hand to kiss softly as they stopped at the traffic light. "Now you can never run away from me again." Miles smiled as the light turned green and he made the last five-minute drive to his condo. He parked in the garage and they rode the elevator up to the tenth floor. Once they entered the living room, he turned the lights on and immediately soft jazz music began playing. He removed the jacket he wore and turned to take the purse from her. Then he had her in his arms, slow dancing together as they moved into the kitchen. He ran his hands down her back and settled right above her buttocks. She gave him a warning look and he laughed, pulling her close to him and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm so happy," he whispered. "You don't know how happy you've made me when you said yes."

She hugged him tighter. "I love you, Miles. I always have and I always will."

Tears pricked his eyes and he tried to move away before it dropped onto her head but it was too late. She felt it and pulled back to look at him. Her eyes turned soft and a small frown appeared. She reached up and wiped his tear away.

"What's wrong?" Ella asked.

He inhaled a deep breath and took her hands together in his. "Let me enjoy this moment, Ella, because it's perfect. I want to remember this very moment when I looked at you as my wife for the very first time, dancing in the condo, late into the night...just you and me. This is a moment I will share with my children and grandchildren. This is a moment I never want to forget."

Ella smiled as her eyes shimmered with tears. "Miles, I love you. I never want to lose you."

"You won't. You will never get rid of me. Promise me that no matter how hard it gets in the days to come, we will never sleep in separate beds. Promise me that no matter what you hear from another person, believe me first. Can you do that for me?"

She nodded and replied, "Yes. As long as you promise me that no matter what your eyes see, it may not always be the truth. Promise me that no matter what happens, we never hide things from each other."

He tilted her chin to him and kissed her tenderly. "I promise."

She smiled and returned his kiss. "I promise, too."

The office wasn't its usual quiet setting when Ella walked in the following morning. She was met with party poppers, confetti and flowers. She wasn't sure what was going on for she had missed two days of work as she made her way past the crowd and was literally dragged into the bathroom by Joy. Once they were away from the noise, Joy stared at her and began scratching her head.

"I don't know," she said shaking her head. "Something is off about you. But first thing first, where the hell have you been?"

Ella smiled and walked to the sink. She began adjusting her black top and was fixing her hair when Joy's eyes opened wide. She ran to her and grabbed her left hand where the large princess cut ring was sitting nice and neatly on her finger.

"What is this?" Joy asked.

"It's a ring."

"Duh! I know it's a ring but why is it on this hand?" Ella pulled her hand back and watched as her friend's face drained of color. Before she could speak, the door opened and Alan stuck his head in.

"Hey you two rugrats, get out here! The new CEO is here and ready to make a speech." Perfect timing, Ella thought as she took Joy's hand and they walked out. The crowd had quieted down as Travis smiled before them wearing a navy blue suit.

"Welcome, everyone, if you have heard rumors of our company being sold to another party, you heard right. But I want to reassure everyone that no one is going to lose their job. Everything will remain the same except higher up. But I'd like to take this time to introduce our new CEO to you, Mr. Miles Otter, come up here." Everyone clapped and Ella stood on tiptoe to see where he was coming from. Last night, she'd refused to spend it at his condo, so she'd slept alone and came to work solo. She saw him making his way through the crowd wearing that infamous three-piece black suit. He shook hands with Travis as all eyes were on him.

"Hello everyone, my name is Miles Otter, and I come to you here with open arms to welcome you to the company. You will find that I'm not your normal CEO and that my pride is in the people who work with the company. If my people are happy, the job is done quicker and better. So I strive to make sure you're taken care of and that's a promise." Everyone clapped and then he made eye contact with her. A smirk appeared and she knew what he would do. "But I'm not alone in making this company a great success. I have Travis and many others to thank. One of them is someone you all may know quite well. But today I'd like her to join me up here as she will be someone you will come to spend time with." Then he looked directly at her and said, "Ella, come up here."

She froze and everyone turned to look at her. That was the problem about working with people who knew you by name. She couldn't hide. Joy gave her a small shove and the crowd parted for her to walk through. God damn it! She slowly walked to the front and he took her elbow gently, turning her around, placing a hand on the small of her back.

"You may already know Ella and who she is but I'd like to introduce her to you again as...my wife." Joy's loud gasp from the back of the room had everyone turning to glare at her. Ella's cheeks flushed and to recover from her sudden outburst, Joy began applauding and everyone else joined in throwing congratulations for them.

"Thank you!" Miles continued. "If you have any questions or concerns, my office door is always open. Thank you!" He took her hand and led her away toward the elevator. Once it opened and they got in, Ella let out the breath she was holding and nearly collapsed in his arms.

"Oh my God! Tell me you did not just do that."

He walked to her and smiled, tilting her chin up, kissing her lips. He gave her a small bite on the lower lip and whispered quietly, "Have you ever made love in an elevator before?"