Free The Bachelor's Perfect Proposal (Bliss Series Book 2) by Michelle Jo Quinn

they wanted to check out the site.
    “Well lookie here, this is some fine work,” James said.
    “Are you sure you don’t want a tent, Levi?” Lily had asked me several times already today.
    “Darlin’, look at the sky, entirely cloudless. This could never be more perfect. It ain’t gonna rain,” James informed her, yet again, waving his hands wildly in the air.
    Lily pursed her lips, bent down and rubbed her knees. “I’m telling you, it is going to rain. I can feel it in my bones.” James gave her a smirk. “Oh fine, I’ll keep my nose out of it. But I brought an umbrella, just in case.” She pivoted and walked back to the other side of the truck.
    James shook his head as he laughed. “Women,” he muttered, “can’t live with them...” I waited for the rest of his statement but nothing followed.
    Just as Lily was coming back from the truck with a golf umbrella, Gerard and Mateo descended from the trees. We all stepped back to admire all our work.
    Maggie’s phone rang and she picked up right away. “Hello.” Then she mouthed “Nica” to us and pointed to her phone.
    Veronica was calling her now?
    “Hey, Ni--oh...yeah. Uh-huh. Yeah, I’ll tell her. I’ll handle it. No worries. Okay. Bye.”
    “What’s going on?” Lily and Chase both asked.
    Chase took her phone out of her jeans pocket. She read a message on it with a furrow on her forehead. This could not be good...I could feel it in my bones.
    “Should I be worried?” I asked as I slid my phone out of my pocket. I couldn’t help the slight tremble in my voice.
    “She’ll be calling you.” And as soon as Maggie said it, my phone buzzed in my hand.
    “Laurent.”
    Veronica’s voice broke through the static, “Hi, babe.”
    “Sweetheart, how are you? Are you excited to come home?” And be back in my arms? I wanted to add, but all eyes were on me. All ears were too.
    “I’m sorry…can’t make it...huge storm...crazy wind...” Her words where interrupted with more static, and what could very well be howling winds. “Flight delayed...morning...”
    I looked up the clear skies, past the Edison bulbs, and the Sequoia trees. “Your flight is delayed ‘til tomorrow morning?”
    “Yup. I called Maggie...” she replied. In the background--although I had trouble hearing Veronica--I heard quite an unmistakable man’s voice said, “Nica! You’re getting wet!”
    “Yeah, I know! I’m coming,” Veronica yelled back at the man. My hand wrapped around my phone tighter, fighting not to throw it against the large tree trunks. “Sorry, Levi, I have to go. I love—” And all I heard after that was static.
    I stared at the screen of my phone until it faded to black. It mocked me. It angered me.
    I felt movements around me, and as I lifted my head, Chase walked up to Gerard and Mateo, who nodded and avoided eye contact with me. They headed back up the ladder to take down the lights. Maggie began gathering the luminaries and taking them to James’ truck.
    Chase caught my attention. Slowly, she made her way to me. “What can you do?” She shrugged. For once, she did seem like she cared about my feelings.
    What could I do? I wracked my brain for any solution. One dawned on me. I searched through my contacts and connected with the right person.
    I bypassed the pleasantries, and went right to the point, “David, prep the jet. Meet me at the hangar. I’m heading to The Maldives.”
    “Maldives?” David, my pilot, paused. “I just checked, Levi, there’s a tropical storm passing through there right now. Everything’s shut down. Couldn’t it wait until tomorrow?”
    No, it couldn’t. I couldn’t. “Yeah, I heard that.” It would be suicide to go. I felt defeated.
    Lily came by my side and rubbed my back, saying under her breath, “She’s safe. That’s important. She’ll be back tomorrow.” I hung my head.
    “All right.” I returned to my phone call. “Don’t worry about it. Good night. I’ll call you in the morning if