Chance Encounters Read Online Free Page B

arms.
    Matt surprised Emma one night by picking her up from work
in a big stretch limo. She thought to herself, Oh my God this is it. He’s
finally going to pop the question . He took her to an elite French restaurant
that required reservations months in advance. He smiled seductively at her all
throughout dinner. Emma could hardly eat she was frantic with anticipation.
Finally, she saw him reach for his inside breast pocket. She felt herself
getting excited; her heart was rapidly thumping in her chest. But, what she saw
him pull out of his pocket definitely was not what she was expecting. It was a
letter sized envelope, not a ring shaped box.
    Matt meticulously laid out a cluster of documents in
front of her. She remembered thinking that maybe it was a pre-nup. He smiled
excitedly to her as he slid the documents across the table. “I have been
working with a realtor to find us the perfect place to live. I think I found
it. It’s in Malibu, right on the beach, and it’s perfect for us.” Speechless,
Emma looked over at the paperwork.
    “Are you asking me to buy a house with you, Matt?” She
knew her tone probably came off as a little bitchy, but this really was not
what she had been expecting.
    His face went from lit up, to disappointed. “Yes! What
else would this be about?”
    Emma realized in that moment that he really was clueless
about what she had thought was going to happen. She grabbed the paper and
tucked it into her pocketbook without so much as reading it all the way
through. “I’d like to take a look at the place before I sign off on anything.”
    He had a look of disenchantment on his face, but agreed
with her as he told her that he’d call the realtor to make arrangements to see
the place the following day.
     
     
    THE NEXT DAY, Matt escorted her
through the huge open space of the massive house. It really was too large for
just the two of them, but she watched as he spun around with his arms wide open
in the grand room. “Can’t you picture it, Em? A bar over here, and the room
filled with all the people who will envy us and wish that they were us.”
    Emma couldn’t help cracking up laughing as she wrapped
her arms around him. They stood together in the grand room and she looked
around. “It is perfect, Matthew. It’s so spacious, though. What will we do with
it all?” she asked him.
    He pulled her closer to him and whispered in her ear,
“You can go shop and buy whatever you want to fill it. Decorate it anyway you
want, as long as it makes you happy.”
    Emma remembered thinking that maybe just maybe it really
would be perfect. He showed her the rest of the house. It had five really large
bedrooms. It gave her hope that someday they would have children to fill the
rooms. He showed her the closet space, and Emma laughed as she realized that he
was more excited about the closets than she was. The final selling point was
the backyard. It had a koi pond with a cascading waterfall. There was a large
heated pool with a separate pool house that overlooked the ocean. It was
heavenly. It was more than she could have ever dreamt of.
    Papers were signed the following day. That night, he
carried her over the threshold as if she were a new bride, and upstairs to
where their new bedroom would be. She spotted a bottle of champagne chilling on
ice, and blankets strewn about the floor.
    “I just want you to be happy, Emma. I’d do anything for
you.”
    He leaned over and kissed her with such passion she
wondered how she had ever lived without him in her life. That was how they
spent their first night in their new home.
    By the next year they were completely settled in, so they
decided to throw their first huge holiday party to celebrate the occasion. They
spared no expense. They hired a party planner to come in and set up Christmas
bouquets and strings of lights. There were ice sculptures, and back drop lights
to enhance the mood. A DJ was hired, as were caterers. They even had a very
exclusive bakery make