Chapter 482 - Engaged (1)

Max and Liz entered the penthouse suite and the door behind them closed with a click.

Liz was excited, elated, relieved… an emotional mess. Her presentation was great, and she officially won the bet she made with her father more than a year ago; and even though the question-answer session didn't go as planned, Max made a big confession in front of the world and asked her to marry her and she said 'yes'.

'I am engaged to be married!', Liz's mind exploded, and she was unable to stop smiling. Whenever she thought about the future, it involved only her and her career. Liz never imagined that there will be a man because she knew how awkward she was, and sometimes she even thought how she will end up old and alone, but Max came into her life and he changed that… Max changed everything.

Liz's phone was buzzing non-stop and she knew that must be Isaac, Foxy, Mia, Brianna, and maybe even Rhonda and many others who watched her presentation (and the proposal) through live stream, but she was not in the mood to answer any of those. Not yet. She wanted a moment for herself, to stabilize her feelings and thoughts in order to avoid exploding into randomness.

Liz plopped on the sofa and it took her some time to realize that Max didn't move from the door.

She looked at him questionably. "What's wrong?"

Max shifted from one leg to another nervously and shoved his hand into his hair. He does that when he is unsure what to do. Eventually, he answered: "Nothing… and everything."

Liz frowned. What's with that unreadable expression? Shouldn't he be happy? They are engaged! Or did he ask that in the spur of a moment and he didn't mean it?

Liz told herself to calm down and not jump to conclusions. "What do you mean?"

"I made arrangements for tonight. Something romantic, to blow you off your feet where I would tell you how much I love you and ask you to marry me. But now we are engaged, I didn't give you the ring, and the dinner… it's all out of order."

Liz smiled and walked to him. She hugged him and rested her face on his chest.

"Silly man… I am happy and we are engaged. Isn't that the only thing that is important?"

"I wanted to make it special, and… I messed up."

"Max…", Liz called to get his attention. "You are romancing me for a year, and you blew me off my feet many times. I know you love me and that is why I accepted to marry you. Sure, one romantic dinner, flowers, and wine would be a nice touch, but I hope that you will keep on romancing me and giving me flowers and all the good stuff that comes with it for the rest of our lives."

"For the rest of our lives…", Max murmured, and he observed Liz's face with intensity like he was seeing her in a new light, and he didn't want to miss a single detail.

Knowing that Max is her planning guy, Liz had to ask one thing. "If you had everything planned, what made you ask me to marry you during my presentation?"

Max cleared his throat awkwardly. "AFTER your presentation. The question and answer session was technically…"

"Maaax…", Liz interrupted him in a whiny voice. "You know what I mean."

Max exhaled. "It was Dr. Snobby…"

"What about him?"

"He said that he will show you that he is better than I am, and that he will snatch you away, and I panicked."

Liz looked at Max with amusement in her eyes and she was struggling to keep a straight face. "Really? Dr. Snobby made you insecure? Don't you know that you are Max Freaking Anderson? The king of the night, the most eligible bachelor in Seattle, the biggest playboy in Seattle… girls throw panties at you while you walk down the street. How can one Dr. Snobby intimidate you?"

Max made a sour face. He didn't like that Liz brought up his past reputation but he liked that she was at the stage when she could talk about it while joking.

"Listen, Liz, this bachelor is off the market for more than a year now, and the playboy is long forgotten. I am interested only in YOUR panties, and if anyone insinuates that he will try to win you over, I can't help but fear what will happen to me if he succeeds. This is not about me thinking that he is amazing, or that your feelings for me are not solid. This is about me knowing that I have a dirty past and that I am not worthy of you. When all the dirt from Max Freaking Anderson is removed, whatever is left is yours to use. Just don't throw me away, please."

Liz's heart expanded at Max's words and she loved him more, if that was possible. She knew that he meant it and that his insecurity is only because he loves her. "Dirty or clean, you are mine now, Max. And there is no need for you to fear that I will throw you away as long as you cherish what we have."

"You are amazing, you know that?", Max said dreamily.

"Yeah.", Liz responded smugly, making Max chuckle.

Liz expected a kiss and to move to the bedroom, but Max only stared at her. Well, she didn't mind the hug, but now that the stress of the presentation was gone and they are engaged, she was ready to relax and… "Aren't you going to kiss me?"

Max obeyed. He gave her a long slow kiss, but he didn't deepen it, obviously avoiding to heat up the mood.

"Make love to me, Max.", Liz demanded when she realized that Max has no intention of taking it further than kisses and hugs.

Max smiled. "Later, love. Now we need to get ready."

"For?"

"I made arrangements for tonight, remember? I asked you to marry me and you said 'yes', but I still want us to enjoy tonight. Allow me to impress you."

"Uhm… alright. But I don't have anything to wear.", Liz said, and Max's smug smile told her that she was wrong. "I do?"

"Mhm…", Max hummed and led the way into the bedroom and then into the walk-in closet.

"Oh…", a sound escaped Liz's lips when she saw two freestanding hangers in the middle of the closet, one with a sharp black suit, and the other one with a deep blue sleeveless gown. Boxes that were arranged on the side told Liz that Max prepared shoes and jewelry as well. "You think of everything…"

"No. I am thinking only about you.", Max responded matter-of-factly.

Liz giggled and gave him a kiss before going to open the boxes and check the contents.

Max informed Liz that they have one hour to get ready, and then Liz decided to spend a portion of that time checking her phone. One hour was plenty of time to get ready, but she agreed with Max that if they get hot and steamy, they will run out of time.

Just as she suspected, she had many missed calls and text messages which congratulated her and Max on their engagement.

Liz smiled and sent the texts back, knowing that calling will take more time. She called Isaac who praised the presentation and wished her all the best in her future with Max in a shaky voice. It was obvious that he was emotional.

With another ten minutes to spare, Liz called Mia and Bri and they had a video conference where they chatted excitedly. The chat ended with a promise to meet after Liz is back from Vegas.

"Let's plan for a Friday. I will be back tomorrow evening, and then we can agree on details...", Liz said to what Mia and Brianna agreed.

Max was also on his phone, talking to Madeline whose joy was beyond words. Max was engaged to Liz! There was a time when she feared that he went down the wrong path, but since Elizabeth showed up, Max straightened up his act, and Madeline's heart was in place. Nathan was also happy with the current development, but Madeline was wordier, and Nathan didn't get a chance to talk to Max.

…

"Where are we going?", Liz asked when she saw a helicopter at the roof of the Bellagio.

Max smiled mysteriously. "Se-cret…"

Liz giggled when the helicopter took off with Max and her in the back. "In movies, cowboys ride their horse into the sunset, and you fly a helicopter toward one…"

Max laughed. 

The ride was about fifteen minutes long, and Liz noticed that they were raising in elevation and going toward a rocky landmass that was on the East Side of Las Vegas.

They landed on the helipad next to the villa that was perched on the top of a hill.

Before landing, Liz noticed that the villa had a rooftop terrace, there was a circular driveway at the back, and a garden with a massive fountain on the side, and there was an open swimming pool with a waterfall feature. The villa was located at the West edge of the hill, and the greenery around the villa consisted of a few lone trees, lots of cacti, and several precisely defined patches of colorful flowers while the rest was covered in orange soil, typical of the desert area.

When they stepped out, the helicopter took off, leaving Max and Liz to stand and admire the view of Las Vegas below them with the sunset in the back.

"It's beautiful…", Liz said dreamily.

"Not as beautiful as you."

He leaned closer and kissed the nape of her neck which was visible because her hair was lifted into a bun.

Liz smiled. Max is a sweet talker.

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