“Darling, your dress is hanging in the dressing room,” Maxim called to me as I passed his study. “And the alternates are in the closet. Your style team should be here any minute. I’ll send them in.”

  Okay, now this I could get used to. My own style team? Though they were merely a one-time service, the way Maxim referred to them made me feel special, like I was important enough to warrant my own team. And there was simply no way I would ever get over the dressing room. The room connected the master bedroom to the master bathroom, with several closets branching out from both sides. It had four vanities for hair and makeup, complete with lighted mirrors, ottomans, and clothing racks.

  I was excited to see my gown for this evening for the first time. Since this was Maxim’s big night, I had told him he could pick the dress, so long as he had backup options in case I hated his first choice. While Maxim was certainly well-dressed, he’d never picked out any clothing for me before, so I had no clue what to expect. I was bracing myself for the worst, mainly because that was what I was accustomed to.

  In the dressing room, I was met with the most beautiful gown I had ever seen. Deep blue silk created a form-fitting silhouette, with gorgeous off-the-shoulder sleeves. It was more perfect than anything I could have possibly dreamed up.

  As if that wasn’t enough to boost my confidence, Maxim had left a velvet jewelry box on the vanity beside it, with a note taped on top of it.

  “For my love, I hope this makes you feel like the star that you are.”

  I carefully lifted the lid, revealing a stunning diamond drop necklace. Maxim had exquisite taste. I couldn’t wait until my hair and makeup were done so that I could see my entire ensemble together.

  Right on cue, the stylists, whose names I learned were Bonnie and Théa, sauntered in, carrying cases with their supplies. Chatting with them felt completely natural, like I was accustomed to updos and fake eyelashes and no-smudge lipstick. They decided that it would be fun to wait to show me my completed look until I had my dress and jewelry on.

  Bonnie helped me into my gown, while Thea gently put the necklace on. Upon realizing I didn’t have shoes to go with the dress, we searched the dressing room, finally finding a box Maxim had left with stunning silver kitten heels. A small part of me wondered if the outfit was really as incredible as I thought it was, or if it was just so out of my realm of normalcy, but the girls’ fawning over the dress and shoes made me feel confident that the outfit really was that spectacular.

  Finally, they turned me around to face the full-length mirror. I hardly recognized myself. I had never felt so beautiful, not just because of the expensive, carefully selected outfit I was wearing, but because I was happy. I was spending the summer in an exciting country with an amazing man who cared for me. That, along with the gorgeous blue color of the dress, filled me with confidence.

  Still, every time I started to overthink things, I made myself that much more nervous. Maxim and I had been in our own little bubble up until now, enjoying each other’s company with no one else around except our children. Would things be different when we were surrounded by Maxim’s peers? Would he feel differently about me upon seeing how much I stood out from his colleagues? I supposed only time would tell.

  “Are you ready, Tia?” Maxim’s voice echoed through the halls. “The car’s here.”

  “Coming,” I called back.

  This was it. I took one last look in the mirror and twirled down the hallway like I was walking on the runway.

  This was the first time I’d seen Maxim in a tuxedo, and the sight of him left me speechless. The tailored suit highlighted his strong arms and drew attention to his deep brown eyes. It felt like I was going on a date with a movie star.

  “You might just be the most handsome man I’ve ever seen,” I said, unable to keep myself from beaming.

  “Wow.” Maxim looked me up and down. “You look even better in that dress than I thought possible. Truly, you look stunning, Tia.”

  “Thanks. And thanks for this fabulous dress.”

  Ryan and Lucie came running in from the other room. “You look like a princess!” Lucie chirped.

  “Yeah!” Ryan wrapped his arms around my waist, his attempt at hugging me without ruining my dress. “You look beautiful.”

  “You guys are too sweet,” I said, though the compliments were admittedly a big confidence booster.

  “We have to get going,” Maxim said, pulling me in close then turning to address the kids. “You guys be good for the nanny, okay?”

  “We will,” they replied in unison.

  We kissed our kids and wished them a good night, then climbed into the limousine like this was just another ordinary night.

  Maxim must have told me five or six different times on the way to the charity ball how great he thought I looked. I let him in on the nerves I was feeling, to which he quickly reassured me that everyone would love me. If he wasn’t worried, I supposed I shouldn’t be either.

  The building where the event was being held looked like a castle straight from a fairy tale, and I knew from the moment we stepped inside that this was going to be a night I’d never forget.

  “Are you ready?” Maxim asked when we got to the ballroom doors.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and led me inside.

  Though I tried to fight it off, uneasiness and worry filled every inch of my body. The ballroom was just as grand and magnificent as everything else in Maxim’s world. There had to be several hundred people scattered throughout the ballroom, each of them looking wealthy and important.

  Maxim looked back and forth from me to the dance floor. “Would you care to dance?”

  “I’d love to,” I said, though I had minimal experience dancing. I’d found that Maxim made everything in life, even the things I didn’t like doing, more enjoyable. He held me close as we swayed back and forth to a slow-paced love song, then exited the dance floor to get a drink. As we were sipping our wine, someone tapped Maxim on the shoulder.

  That someone turned out to be Christian, one of Maxim’s best friends from business school. After Christian, I met several of Maxim’s colleagues from the bank, then some of his other business associates.

  Admittedly, I had expected everyone to be snooty, to look at me as though I was beneath them, but to my surprise, everyone was extremely kind and unpretentious. They engaged in conversation with me like I was just another person in their circle, not an American who made less money in a year than they made in a week.

  “You’re a hit,” Maxim said as we refilled our wine glasses at the bar. “But I already knew that would be the case.”

  “Your friends are all so nice,” I said. “Nothing like I expected.”

  He smirked. “You mean they aren’t all conceited, entitled jerks?”

  I opened my mouth to answer, to tell him that I’d made a poor word choice, but he assured me that he was just joking, that he knew I’d been nervous about feeling out of place and was glad I was having a good time.

  “Maxim,” a voice from behind us said.

  Maxim turned around, and I followed suit.

  “Ah, Douglas.” The two of them shook hands. “Tia, I’d like you to meet Douglas Swanson, Jr.,” he said. “Mr. Swanson, this is Tia Birchfield.”

  I extended my hand to shake his before realizing who this man was. Around the house, he was simply referred to as Doug. This was the man Maxim had been talking about for months, the financier with whom he was in the middle of working out some huge deal. Making a good impression was crucial.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Swanson,” I said.

  “And you as well, Miss Birchfield.” He turned his attention back to Maxim. “They’ve put together another lovely event, haven’t they?”

  “Indeed, they have.”

  It was nice getting to see Maxim in his element. Though I hadn’t planned for it, Maxim had gotten to see me at work. Of course, driving a taxi was far less exciting than running a multi-billion-dollar company, but that wasn’t the point. It was my turn to see Maxim the businessman, not just Maxim my boyfriend.

  I realized I’d zoned out and turned my attention back to Maxim and Douglas, politely nodding and smiling when it seemed appropriate. Maxim hadn’t exactly told me to stay quiet, but it seemed like the best option. I didn’t want to say anything that could jeopardize this night for him.

  “Tia, whereabouts in the United States are you from?” Douglas asked.

  “West Virginia,” I said, matter-of-factly. “Born and raised.”

  He stopped to think for a minute. “I’ve never been there before. I split my time between the Hamptons in New York and San Francisco.”

  “I’ve heard the Hamptons are lovely. The pictures look breathtaking, too.” I wanted to engage him in conversation the best I could without stepping on Maxim’s toes. I took a quick glance over at Maxim, who nodded at me to reassure me I was doing just fine.

  “Is that right, my dear? You have family there?”

  “Oh, no. Most of my family is in Florida.”

  My answer didn’t seem to satisfy him. “Then who showed you the pictures? Do you have friends who vacation in the Hamptons?”

  I shook my head. “Not that I know of,” I said. “It was actually one of my regular passengers who told me about her trip on the way back from the airport.”

  I wasn’t sure what I had said wrong, but, apparently, something I’d said was horrifying enough for Douglas to take a step back.

  “A…driver?” he questioned, no longer addressing me. He titled his head to meet Maxim’s gaze. “You’re dating a driver?”

  “Douglas, with all due respect, what difference does it make to you what Tia does for work?”

  I wished desperately that I could see the expression on Maxim’s face, but he was turned away from me.

  “She makes an honest living. What’s wrong with that?”

  “What’s wrong with that?” Douglas’s voice was loud enough that we were starting to draw attention from the people around us.

  This was exactly what I’d been afraid of. I felt like the worst person in the world. Maxim’s deal was hanging by a thread, if not already ruined, and it was all my fault. There was nothing I could do but stand there and listen as Douglas belittled me.

  “You’re being a tad ridiculous, don’t you think?” Maxim said. “Tia may not come from money like you or I do, but that doesn’t make her any less important.”

  “Son, you’re wrong about that. Your choice of woman makes me question your decision-making abilities, and, quite frankly, if this is the right fit for my company.”

  The words stung, but I held back from defending myself. Silence cut through the air as I, along with the crowd that had gathered around us, waited to see what Maxim said next. I would’ve understood if he’d told me that things weren’t going to work out between us, that he needed this business deal. I didn’t want to be the reason a hundred-year-old family business suffered.

  Maxim looked at me for the first time since I’d slipped up, his eyes full of desperation. This was it. The end of our relationship.

  “Listen, Douglas,” he said, though, from his volume, it was clear that he was speaking not just to Douglas but to everyone around us. “I am madly, deeply in love with Tia Birchfield, and if you can’t treat her with respect, then you’ll have to find some other bank to do business with.”

  I couldn’t believe my ears. As if Maxim wasn’t already perfect enough, he’d defended me and put me before his business. I was fairly certain my heart was going to burst out of my chest.

  As shocked as I was, Douglas Swanson looked as if he was ready to explode—probably because no one had ever stood up to him before.

  “Have you lost your mind, Schelling?” he said. “I can ruin you!”

  “Do what you have to do, Douglas,” Maxim said calmly. “But you, and anyone else who dares to judge my girlfriend without taking the time to get to know her, can find a different bank. Tia and I are a package deal now.”

  Without waiting for a response, he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door.

  We walked swiftly out of the ballroom, through the foyer, until we were far away from that party and that awful man. I still couldn’t fully grasp what was happening. It felt bittersweet. Maxim had lost out on a huge business deal, one that he’d been working on for months, but he’d reaffirmed my belief in our relationship.

  It wasn’t until we stopped by the front doors that I realized tears streaming down my face.

  “I’m sorry, Maxim. I screwed up.”

  I was still half-expecting him to yell at me, or lecture me, or have some sort of negative reaction to what had just happened. Instead, he took my hands in his and kissed them gently.

  “No, you didn’t,” he said. “You helped me see Doug’s true colors. And I don’t want to partner with someone like that.”

  “But I ruined everything,” I whispered.

  “I promise you, you didn’t ruin anything.” Maxim paused. “In case you didn’t figure it out from the chaos I just unleashed back there, I can’t imagine my life without you. And not just for the summer. Forever. I want you and Ryan to move here to Switzerland, to be with Lucie and me.”

  I struggled to get air into my lungs. He’d caught me totally by surprise. This was the kind of man I’d always dreamed about, someone who would take care of me and love me for who I was.

  I managed to mumble, “Are you serious?”

  “Absolutely. I don’t want to ever spend another day apart.”

  “Maxim, have you thought this through?” I asked. “It’s not just me. It’s Ryan, too.”

  He responded in the form of a smile. “Of course I have. I want us to be a family, the four of us. I’ll help get Ryan set up in a great school here, and I want to help you get back to your art. We can build a life together.”

  If I was dreaming, this was a dream I never wanted to wake up from.

  “I’ve never wanted anything more.” That was the truth. Maxim’s love and commitment was the best gift I could ever ask for.

  “Is that a yes?” Maxim asked.

  “It is,” I said, my voice shaking so much I could hardly speak. “I’d love to live here with you, and I know Ryan would love it, too. I can’t wait for us to be a family together.”

  Maxim wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in toward his chest. Finally, it felt like I had somewhere I belonged.

  I pulled my head away from his body to look up into his gorgeous eyes.

  Slowly, Maxim moved his lips closer to mine. Our lips found one another, and I kissed him more deeply, more passionately than I had ever kissed anyone. I could feel his love in the way he kissed me, and I never wanted it to stop.

  Epilogue

  Six Months Later: Tia

  Snow fell over the mountaintops like something out of a painting. It still didn’t seem quite real that this was my life, maybe because nothing about my life felt the same as it had a year ago.

  I’d come to this resort the first time exhausted and overworked, constantly worrying about money, under the guise of someone else. I’d been worried about secrets and money and bills and impressions. This time, I was here with my boyfriend, a man more amazing than my wildest dreams, and our two wonderful children. I was living out the sort of fairy tale I’d always dreamed of, with my three favorite people in the world.

  Maxim’s suggestion to come to the resort for the holidays had served as the perfect reminder of where our love story had begun. Switzerland felt like home. I’d made a great group of friends through some local artist groups, I was closer with Ryan than ever, and, best of all, I was no longer a taxi driver, spending my evenings with jet-lagged travelers and drunk college students.

  Instead, I was the full-time artist I’d always imagined I’d be someday. Several afternoons each week, I taught private art classes at a local community center to aspiring artists. Though painting would always be my primary passion, I also introduced the basics of sketching, ceramics, and working with oil pastels.

  When I wasn’t teaching, I was creating my own art in my home studio. That was one surprise I still could not get over. It had been months since that day Ryan and I had moved into Maxim’s house on the lake, the day that he had surprised me with my studio, but I could remember it as vividly as if it had happened just yesterday.

  Maxim had put a blindfold on me and taken me to one of the weight rooms on the first floor—except, when he took off the blindfold, it was no longer a weight room. It was a gorgeous art studio, and I knew right away that I had found my new happy place.

  The room was filled with canvases and paints and easels and oil pastels, complete with top-of-the-line drafting tables and a perfect view of Lake Zurich. I could tell that no expense had been spared, with all of the finest equipment, but it was the thought Maxim had put into it that meant the most to me.

  Our second surprise had come in the form of a playroom for Ryan and Lucie. Lucie had never had a playroom since she spent most of her time away at school, but, now that she and Ryan were attending a private school a few miles from the house, Maxim had decided it was time for them to have their own space.

  On one side of the playroom was a small lab table, so Lucie could do some of the science experiments she loved so much. On the other side, Maxim had set up Ryan’s video game console with a TV that spanned the width of the wall. He’d worked so hard to make the house ours, not just his and Lucie’s, and it showed.

  As nice as it was to be back where it all started, my reality was so wonderful these days that it wasn’t necessary to have an escape. In fact, this time it wasn’t an escape at all. It was simply a family vacation.

  The lobby of the main hotel was covered in breathtaking Christmas decorations. In the center of the room, underneath a crystal chandelier, stood the biggest tree I’d ever seen in person, adorned with ornaments of all shapes and colors. Everywhere I turned, there were crystal snowflakes, or sprigs of mistletoe, or giant velvet bows in Christmas colors.