The Auction House Deal: Bought by A Billionaire
Chapter 168: The Future: Hannah
The session with Tara left me feeling like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I walked her out of the house, thanking her again for her time.
With a lighter mind, I returned to the dining room and gave Roman a shy smile as I sat down at my tablet and laptop.
"How did it go? Do you like her?" he asked.
I nodded. "She’s really great. I feel better."
He returned the expression then and nodded. "Good. I’m glad."
"I need to make her a job offer letter. I completely forgot," I sighed.
"Want me to help?" he asked.
"That would be great, thank you."
Roman moved to sit next to me. We researched salaries together, chose one that was generous but appropriate, and he helped me draft the letter. Once we proofread it a couple of times, I emailed it to her, along with a request for an invoice for her time that morning.
"I feel like a businesswoman," I giggled.
He kissed my cheek. "Because you are."
I smiled and got back to work, knowing that keeping busy would be better than sitting about thinking over things again and again.
It still brought back memories of the attempted kidnapping, but I knew they were unavoidable. There was a lot to do, and life wasn’t going to just stop. I wasn’t going to let it stop my life.
After some time, there was a sound at the door. I thought it was likely security detail, but when arms were wrapping around me, I realized it was Lori.
"I’m so glad you’re okay!" she cried.
My vision panned to Roman, who shot me an apologetic smile. "I thought she should know."
I nodded, knowing I wasn’t mad about it.
Lori held me at arm’s length and examined me.
"Are you okay?" she gushed. "Did that monster hurt you at all?"
"I’m fine," I assured her. "I promise."
Lori’s concern then turned to Roman, with her hands on her hips. "What kind of bodyguard did you hire? Hm? How did this happen?"
"Lori, it’s not his fault," I sighed. "He went through the agency he always did. Marcus and Ed are already looking into it. Or, will be."
"Oh," she muttered. "Ed and Marcus are coming back around?"
She sat down, and I tried to hide my smirk. She definitely had a thing for Ed, and as much as she tried to hide it, it was so apparent to everyone but her.
"Yes, he will," I replied.
She nodded, and I had to keep myself from laughing that she hadn’t picked up on me using a singular pronoun.
My sister eyed me with a sad look then. "Are you sure you’re okay?"
I thought back over my session with Tara. I didn’t have to be strong to others and put down my own pain just to make others comfortable—and it was something that Lori needed to know for herself. We had learned to hide our pain and discomfort to be more palatable to our father and whoever he brought around. That era was dead to me.
I straightened my posture and locked eyes with her. "No, I’m not okay. I don’t think I’ve been okay... ever... But I know I’m going to be. It’ll just take time."
The look in her eye shifted to something I couldn’t quite decipher. Lori nodded and propped her head up.
"So, what happens now?" she asked.
I shrugged. "We still need to move forward with the charity. Just means we will need more security."
"So you still need help planning a gala?" she asked shyly.
I smiled. "Absolutely."
She clapped her hands and bounced about her chair. "Oh, good! I’ve had so many ideas."
Lori pulled out a binder and I couldn’t help but grin at the amount of work and thought she had put into her notes, including pictures, doodles, and stickers. She had really put a lot of time and effort into helping my vision come true.
Lori explained her ideas with excitement and so much detail, and everything she spun was complete gold. She had already found artists to donate art to an auction and had a list of ideal caterers.
"How do you find the time in the day?" I asked with a light chuckle. "This all sounds perfect. How did you get so good at planning?"
She shrugged and gave a shy look. "Just something I like doing."
"Would you like to be the event coordinator?" I asked her. "If it’s not too much, I just don’t feel like I know what I’m doing."
She hugged me tightly. "I would love that. I have everything ready to go. I just need a guest list."
"Lauren should have the company list," Roman chimed in.
"Perfect!" she grinned. "I’m going to book us some dress appointments. Keep an open mind. Remember, it’s a gala."
I couldn’t help but laugh at the devilish look on her face. I was certain that she was going to stuff me in the most elaborate, artistic dress she could find.
That thought gave me an idea.
"If you’re going crazy, maybe we could auction off the dresses after? Put that into the clothing fund for the women that will be utilizing the charity."
"That’s such a good idea." Lori beamed and jumped up from her seat. "I’m going to go meet up with Lauren and get the ball rolling. I’ll be sure to check in later." She hugged me around my neck and gave me a squeeze. "I’m glad you’re here. And that you’re okay... Well, that you will be."
"Love you," I whispered back.
My sister kissed my cheek then. "Love you, too."
With that, she was gone. I looked over to Roman with curious eyes. "Should I be expecting a visit from anyone else?"
He coughed and smiled nervously. "Your brothers also know. I just thought they would want to know, and didn’t want you to have to make rounds telling everyone."
"Thank you," I said with a smile.
It was nice that he was looking out for me and lifting the burden where he could. It was good that they knew, so that they didn’t try and make plans any time soon. Or arrive and be confused by all the security.
We continued our work in peace.
I was still rattled and my thoughts plagued by worry about what was going to happen. Would it being a rogue agent, like Marcus and Ed suspected, make it harder for them to catch the guy? What if they tried again?
As my anxiety rose, I reminded that we were getting more security. Things would be fine. Even if something did happen, it would be quickly diffused.
***
Sometime in the afternoon, the door rang again and Roman went to get it. In walked some of our old crew of bodyguards: Leslie, Richards, and Miguel. There were a few others I didn’t know well, but had seen around the property before. I was grateful to see the familiar faces, and also not to see too many. Maybe things wouldn’t be as bad as before.
They waved and gave minor greetings before going about their duties.
"That’s a relief," I breathed. "I’m glad they were able to come back."
"Me too. Better to go with people we trust until we get to the bottom of what’s going on," Roman replied.
When we settled back down, I squeezed his hand.
I had such an appreciation for that man and all he did for me. Sometimes, I was overwhelmed by all his effort. After all, he didn’t have to go through any of it and could have broken things off with me. I knew our love was real and that he would do anything at all to keep me safe, happy, and secure.
The rest of the day passed without event, which I was grateful for. We deserved an uneventful day after what we had just gone through. A part of my naïve mind hoped that it would be the end of it, and that we would find normalcy once again.
However, I knew better.
Nothing had ever been that simple. I guessed it only made since, considering the way we met.
My mind traveled to our future.
How strange it would be if we had children and they would eventually ask how we met. Would we tell them the truth? I didn’t want to lie to them. Would it be too much for children, though?
I shook off the thoughts. We were still so far away from a place from being able to comfortably even consider children. How could I think of that when I couldn’t even safely start a non-profit?
Would life ever be "normal"? Would we ever feel comfortable aiming for those goals?
I didn’t know, and honestly I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want to think about how our past and current situation could potentially stilt what our future could be. I had to believe that we could have it all, even if it would take time to get there.
I held onto my appreciation for him and didn’t allow myself to get overwhelmed with the possibility of complications and dangers to come. As long as I had Roman, I knew that I would be okay. We would be okay.