Page 109 of Isolated
As rewarding as opening my own business was, it was also a lot of work. And I wasn’t immediately able to hire employees.
Fortunately, within two months, I hired my first employee. My sister.
Since all the campaign work was falling on my shoulders, I needed someone to handle my books. Eleni was perfect for the job. And since her house had sold in Grouse, she was easily able to make the move to Steel Ridge.
Our relationship had improved tremendously ever since Landen and I had made that initial trip back to Grouse to figure out precisely what had been going on with my sister. She was still just as outspoken as she always had been, but the bitterness was gone.
And she’d had time to grieve for the loss of her pregnancy, too. Flora and I had bent over backwards to be there to support Eleni through that healing, even if she was getting the opportunity far later than I thought she should have.
In the end, my decision not to return to Mono Mark Solutions after Robert offered me my former position had been the right one. Despite the uncertainty that came along with it, at least I was the one in control of myfuture.
I could find comfort in knowing that everyone at my former job knew the truth.
Two days after I’d walked in and given Robert the evidence on Brett as well as a piece of my mind, I’d gotten a call from Steph and Kasey. They’d called to share that Robert had organized a company-wide meeting where he shared the full truth about what happened. Everyone knew that I’d been sabotaged, and that Brett was the one responsible. My former friends wanted to apologize to me for how they’d cut me out, but in the end, I couldn’t bring myself to reconcile with them. I couldn’t get past how they’d watched me get escorted out of the building the day I’d been fired and not once reached out to me afterward to check on me. For me, it was a true representation of the way they viewed our friendship, and I’d told them as much.
They were sad about it. I was, too. But I believed I was better off in the end to start fresh and build trust with new people.
As for his part, I didn’t know why Brett chose to target me. The best I could assume was that I was so successful, and he’d gotten a better offer from Turnkey Strategies if he’d help them bring Mono Mark Solutions down. Nothing else made sense.
The best part of all that had happened over the last seven months had been Landen. Not only had we spent tremendous amounts of time with one another, but he’d brought new relationships into my life. He and I had finally had that first double date with Hart and Reagan. Landen and Hart were already such great friends, so it was truly the icing on the cake that Reagan and I had hit it off.The two of us got together for lunch regularly without the guys around.
And over time, I’d met more and more members of the Harper Security Ops team—both the employees and their spouses. I had more friends than I knew what to do with.
“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life, Landen.”
“Barring that one small complication back at the beginning, you’ve always been so happy.”
“But it’s different now.”
“How so?”
My hand slid away from his shoulder, up the back of his neck and into his hair. “I thought I was happy before. I truly loved my life. But there was something missing. I knew it was love I was looking for, and I had dreams about what it would be like when I got it. The daydreams were rather spectacular. But they don’t compare to the reality of having you. Of having your love. I truly feel so fulfilled. Like I finally have everything I could ever want and need.”
His features softened, his thumb stroking absentmindedly at my back. “Are you sure about that? You have everything you want?”
I nodded. “Yes. Don’t you?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“What else do you need?”
Landen tore his attention away from me and looked around the room. When he returned his gaze to me, he said, “I want this. I want the happy ending. And I want to build a family with my wife.”
The corners of my mouth tipped up. “You’re right. I don’t have everything I want yet.”
He chuckled. “I’m glad to hear that.”
I shot him an expectant look.
Landen saw it, understood the questions in my stare, and revealed, “You’re the one I want it with, sunshine. Our time is coming soon.”
Satisfied with that, knowing he hadn’t disappointed me once yet, I said, “Okay.”
“Now, let me spin you around in this dress. I’ve been thinking about doing it since I pulled into the driveway and saw you standing there in it.”
Without giving me a chance to decline, Landen spun me around in my gown. He made me feel like such a princess, and it would have been a chore to contain the joy I felt. So, when I was facing him again, I beamed at him, pressed up on my toes, and touched my mouth to his.
A lifetime.
