And now, here I was, in an integration room.
Waiting.
Three days ago. Collin's mansion
“You are doing so well, Ms. Austen,” Bella beamed from beside me as we slowly descended the stairs.
One small step for man, a big fuck you to Ray Romano.
I needed to put that on a T-shirt when this was all over.
I smiled at my new friend. “Thank you for helping me, Bella. I really appreciate it.”
Kay and her mafia man had only been gone a few days, but in that time, Bella actually opened up to me a bit. She confessed that Ray Romano was her distant uncle, and when she was eighteen, he sent for her. She was brought to him to be married off, but when her mother showed up and told him Bella was infertile, he made her a servant instead.
Thank God, he didn’t sell her. I shuddered at the thought.
When we made it to the bottom of the stairs, a guard came in through the doors. He was tall, dark, and undeniably handsome. He had piercing green eyes that reminded me of Kevin Matthews. He also had eyes for Bella.
“Ladies,” he greeted, his voice polite but firm.
“Mr. Waller,” Bella said as she looked down to the ground, a blush creeping up her neck. Her accent was gorgeous, just like her. She was shorter than me, with a petite, curvy body. She had black hair that was usually braided over her left shoulder. She had dark eyes, like her distant uncle, but hers were different. Bella’s eyes were kind and gentle. A comfort. I looked back to Mr. Waller, who was quickly taking her in.
The hopeless romantic in me smiled.
“Mr. Stevens is on the line, Ms. Austen,” he said to me, snapping me out of my wedding planning.
I didn’t even notice him holding a cellphone out to me. I leaned into the wall next to the stairwell, steadying myself. I was nearly healed, but hell, Collin had a lot of fucking stairs, and that asshole who kicked me, bruised my hip. If Collin hadn’t killed him, I would have sent him my fucking medical bills.
“Hello?”
“How are you?” His cold voice didn’t fool me. Big, bad Collin was checking on me. A smile played on my lips, but I contained it, looking up at the guard.
“I made it downstairs,” I bragged, smiling at the obvious attraction between Bella and Mr. Waller.
He was silent for a moment.
“That’s good,” he said, his voice still cold, but the gratefulness in his tone was hard to miss.
“How are you? And Kay? Has she drove you crazy yet?” I asked, trying to keep things casual.
He sighed. Yeah, he was done with my shit today.
“Make sure you rest. Karina says Hello.”
He hung up, and I chuckled softly as I handed the phone back to Mr. I Am Secretly in Love with Bella.
He dipped his chin to me before he turned to her. “Have a good afternoon, Ms. Bella.” His voice was softer when he spoke to her.
Yeah. I was planning this wedding, and I would cry at this wedding.
Just call me Haley the Wedding Planner.
She blushed even more at his words and nodded. Once he was out of earshot, I leaned into her. “You should go for it.”
The woman beside me gasped. “Oh, no! I—I couldn’t!”
We began walking to the kitchen, arm in arm. When walking on flat surfaces, I really didn’t need her, but I was seeking out comfort, and I knew she needed it too. “Why not? He's handsome and clearly into you,” I said, smiling at her.
