Chapter 7

Aurora’s arrival ten minutes before they were scheduled to leave had pleasantly surprised Rob. That she was a woman who could be ready on time was great. That she handed him the signed employment contract and all the necessary paperwork for his lawyer was the icing on the cake.

He’d scooped her into his arms and kissed her soundly. She’d only protested that there would be none of that while she was on the clock. She wouldn’t mix work with their personal life. While he understood her reasoning, all he wanted to do was kiss her protests away and make her his for the rest of their lives. However, he knew he needed to slow down and let her set the pace. He was just so weary of being alone.

What struck him right then was that he hadn’t even realized he was weary of being alone until Aurora Wright came into his life. He’d thought he was fine. Yeah, okay, he had that writer’s block going on, and that worried him. But relationship wise, he had been content not having a steady woman in his life. Or so he’d thought.

Now he wanted Aurora in his arms, his bed; hell, he wanted her fully involved in every aspect of his life. He wanted to wake up to her lovely two different colored eyes and fall asleep with her wrapped in his arms. He wanted to hear her say, “I do.” Then watch as her belly swelled with their children.

That afternoon, he dreamed of growing old with her and watching generations of their family visit them. He wanted the entire package his parents and grandparents had, and if he was really honest with himself. He wanted it with Aurora and no one else.

Rob decided right then he’d take his time and pull out all the stops. She would fall in love with him, and they’d live Happily Ever After. How funny that he’d never really believed in that either before now.

Since they were riding in the back of the town car with Paul driving them, it gave him time to explain about Lynn and about what they’d be doing tonight, tomorrow, and Friday morning.

“Lynn is one of my oldest writing companions. She and I were getting started about the same time. So, we’ve come up through the ranks together. I have a few more books out than she does, but we share a lot of fans. It’s why she invited me to be part of her two events in Denver. She’s counting on more fans coming out to see both of us instead of just one of us.

Aurora nodded, taking notes. “That sounds like a smart idea. Do you think she’s correct?”

“Yeah, she’s accurate. Fans will show up to see one author, but tell them two or more of their favorites are doing a book reading and signing, and they’ll come out of the woodwork.”

“What am I supposed to do tonight and tomorrow, and at these events in the future?”

Rob smiled, happy she was thinking of being with him in the future. “Tonight, just get to know Lynn and her assistant, Kelli. She’s done this for a while and knows all the tricks and intricacies of doing this job. You’ll learn a lot just from following her around. There will be less to do tomorrow because it is a bookstore event. Friday is a lunch with the author event, so those are a bit more involved, but still less than a meet and greet at a conference or bookseller day. Those have their own challenges and concerns.”

They continued to talk about her new job and how she would handle things for him. Rob promised to spend the first full day back going over everything he expected with her, and listening to any suggestions she may have to increase the production of her tasks. He figured she’d have a few minor changes she’d want to make. Just to make the job her own.

Rob loved getting to spend time with Aurora, watching her fit into his world. She and Lynn hit it off immediately, and Rob could tell his older friend really liked Aurora. The jokes at his expense and the embarrassing stories that Lynn had shared with her would have been proof enough. When Lynn looked at him and flashed him a quick thumb up, when Aurora was playing with one of Lynn’s daughters, was the icing on the cake. After dinner, they’d all gone to the bookstore where Lynn had introduced Aurora to Kelli, her assistant, and the two of them had disappeared with Kelli explaining everything that they did at a typical bookstore event.

By the end of the night, Thursday, Aurora wasn’t following Kelli anymore. She’d moved to act as Rob’s assistant. His giveaway swag and books seamed to magically replenish as they were given away and sold. Aurora made sure he had extra sharpies in case the one he was using dried out. She had even stepped in with a few of the fans who were trying to monopolize his time; leading them away to get a free signed copy of one of his earlier books. She brought him bottled water and even a cold glass of juice and a power bar to help keep his energy up.

Aurora was doing the job like she’d done it for years, and she wasn’t even officially working for him yet. He couldn’t wait for them to be alone in the suite he’d gotten them. He wanted to tell her how great she was, and hopefully get to taste her sweet kisses again, too.