Lucia nods, “Yes, we love you, dear. You have the gift of a green thumb and fresh ideas. We’re tired.”
Aura bites her lip, looking as if her shoulders weigh a thousand pounds. “I’d love to, truly. However, we’re all aware I have a major disadvantage holding me back.”
My mother asks, “What are you talking about, Aura?”
“I can’t read. I’ve learned a few things, but I can’t read a full sentence without struggling. How on earth can I ever possibly run a company if I can’t even read the names of the plants?” Her lower lip trembles, and I reach for her other hand, squeezing it to offer her my silent support if she needs it right now. She’s strong, but I never want her to feel as if she’s struggling with something alone.
Steven takes a drink of his wine and further explains, “We’ve considered the possibility of you bringing your reading up tonight, and we believe we’ve found a solution. If Hunter is willing, you’ll be named CEO, and he’ll be offered the CAO/CIO position.”
I lean in, quietly explaining, “You would be the top-tier boss as Chief Executive Officer overseeing everything. I’d be the Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Information Officer. They look after the company’s administrative management as well as establish and maintain a strategy for protecting company information and data.” I was offered something similar for my dad’s company before he sold it.
Steven nods, peering my way. “Exactly. This will put you in front of the paperwork while Aura has a chance to develop and strengthen her reading skills.”
“I still feel underqualified,” she murmurs.
Lucia cuts in as she does anytime Aura begins to doubt herself. “The benefit of owning the company is we can hire or appoint anyone we see fit. Your father and I will work closely with you both to groom you to take over… we won’t leave you high and dry. We want our legacy to continue through you and become yours as well as whatever you set your heart on. Perhaps one day it’ll be passed on to grandchildren.”
Aura glances at me, shooting me a look. I can read it being around her so much. I know she wants my input, but I’m just as confused as to what the right answer would be for either of us.
“Hunter has his own business, he’s a bounty hunter. He loves his work, and he tells me all the time how much fun he has chasing after people with his brothers.”
My dad finally breaks his silence. “While I was hoping Philip would take up my line of work, I respect his decision to walk his own path. He’s worked damn hard to build what he has. This doesn’t seem fair of you to ask for so much from him, Steven.”
Aura’s father agrees. “I know it’s a heavy responsibility to request of him, Henry, but without them, we’ll have to begin incorporating shareholders and a board of directors. I don’t want to go that route, but I will if the kids don’t want Beautiful Botanicals.”
Throwing away my soon-to-be wife’s future company seems careless to do it with a simple yes or no. I don’t want to be the one to make the call and regret it in the future. The thought doesn’t sit right, especially since the only real reason she’s turning it down is because of her reading. We’ve been working on the basics, but we could hire someone to truly help teach her what she needs to learn in-depth. Her mother and father promise to teach her the company’s ways, so the only obstacle left is my business and my brothers. I can be a part of the club for the rest of my life no matter what I do for a living, but I won’t take away my brothers’ means of legal income. What kind of man, friend, brother, or boss would I be if I let them go without securing something for them first?
“If I agree to do my part, I have one concession.”
“Name it,” Steven responds, always ready to do business and negotiate.
“I need my own set of offices and equipment at the headquarters for my brothers. I can help Aura with the Botanical empire while running my business as well.”
“But your trips,” Aura interrupts. “You love your work, Hunter.”
I nod. “I do, and I’ll never be a three-piece-suit Wall Street type of guy, but I can do this. My brothers can take on the jobs they want, and I’ll help where needed. I can bounce between your company and mine in the same office. As long as everyone understands I won’t be in the office every day, and I may need to leave for days at a time.” I look toward Steven and Lucia. “I can be the backup Aura needs. I won’t take this opportunity from her if this is something she wants. It has to be her decision, though, no pressure. And I’m wearing my jeans, not those prissy-ass dress pants.”
My parents shoot me with a look. They used to tell me to cool it with my mouth, but they’ve learned I don’t listen. I do what I want when I want, and if they push me, I’ll only resist more. Still, not wanting to be disrespectful, I mutter a quick apology for cursing at the dinner table.
Aura leans in, tugging my scruffy chin toward her until I turn, so she can press a kiss to my lips. It’s short and sweet. She leans her forehead against mine and murmurs, “I love you so much. Thank you for doing this.”
“I’ll always be there for you whether it’s to rescue you, read you a story, or help you run a company. I’m all in, and I love you too.”
She smiles widely and turns back to our parents. “We’ll do it.”
I lean in, whispering my plans for when we get home, “I’m going to fuck you so hard for this, I hope you know.”
With a devilish grin, she says, “Promises, promises. I’ll hold you to it.”
It looks like we’re running a company together, but I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else. She’s my everything, and I intend to give her the life she’s always deserved, filled with happiness and hot-as-sin nights.
Epilogue Two
AURA
Ten Years Later…
One of the most difficult obstacles to overcome in my life has been my inability to read. While on the island for so many years, I never needed to know how. I learned to write my name from the others, but otherwise, there wasn’t ever any writing involved. Sure, we doodled and made up different stories for the pictures, but it was never the same thing. When I returned home and realized how vital it is to succeed, I was overwhelmed and embarrassed.
Thanks to persistent parents and a caring husband, I’ve overcome my lack of reading and writing skills. I didn’t stop there, and learning became a passion for me. I kept taking class after class to help me write and understand things better, and I couldn’t get enough. I’m grateful for my persistence as I sit here reading the series of short stories Mary wrote for my baby.
They all have their own families now, who I love like an extension of my own. Laura and her wife just adopted an adorable set of twin babies. Their family had been visiting from the Philippines when there was a horrendous accident. It killed the twins’ birth parents, and when Child Protective Services discovered there wasn’t any other living family, Laura and her wife hired an amazing lawyer who helped them fight to adopt the babies.
Luna followed her passion for singing. It took her to Nashville, where she met a country music star in some hole-in-the-wall dive bar. They fell hopelessly in love and have a beautiful home in Tennessee. She just had their third baby and released her fourth album. They have an in-home studio where her husband helps to produce her music. They sang a duet Christmas album that I drove Hunter crazy with. It’s on repeat each year from November through the end of December, and I can’t seem to get enough of it. We visit them occasionally, but it’s still hard having her so far away. I usually pop on her music when I start to miss her, and it makes me feel like she’s in the room, singing to me like she used to.