Yours Completely (Billionaires and Brides 1)

He laughed, a sound I hadn't heard yet. He had a great laugh. An infectious happy laugh that made my day instantly brighter. He swished the pan with the bacon in it again, making sure everything was cooking evenly before going to mix something in a bowl. I had no idea what he was making, but it sure smelled wonderful.

“No, I learned it from my mom.” He tasted whatever was in the bowl and then added more spice. “She was a gourmet chef and she did her best to teach me.”

My brain caught on the use of past tense. She was a gourmet chef.

“What about your dad?” I asked, trying to steer clear of the dead mother.

“He was a electrician.” Bastion tasted the mixture again and set it to the side, content with whatever was in it. “But he loved my mom's cooking and wasn't half bad in the kitchen himself.”

Again, parent in the past tense. Both of his parents must be gone then, I thought to myself. For a moment, I wondered what today must have been like for him. While I had nearly lost my father, he had already lost both his parents.

I didn't know quite what to say, but luckily he had finished and was coming around to the table with his creation in hand. He looked incredibly pleased with himself and it made me smile.

“Voila,” he said, presenting the most amazing sandwich I had ever seen. Thick french bread layered with turkey, bacon, avocados, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and some sort of creamy sauce awaited me.

He sat down in the seat across from me, but waited for me to take the first bite. I carefully picked up the beautiful sandwich and tried it.

It was the best sandwich I had ever tasted in my entire life. The vegetables were just the right level of crispy compared to the bread and meat and the sauce was some sort of ranch dressing that brought out every other flavor. It was like taking a little bite of heaven in sandwich form.

“This is amazing,” I gasped, stuffing another bite into my mouth. He grinned, obviously pleased with himself as I thoroughly enjoyed his culinary creation.

“What are you working on?” Bastian asked once I started to slow down my bites. He motioned to the paperwork still scattered across the table.

“Plan B,” I explained. “With Dad out of commission, I had to come up with a new plan.”

“Go on,” he replied, smiling at me. He took another bite, but seemed genuinely interested in having a conversation. “Tell me more.”

“Okay.” I smiled, feeling flattered. I was actually quite grateful for any excuse to get to talk to him. His gray eyes were warm again in the yellow light of the kitchen. They weren't quite as bright as this morning, but the longer he sat, the less shadows seemed to haunt his face. “I'll take pictures of everything tomorrow. We needed the photos for the auction catalog, but this way Dad can appraise some things through photograph and keep up on all the paperwork, leaving me time to do the rest.”

“Appraisal by photograph?” Bastian raised his perfectly groomed eyebrows. “You mean I didn't need to fly you both out here?”

“No, you still did.” I blushed as I realized he was teasing me again. “A lot of this needs to actually be looked at, but some things, like that picture you saw me working on this morning, already have certificates of authenticity. From there it's just verifying the certificate and assigning a price.”

He looked thoughtful for a moment. “So how much was that painting worth this morning? You were rather intent on it.”

I took another bite and swallowed before answering. “It's actually worth more than the Degas.”

He stopped chewing and looked at me in surprise before shaking his head in disbelief. “No.”

“Yes,” I insisted with a grin. “It's an authentic Berthe Morisot original. A similar painting was valued at just over fifty thousand dollars and actually sold at auction for just over one-hundred thousand.”

“But, the Degas? It's a Degas.” He set his sandwich down and watched me.

“The Degas is just a sketch on paper. It's worth around twenty-five thousand, so it's still worth quite a bit.” I smiled. I loved talking about this stuff. I loved the nuances of the art world and how even though a piece might have a famous name attached, another painting could still be better. “Even though the Degas name is more well known, the Morisot is a painting whereas the Degas is just a sketch.”

He nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving my face. I loved having his complete attention. When he looked at me, I felt special and wanted. “Is that why you ignored my advice?”

“To start on the Degas?” I shook my head. “No. I didn't know what the Degas was worth until this afternoon, but I did have a plan. I have a system and I wasn't about to let you interrupt me.”

“Even though I'm a billionaire,” he teased. “With a cooking degree from Billionaire University?”

“Yes,” I said with a giggle before going serious again. “Everything has value. You just have to give things a chance to show you their worth. Just because something initially looks better doesn't actually mean that it is.”

Something in his face relaxed and he leaned back in his seat, studying me. I hoped I wasn't blushing again, especially since I just went all philosophical on him.

“You've impressed me three times now, just today,” he said after a moment. “Four if you count trying to stop a robbery last night.”

“What? Three?” I racked my brain for when I could have possibly impressed him for the first time. It certainly hadn't been while I was ignoring the Degas.