REMEMBER US: A Billionaire Romance (Part One) by Glenna Sinclair

Chapter 1
     
    Xander
    “Call me when it’s ready,” I said, handing Jonnie the file I was holding. “They want to see it as soon as possible.”
    “No problem,” she said, skirting off to her desk.
    I walked into my office, kicking the door closed with the heel of my foot. I could still hear the hum of working taking place outside the glass walls, but it was down to a dull roar, which was great for the headache I could feel coming on behind my eyes.
    When I started this company, I thought it was going to be a breeze. But don’t all young entrepreneurs? I’m proud of what I’ve built over the last five years. This business has been my life for these past few years, but now, I’m ready to think about something other than security systems for a while. I’m ready to think about settling down and having a family.
    I’ve already met the girl. I just need to convince her to marry me.
    There’s a picture of her on my desk. Long blonde hair. Bright green eyes. A cute little button nose that accents her full lips perfectly. And curves that would catch the attention of a blind man. But it’s not just the way she looks. Harley is one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever known. And an incredibly talented artist. That’s how we met, actually. My company was contracted to set up security at an art gallery in Texas. She was the showcase artist at the time.
    I knew I wanted her the second I laid eyes on her. She was in jeans and a t-shirt, her hair sweaty and tangled from her efforts of bringing a dozen, oversized canvases into the warehouse-like gallery without any help. That was her personality in a nutshell: strong, fiercely independent, and determined. I walked over and turned the charm on, and she shot me down in a single look.
    I was a goner.
    It took me almost a week to convince her to go out with me. But that first dinner led to a late lunch and another long dinner and six months later she’d moved to Los Angeles to move in with me.
    I’d never thought of myself as the one-girl-for-the-rest-of-my-life kind of guy. But with Harley, I was dreaming of green-eyed babies and rocking chairs on the front porch. I even had the ring in the top drawer of my desk.
    Like I said, I just need to convince her.
    I settled down behind my desk and woke my computer, scrolling through emails that needed my attention.
    Part of my job entails a lot of hand-holding. We provide security systems for companies, big and small. And these companies need to be reassured—some on a daily basis—that the system is working and we’ve got them fully protected—from their computer systems to their hiring protocol to their physical locations. So, most mornings, I have the equivalent of a single email from each client, which amounts to hundreds of emails. Harley told me once I should hire a secretary whose sole job would be to answer these emails. I was beginning to think she was right.
    In a few minutes, I was lost in the emails, writing reassurances to clients I knew well and clients I’d only just met. I didn’t even hear the phone ring until Jonnie, my office manager, stuck her head in the door.
    “Xander?”
    I looked up. “Did you get those—?” I stopped because I could see something in her expression that caused the fingers of dread to dance up and down my spine. “What’s going on?”
    “Someone from Cedars-Sinai is on the phone.”
    I frowned, not following what she was saying.
    “It’s about Harley.”
    I snatched up the phone, pressing the appropriate button to connect the call.
    “This is Xander Boggs.”
    “Mr. Boggs? This is Alicia Franklin from Cedars-Sinai. Do you know Harley Alistair?”
    “Yes. What’s going on? Is she okay?”
    “There was an accident, Mr. Boggs. Ms. Alistair was hit by a car while jogging.”
    That was all I heard. I know she kept talking after that, but it was just white noise. I remember saying I’d be there as soon as possible. And then I was searching for my keys.
    “Maybe you