Maverick Peterson POV
"I think that's enough for today," I said after several more hours of talking.
Even though I hinted that we could stop and save it for another day, Willow insisted on getting everything over with. It wasn't that I didn't understand her feelings, as I felt the same, but her story clearly weighed more heavily than before.
Compared to the first time she told her story, she had clearly held back a lot. Knowing all the details, it was almost a completely different story. Even then, I wasn't sure if she was being completely honest and telling us everything.
I wanted to believe that my words about being honest had gotten through to her, but even knowing how much she hid from us, I couldn't believe that. A part of me kept thinking she was still hiding something.
Rickey glanced up when he heard the sound of the door to his prison open. He glared at the masked stranger standing at the entrance and blocking his way to freedom, yet he didn't make any attempts to escape.After his previous attempt had failed, he had learned not to try again. That was unless he was willing to put Sheila through torture again. He could still recall her screams of agony and the scent of her blood filling the room.He had been powerless to prevent her suffering, and all he could do was watch her pay the price for her actions. They didn't even let him talk with her before he was thrown back into his room, leaving him to agonize over her condition.Once they found a way to escape, he swore that he would get his revenge on them. He just needed to bide his time, and he would make them sorely regret ever looking in Sheila's direction.
Willow Baker POV'Did I mishear Maverick? Please tell me I misheard him.''I don't think you misheard him.'I stared at the man I had a contract with, which, as I remembered, specifically had a section about separate living quarters. It was literally stated that we would have two separate rooms.Of course, there was a part stating we could share a room. It would be awkward for the contract to be broken simply because we shared a room for whatever reason. While that would be quite interesting to see happen, that was besides the point.The point was that we had agreed to sleep in separate rooms because we had no interest in sleeping in the same room. Neither of us had plans on having another child afte
Willow Baker POVSeveral Days LaterI still couldn't look Maverick in the face after our talk. Despite his desire for us to share a bedroom as soon as possible, I had locked my doors and refused to go to him. Fortunately, he didn't get angry with me for not giving him an answer.However, he practically radiated disappointment every time I avoided him and the topic whenever it came up. I kept making sure there was something to interrupt us or distract him so there would be no discussion about it.Refusing to even discuss the subject was probably a bad idea, but I couldn't tell him the reason why I didn't want us sharing a room. It was embarrassing to say I wouldn't be able to sleep in the same room as him. That was something a child would say, or worse.
Willow Baker POVStaring up at the ceiling of my bedroom, I wondered what I had been thinking when I thought it was a good idea to tell Maverick we could share a bedroom from now on. I had to be insane to suggest.Then I recalled the reason as I turned to face Asa, who was sleeping peacefully in her crib. The one time where I needed something to occupy me throughout the night, Asa chose to be a good girl and sleep.I remembered the countless nights where I was woken up by Asa's cries and couldn't go back to sleep until she was taken care of. Those had been the worst, as it was nearly impossible to get any decent sleep or do anything productive.Well, I shouldn't be complaining. It was a good thing that she was sleeping when she was supposed to. I couldn't wait until her sleep schedule settled and sh
Willow Baker POVStartled by the sudden change in topic, I stared dumbly at him. I must have misheard due to my lack of sleep. There was no way he brought up someone from my past out of the blue.How did he even know about him?'You told Maverick about him, remember.'I had forgotten about that. That was definitely the lack of sleep affecting my brain. I wouldn't be surprised if this was all a figment of my imagination or a dream. Just in case, I pinched my cheek to confirm whether or not this was real.The brief pain I felt reassured me that I was indeed awake. If that was the case, then I needed to really consider that I had heard him correctly the first time, but that didn't get rid of my confusion.
Willow Baker POVWhen I woke up the next morning, I stared up at the ceiling. The blanket that I had used to cover my head had come off some time in my sleep, but I didn't pay it any mind as I processed what happened last night.'Did all of that really happen?''Yes, it did. Can you stop bitching about it?''I'm not.''Yes, you are.''Am not.''You're acting like a child. Act your age.'Tired of arguing with her, I didn't bother replying to her as I sat up. Scanning the room, I saw that Maverick had left who knew when taking Asa with him and leaving me by myself. I must have been more tired than I realized if I could sleep undisturbed.Preparing myself for the day, I set out to find where the two went. It wasn't hard, as there weren't that many places Maverick could take Asa to. I ended up finding them in Maverick's office.He was bouncing Asa on her lap and working on the documents in front of him at the same time. Impressed that he could multitask like that, I stopped to watch them
Willow Baker POVStaring at the bedroom, I didn't see much difference between it and my original bedroom. Okay, that was a lie, as this bedroom was much fancier, but otherwise it was still the same thing. I couldn't see why Maverick offered this bedroom.As if reading my thoughts, he gently tugged on my arm to follow him. He led me to a set of doors that I assumed led to the closet. However, when he opened them, I saw that it led directly into another bedroom."These bedrooms are connected to each other. It'll give us better access to each other and you the privacy you require," he explained as I stared in awe at what I saw.Shaking myself out of my stupor, I asked, "How come the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess never used these rooms?""They never saw the need to.
Willow Baker POVWe walked in silence, passing the servants who were taking care of the garden. They acknowledged our presence or rather, Maverick's presence. Normally, they just ignored me or gave me a brief nod of acknowledgement, not like the deep bows they were giving to us now.'That's because that's not how they're supposed to be treating you. You're the Grand Duchess. They're supposed to treat you with respect.'I didn't agree. If they were comparing me to the previous Grand Duchess, I could see why they wouldn't want to acknowledge me. I would have a hard time too if I were in their place, especially with what I knew.'Ugh. That isn't the point.'Ignoring Winter's rambling, I studied Maverick
Hello everyone. I just want to thank all my readers, especially those who have been following until the end. It's been a long journey. In fact, I believe this book, from start to finish, took almost 7 months, which is a long time. Again, I'm grateful to have all of you.Now, onto what I intend to do next. I have several ideas, but currently I hope to start on Asa Peterson's story. It's going to be about Willow and Maverick's daughter, but with a twist.Instead of being a direct sequel to Luna's Revenge: Willow Baker's Marriage Request, it follows the first life after Willow dies and basically runs almost parallel with it. As such, there might be some spoilers, but it's not required to read both books. They're both standalones.I really hope to get this story off the ground. However, I do have other stories so we'll see how everything works out.Anyway, thank you all again for reaching the end with me. I hope that you all continue following me and have a great day.
Willow Baker POV A Year Later "Willow, are you ready?" Sheila asked as she, Maverick's mother, and Diana stepped into the room. As I stared at the woman in the mirror, I immediately said, "No." My arms shook as I said, "I really can't do this." "What's wrong?" she asked as she immediately rushed over to me. "I don't think I'm ready to get married," I said as I whirled around in my wedding dress. "Willow," Maverick's mother said as she took my hand. "You've already been part of the family for more than three years. We're only making sure you get the wedding you deserve." 'I can't believe I agreed to go along with this crazy idea. Why do we need to have a wedding when we're already husband and wife?' 'I don't have a clue either. You're the one who agreed to it when Maverick asked to marry you, and he even gave you a chance to back out.' I still had mixed feelings when I recalled that incident. It still boggled my mind that he had asked to marry me when we were already married, a
Willow Baker POV"Yes?" I squeaked.I mean, we were married, so I wasn't sure what he was talking about. However, instead of explaining himself, he smiled brightly at me. His smile blinded me and left me in a daze as he slipped the ring onto my finger.Feeling the metal on my finger, I quickly said, "Wait. What's going on?"His smile dropped as he said, "I proposed. Did you not want to marry me?""That's not what I meant," I said as I held both my hands up. "I mean, aren't we already married?""We are, but I want us to be properly married," he said as he stood up. "All we did was sign some papers and file them to formalize our marriage. I want us to have a wedding. It doesn't have to be big. It can just be us and our families or j
Willow Baker POVA Year LaterStaring up at the night sky, I smiled as I held Maverick's hand. I had used to be embarrassed about holding his hand, but now I found myself reaching out to him whenever I can."It's nice out," I said as we continued to walk through the garden.The only sounds were the sounds of the wind and whatever animals were out and about. Basking in the peaceful atmosphere, I still found it hard to believe a year had passed in the blink of an eye."It is," Maverick said with a smile, and he squeezed my hand."So, what is it you wanted to talk about?" I asked."What makes you think I brought you out here to have a talk?" he asked. "I could just want to spend
Willow Baker POVReaching out to the door, I opened it and was greeted by the sight of a gaunt Lesli. The putrid smell and poor condition nearly made me vomit as I covered my nose and mouth."Ah, Willow, you finally came. I was wondering when you would come," he said as he smiled at me. His smile fell when his eyes spotted Maverick right behind me. "Oh, you're here. I didn't ask for you.""I asked him to be here," I said as I held up my arm before Maverick could raise his voice.Lesli tilted his head to one side as he asked, "Why? Did you think I would do something to you?" When I didn't bother to give him a response, he raised his bandaged and chained arms up for us to see. "I can't exactly do anything to you right now.""I'm sure you'll find a way, but that's not
Willow Baker POVUnfortunately, the beautiful moment was ruined as a servant approached us. We stepped away from each other as Maverick frowned. They knew to leave us alone unless it was a serious matter."My apologies, your graces," the man said as he bowed. "The prisoner is acting up and demanding Willow's presence."There was only one person he could be referring to, but before I could say anything, Maverick said, "Willow will not be seeing him. I should have you punished for your insolence."The man quivered beneath Maverick's bloodlust. Asa squirmed at the sensation, but she didn't become upset like the last time she had been exposed to it. I wasn't sure whether I should be glad or upset.Reaching out to touch his shoulder, I said, "Maverick."
Willow Baker POVSeveral Days LaterLeaning back in my chair, I watched with a smile as Maverick played with Asa, who giggled loudly. For once, we were together not because someone had done something to make it happen, and I was quite happy about it.Maverick finally caught Asa, who laughed even harder when he raised her up into the air. She clapped her hands as they returned back to the table where I was sitting. Asa immediately reached out to me.Standing up, I took her from him, and we both settled down to enjoy the tea and snacks that had been left out. Asa tried to reach for the cookie I had, but I kept it out of arm's reach. She was far too young to be eating them.As I nibbled on the cookie while ignoring Asa's attempts to grab it out of
Willow Baker POVSeveral Hours Later'As you were saying.''I still say it isn't bad.'Of course, she would say that. She wasn't the one who had to endure all the stares as I sat next to Maverick. It was like being surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves, ready to pounce at any moment.Maverick scanned the room before standing. "Now that everyone is here, I believe there is something we need to seriously discuss." His face hardened as he said, "You all need to stop harassing us, especially Willow." Immediately, several people looked offended by his words, but he continued on, "This has gone on long enough.""Maverick, I believe you need to watch yo
Willow Baker POVA Few Weeks LaterAfter what had felt like centuries, I had finally kicked everyone out without being rude. I had thought that would be the end of it. Unfortunately, I had been wrong. I had been so very wrong.It seemed like a fire had been lit, causing the family to work even harder to ensure we were a proper couple. Well, at least the women were. The men had kept out of the whole exchange, and I wasn't sure how to feel about that.On one hand, it was better than having all of them gang up on me and Maverick. On the other hand, they weren't helping us and were choosing to stay on the sidelines. Rickey seemed to take particular glee at my suffering.'At least someone is enjoying themselves.'