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Chapter 35 - Clay
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
BryantOf course, Reese knew what he was up to in high school. Just not how serious it was or what Sophia did.
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Man's Best Wingman Chapter 36 - Clay
“I knew I didn’t like that woman when she first showed up at my house.” Don shook his head. “I’m sorry, Clay. I can’t and don’t want to imagine your pain.” He frowned, looking from my sister holding their son to me holding their daughter. “And I’m sure it’s a pain that won’t just go away. But maybe with some therapy, you’ll work past it. And I can say when your post haunts you and the pain your blood inflicted on you hurts so bad you want to cut yourself off from the world, having someone at your side always makes it better.” Don nodded in Xenia’s direction. Xenia blushed a little. “I… that’s implying there is more to us than there probably is.” She shook her head. It hurt hearing that. I can’t exactly fault Xenia for it. It’s not like either of us has said what this is. Sure we’ve shared our secret pains, but that doesn’t mean we are something more than two hurt people finding an escape in sex together. “So true, Don.” Reese nodded. “And Xenia, everyone at this table knows you two
Man's Best Wingman Chapter 37 - Xenia
If you’d told me two weeks ago that the guy I fell into a pond with would be my boyfriend and that I’d be moving in with him, I’d say you were nuts. I’d have thought it as believable as having to go to court later to give testimony against my now former neighbor. Yet here I am, taping shut the last box of my belongings. My family decided they ALL had to drive up from Jersey to help. It’s not like I had much stuff or was taking any furniture. Do you know that saying that too many cooks in the kitchen will burn the soup? Too many Rosarios in a tiny apartment cause headaches for all. I need some extra strength Tylenol after this. Clay is lucky he had to work this morning, so he is missing out on the headache. Though it’s probably good, he isn’t here. There wouldn’t be enough room for anyone else to come in and out of the apartment with boxes, as he’d take up half the space. Shit, maybe he should have come. Then I’d have a reason to tell my family just to let us handle it. Instead, I hav
Man's Best Wingman Chapter 38 - Clay
I wasn’t sure what worried me the most about today. Meeting Xenia’s family, her moving in with me, or having to go to court. All had me on edge for different reasons. Each had pros and cons. Meeting her family was concerning because I’d never been introduced to a girl’s family. Meeting family meant being involved, and I didn't get involved in the years between Yenifer and Xenia. I wasn’t raised without manners. I know how to act around people. Even if Sophia hadn’t been a tyrant about such etiquette growing up, dad and mamãe wouldn’t have let me grow up as a disrespectful shithead. But I wasn’t sure how her family would feel about me dating her or us moving in together already. Which was another thing. Having Xenia move in was a HUGE step. Outside of family, I have never lived with someone else. Sure, Xenia has been staying here since the Trevor incident. And her moving in was an out-of-left-field thought. I knew she didn’t want to keep living in that closet apartment even if Trevor
Man's Best Wingman Chapter 39 - Xenia
My stomach churned, just having to remember that night. I had wanted to stand up and shout that Trevor was a delusional asshole when he claimed I was his girlfriend and that attacking me was part of consensual role play. I don’t know what triggered his mental breakdown, but neither of those is true. And I have no rape fantasies. I won’t knock anyone that does because to each their own but fuck no, that shit isn’t for me. Having to get on the stand was nerve-wracking. Even more so when I had to go into details about what happened that night, the only reason I could get through it was by looking at Clay. I got through Mrs. Durvo’s questioning, but now the part I dreaded. Trevor gets to ask me questions. “Xenia…” Trevor smiled that smarmy smile that made me sick to my stomach. “May I call you that?” He asked. “No,” I answered adamantly. I could tell it riled him, but he smoothed his ill-fitting suit jacket down as he stood. “Very well, Miss Rosario. Is it not true that we’ve gone on d
Man's Best Wingman Chapter 40 - Clay
Was I happy that Trevor was sent to jail and fined for what he did? You bet. Fuck I’m ecstatic about it. But two shadows were hanging over this victory. The first is the lingering unease that Sophia invited so many of the Frost family. I mean, what is her end game? Did she know that Trevor would dig up that shit about Alden? Did she help him in the end? Did Sophia want to make somehow Xenia look bad in front of the family? Because don’t think for a moment that I didn’t notice some of the holler-than-thou members of the Frost family giving Xenia dirty looks while she was on the stand. Either way, I will handle that bitch. I may not be able to hit her, but I’ll find a way to deal with her. But the more immediate concern is Xenia’s family. I was the first person she’d told about the Alden incident, which sidelined her family. They didn’t start bombarding her with questions there in the courtroom. No, they waited till we got back to the apartment. “So, how’d it go?” Alan asked as we wa
Man's Best Wingman Chapter 41 - Xenia
Would it be weird to kiss Makayla? Yeah, it probably would. But legit, this woman is a Goddess! She’s cutthroat. And while Clay is right, she’s an evil fucking genius, and I’m glad she’s an evil genius on our side. I’d hate to be on her bad side. Just look at what she did to Sophia. I would almost… ALMOST feel bad for the woman. But Sophia knew what she was doing when she bribed judges, so whatever happened, she deserved it. “Okay, okay. I know I’m fucking awesome. Now put me down, Jolly Green.” Makayla rolled her eyes. The minute Clay set her down, Reese had her in the air again with a similar hug. “UGH! This is what I get for having giants for cousins.” Makayla jokingly lamented as Reese set her down. “Well, given the circumstances, I think we ought to celebrate. Clay, how stocked is your kitchen?” Dionysia clapped her hands together as she looked at her son. “We went grocery shopping yesterday since Xenia’s family would be here. So we already had kebabs prepped for the grill, yo
Man's Best Wingman Chapter 42 - Clay
Sophia didn’t end up going to jail for what she did. But she was quietly disbarred and forced into early retirement from the firm. As much as Grandpa Aiden felt she should face the total weight of her actions, he did what he could to save the firm’s image. The few judges involved quietly stepped down to avoid becoming a public disgrace. At most, we may cross paths with her at a Frost family function. But even then, Grandpa Aiden has assured us she will keep her distance and not speak to us. He said if she approached us, we could walk away, and if she was persistent, we should find him or Grandma Lilith. But that’s enough time spent lingering on witches and negative shit. We’ve taken the last few weeks to settle into our new routine. It’s been a difficult adjustment for everyone but Zeus and Tinkerbell. Those two are happy and content to be living together. Not that Xenia and I aren’t glad to be living together. But we’ve both been living on our own for so long to suddenly having to s
Man's Best Wingman Epilogue - The Ladies
Tinkerbell: I’m so happy we stopped living in that tiny place. I’m even happier that we will never see that mean man again. I didn’t fully understand everything that happened. But I knew, based on what Zeus and I would overhear our humans say, the mean man tried to hurt my human and was punished by the human catchers. I felt terrible that I wasn’t with Xenia to protect her from that evil man, but Clay was, so it was okay. And now we all live together. Zeus has been a great help to my anxiety. With him around, I’m never alone; if I start to feel anxious, he’s there to nuzzle me and remind me I’m safe. Alan, our dog sitter, is excellent too. He’s learned how to handle my anxiety, always brings us yummy treats, and takes us on long walks. I should miss my doggie daycare, but I don’t. There were always so many other dogs and humans that it would be hard on me. Living with Zeus, I’ve gotten better at handling things that used to scare me. Like small humans. When our humans took us on a l
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Man's Best Wingman A Valentine's Wedding Chapter 6 - Clay
Pregnant! Xenia is pregnant! I’m going to be a dad!? Me, of all fucking people, is going to be a dad! I know we tackled the subject when the puppies were born. But an offhand ‘we’ll have one when it’s time’ differs from a positive pregnancy test. A positive test is real. Our baby is currently growing inside her as we speak. How far along is she? How did I miss the signs? Has she missed her period? No, I couldn’t go off that her birth control made that hard to track properly. We’ll have to wait till we see a doctor to get an estimate on how far along she is. I say estimate because, in my family, we’re big, so judging just on the size of the fetus may not work. Though I guess they can go off from developmental stages like when certain organs develop and yadda. As I walked into the ceremony, all eyes turned to me. Reese underestimated how many guests we had. Including Xenia’s mom, sisters, and Reese, we had 48 guests. So, add Xenia and me, and we had 50 people. That’s, of course, no
Man's Best Wingman A Valentine's Wedding Chapter 5 - Xenia
I didn’t know what made me think pressing myself against the door was a good idea. There was no way little me could keep out Clay or his equally tall and strong twin sister. I should have been upset with Reese for deciding to get him when I started crying over the pregnancy test. But I can’t. Because as I looked at his face and saw all the love and concern in his eyes, I knew she was right. I needed him. “Xenia, baby, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Clay asked as he put Zeus down. “What worries do I need to put to rest?” “It’s not worries, per se.” I sighed and steadied myself with Tink’s help. “I just…” I frowned as I avoided eye contact with him. It’s not that I’m ashamed that I’m pregnant. I mean, it’s my fault for not being on top of renewing my birth control. Clay couldn’t help it if a condom broke. We agreed to use both condoms and my birth control to be safe. We knew we wanted kids, eventually. Like he said, we’d have one after the puppies were born when we were ready.
Man's Best Wingman A Valentine's Wedding Chapter 4 - Tinkerbell
Xenia is supposed to be MY emotional support human. I was not a fan of this switch of roles, but for Xenia, I would try my best. Just because I failed all those training classes to be an official support animal doesn’t mean I cannot be here for my human. She has always been there for me when I was upset. It’s about time I returned the favor. I didn’t understand why she was upset. She’d been so happy a few moments ago. She was trying on her new dress, and everyone was gushing over her and talking about how great today would be. I still didn’t know what was happening today. I knew Xenia was getting all dressed up, even fancier than when she and Clay went on a night out. I got a purple outfit and a crown of flowers to wear. Zeus was given a special outfit, too. So, something big was going on. Even if all the special clothes didn’t make it clear, we were in a strange place, and there were people we only saw occasionally. Plus, all my puppies were here. I love to see my puppies. It’s
Man's Best Wingman A Valentine's Wedding Chapter 3 - Zeus
I put up with a LOT of shit with Clay as my human. The silver lining is that I have Tinkerbell and her human Xenia around. Not that Clay makes a habit of dressing me up like this. That doesn’t mean I like being in this getup. I don’t care that it’s a special day. I don’t understand what is happening, but it must be special. Clay and Xenia have been planning this gathering for what felt like forever. And all the people they like most are here. Which means all our pups are here. I am happy and envious to see my pups. I was glad to see them since we see some of them only on special occasions. But I was envious because none of them were dressed up like me. Lucky pups. I feel ridiculous dressed like this. Whatever is supposed to happen today better happen soon, or I will find a way out of this outfit to run around free. I was restless and bored sitting in that room, waiting for something to happen. I was happy when Clay decided we could venture out of the room. I was happy until I picked
Man's Best Wingman A Valentine's Wedding Chapter 2 - Clay
Holy shit! It’s MY wedding day! If someone told me two years ago I’d be in a committed relationship, I’d ask if you were high. If someone said I’d be getting married, I’d recommend a trip to the nearest psych ward. Old me couldn’t imagine ever wanting to give up being a bachelor. I loved the freedom of that life and couldn’t fathom giving that up for a woman. It wasn’t until I fell into Turtle Pond in Central Park with Xenia that I realized I was all wrong. Being in a relationship wasn’t a noose around my neck. It wasn’t the death of my freedom. It was just a change. Sure, I wasn’t free to fuck whoever caught my eye, but that’s fine with me. If I learned anything from the disaster of an attempt at a threesome before Xenia and I were official, it’s that no one else would do. Till Xenia, I didn’t realize that the ‘freedom’ of being a bachelor was more a cover for loneliness. It was for the loneliness that Reese gave me Zeus. The little shit never filled that loneliness. At least not d
Man's Best Wingman A Valentine's Wedding Chapter 1 - Xenia
Who’s bright idea was it to have a Valentine’s Day wedding? Oh right. It was mine. I thought it would be romantic and Clay would never forget our anniversary. Not that I believed he would forget any other day. This was the guy that proposed on the anniversary of our meeting in the same spot where we got ‘pongoed,’ as Makayla likes to call it. It still makes me laugh when I think back on how we met. It wasn’t so funny at the time, but in hindsight, I can laugh. I also can’t watch 101 Dalmatians without laughing and thinking of that day in Central Park when my life changed for the better. By chance, Fate, or just the divine intervention of Zeus, I ended up with this incredible man who is hot, great in bed, and so damn sweet. I still don’t know how, in the thousands of men that live in NYC, after only finding assholes, I found such a keeper. And trust me, I know all about the assholes that live in NYC. Between the assholes I met in college, like Alden Zachery Greenwood the Fourth. Inse
Man's Best Wingman A Valentine's Wedding Intro
The following bonus chapters are for the Valentine's Day special "A Valentine's Wedding." There are references to future Ravenwood books, but no spoilers! I hope you enjoy it!Clay - Who'd have thought the perpetual bachelor would settle down? Meeting Xenia turned my world upside down in the best way. I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with her. My family, the ones that count, are all behind us. Xenia - It has been almost two years since I fell into a pond and found true love. Clay is everything I could have wanted and didn't think I deserved. Despite some annoying human-size speed bumps, we will start a new chapter together as husband and wife.
Man's Best Wingman Epilogue - The Boys
Zeus: It’s been a year since I met Tinkerbell, and therefore Clay met Xenia. Unlike Clay, it didn’t take long to figure out I found the one I wanted to be with and have a family with. He was slow on the uptake, that’s for sure. But he finally got his head out of his ass and made it right with Xenia. I swear if he'd dragged his feet longer or lost my chance with Tinkerbell, I’d have chewed every shoe he owned and never given him a moment's peace again. Thankfully for all involved, that didn’t happen, and since that time, things have been mostly great. The devil woman has never returned, and I’m happy about that. I didn’t want her around even before I met Tinkerbell and even less after I did. We moved into a new house where our humans gave us our own room and outdoor area. And we had eight puppies. That’s where the “mostly great” part comes in. After our puppies were old enough, they were sent to their forever homes. They at least ended up with members of our humans’ families, so we
Man's Best Wingman Epilogue - The Ladies
Tinkerbell: I’m so happy we stopped living in that tiny place. I’m even happier that we will never see that mean man again. I didn’t fully understand everything that happened. But I knew, based on what Zeus and I would overhear our humans say, the mean man tried to hurt my human and was punished by the human catchers. I felt terrible that I wasn’t with Xenia to protect her from that evil man, but Clay was, so it was okay. And now we all live together. Zeus has been a great help to my anxiety. With him around, I’m never alone; if I start to feel anxious, he’s there to nuzzle me and remind me I’m safe. Alan, our dog sitter, is excellent too. He’s learned how to handle my anxiety, always brings us yummy treats, and takes us on long walks. I should miss my doggie daycare, but I don’t. There were always so many other dogs and humans that it would be hard on me. Living with Zeus, I’ve gotten better at handling things that used to scare me. Like small humans. When our humans took us on a l
