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Chapter 29: Everything is Fine
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2022-10-26 14:06:25Related chapters
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 30: I Lied
THE FIRST HOUR of the trip we spend in complete silence. It leaves me hyper aware of everything in the small space of the vehicle. Vincent's cologne, a sporty sent that differs from the one he wore the other day. Pleasant, but not my favorite. The way he keeps his legs crossed at his ankles so his papers are level. His steadfast attention to the stack laid out on his thighs. Hell, the way his thigh muscles contract as we go over a bump in the road and he's forced to flex to keep the papers steady. The way his eyes narrow, creating small crow's feet at the corners when he spots an error in the reports before circling it with his bright red pen and leaving remarks in the margins. You can learn lots about a person from the corners of their eyes as you travel on the highway at seventy miles an hour."Would you stop fidgeting?" Vincent asks, with an irritated trill to his voice, drawing me out of a fantasy where he uses his determination and focus in other—non-PG—ways. I put a hand
Last Updated : 2022-10-26The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 31: Never Turn Down Cake
It was close at the end, but I make it to the restaurant without puking in Vincent's lap. I'm almost disappointed. Wearing my puke on his expensive Armani suit would serve him right.Lunch may have taken forever to reach our table, but waiting more than sixty minutes for a pizza is worth it once our server brings out the large deep-dish pizza with the sauce on top, the cheese bubbling. When my fork cuts into the gooey goodness Chicago pizza finds a place in my heart. I've had it before, but this is the best."Kens, I'm so glad you enjoyed the pizza," Everett says as he walks my boss and me to the car. "I'll see you both in twenty," he says to Vincent, but his gaze never leaves my face... or chest. I can't be sure which. He's the contact we're here to see, and I won't cause a scene even if I want to.His gaze is unsettling, but my stomach is too full of cheesy goodness to care. The man might work with my arrogant pigheaded boss, but he got me to Chicago, and he fed me full of pizz
Last Updated : 2022-10-26The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 32: We're Spending the Night?
"Cake?" It's not what I expect, but I'm also not used to compliments. I'm not sure where he's going with the thought, and I don't want to agree to something that will get me in more trouble later.Vincent looks like he's going to have a heart attack on the other side of the table as he glowers in my direction, and I do my best to ignore him. I refuse to admit I'm in over my head."Yes, we have a bakery down the road. I told my assistant to swing by and pick up a small selection."Vincent huffs, his first outwardly expression since we sat. "I thought your assistant was working on revisions?"Everett laughs. "We'll get to that, my friend. First, I must make sure and feed everyone. We have the best pizza and cake in the country. Mackenzie needs to experience both."Vincent doesn't look impressed. He's not concerned with my cake consumption. "I think Ms. Marshal ate her share of pizza."My mouth drops open again and my cheeks heat in earnest this time, causing them to burn a re
Last Updated : 2022-10-26The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 33: One Room?
The sky is dark outside the vehicle, meaning it has to be after nine o'clock. My cell phone died somewhere in the middle of the long contract meeting. Even though the hour is late, no stars sparkle in the sky and the area in front of the car shines brightly. We have traffic back in Lansing but nothing like Chicago. Even at this late hour the streets are alive with vehicles.Davis pulls the car up to a curb, and a man dressed in black races out to open the door. Before we exit, Davis leans back making eye contact with Vincent."I'm going to meet up with my brother. I might be back later or I might crash at his place."Vincent nods once, giving his okay, and then steps out of the car."See you later, Davis." In my haste to say goodbye I forget I'm pissy at every man in the world and take the valet's hand as he helps me out of the backseat.Vincent scowls in our direction as I gain my footing and then makes sure he's by my side as we walk into the hotel. "You accept a hand from
Last Updated : 2022-10-26The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 34: Now That's a Kiss
It's late and I'm tired, so I refuse to argue with him any longer. Without waiting for him to tell me which room is mine I charge ahead opening the first door I come to with my fingers crossed I find one of the two bedrooms Courtney promised.Past the doorway a large king-sized bed with a comfortable looking white fluffy comforter placed in the middle of the room with a second door open to my own private bathroom. It's heaven. The one shining light in an otherwise horrible day.Well, there was the cake.And the pizza.I didn't pack clothing for Chicago nor did I bring a cell phone charger since I didn't know we'd be spending the night, so there's nothing left for me to do than sit on the bed. As I do the comforter fluffs up around me and I lie back and enjoy the softness of the mattress. This is not your average hotel room mattress. In normal cases I would take a bath to relax for the evening and read a good book, but with no way to charge my phone and no clothes to change into
Last Updated : 2022-10-26The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 35: Back to the Help Wanted Ads
Kisses me!But more than a kiss, it's an ambush. He's claiming me and everything in my soul. I'm his forever.I'm frazzled and confused, but then my thoughts evaporate until I'm only aware of him and his tongue against mine. It happens quickly and I think I might fight the first second from pure shock, but then the sensation of his soft skin braced against mine is all I notice. His arms wrap around my shoulders and I grab onto his shirt, fisting the material and bringing him closer.The heat in his mouth awakens parts of my body that haven't had life in months. Years. Maybe ever. They tingle as they come to life in ways I can't explain.His musky scent surrounds us in a haze of everything that is Vincent, and I rub my body up against his. He tastes divine and there's nothing I want more than him. His hand slips between the folds of my robe to cup one of my breasts, his thumb running over a nipple. I moan, pulling him closer, and heat pools in my core. My toes curl. I need more
Last Updated : 2022-10-26The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 36: He's Maddening
I don't have much blue in my wardrobe, but it is a highly overlooked color. There is no reason for Vincent to have women's brand-new attire in our hotel room. Is it possible he realized he left me with nothing to wear in a new city? My heart softens a fraction. For just a minute. Forty seconds tops.Vincent Valiant is an ass who always thinks of business first, but in a small recess in the back of his mind for even a moment he thought of me last night. And not only during our kiss, but enough he recognized the need for a phone charger and clothes.No one has ever worried about me this way. Not even my parents.I give him way too many brownie points for the actions, but I can't help it.It wasn't his problem, yet he took it on his own and solved it. What would it be like to have that much of someone's attention?Probably annoying.The tag on the shirt falls to the side as I play with the material deciding if I should get dressed in the new clothing first or wait to make sure
Last Updated : 2022-10-26The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 37: Everything is Definitely Not Okay
Five minutes of beating myself up mentally while I change passes and I find myself back in the common room much too early. Vincent walks back into the living room carrying his laptop and a large cup of coffee. Rather than pack the machine into a case, he sets it on the small coffee table in front of him and places the cup on the table at the end of the couch."When are we going home?" I ask.As soon as my phone hit one percent charged, I sent Ashley a message, letting her know I wasn't somewhere in a ditch dead, but she'd already worked herself into an uproar because I hadn't officially messaged her the night before. I'd let her know early in the day my phone was dying, but since I never charged it last night, I couldn't update her.Vincent lifts his is head, looking at me as if he just realized I'm in the room. "You are going home now. I'll fly in later."I knew it! He does have a damn plane. Why is it he gets to take the company plane and I'm stuck riding in the car for four
Last Updated : 2022-10-26
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The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 171: Epilogue
My enormous stomach stretches against the seatbelt in Vincent's expensive car. I'm no longer just showing a small bit as my due date creeps ever closer. The trees have budded along the highway as his car continues to travel north."Vincent, where are we going?"He smiles. "Our weekend place," he gives me what I suspect is the first semi-honest answer he has the entire trip.When we left this morning, I asked if I needed to pack a bag, but he said it was only a day trip. If I am being completely honest, my first thought was he bought the home in Okemos and planned to drive the fifteen miles to get away for the weekend. But we've been driving for over an hour at this point, passing my family home along the highway to continue north."I can't give you any more than that, Mackenzie. It's a surprise." He says turning off the highway.I hold back a sigh. They never do any good, anyway. "And you know how much I hate surprises.""Yes." His hand falls to my knee and squeezes, rubbin
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 170: Doctor's Orders
"I promise you, Mr. Valiant, your wife and baby are perfectly fine. I don't even see signs of a concussion. She's one lucky woman." The doctor's smooth voice does nothing to lessen Vincent's irritation."Can't you check them both again?" he grinds out annoyed he has to ask.The steady beeping of the baby's heart monitor, a large device they've wrapped around my tiny stomach, beeps consistently. "Vincent, I am fine."He looks back at me in the hospital bed and squeezes my hand. "I know, baby. I just want them to check you again."The doctor sighs, smiling at me as if apologizing I have to put up with the man for the rest of my life, but I wouldn't have it any other way."They've looked me over three times. I'm perfectly fine," I run my fingers over his arm, but it doesn't lessen his scowl."Your wife is right, Mr. Valiant. We've run every test. She and the baby are healthy. I'm going to write up her release papers as soon as I leave the room. Go home and get rest. That's the
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 169: November Winds
"I'm sorry we can't go on a honeymoon right away,""Vincent, I promise I understand. Really." He's an important CEO of a billion-dollar company. I don't expect him to take off whenever he wants. He can throw together a quick weekend wedding, but we can't drop everything and go on a three-week honeymoon like he's promised without notice. We have plans to make.I wrap the sheets around me tighter, the northern winds of November howling outside the window. We've been newlyweds for exactly twenty-four hours, and after I sneezed four times yesterday, Vincent decided I need to take Monday morning off to lie in bed and stay warm. He's obnoxiously worried about me catching a cold while pregnant. Any other time I would find it annoying, but the baby is involved so I'm listening to his heavy-handedness. This time."I'm sure I'll forgive you for not whisking me away on a honeymoon immediately during the three weeks we're on the boat in the Bahamas over Christmas." He thought of the best way
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 168: Two Weeks Later
Another two weeks laterA gust of wind batters the outside of the car, but the frigid temperatures we're walking into aren't enough to sway Vincent. He allows Davis to open the black limos door and then reaches for my hand when he exits."Is your mom going to kill us?" I ask as I step out into the freezing temperatures of northern Michigan in the late fall and wrap the white fake fur shawl around my shoulders."Probably," Vincent says with a devilish smirk, meaning he doesn't care what his mother will say. I wish I had his self-confidence.At least we'll go down together. "Good because my mother is going to murder me in my sleep."The newest personal protection guard—I'd never get used to that name—steps up to my side. Nicki is tall and her body thin, but she's never once looked at Vincent inappropriately over the last two weeks she'd been protecting me.When Vincent introduced her and brought her into the team, I hadn't argued. Safety isn't something I can take for granted
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 167: Too Early to Tell
Two Fridays laterMy eyes have just begun to close as I settle into the post-work catnap. The doctor said it wasn't a big deal I hadn't experienced any morning sickness or other complications during the pregnancy and I should consider myself lucky. But from the way I dozed off at my desk every couple hours the last few days at work, the exhaustion part of being pregnant is hitting me hard and making up for lost time of the first trimester.I still can't believe I'm pregnant. I've seen the evidence, we have the pictures to prove it, but besides being tired I don't feel different. Even though it is too early, I definitely haven't felt anyone moving around in there. Because I lack so much evidence, it is hard to picture me with a baby. It's even harder to picture my big rigid Vincent as a father. Not that I have any doubt he'll be a great one, I've just never seen him with kids. I rarely even babysat myself. Only once or twice in high school. I spent a couple of nights watching the Wa
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 166: You Can't Hid Glam Wear
Without thinking about, it I place my hand on my desk and the metal in the ring that sits so heavily on my finger hits against it with a clink. It draws my attention back to the fresh addition to my finger and I smile as I stare at the beautiful piece of jewelry.I tried not to wear out of the house this morning. It was Monday and even though Vincent's employees handled his email well, I couldn't imagine it would get the same response as the newspaper article outing his previous wife. I prepared for a full-on tizzy. To my relief the article didn't publish as expected. Vincent answers my text with only a smiley face—so unlike him. I figure it cost him a pretty penny, but he worked his magic.Me walking through one of the company floors wearing a big ass ring on my finger would only add to the clusterfuck I was sure our day would turn into at any moment. Therefore, in the name of less drama I tried to leave the item on my nightstand, but Vincent must have swiped it. He followed me on
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 165: Book Deals and Broken Promises
Vincent moves my feet off the couch and sits in the space. I don't like him being so far away, so I reposition myself until I'm leaning next to his body and getting into his personal bubble.He leans back on the couch wrapping one of his muscular arms over my shoulders. "Today's been shit. Huh?"He'd spent most of Sunday on the phone with his legal team and public relations employees. Everyone in Valiant Industries had quite the weekend. Even though he said he didn't plan to take action against Tiffany, he wants to stop the book from being published. Vincent doesn't elaborate on how he plans to make that happen, but I have faith in him.His legal and PR teams worked for hours and now had a course of action moving forward. Tiffany might strike the first blow with the article about her book, but Vincent wouldn't take it lying down. Tomorrow morning his office would release a statement countering the article and hopefully combatting any speculation. There will still be rumors and ta
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 164: Agreements
By the next morning we still haven't come to an agreement on the house. I want to continue living in the penthouse and Vincent wants to spend an exorbitant amount of money on a weekend place fifteen miles out of the city—a home we won't officially move into until the baby is school age.Something warns me if I don't put up a big fight, Vincent will buy the house and just not tell me about it right away, so I make him promise in the car on the way home he won't do anything without getting my permission first. It's his money, and I feel bad bossing him about his own bank account, but a house is a big damn deal. You can't just buy a house. I'm only half sure making him promise will work, but it's time for me to stretch the trust part of our relationship."You're hiring the chef who made the sandwich and the chocolate cake. Right? I ask biting off another piece of my breakfast bagel."We are hiring and yes."All the meals we tested were delicious, and my core heats remembering the
The Valiant Trilogy Chapter 163: A Ruined Evening Fixed
The early Saturday morning sun wakes me the rest of the way after Vincent's alarm starts the job by rattling on his bedside nightstand. Who sets an alarm for Saturday?Vincent rolls over and wraps his arm underneath mine cradling a breast in his hand. I snuggle my back to his chest and reposition my head on the pillow, hoping I can fall back to sleep and he can do whatever he incorrectly believes is important enough to wake up early on a weekend."I'm sorry last night was ruined." He kisses the back of my neck sucking lightly."You mean when your wife broke in here and tried to steal what I strongly suspect was an engagement ring?" We'd talked about many things the night before but never got around to that topic.I'd planned to ask him, but after finding out Tiffany's demands for his sperm and then the sex, the thought completely fled my mind. We lay in bed together for another hour as Vincent held me tightly, but eventually he slipped from under the covers.Hours later I fou
