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
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
"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
"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
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 elevator rises higher until the bright red numbers stop on eighteen. I take a deep breath and, in my head, recite my thirty-second pitch describing why I'd be a great Valiant Industries employee if given the chance.You got this, Mackenzie."Interview of a lifetime" does not do enough to foreshadow the next hour of my life. A job in the marketing department at one of the world's largest firms would change my entire future.The doors slide open and Greg, the assistant who greeted me in the building lobby, leads us down a long hallway to a glass room. There isn't a solid wall in it, making the room appear as if it's a greenhouse built in the middle of the sizable building. From my vantage point in the hallway I can see across the room and out the next set of windows, which overlook downtown Lansing. Inside sits a giant table, big enough to fit thirty people. It takes up most of the space. The rest is eaten up by oversized leather chairs with equal amounts of space between each
Well, then. At least I can go down knowing I lasted longer than two minutes with the formidable Vincent Valiant. Dread fills the room as Shirley and Greg both shake their heads, already saying their goodbyes. For a second, I want to puke and run out crying, but as the sky-blue colored eyes of Vincent Valiant tear through my skin, I only find anger. This is my big break. I'm a kick-ass woman with a master's degree and I will not let an asshole million-billionaire with too much money judge me.Why is he even in on this interview? He didn't give me two seconds of time when I walked in the room, and now, he wants to call me out. Screw him."I believe the skills I learned help in marketing, Mr. Valiant," I say, not dropping his gaze. If I'm going to go out, I'm going out in a blaze of glory—a big ass fiery blaze of glory.For a flicker, I swear he almost smiles. The left side of his cheek moves up, even if he squashes it back down to the frown splashed across his face in every profess
"You're hired. Just like that?" my roommate and best friend for the last six years asks as she sits on our cheap microfiber couch, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. She's not the only one shocked."Yes!" I throw my hands in the air because this is at least the third time we've gone over it. I don't believe it any more than she does.Ashley leans back against the couch in our shared apartment, wrapping a piece of her brunette hair around her index finger. "Wow.""Wow, indeed." I pick back up the pacing she interrupted with her question.Her light blue eyes, the exact opposite of my green ones, stare out into our back patio past the large sliding glass doors. "That must have been hot. A man getting all bossy and giving you a job.""Ashley!" Has she missed everything I've said for the last thirty minutes?She shakes her head, clearing out whatever daydream she's imagining. "I wish I could've been there. I bet that pissed you off." She chuckles to herself, almost as if I'm n