by Layla Hagen
I’d never felt as loved as in that moment. I felt his gaze wrap around me like a soothing hug, and for the first time today, my anxiety felt manageable.
Carter went on to present exhibit after exhibit to showcase the integrity of my company, as well as the timeline of the events. This was the culmination of weeks of work on his part, on top of what my previous lawyer had prepared. After countless case hearings, this was the final act.
Our proof was all circumstantial, just as the opposition’s had been. The product wasn’t patentable. In the end, it would be up to the judge to decide.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Val
Ten days passed before a decision was reached. I was in my office when Carter burst inside, holding the papers.
“The judge ruled in your favor. They have to pay all your representation fees, plus a hefty fine for defaming you with that article.”
I read every word at least five times until it sunk in, and then I jumped into Carter’s arms. He laughed, holding me tight.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I muttered, surprised when he walked backward, still holding me.
“What are you doing?” I whispered. When he glanced down at me with that smoldering gaze, I had my answer. A delicious tremor ran through me. A sizzle followed as Carter closed the door, then brought his mouth over mine. Oh, God, this kiss.
After pulling back a notch, he drew his thumb over my upper lip, then my lower one. His eyes held the same warmth and emotion they’d held in the courtroom ten days ago.
“You’ve been fantastic throughout all this,” he said.
“Me? You did everything.” We hadn’t spoken about the trial once it was over, because I hadn’t wanted to drive myself crazy trying to guess which way the judge would decide. Carter drew me closer to him, the hand at my back sliding almost down to my ass. “You looked ready to rip off the opposing counsel’s head. But... I have some insider information, so I know there’s more than a ruthless lawyer to you.”
“How do you want to celebrate?”
“Well... I’m going to treat my entire company to lunch tomorrow, and maybe I can get all the Connors together today for an early dinner?”
“Sounds good to me.”
I knew everyone was waiting with bated breath to hear from me, so I started making phone calls right away.
Twenty minutes later, we had a plan. Carter went to pick up the girls from school and met me at the restaurant, which was half-empty when I arrived. Two waiters pushed several tables together to form a long one. My sisters arrived first, and they pulled me into a Connor sandwich hug as soon as they saw me. My brothers arrived soon after.
Everyone came with their better halves and the kids, so we were a huge group, but I did like to celebrate in style. Carter arrived last with Peyton and April.
April grinned at me, giving me a thumbs-up, and Peyton ran straight into my arms.
“Carter explained that the bad guys didn’t win. So you won’t be worried anymore?” she asked.
“No, pumpkin, I won’t.”
She planted a wet kiss on my cheek. I ruffled her curls.
“Ms. Dodger said we’ll have a bake sale next week. Can you help me make cookies?” In a lower voice, she added, “Carter always buys them.”
I laughed, lowering her onto a seat. “We’ll make cookies, don’t you worry.”
While everyone was busy choosing seats and glancing at menus, I pulled Carter toward the back of the restaurant, into a small corridor.
“Val?”
“I have to warn you. Even though you put your skin on the line for me, my brothers might still throw one or two uncomfortable questions your way. It’s who they are. Don’t take it personally.”
“I told you I don’t mind. And if they do grill me, I think they’ll like my answers.” He laughed softly, cupping my head with both hands. “You’re an amazing woman, Val, and I love you.”
I’d hoped, of course, though I hadn’t dared to hope too much, just in case I was making it to be more than it was. “I’m not expecting you to say it back, but I wanted you to know.”
I buried my face in his neck, smiling against his skin. “I love you too. So much.” He wrapped me in his arms, holding me tight.
“I’m not going anywhere, Val. I’m yours.”
I breathed in his masculine scent, melting in his arms. Then Carter brought a hand to the back of my head, tilting it so he had access to my mouth, and kissed me until my center pulsed. I clenched my thighs, but it was impossible to ignore the ache forming there.
“I can’t wait to have you all to myself.”
I shuddered at the sexy promise in his voice. “The party will last about three hours.”
His gaze smoldered. “Three hours. And then you’ll be all mine.”
***
Carter
We returned to the group afterward. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. I liked to see her like this: carefree and happy. For weeks she’d seemed to be carrying a weight on her shoulders, and I was glad that was over today.
Val was successful. Many would like to take her down. I’d stand between her and anyone who tried—they’d see exactly how ruthless I could be. They wouldn’t get past me.
She loved me. I had no idea what I’d done to deserve this—to deserve her.
Everyone was chatting animatedly as Val and I sat down. She looked furtively around the table, as if trying to gauge if anyone had noticed our absence.
Jace grinned, catching on immediately. “Don’t worry, sis. We all saw you disappear around that corner. Will and I were betting on how long it would take you to come back. He actually thought you wouldn’t come back at all.”
Will groaned. Jace winked at his sister. “But I had a little more faith in you. I knew you wouldn’t ditch us.”
“Of course not.” Val’s cheeks went pink. She was adorable.
Hailey cocked a brow at Will and Jace. “You two are taking hazing to a whole new level.”
“We learned from the masters,” Jace volleyed back.
Landon cleared his throat from a few seats away. “Jace, I’m changing my mind about letting you give that speech.”
“Way to have faith in me.”
Val blinked. “A speech?”
Jace stood, taking a glass of champagne. The chatter around the table died down. “I know Landon is the speech master in the family, but I want to say a few words. We’re all proud of you, Val, and we’ll always have your back, no matter what. I hope you know that, but it’s worth repeating. We’re all happy things worked out today. A big thanks to Carter for stepping up to the plate and looking after Val. To Val and Carter.”
Val’s smile was a little wobbly as we all clinked glasses. I squeezed her hand under the table.
While we dug into our dinner, Hailey captured Val’s attention.
“We’re making plans for a girls’ evening out right now. We haven’t had one in a long time,” said Hailey.
“I know. Things have just been a bit crazy.”
“Well, I’m not taking no for an answer.”
Val nodded, then said, “Okay. Carter, can you pull up the calendar app on my phone, please? My hands are sticky from the wings.”
I took her cell phone from the table, pulling up her electronic calendar. Something wasn’t right. Most of the events in the afternoon were crossed off. I swiped back to the previous weeks and saw most of her afternoon activities had a red line over them. Did past events automatically cross off? No, that wasn’t it, because all the past events that were in the mornings still looked normal.
We still hadn’t found someone to spend the afternoons with Peyton and April, which meant Val and I were alternating working afternoons from home. I’d insisted that I could work from home every afternoon, or April could watch Peyton on her own until we found someone, but Val wouldn’t hear of it.
I’d been so lost in my hectic schedule that I hadn’t realized she’d canceled so much.
“This evening here i
s free,” Val commented.
Hailey clapped her hands, asking the rest of the girls at the table, and then declaring it a done deal. April was giving me the evil eye because she’d wanted to ask Val to let her tag along on girls’ nights out, but I told her she could only ask after she turned eighteen.
I hadn’t wanted to bring up the issue of her canceled events while we were celebrating, but on our way to the car, I did address it.
“Val, I had a look at your calendar. You didn’t tell me that you’d canceled so many of your afternoon meetings and events for weeks.”
“Of course I did. I told you I’d make time.”
“Yes, but you don’t have to stop doing the things you enjoy.”
“I’ll just reschedule them.”
She brushed off the whole issue, but I didn’t feel as if anything was resolved.
Chapter Thirty
Carter
Over the next week, I paid closer attention to everything. I did my best to try to make sure Val didn’t put herself on the back burner. She’d gone on that girls’ night out, but she was still canceling not only social events, but also meetings.
“I’ll just go next year,” she said one evening as we slipped into bed, when I asked her if she’d bought tickets to a wine-tasting festival in Florida she’d told me about. She was smiling as she said it, but I still worried.
“Go this year. I want you to have fun.”
“But I am having fun with you,” she replied. “You happen to know how to keep me entertained.” Lowering her voice to a whisper, she added, “And let me tell you a secret. You’re very good at it.”
I laughed, pulling her against me. “What would I do without you, huh?”
“You would miss me terribly.”
“You think?”
“I’m one hundred percent convinced.”
“You happen to be right.”
I kept her close to me as her breathing evened out, even though sleep evaded me.
A few days later, I arrived home particularly late. I’d been convinced I would find Val sleeping, but instead she was on the couch, bent over a stack of paper, writing furiously.
“Why are you up so late, pretty girl?” I kissed the top of her head, but she held out a finger.
“Give me half an hour. I’m in the zone, making notes for another potential line with Sephora. They mentioned they could see our collaboration becoming a yearly thing, and I’m bursting with ideas. I want to get them down on paper before I forget them. I didn’t get to it this afternoon.”
I sat in the armchair opposite the couch, watching her. She was magnificent, all serious and focused. Energy was rolling off her. I smiled but felt a pang deep in my gut as I remembered something Hailey had shared at the first Friday dinner I’d attended, about how Val used to only have time to work on her ideas late at night.
I swallowed, discovering a lump in my throat.
I knew better than to bring it up. She’d done nothing but appease me every time I did. I was going to change tactics.
Which was why, the next evening, I sneaked up on her in the kitchen after I put Peyton to bed. I stopped in the doorway, watching her. She was wearing sweatpants and a tight top, and her hair was pulled back in a braid. She was also dancing, holding the spatula like a microphone. I laughed. She whirled around to me, startled.
“I didn’t hear you come up. Why are you laughing?” She parked both hands on her hips. “Not at my dancing skills, I hope. If you are, lie quickly. I happen to be very proud of my moves.”
“Slow down, woman. I’m not laughing at anything in particular. Just enjoying the view.”
She gave me a smile before returning her focus to the oven, where a cake was baking. I walked up behind her, placed my hands on her hips, and whirled her around.
“I want to talk to you.”
“Uh-oh. That sounds bad.”
“It’s not bad.” I pulled out the voucher from my pocket, dangling it before her.
“What’s that?”
“A surprise.”
Excitement sparked in her eyes. She licked her lips, wiggling her eyebrows. “Gimme, gimme. I love surprises.”
I took the voucher out of the envelope, dangling it some more. She was too cute, the way she kept trying to read what was on it. Then she snatched it from me.
“Tickets to the wine-tasting festival. And a voucher for a three-night stay at a hotel,” I said.
“Oh, that’s awesome. When are we going? After you drop off the girls at your Dad and Mom’s?”
Peyton and April had a week-long vacation, and my parents had insisted I bring them over.
“No, this is just for you and whoever you want to take.”
“You’re not coming?”
“No.”
“I don’t get it.”
“I’ll stay with Peyton and April at my parents’ while you’re away. Then we’ll have a few days to ourselves when you come back before I pick up the girls. You go to the festival and take whoever you want. Go with Hailey and Lori, or your friends. Make a girls’ weekend out of it.”
She looked at the voucher, then back at me. “Why are you so bent on me going without you?”
“I want you to go and relax. You have girl time to catch up on, and I think some time on your own will do you good.”
Her smile froze. “What do you mean?”
“I know you like having your own space, doing your thing with your sisters.”
She lowered her gaze to the voucher and stared at it for so long it made me wonder if she was really reading the details or was just avoiding looking at me.
“What is going on, Carter?”
“You’ve been bending over backwards for me and the girls for weeks. This is not okay. You need some time to relax.”
She slid away from my grasp, walking toward the kitchen window, leaning against the windowsill.
“I see. So, it was okay for you to take on my case even though it was a risky move for your business, and it was also okay for you to work sixteen hours a day because it was on top of your other cases, but what I’m doing is not okay?”
“The case was temporary,” I pointed out. She folded her arms over her chest.
“So, what, if it had dragged out, you would have jumped ship?”
“No, of course not. Look, it’s not the same thing.”
“Yes, it is. You were there for me when I needed you, and now I’m here for you.”
I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated that I couldn’t make her understand my point of view.
“You’ve told me that while your siblings were growing up, you had no time for yourself, and that you started to enjoy your work-life balance only a few years ago. I don’t want you to feel as if you have to give this up.” I took a deep breath, knowing that my next words would upset her... but I needed to say it, just this once. Otherwise, this fear would gnaw at me bit by bit. She was caught in the daily grind now, but what if she woke up one day and thought she couldn’t do it anymore?
I’d had a few relationships explode in my face because I was a package deal, and I hadn’t cared for those women nearly as much as I cared for Val.
She was the one.
Maybe it wasn’t fair to lay this at her doorstep, but I needed to know with absolute certainty that she wasn’t going to give up on us later down the road.
“Use the time at the vineyard to think about all this, consider if it’s really what you want. Are you happy?”
She jerked her head back, blinking rapidly. “Of course it’s what I want. Why would you even say that?”
“Because it’s taking a toll on you—”
“So I have to rearrange a few things, big deal. I’ve always known I will have to slow down someday if I want kids, which I really, really want.” She stopped abruptly, dropping her gaze to the floor. “You don’t?”
“Yes, I do. I do.”
“So stop saying nonsense. I don’t need to reconsider anything. I love you, and I love Peyton and April.”
/>
“Val—”
“Don’t Val me.”
I advanced toward her, but she skidded to the side. The message was clear.
“Thank you for the tickets and the voucher. I will use them only because I don’t want them to go to waste. But for future reference, don’t do this again. Don’t decide for me. I don’t appreciate it at all. Now, I still have to wait fifteen minutes for the cake to be ready, and I’d like to be alone, please.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Val
Over the next few days, Carter and I treated each other too politely, the way you do after a fight when there are still unresolved issues, and you know the other person still insists on their beliefs, but you don’t want to fight again. Our interactions were bordering on frosty, and I thought the girls picked up on it, which filled me with immense guilt.
I’d called Hailey and Lori the next morning. They had been ecstatic about the trip. The festival lasted two weeks, and the tickets were flexible.
Since Lori had weddings booked every weekend, we had to go during the week. Hailey had to ask her boss for time off. Two hours later, she confirmed she was up for it. Neither of them could miss work for more than two days, though, so I was flying out earlier to take advantage of the three-night stay.
My flight to Florida was scheduled on the afternoon of the same day that Carter traveled with the girls to Montana.
“Have fun with your grandparents,” I wished the girls as I dropped the three of them off at the airport.
“Thanks, Val.”
I squeezed them both in a tight hug until April snickered and Peyton squealed adorably.
“You have fun too, okay?” Carter murmured, kissing my forehead.
“Sure.”
He looked as if he wanted to say something more, then simply shook his head, and off they went. I felt a growing pressure in my chest as I waved them goodbye. Afterward, I hurried to Carter’s apartment to pack for my trip. I had to go to my house too, but since I’d brought a few essentials to his place, I’d gather those first.
I hated packing. So the first thing I did upon entering the apartment was turn on the music on my phone. My favorite songs always made everything better. Right then, though, they couldn’t assuage the ache I felt beneath my collarbone. I massaged my chest, wishing things between Carter and me would return to normal. Even the goodbye at the airport had been a little cold.