I look down at our son who we decided to name Jeremiah— my grandfather’s name— and nickname Remy for short. His sister, we named Ashlyn, as a combination of both our names.
“It would be our celebrity couple name if we were the kind of lame people to do that,” Madilyn had joked, when we were discussing baby names. “But since we aren’t, we can name our kid that, right? If she’s a girl, I mean?”
“Of course,” I’d told her.
The name had stuck, just like her pregnancy— with both twins— had. The moms who wished her sticky baby dust on the pregnancy boards congratulated her from their cell phones now that our babies were born. Luckily, we had chosen a name for both a son and a daughter, because we ended up with both.
We hadn’t wanted to find out if we were having girls or boys, and yet we ended up with the perfect combination: one of each.
“Here,” I tell her, helping Remy to her breast the way that the lactation consultant had shown us earlier. I cup it in my hand to get it in the best position for him.
It amazes me that the same body I love to love is also the one that now nourishes our children. I never even knew that I wanted such a love, or that it was even possible. But every day with Madilyn has blown my mind and exceeded my wildest expectations, and this particular day— the birthday of our twins— is the best one yet.
“Thanks,” she says, laying her head back down as Remy nurses contentedly.
“Somehow, I actually got Ashlyn to fall asleep,” I tell her, as we both look down at the sleeping baby girl in my arms.
“Good, because I certainly don’t have a handle on tandem nursing yet,” Madilyn laughs.
“You’ll get there,” I tell her. “I’ll help you. We can do anything together.”
“About that…” she says, raising an eyebrow at me.
Shit.
She wants to talk about my ex-wife’s case. I start to protest that she needs her rest, but I recognize the look in her eyes so well that I know she won’t rest until she gets the whole story. She means business.
And now it’s time to give her what she wants. The whole story. Because she’s certainly given me what I want— the whole picket fence dream of marriage, house, kids. Everything I never knew I always wanted.
I look at our button-nosed babies and know I would do anything for their mom. Including telling her the story of how my ex-wife is still trying to fuck up everything about our lives.
Chapter 10 – Asher
“Look, I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you,” I tell Madilyn, looking deep into her pretty brown eyes and hoping she doesn’t hate me. “I just didn’t want you to be stressed. It wasn’t good for your pregnancy.”
“Okay, so I’m not pregnant anymore,” she says. “Thank goodness. I couldn’t bear being so swollen and sore all the time anymore. That’s one of the good things about being pregnant with twins, I guess—they usually come earlier. And I’m so glad our babies are here.”
She nuzzles Remy’s nose and I gaze at him, and then at Ashlyn. They are both so adorable and I hope I can make things right with their mother.
“So go ahead and tell me,” she says. “I can handle it.”
“It all started right before Katie and Damien’s wedding,” I tell her. “It’s why I was late leaving the office the night of our flight.”
“Way back then, huh?” she asks, shaking her head to show her disappointment. But I can tell she’s trying to be understanding, and I appreciate it. “I knew you had to stay late for something at work but I didn’t know why.”
“Janice called me and said she had taken my ex-wife’s case,” I explain. “Of course, Janice would do that, gleefully. She still has sour grapes, even though I helped her exit with clients of her own to assist her fresh start.”
“What case of your ex-wife’s?” Madilyn asks.
“That’s exactly what I asked Janice,” I tell her. “What case? We’d been divorced for so long and had already settled everything. But they are bringing this trumped up request to re-open the case and allow her to get more money. It’s ridiculous.”
“Why?” Madilyn asks, incredulous.
I shake my head.
“I know she’s just jealous,” I tell her. “She heard through the grapevine that you were pregnant— with twins, no less, after how long she and I had tried. And she and Janice both know that the firm is making even more money now, thanks to Damien’s cases, and how hard Ron and Jameson Reed have been working on them, as well as me, and you, and Ruby and Katie of course. Everyone’s efforts have paid off so well, word was bound to get around.”
“But what kind of case could they possibly have?” Madilyn asks.
“That’s the stupid thing,” I tell her. “She’s saying that I sexually harassed former associates of mine, and came up with a theory that it somehow hampered my ability to focus and make more money at the firm, so that basically I shortchanged her during the years I paid alimony.”
She shakes her head, but then her legal mind kicks in, even in its post-partum daze.
“So her theory is that once you met me, you could concentrate more and make more money, and no longer had to pay her alimony because the time to do so was up. But while you were paying alimony, you were too busy chasing other girls to do make as much money as you could?”
“Yeah,” I tell her, amazed that she had figured it out so quickly.
But I shouldn’t be. I know she’s smart— which is a big part of why I chose her to be my pet and why I couldn’t help but fall in love with her. And she’s also been working on some of the case pleadings and had to have been wondering what kind of legal theories I was trying to defend.
“How is she even attempting to prove her case?” Madilyn asks. “With what evidence?”
“That’s the stupid thing,” I tell her. “It’s all just testimony of people from when you and I got together, and I don’t see how that will help her prove I sexually harassed anyone in the past. It only shows that once I met you, I got serious about my life.”
“Well, yeah,” Madilyn smirks, looking at the babies in each of our arms. “But doesn’t she have to have more than that? Some testimony from earlier on?”
“I think so,” I tell her.
“So why would Janice even be talking about a deal?” she asks. “Why would they think a deal would even be on the table? How could they possibly think they’re winning this trial?”
“Well, that’s the thing,” I reply, looking down at Ashlyn because I can’t bring myself to look Madilyn in the eye.
“What?” she asks.
“I’m the one who was trying to get them to talk settlement,” I admit. “And the case is going so badly for them that this is the first time they’ve been open to such an offer. I obviously didn’t even expect them to be, or else I never would have told you to answer the phone. I thought it was Ron calling to ask if the babies were here yet and what kind of celebratory gift he should get— one of his favorite jokes is asking whether I prefer ‘it’s a girl’ or ‘it’s a boy’ flavored cigars.”
“Ha,” Madilyn laughs. “Ron. I don’t even know what Ruby sees in him.”
She shakes her head.
“But I guess everyone has their own tastes,” she continues. “And mine is apparently in a husband who becomes a softie once he becomes a father?”
“Hey now,” I tell her, trying not to raise my voice so as not to wake our sleeping babies. “That’s not true.”
“But you have a winning case and you would never settle if it weren’t for the babies.”
“I can’t think of just myself anymore,” I tell her. “There are the babies to consider, and you…”
“Why would you settle because of me?” she asks. “You know I’d want you to win.”
“I don’t know how to tell you this,” I tell her, shaking my head. But it’s time to lay it all out on the table. I can’t just pretend this problem doesn’t exist anymore, or hide behind her pregnancy as an excuse now that she’s no longer pregnant.
“But they’re calling Jimmy to testify.”
“Jimmy?” she asks, looking confused. “What does Jimmy have to do with any of this?”
“I know,” I tell her. “It’s so dumb. I think it’s just a way to get at me. To attack you so that I’ll settle. They know it’ll work, too.”
“It will not work,” she insists. “Don’t settle no matter what. But what is Jimmy going to say?”
“That I have the propensity to take nice girls and turn them bad, mostly,” I tell her.
“Really?” she laughs.
“I know, right? As if it took big bad me to make you horny and desperate to have sex. That was all his fault.”
“Hey!” she says, quick to defend herself— and me— which is another thing I love about her. Loyal Madilyn. “It definitely took meeting you to draw out that certain part of me that knew what she wanted. Or, who she wanted.”
I smile at her, thinking that if it was her intention to blow up my ego— and something else as well— she’s definitely succeeded.
“How long did the doctor say we have to wait before we can start… doing the deed… again?” I ask, looking down at Ashlyn to make sure she hasn’t overheard anything she’s too young to hear.
“I think six weeks,” Madilyn says, laughing. “But I’ll double check. Dr. Morris might make an exception for us, if you promise to be gentle.”
“You know I can do no such thing,” I tell her.
“Well, I can’t let you go down in this ridiculous case without a fight,” she says. “And that’s exactly what you were trying to do. Not fight, just to protect me.”
“It’ll be so much easier if they just go away and if I can put this behind me,” I tell her. “They don’t even want that much money. They can’t get it— it’s an alimony case and alimony is over. They can only claim I could have made more and paid more, and they know it’s a flimsy argument. They’re just trying to make a point. I should just let them make it, and be done with it.”
“No,” Madilyn insists, bringing out that feisty side of her that I love so much. “I won’t let them. We can’t. Then they’ll never go away. They’ll think we’re weak and they’ll know we’ll cave if they hit us in the right place at the right time. We need to crush them so they know to leave us alone. We’ll ask for sanctions and make them pay for bringing such a frivolous lawsuit on such petty and self-serving grounds.”
“Wow, I really like this fighter’s spirt,” I tell her, genuinely impressed. “I mean, I’ve always known you were a good lawyer, but this is a new side of you.”
“I’m a mother now,” she says, nodding her head. “I need to fight for my family.”
“So what’s your solution, Counselor?” I ask her.
“Put me on the stand,” she says. “I’ll testify that my relationship with Jimmy was long over and that you didn’t do anything to me I didn’t want you to do.”
“You’d say that? In open court?” I ask her.
“Of course,” she says. “We’re married now, and even if we weren’t, it was the best sex of my life and I have no reason to be ashamed of it. Especially, of course, because we didn’t get caught having sex in the office.”
“Not yet, anyway,” I add, and we both laugh. “But it’s a personal goal of mine. One day it will happen. Maybe just when we need our sex life to be spiced up a bit.”
She smiles at me. I look at her, holding our son while I hold our daughter, and I can’t believe how lucky I am.
“You’d do that for me?” I ask her, knowing that if she does that, I’ll win for sure.
The case is already heavily swinging in my favor, which is why Janice wants to deal. But if she testifies, I’ll win for sure.
“I sure will,” she says, kissing Remy and then winking at me. “I’m allowed to stress now, and I feel like doing something for you the way you’ve done something for me. As long as you promise to always tell me things in the future.”
“I will,” I tell her. “Unless you’re pregnant and the doctor says not to stress you out. Or unless it’s a surprise.”
“Okay, deal,” she says.
“So what have I done for you?” I ask her.
“Oh, you’ve only mentored me, married me, knocked me up with two babies and have proven you’re a great husband and father. That’s it.”
I smile at her. Then I smile at our babies.
“That’s it, huh?” I ask her. “And for that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to fight for me?”
“Yes, Boss,” she says, smiling down at our babies as well.
“I can’t believe my fucking luck,” I continue. “I’m going to have a great life with my amazing life and two adorable babies.”
“Please, Boss.”
“For all I know, maybe we won’t stop at two,” I say, just to continue the game we used to play. But this time it isn’t a game. It’s for real. It’s for keeps.
“More, Boss,” she says, as if on cue.
“And we’ll be together forever no matter what, right?” I ask her, just to hear what she’ll say next.
“Of course, Husband.”
Ashlyn begins to stir, but she doesn’t start to cry until Madilyn says the words I’ve been waiting for. The words I hope to hear when I’m an old man and our kids are happy, healthy and grown. And I’ll still be taking their mom in the bedroom and telling them to play video games and leave us alone for a while.
A good, long while.
“Always, Boss.”
THE END.
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Chapter 1—Riley
Okay, I can do this. I can have an orgasm.
I lie back on my bed, feeling stupid. This is definitely not how I'd expected to start off my morning. But my friend Brynn had dared me to try it, after last night had turned out a lot more disappointing than I'd expected.
I was supposed to go on a date with my boyfriend Charles but he never called. He'd been at a golf tournament with some clients of our law firm and he'd texted me at around eight o'clock p.m. to say that the "entertainment" of said clients was running late.
So, I'd called Brynn and she'd told me come over for a bottle of merlot. Of course I went right over, since I had nothing better to do and since Brynn is my BFF. Also, because I needed wine.
"I really thought Charles might be the one I’d lose my virginity to," I'd confessed to Brynn.
Brynn's one of the few people who know that I still have my virginity. We've been friends for a long time and she’s never teased me about it like the few others had when they'd first found out.
"Now I'm thinking that's a lost cause. Just like the few other boyfriends I've had, he's just not special enough. He'd rather blow me off than… let me blow him."
Brynn had laughed and then said, "I think that's your problem, Riley. You want your first time to be so special, with 'the right guy.' You should just let loose and go with it, see what happens."
"With Charles?" I'd asked her, scrunching up my nose skeptically.
She shrugged.
"Well, if you guys can work out whatever's been going on with you this time around, then maybe. Although, it seems like maybe you both know it's time to call it quits, but neither of you wants to be the one to push the 'End’ button."
"Again," I’d added her to her statement. "Neither of us want to be the one to push the 'End' button once again, after we've re-started it so many times."
Charles and I had broken up so often it wasn't even funny. I don't even know why we keep trying. Except that his dad, Jack Holt, is the founding partner of our law firm, and pressures him to stay with a "rising star" at the firm, su
ch as myself. He thinks my ambitious attitude will rub off on his son, who would rather play video games than write briefs.
"When I really face the truth, Charles and I are together for all the wrong reasons," I'd confessed to Brynn. "I used to think he only stayed with me because his dad wanted him to, and that's probably true. But then, why do I stay with him when he keeps ditching me for better plans? I suppose I like that the founding partner of the firm wants me to be dating his son. I'm afraid I won't be able to stand on my own two feet without him propping me up."
"Don't be ridiculous," Brynn had said. "You've always been a straight-A student. You’ve worked so hard on all your cases and you've more than earned your place at the firm. But I think change is just hard. It's easier to stay with the wrong person than take a step to be alone or find someone better."
"Yeah," I'd sighed, downing the rest of my wine.
Brynn had happily poured me another glass. And that’s why I love her.
"If you're going to break up with him, do it soon, so you can lose your virginity to someone else," Brynn then said, in her no- nonsense way. "And in the meantime, at least treat yourself to a mind-blowing orgasm."
I'd just looked at her, before finally finding the nerve to confess a secret even worse than the fact that I'm still a virgin.
"I… don't exactly know how to do that, either," I'd finally said.
"What?" she'd exclaimed, her eyes growing wide. "You don't masturbate?"
"It's not that I never have," I'd told her. "I just… haven't had the best luck so I don't get what it's all about."
"Girl, you've got to be kidding me," she'd said, standing up.
She went over to her bedside table, pulled something out of a drawer, and came back.
"Here," she said, handing me a silver, egg-shaped contraction wrapped in plastic. "Don't ever say I never gave you anything."
"What is this?"
I'd held the egg in my hand, realizing that I had an idea what it was, but feeling rather embarrassed.
"It's a magic bullet," she'd said. "Your own personal vibrator. Don't worry— I haven't used it. I just ordered a new one from Simple Pleasures because I wore my old one out. That’s how much I masturbate. And it’ll be hard not to have another one for a little while. But for you, I can wait and order a new one."
Forever, Boss: Bad Boy Office Romance Series Box Set with Bonus Novella Page 77