I couldn’t have what I really wanted without making sacrifices. Maybe that was difficult for me to see before, but it was plain as day to me now. I had to sacrifice my company if I was going to have Emily.
Releasing financial information about Valor was more for my own revenge, though. There wasn’t enough in there to prosecute anyone, but there sure as hell was enough to embarrass the whole company. Stocks were going to take a huge dive and the company might never recover after all of this comes to light. If Bruce hadn’t taken all those papers and notebooks from my room, I probably would have had enough to get them all thrown in prison.
As it stood, I was going to have to be okay with embarrassing the fuck out of them and watching them all squirm.
It didn’t matter now, though. I was done with Valor, done with it all. I had Emily and whatever future we had together was completely up to us.
I was starting a new life with her. I was starting the only life I needed.
“Come on,” I said, taking off my tie and tossing it aside. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Wait,” she said. “Think you’ll ever come back?”
“Nope. I’m done with this place.”
“What about my mom?”
“I’ll get her a better job. Don’t worry about that.”
She sighed. “You’re an ass, you know that, Carter?”
“Sure am.” I grinned at her. “Come on.”
We walked out together, leaving my office. We walked past Evelyn, waving, and headed down the hall, the same hall I’d walked through thousands of times over the years. We passed break rooms, meeting rooms, cubicles, places that I had a million experiences, some of the best days of my life.
I kept my eyes on Emily and I never once looked back.
27
Emily
Two Years Later
I could hear the ocean lapping at the shore outside of the window. I rolled over and felt Carter’s spot, still warm from his body, but empty. The sun had just risen, and I slowly got out of bed, my back aching.
I got up and went into the bathroom, looking at myself in the mirror. I was so damn pregnant, practically ready to burst, and I couldn’t wait. I wanted to give birth so badly, but I still had a few more weeks before I was really due.
The stones were cold under my feet as I padded down toward the kitchen. The old house was gorgeous and had been modernized, but eighteen century French countryside houses didn’t typically retrain warmth very well, even when they get gutted and rebuilt.
I found Carter cooking breakfast like he always did.
“Morning, gorgeous,” he said.
I kissed him on the cheeks. “What’s on the menu?”
“Eggs,” he said. “Fresh from the coop.”
“Delicious.”
“Told you raising chickens wouldn’t be hard.”
I made a face. “It’s easy for me because I won’t go near them.”
He laughed. “Exactly. I do all the work.”
“They’re still gross.”
He put a plate of eggs, some fried tomatoes, and orange juice in front of me. “But so delicious.”
I sighed. “So, so delicious.”
He laughed and sat down across from me, sipping from a steaming mug of coffee. I ate my breakfast, sneaking glances at him as he opened a local paper and started it read. I was still amazed that he could speak and read French fluently, but Carter was full of surprises.
We’d lived in the south of France for the last year, hiding away from the media. After everything dropped, especially the bits about our relationship, the mansion was inundated with reporters and drones at all times. We stayed there for a year only because there were still interviews to do, plus there were some pending legal things to deal with. But as soon as we were cleared to leave the country, we got the heck out of there.
Things were better in France. Mom was still back in the States running Carter’s charitable foundation, but she called and Skyped all the time.
I didn’t miss home, not at all. Not when I had Carter. We got pregnant a few months after coming to France, and although he wanted me to go back to the US to have the baby, I refused. I wanted a baby with dual citizenship, and maybe we could have him or her learn some French, too.
I didn’t need more from life. We weren’t married, but neither of us wanted that yet. We had money and comfort and each other, and I didn’t need much else.
Carter was incredible. He was working as a contractor for local French schools helping with their internet and technology departments, mostly doing it for pennies. He just liked getting out of the house and helping people. I was helping at a local daycare for ex-pats like us, but I had to cut back as the pregnancy got further and further along.
“You look extra gorgeous today,” Carter said to me.
“You always say that.”
“It’s always true.”
I smiled. “You always say that, too.”
He grinned. “Don’t pretend like you don’t love being doted on by a gorgeous hunk like me.”
“I do love it. But I’d love it if I had this kid as soon as possible.”
“It’ll come when it comes,” he said, nodding.
I sighed and stood, putting my plate away. “I’m going for a little walk.”
“I’ll come with you.”