X: The Hard Knocks Complete Story (42 page)

“Probably over twenty-eight years,” I mutter, still in shock. “No wonder Grandmother hated me. I was probably a constant reminder of the evil thing she did to the man she locked in her closet. This…it explains so much.”

Anna rubs my back. “Yes, it does.”

Finally, all the lingering questions I’ve had my entire life have answers. My father never abandoned me and my mother. He was killed, murdered, by my Grandmother who spent the rest of her life concealing her evil from the public. But I knew the truth about her, and now, so will the rest of the world.

I
set
my coffee down on the desk and then creep over to place a cup on the nightstand by Xavier.

He didn’t sleep well last night. We had stayed up, discussing the things found in his childhood home. It was hard for him to digest everything that had occured. It was a heavy load to take in, but at least, we’re at a point in our relationship where he feels comfortable enough to talk to me about the things he’s feeling.

I attempt to tiptoe away, but Xavier’s hand snakes out from under the covers and snatches my wrist.

“Where are you going?” He playfully pulls me down onto the bed with him and then wraps his arm around me, snuggling against me. “You smell good.”

“I showered.” I giggle. “It’s called soap.”

“Mmm…maybe we shouldn’t go out today. I still owe you a day in bed.”

I trace the ridge of his nose with the tip of my finger, careful not to touch the swollen areas on his face. “We could do that, but I think finding an apartment before we leave for
Tension
might be a better option.”

He nods. “You’re right. And we need to find you a ring.”

“We don’t have to do that today.”

“Yes, we do.” He nuzzles his nose into my hair and kisses my neck. “Since I’m not allowed to fuck up assholes for checking you out anymore, a ring on that finger of yours will be the next best thing to let every man in the world know you’re taken.”

“I don’t need a ring for that. All they would have to do is look into my eyes and see a woman whose heart has already been claimed.”

Xavier touches my cheek. “I love you, beautiful. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You’re my angel, my
everything
, and I’ll never let you go again.”

T
he list
of things needed for Quinn’s wedding is tattered like an old, worn-out book. I’ve kept in my purse during the last eleven months, afraid I would forget something. I must have triple-checked it over a hundred times, making sure this will be the best day ever for my cousin.

Quinn rips several tissues out of the box sitting on the table and stuffs them under her arm. Then, she repeats the scenario for the other armpit. She looks ridiculous in her wedding dress with tissues poking out from her underarms.

“It’s hot as Hades in here,” Quinn complains.

I laugh. “It’s not that bad in here. You’re just nervous.”

“Am not. Why would I be? I’m marrying the man I love, and we’re going to be together for the rest of our entire lives. No pressure.”

I’ve noticed Quinn tends to rattle on when she’s a bit panicked.

I stand up and grab her hands, trying to calm her down. “You’re going to be fine. There’s nothing to getting married.”

“Easy for you to say.” She rolls her eyes. “You and X didn’t get married in a church full of people watching your every move.”

“No, we didn’t. But getting married at city hall was the quickest way we could get it done.”

I smile, thinking about our spur-of-the-moment wedding. We didn’t tell anyone we were doing it. But after what had happened with Bishop, we decided that life was too short, and we wanted to officially make our love eternal.

A knock sounds on the door. I cross the small room the church provided for the bridal party to get ready in and pull open the door.

Xavier stands there, cradling our baby boy in his massive arms. He looks dapper in his three-piece black suit with his hair slicked back into a bun. I’m convinced my man looks good in anything he wears.

Xavier grimaces. “Sorry, I know this is girl time, but someone wanted to see Mommy before she had to go perform her maid-of-honor duties.”

I pull the blanket away. “He’s sleeping.”

Xavier grins. “I didn’t say Simon needed you.”

“You’re too much.” I lean in and kiss his lips. “Are my parents and my brother here yet?”

“Yep. We’re sitting in the second row together.”

I bend down and place a light kiss on our baby’s forehead and then kiss Xavier one more time. “I’ll see you at the reception. I’ll be the one in the puffy bridesmaid dress.”

He steps back and checks out what I’m wearing. “Is it easy to get out of?”

I grin. “You’ll find out tonight.”

He wiggles his eyebrows. “It’s a date. Later, beautiful.” He turns and heads back out to the chapel where everyone else is waiting.

I turn to Quinn. “You ready to do this?”

“Yes,” she confirms as she begins heading toward me.

I grimace and then point to her shoulders. “The tissues?”

She quickly jerks them out and tosses them into the trash can. Then, she takes a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”

I follow her out the door, and it hits me that I have a pretty great life. It was a long, hard road to get here, but together, Xavier and I made it out on the other side, stronger than ever. Things had tested us along the way, but learning to lean on each other had helped us get through everything, especially testifying against Bishop and Kai. Thanks to me and Xavier taking the stand, Bishop and Kai are serving nearly seventy years between the two of them. The streets of Detroit are a lot safer without them around.

Deena and Rex are still pains in our asses from time to time when Xavier and I are on the road, doing Tension, but once word got around that I was pregnant, they decided it was no longer worth their efforts to break us up. Since Simon was born, Xavier’s been gone a lot without me for the last two months because we didn’t want to Simon to fly right away, but as soon as our boy’s a little bigger, we plan on taking him with us until it’s time for him to start school.

My mother offered to babysit for us if we moved to Portland, but I explained that Detroit was home for us now.

In place of rebuilding the house on Sycamore, Xavier has built a recreation center for underprivileged youths in the neighborhood. Cole, Nettie, Carl, and Quinn have pitched in a lot to get the project off the ground, and they run it for us when we’re on the road. It’s been a personal project for Xavier. He loves the idea of providing a positive place to keep kids off the streets.

I’ve never seen Xavier happier.

I couldn’t have asked for a better husband and father to our son than him. Having his own family has truly brought him out of the darkness, and now, the rest of the world is beginning to learn what I’ve known all along—that Xavier is a good man with a huge heart. I am so proud of him, and I know that our lives together will just keep getting better and better.

T
he King
Always Gets His Way. 

Women, business, pleasure:

When I want it, I get it. 

I’m never denied. 

Including her. 

I will break her. 

I will show her who the king of this city really is. 

The Feisty Princess of Manhattan will learn I am not a man that can be tempted. 

No matter how damn bad I want her in my bed. 

N
aughty King
(A Sexy Manhattan Fairytale: Part One) 

Dirty Royals
(A Sexy Manhattan Fairytale: Part Three)

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urn
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A
ll Rights Reserved
. This edition is copyrighted by Michelle A Valentine Books, LLC. No reproduction or utilization of this edition without written permission of the publisher. March, 2015.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

For questions or comments about this book, please contact the author at
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isclaimer
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