๋ก๊ทธ์ธ๊ณต์
Mistakes Were Made
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๋ฐ์ดํธ:
2024-05-14 03:16:57
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Getting Luckyย ย ย I'm Okay
KADEN Standing in my dadโs officeโmy officeโI looked out over the city below. Most of the buildings were obscured by low-hanging clouds, and the weather was gray and miserable, but it seemed fitting somehow.Today was my first day as CEO of Marx Inc. The papers were signed, the ink was dry, and since there were no disputes or objections filed to my stepping into Dadโs position, it was now official.While Ember and I had been in Florida, Scotty, who was now my assistant, had rearranged Dadโs office and gotten it ready for me. The mammoth desk was still in there, but so were all my screens, a new computer, two new monitors, and a color printer I didnโt have any use for.Scotty left Dadโs bar, sitting area, and conference table untouched, but he told me he could have any of it removed at any time. I told him not to worry about it. In a way, this would always be Dadโs office. I was only running it for him now.Besides, there was a good reason why Dad had each of those features in his off
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-05-14Getting Luckyย ย ย Get Out
Kaden โThatโs good to know,โ she replied, seemingly making a decision before opening the file and taking out a smallish, square wooden block. โI have a present for you.โShe handed the wooden block over upside down. The clamps on the back of it hinted that it was a photo frame, but I wasnโt prepared for the photo it held. It was one of Dad and I fishing when I was a kid.A photo I both treasured and often resented for giving me hope that we might be like the dad and the kid in the photo again someday. A photo I knew was supposed to be tucked away deep in one of the drawers at my place. โWhere did you find it?โโWhile I was packing your stuff the other day, I saw it in your drawer,โ she admitted, a hopeful smile tugging at her lips. โI had it framed so it can go on your desk. I thought you might like to have the memory with you while youโre settling in this office.โโSo you went through my stuff?โ I arched a brow, trying but failing to sound incredulous and disappointed.Propping a ha
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-05-14Getting Luckyย ย ย All My Fault
EMBERSo, this was what it felt like when everything went to hell in a handbasket. My heart sank so low during those moments in Kadenโs office after he told me to leave that it felt like it might be at the soles of my feet by the time I left.Tears stung my eyes, threatening to fall with every step I took. I kept my head down when I emerged from Kadenโs office, allowing my hair to form a protective curtain as I hurried to the staircase. I couldnโt face the elevator right now.There was always someone in there who wanted to talk to me about something, and if I opened my mouth, the lump in my throat was bound to disintegrate from the vibrations in my voice box, and I was sure to become a rambling, blubbering mess.Slamming my fists into the door leading to the staircase, I burst onto the concrete landing and sagged against the cool wall. Shit. An hour ago, Kaden and I had gotten to the office together, happy and in love and sated from a morning of me wishing him luck for his first day
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-05-14Getting Luckyย ย ย He Knows I Knew
EmberSuddenly, I felt like I couldnโt breathe. The air in the stairwell seemed stale, like it didnโt have enough oxygen in it anymore. My throat went completely dry and scratchy, and my head started to swim.I couldnโt stay here any longer. Couldnโt stay in this building any longer, not knowing what I had done to Kaden. How much I had hurt him.I was finally choking on my own guilt, and it was cutting off my air supply. Drowning me.Grasping the steel railing beside me, I kicked off my shoes and carried them down as I ran down the stairs so fast I was practically sailing, flying down the last few steps of every flight. The flickering red signs indicating โExitโ taunted me, goaded me into believing I was about to escape when I wasnโt.After every flight came another one. And another one and another one. I just kept going, my chest growing tighter with every landing I left behind me. No amount of distance I was putting between us was making Kaden any less mad at me. It was like his fee
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-05-14Getting Luckyย ย ย You Don't Listen
KADENMy head was spinning. I felt nauseous, my stomach twisting and turning as I tried to focus on the screen in front of me. I was trying to get everything with Ember out of my head and get some work done, but it was proving to be harder than I thought it would be.Despite everything, I still didnโt want to let my dad down. Sure, he told my girl he was dying and not me, butโโFuck,โ I muttered, dragging my hands through my hair. Again. I shuddered to think what I looked like by now. At least no one was bothering me.Scotty was keeping his distance, and most people would probably be leaving soon. They were giving me the day to get settled in, which was a fucking blessing since I had no idea how I would be able to handle meetings or making any big decisions today.Iโd been so damn optimistic just this morning, determined to make this work no matter what. I was so damn sure I had this under control, that I was going to walk in as CEO and things would just fall in place.I was prepared
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-05-14Getting Luckyย ย ย Big Brother Talk
KadenShit. I even made her promise to stop avoiding me. I shoved her even deeper into the impossible corner she was already in. I made her look me in the eyes and sleep in my bed, even when she couldnโt do it, and now I was pissed at her for doing exactly that?I groaned out loud, bringing my forehead to my desk.As if Ryan could tell what I was thinking, he said, โShe loves you, Kaden. She loves you more than anything in the world. Youโre everything to her. Trust me when I tell you she never meant to hurt you. She was stuck in purgatory about this for weeks.โLifting my head only enough to catch a glimpse of his eyes, I frowned. โIs this a big brother talk? Because I donโt think I can stomach one of those right now.โI really couldnโt bear to hear him tell me how much she loved me after the way I acted. Sure, I was shocked, and she shouldnโt have done what she did, but I honestly didnโt know what else I could have expected her to do under the circumstances.Even if she did, would sh
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-05-14Getting Luckyย ย ย Together Again
EMBERWhen Kadenโs lips crashed into mine, it was with such passion and fervor that a fresh wave of tears welled up behind my eyes. Different tears this time, happy tears. I couldnโt believe he was here, that he was in my arms and kissing me the way he was.An hour ago, I was convinced our relationship was toast. When I didnโt hear from Ryan, I thought the worst. I thought Kaden was so mad at me, heโd convinced Ryan he was right, and I was wrong. I thought Ryan wasnโt going to speak to me ever again either.I thought so many things, all of which were apparently wrong. It was hard to have faith in people when you felt as guilty and as badly as I did, though. In my defense, those werenโt feelings I had much experience with, and now that Iโd felt them in their fullest glory, I had no intention of ever finding myself in a position like that ever again.From now on, I was going back to honesty. I still regretted the way I handled things with Mr. Marx, but Iโd also learned from it. With Kad
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-05-14Getting Luckyย ย ย How Far Along?
KADENโIf you consider we only started putting this together for you last week, I think youโll appreciate the growth you would already have seen if weโd started making these moves only a few days ago.โ I was speaking to our new potential client, an older woman with her dyed black hair pulled back in a severe bun.She was the CEO of a hotel group that was starting to pop up everywhere. The company was only a few years old, but they were expanding at an impressive rate, and Ember and I both really wanted to sign her.โWe can do great things together, Carol,โ Ember added, clicking a button on the remote in her hand to move onto the next slide we had prepared for her. โBoth our companies have shown exponential growth over the last six months, and together, I think we can keep that trajectory going.โI could feel Emberโs excitement coming off her in waves from where she was sitting next to me at a mahogany conference table at one of Carolโs groupโs hotels. The group had two new boutique ho
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๋ฐ์ดํธ : 2024-05-14
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Getting Luckyย ย ย Gender Reveal
KadenAs an adult, Iโd always been too busy to spend too much time on hypotheticals like if I wanted to settle down and have a family someday. I used protection religiously to avoid conceiving a child with a woman I didnโt really know in my younger days, and after that, I kind of gave up on ever finding a woman I could imagine myself spending the rest of my life and having kids with.Until Ember.Everything I used to want, worry about, think, or believe changed the day she walked back into my life. She still teased me some about my previous life of being a jerk as a kid or a player, but I could hardly remember what that was like either. Just like with my apartment, those were vague memories I didnโt care to recall.All my life, Iโd heard people say you couldnโt change. I was living proof those people were wrong. To be fair, Iโd started making changes before I even met Ember, but the guy I used to be wouldnโt have taken the whole day off work to go to the doctor and then to stock up on
Getting Luckyย ย ย Ultrasound
KADENโEverything is looking good so far,โ Doctor Kruger told us, holding the ultrasound wand still on Emberโs growing stomach. She was really starting to show now and thought she looked more and more like a whale every day. I couldnโt disagree with her more. โThe baby is growing well, and everything looks the way it should at around twenty-four weeks.โDoctor Kruger was the gynecologist Ember chose. She came highly recommended by the girls at the office. She looked a little bit like Gollum from Lord of the Rings, with hair so thin you could see most of her scalp, but there was a whole wall of awards in her office speaking to her ability.Ember smiled up at her, squeezing my hand tightly. Her eyes were glued to the screen beside her though, as were mine. It was hard to believe the black and white smudges we saw was an actual baby growing in Ember, but now and then, we could make out a hand or a foot or something that drove the point home.The doctor moved the wand higher, squeezing ou
Getting Luckyย ย ย A Dozen
EmberโHave you felt it move yet?โ Kaden asked, dragging his chair around to my side of the table so he would be next to me instead of across from me. โAnd should we be eating Mexican? Isnโt it too spicy?โโI ordered it mild,โ I reminded him. โBut I donโt think eating Mexican is a problem. Sushi is probably a no-no for me until the baby comes, though.โHe nodded, and I could practically see him adding the information to some kind of mental checklist. โSo, you didnโt tell me if youโd felt it move yet.โโNot yet,โ I said honestly. โI would have told you immediately if I had.โThat much was true. Despite my misgivings about his reaction, I wouldnโt have kept him from anything involving his child. Something as major as feeling it move for the first time especially.โWhen do you think youโll feel it?โ he asked, cocking his head and shifting back on his chair to make space for him to get his phone out of his pocket.I lifted my shoulders, shaking my head. โNo idea, but it will probably be s
Getting Luckyย ย ย Four Months
EMBERFor four weeks, I had been waiting to find the right time to talk to Kaden about this. There just never seemed to be enough time. Though we were practically living together and had adjoining offices now, we were also busy and running around for work.My heart hammered against my ribcage so hard it was almost painful as I leaned forward, forcing myself to look into Kadenโs eyes. I had no idea how he was going to take this news. We had so much on our plates as it was, and weโd never even come close to talking about anything like this.Every word I knew suddenly disappeared from my brain as I looked into his gorgeous eyes, questions darkening them while he waited for me to tell him what Iโd been waiting for the right time to talk to him about.Grasping for words, any words at this point, I ended up just blurting it out. โIโm four months pregnant.โKaden paled, his eyes going huge. His jaw loosened, and his throat worked. Oh crap.This was exactly the reaction Iโd been afraid of. Me
Getting Luckyย ย ย Home
KadenA faint line appeared between Carolโs eyebrows before she schooled her expression, shaking my free hand again. โWeโll be in touch soon, I assume? If you could email the paperwork to my assistant, the same one who set up this meeting, Iโll have the lawyers look it over and send it right back.โโIt will be in your inbox before the end of the day tomorrow,โ Ember promised. If I knew her, she was already planning on firing off a text to Scotty as soon as we were out of Carolโs sight.Ember and I were sharing Scotty as our main assistant now. We each had a second assistant working under Scotty, but he was our go-to guy and the one who organized our respective second assistants. It was a system that was working really well for us.Once we were settled in my car, I glanced at her before putting my hand on her headrest and backing out of the parking space. โDid you ask Scotty to send her the documents yet?โShe smiled, holding up her phone to show me the text she was typing. โJust about
Getting Luckyย ย ย How Far Along?
KADENโIf you consider we only started putting this together for you last week, I think youโll appreciate the growth you would already have seen if weโd started making these moves only a few days ago.โ I was speaking to our new potential client, an older woman with her dyed black hair pulled back in a severe bun.She was the CEO of a hotel group that was starting to pop up everywhere. The company was only a few years old, but they were expanding at an impressive rate, and Ember and I both really wanted to sign her.โWe can do great things together, Carol,โ Ember added, clicking a button on the remote in her hand to move onto the next slide we had prepared for her. โBoth our companies have shown exponential growth over the last six months, and together, I think we can keep that trajectory going.โI could feel Emberโs excitement coming off her in waves from where she was sitting next to me at a mahogany conference table at one of Carolโs groupโs hotels. The group had two new boutique ho
Getting Luckyย ย ย Together Again
EMBERWhen Kadenโs lips crashed into mine, it was with such passion and fervor that a fresh wave of tears welled up behind my eyes. Different tears this time, happy tears. I couldnโt believe he was here, that he was in my arms and kissing me the way he was.An hour ago, I was convinced our relationship was toast. When I didnโt hear from Ryan, I thought the worst. I thought Kaden was so mad at me, heโd convinced Ryan he was right, and I was wrong. I thought Ryan wasnโt going to speak to me ever again either.I thought so many things, all of which were apparently wrong. It was hard to have faith in people when you felt as guilty and as badly as I did, though. In my defense, those werenโt feelings I had much experience with, and now that Iโd felt them in their fullest glory, I had no intention of ever finding myself in a position like that ever again.From now on, I was going back to honesty. I still regretted the way I handled things with Mr. Marx, but Iโd also learned from it. With Kad
Getting Luckyย ย ย Big Brother Talk
KadenShit. I even made her promise to stop avoiding me. I shoved her even deeper into the impossible corner she was already in. I made her look me in the eyes and sleep in my bed, even when she couldnโt do it, and now I was pissed at her for doing exactly that?I groaned out loud, bringing my forehead to my desk.As if Ryan could tell what I was thinking, he said, โShe loves you, Kaden. She loves you more than anything in the world. Youโre everything to her. Trust me when I tell you she never meant to hurt you. She was stuck in purgatory about this for weeks.โLifting my head only enough to catch a glimpse of his eyes, I frowned. โIs this a big brother talk? Because I donโt think I can stomach one of those right now.โI really couldnโt bear to hear him tell me how much she loved me after the way I acted. Sure, I was shocked, and she shouldnโt have done what she did, but I honestly didnโt know what else I could have expected her to do under the circumstances.Even if she did, would sh
Getting Luckyย ย ย You Don't Listen
KADENMy head was spinning. I felt nauseous, my stomach twisting and turning as I tried to focus on the screen in front of me. I was trying to get everything with Ember out of my head and get some work done, but it was proving to be harder than I thought it would be.Despite everything, I still didnโt want to let my dad down. Sure, he told my girl he was dying and not me, butโโFuck,โ I muttered, dragging my hands through my hair. Again. I shuddered to think what I looked like by now. At least no one was bothering me.Scotty was keeping his distance, and most people would probably be leaving soon. They were giving me the day to get settled in, which was a fucking blessing since I had no idea how I would be able to handle meetings or making any big decisions today.Iโd been so damn optimistic just this morning, determined to make this work no matter what. I was so damn sure I had this under control, that I was going to walk in as CEO and things would just fall in place.I was prepared
