Author's POV The day was on them. The fellas had travel ahead into time and the jet lag was already pressing them...they had lost two whole hours and they already knew that Reece was going to be annoying as hell. When the plane landed on the private air strip not too far from the ranch and the new Shields' residence they all off boarded and took their luggage to the sleek army green pickup truck Reece left for them. He was a thoughtful asshole. He had painted the lift gate with "Bestest Men" and it caused them a lot of headaches with all the cars honking at them. When they pull up onto the ranch they blew the horn loudly and Papa came out to the porch. Leaning over the rail he yelled back in his morning, thick German accent, "Blow your nose and you'll get something out!" All the men laughed and went up to hug their surrogate father figure. Todd was the last to greet the old man and he kissed the top of his bald head as a show of affectionate acceptance. "Papa, I am glad to see th
Roman's POV I watched the happy couple for weeks. I saw them go in and out of two homes, several offices, and many restaurants. Sometimes they were solo, sometimes they were together and sometimes they carried their son. They were popular in their small town which was sitting off the cusp of the major city. They never met a stranger and it infuriated me. And then one day, I followed them to the most peculiar place, a place that I hated to imagine. What was supposed to be my reality was theirs. My months of incarceration had brought them close. Lettie's failed revenge pulled them closer and bound them to a certain fate. They would became who and what I didn't want. Ever. I had resented Reece, since meeting him and I thought that somehow we could be equal. He wasn't this arrogant rich up front and once getting to know him, he was just annoyingly brotherly. None of us in his group with the exception of bald headed Todd knew he was rich. Reece could do all things well and he'd only
Valiant's POV I watched all of the madness unfold before me three weeks ago. Shocked to say the least by Roman and Lettie showing up. A great day had turned very quickly red. Reece still hadn't made any moves to deal with the female just yet knowing that her male counterpart wouldn't want to jeopardize her life for the sake of their son. Our lives continued progressing toward bliss though. We closed the house and moved in. The boys all picked their rooms in the guest house. Papa and Madre purchased bigger golf carts that could accommodate the kids in their car seats. In just a few hours, we'd all be gathering to host our formal wedding ceremony to the world. The live stream would just for the frills. The groom said that he wanted us to have a fairy tale wedding with beautiful pictures and grand memories. The event would also signify Reece's most recent breakthrough as an independent tech firm supporting only private clients and a few military operations. We both agreed that I'
Valiant Williams could only remember that her life has been of chaos and utter tragedy.FLASHBACK: AGE 3 - Author's POVA housefire burns wildly at the old house on a hill, destroying everything in its path. Pictures and clothing and toys for a girl toddler. A little red wagon sits untouched in the dirt front yard as the firemen work to control the inferno. Valiant watches on with curly brown pigtails and tears in her deep brown eyes. "God dammit," her grandmother spits to Valiant's mother Phylicia, "you bastards are going to be the death of me!" Zenobia watches as her house burns and her other grandkids along with neighbors and passers-by are littering the sidewalk in amusement because this is nothing new. "I have been trying to help out you worthless children, and you just keep destroying your lives! I deserve better children than this. At least one of my nine children made something of themselves!" She's referring to Joan, the eldest child and most successful. Zenobia was twice m
I got to the airport early, checked in and and got through TSA. Absent-mindedly, I moseyed over to the off-duty store when I saw a glimpse of someone that I wanted to see so badly that it hurt. I hurried along with the only bags I had, a small duffel and my structured shoulder purse. I walked closely behind the person of interest, hoping to just talk with him. I needed to talk to him to tell him that I was ready.My face showed signs of distress, and the tears made it more dramatic. Dressed in a boyfriend style blazer, dark skinny jeans cuffed at the ankle, a fitted white tee, and a pair of Tieks, I could have been shooting a movie. One of the terminals had just released its passengers, and the rush of business professionals darted out along with children on summer vacations dragging their parents to the bathrooms flooded the walkways. I was losing my target, so I pushed until I thought I had him cornered. I was chasing a skilled killer, one who could off me and hide the body foreve
Reece's POVValiant had returned to the ranch a few days ago and I had taken my son from her. I didn't want to talk to her, I mean I couldn't talk to her. I looked at my baby Regal Vincent Shields, he was strong and determined much like his mother and me. When he had fallen asleep, I knew I had to do some more soul searching. The woman I loved and disliked the most kept me in a constant cycle. She'd been hurt the most in her life but she loved to see others treated well and succeed. All others except me. "Fūck it." I murmured, stepping back from the crib where my little heart. my saving grace laid sleeping on his back. I turned on the baby monitor, checked the water levels on the humidifier and set the air purifier before walking out of the door. Funny how I could condition his atmosphere in this way and still harbor this unease for his mom. Making my way to my room, I slipped into my black tactical shirt, pants, boots and gloves readying to head out to what me and the guys called
Valiant's POV "Sweetheart?" I heard Papa calling out to me. "Where did you go? I have been here for over ten minutes, watching you. Are you okay?"The memories were pushed back to the dark recesses of my mind as I dropped my eyes to my feet. I don't want him to see me like this his face reminded me of the one I wanted to hold. "Listen darling, it doesn't look like you two have reconciled. I'm gonna take Buddy and the guys out hunting for a few hours. Madre has Regal, and you should take that time and head into town.""The guys?" I stammered. I hadn't seen them in well over a year and hadn't spoken to them in about four months when they called to congratulate me on having the baby. I missed them so much, especially Todd. "Yeah, they got in a few days ago but had some things to sort out with Reece. They are staying a few more days. Maybe you'll see them before you ship." He earnestly replied, not knowing that I needed their support to help me. It was strange that Todd hadn't at least
Roman's POVIt's been a few days and I was at a loss. Val had finally left me, I knew it was coming. I waited with bated breath for her to tell me sooner than later of her plans to disconnect. Even before we moved from Georgia to Texas, I knew she was in love with Reece and only with me out of obligation. He was the good guy, everyone loved him and he was great at everything. Of course, she would fall for him. It was evident that Valiant couldn't resist his charms. He had told me about her before I had seen her with Jonas. Reece came into my apartment one night smelling of whisky and sex rambling about how he'd try to get her out of his mind. That night, he was with a girl he'd been dating for a few months, but he couldn't finish the do with her because his mind was clouded with this new woman. He'd broken it off with his constant, telling her he was interested in someone else. Needless to say, it didn't go over well. There was a big fight. Anyway, fast forward a few months, and I