Page 33 of Objection

“You don’t want to be surprised?” I teased.

“No!” she whined, swaying from side to side. “Tell me now please.”

“How about we finish up for the day and go home to pack for this impromptu trip, and I’ll tell you on the drive to Jasper Lane?”

“Ugh, fine. That’ll do.”

Serenity

“Okay, what’s the surprise?” I asked as soon as we left home, and Kaos laughed at me.

It didn’t take us long at all to pack because we were only staying one day. Mama said they were having a party tonight and brunch tomorrow, but I wasn’t sure we’d go to the brunch. It would depend on Daddy’s mood. Kaos still booked a room just in case.

“Oh shoot! Babe, you have a deposition—”

“It was handed off to someone else. That’s why it wasn’t on my calendar.”

Relief immediately washed over me, and I relaxed in my seat. “Thank God. I thought I’d forgotten about it until just now.”

“Nah, princess. It was intentionally taken off the schedule. That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about when we left the office. I do want to reward you for going to see your parents, but I kind of already had a trip planned. Now, you’ll be able to use it to unwind if this shit goes left field.”

“Okay, I’m intrigued. Tell me more.”

“I’m taking the rest of the year off from the office.” My head immediately jerked in his direction, but he tightened his grip on the steering wheel and kept his eyes on the road. “I’ll still do small things from my home office, but I won’t be taking any more cases until January.”

“Is everything okay? You’re not sick or anything are you?”

His chuckle was light as he looked over at me and grabbed my hand. “I’m fine, and everything’s okay. Everything’s great actually. That’s why I want to take some time off.” He paused and dropped a quick kiss on my lips. “I want to travel and enjoy you. I want to help you start your business. I want to focus on something other than my crazy ass clients. I need a break, princess.”

“I understand, and I’m proud of you for taking the time you need. I’m also honored you want to prioritize getting more out of your time with me. That’s not to say we have an expiration date. I’m just glad you’re putting forth effort and being intentional about us.”

“Yeah, I know what you meant, princess. And you’re right—I’m being very intentional about us. Now that you’ve finally given me a chance, I’m going to make sure you never regret it. This isn’t just a phase either. I won’t change. Not for the worse at least. The same pressure I’m applying now, I’m going to apply ten years from now.”

Kaos was the first man that gave the validation and clarity I needed without me even having to ask, and I appreciated him so much for that. I told him that, and our conversation shifted to how he planned to spend his break, which led to me thinking about it too. If he wouldn’t be at the office, neither would I. I was looking forward to prioritizing finding a building for my business and traveling but also spending more time with my sister and best friend. When Kaos’s workload was hectic, I hadto be there to help him carry the load, so I intended to take full advantage of having the rest of the year off from the office.

“Do you know any other languages?” he asked.

“I learned Spanish in high school, and I learned some French in college, but I want to learn more. I want to learn Italian too. What about you?”

“I know Spanish and French as well. How fluent is your French?”

“Hmm . . . I’m not too confident but say something to me.”

His chuckle was sexy before he licked his lips. “Tu mérites le monde, et c'est le début de ma façon de vous le donner.”

“Okay, I understood the words you, world, and giving.”

We laughed. “I said, you deserve the world, and this is the start of me giving it to you. Our next trip is to St. Barts.”

“Ah!” I clapped and bounced in my seat. “Babe! No way! Are you seriously taking me to Saint Barthelemy?”

“Of course. I’ll never tell you a lie, Serenity.”

“Yayyy I’m so excited! When are we leaving? Will I have time to brush up on my French? I know they speak English, but I want to be able to speak in French if and when I need to.”

“We can go as soon as you’d like. It’s your world, girl.”

“Baby,” I cooed before leaning to the side to hug his neck and kiss him. “Thank you so much. I’m so excited. I cannotwait! It’s going to besomuch fun!”

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