Page 35 of The Grump's Assistant

“Yes?” he muses, stroking my back and smiling down at me.

“You didn’t technically ask, but yes, I think I’d like to stay by your side and be your everything.”

“I was going to ask beforesomeonecut me off,” he growls playfully, nipping at my chin.

“Excuses, excuses,” I sigh. Vincent tickles my sides and I giggle, trying to get away from him.

“It’s a done deal now, angel,” he says, hauling me back into his arms.

“I’m okay with that,” I tell him with a grin as I settle back down. “Pretty good deal, too. I think I married up.”

He chuckles, giving me another squeeze. “I definitely got the better end of the deal, but I’ll spend the rest of our lives making it up to you. Cars, houses, vacations, kisses, orgasms, cuddles, kids, I’ll give you everything.”

“I love you, Vincent. I want everything with you, too.”

“Shall we start now? With more orgasms?” he says with a playful grin.

“If you insist,” I say, mock exhaustion in my voice. Vincent nips a ticklish spot on my neck, making me squirm and giggle. The man holds himself above me, a look of pure love and lust in his dark brown eyes. He’s perfect. And he’s all mine.

EPILOGUE

VINCENT

Juniper’s sweet sunshiney scent still lingers in my office from when she stopped in this morning with my daily triple cappuccino. It’s hard to believe we’ve been together for a year and a half, yet at the same time, I can’t imagine life without her.

Before my precious Juniper waltzed into my world, I had one goal. Make more money. Now? Well, I still only have one goal. Make Juniper happy. I think I’ve done okay the last year and a half, but there’s always room for improvement.

We got married six weeks after I proposed. I didn’t want to wait that long, but Juniper deserved the wedding of her dreams. For most people, that would take a long time to plan and execute, but I was able to use my wealth and connections to make it happen in a matter of weeks. I’ve never had a more worthy cause to spend money.

Since then, I’ve stepped back a bit from the daily hustle of the financial world. I’m still owner and CEO of Sloan Investments, but I’ve learned to delegate and use my time wisely. A few years ago, I had to drag myself away from work to stumble through the rest of my life. Now, I have to drag myself away from my sweet, sexy Juniper just to get a few hours of work in a day.

I wouldn’t change it for the world.

My phone dings and I glance over, seeing a text from Juniper’s mother, Beth.

Just got back from my checkup. 6 months cancer free, thanks to you!

I respond right away, congratulating her. Beth was treated by one of the top oncologists in the country last year. She endured an extensive treatment program that put her through the wringer, but Beth came out the other side, kicking ass and taking names. She’s a fighter if I’ve ever seen one.

Juniper is just as strong, just as determined, and just as loyal as Beth. That’s how I know she’ll be an incredible mother to our children. We haven’t had any yet, but I don’t want to rush my sweet girl. After she stepped down from being my assistant, my talented wife decided to learn more about her real passion—cooking. She recently finished up another cooking course through the local culinary school. Juniper isn’t sure what she wants to do yet, only that she loves cooking and wants to gain more experience. And, as I’ve already stated, I want to make her happy. If that means taking every cooking and baking class every college in the world has to offer, then that’s what I’ll do. Thankfully, however, Juniper seems content to stay in New York for now.

There’s a knock on my office door, pulling me out of my thoughts.

My beautiful wife pokes her head in and gives me a radiant smile when her eyes meet mine. I swear she’s glowing.

God, this woman undoes me in ways I can’t even begin to understand.

“Hey, angel, what’s up?” I ask. I stand up and walk over toward her, unable to keep my distance any longer. Whenever she’s around, I have to have my hand on her, be near her in some way.

“I, uh, I have something to tell you.” Her brow furrows and she stares at her feet. I can’t stand to see her like this.

I cup her face and gently guide her up to meet my gaze.

“What is it? You can tell me anything.”

“I… I don’t know how this happened… I mean, Iknowhow it happened…” Tears well up in her eyes and she looks tentative, scared, almost.

I wrap her up in my arms. I don’t know how she went from her brilliant shining self to crying in a matter of minutes, but I’m determined to fix it.

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