The CEO Above My Desk (Mckenzie Shinabery) novel Chapter 255

Chapter 255

Rowan

Three Months Later

I couldn’t stop staring at my wife. Honestly, I wasn’t even trying anymore.

The party buzzed all around me, laughter, chatter, the soft clinking of glasses, as people moved through the backyard of our home. But no matter where I looked, my gaze kept drifting back to Violet.

She stood near one of the outdoor tables, laughing at something Camille had just said, her head thrown back in pure joy. In her hands was a paper plate piled impossibly high with food, far more than any reasonable person should attempt to balance. Then again, she was pregnant. Apparently, reasonable didn’t apply anymore.

My eyes dropped instinctively to her stomach, rounded delicately beneath the fabric of her dress. Three months. Just three months. And already, she had begun to show, not in a way strangers might notice, but enough for me to see. Enough that every time she rested a hand there or absentmindedly rubbed her belly while talking, something tight and fierce clenched in my chest.

I couldn’t explain it. I didn’t want to. All I knew was that every day, without fail, she became more beautiful. More mine. More everything I never thought I deserved.

Her laughter rang out again, clear and light, carrying across the yard. God, I loved that sound. Three months ago, she wouldn’t have dared laugh like that,

not openly, not freely, not without glancing over her shoulder, waiting for the next disaster to strike.

But now? She looked happy. Really happy.

And maybe that was my favorite part.

The fear was gone. The doubt. The woman standing there wasn’t afraid of Hargrove, or Marcus, or the future. Not even motherhood.

She looked like she was finally living.

And I was lucky enough to witness it.

“You’re staring again,” Theo’s voice broke through my thoughts.

I glanced over to find him standing beside me, drink in hand.

I shrugged. “She’s my wife.”

Theo smirked. “You’re creepy.”

“She’s carrying my child.”

“Still creepy.”

I smiled, shaking my head. Theo rolled his eyes before glancing toward Camille, who had just returned from what I was fairly certain was her seventh bathroom trip of the afternoon. Maybe her eighth. At this point, no one was keeping count.

Chapter 255-

Camila waddled over to Violet and plopped dramatically into a chair. “Oh my God.”

Violet laughed. “Again?”

“Again.”

Theo sighed. “You literally just went.”

“There’s a child sitting directly on my bladder,” Camille shot back.

“That’s fair.”

“Thank you.”

She grabbed a spring roll from Violet’s plate, then another, then immediately reached for the crap rangoon.

Violet smacked her hand. “Get your own.”

“I’m carrying a girl.”

“That doesn’t make my food your food.”

“It absolutely does.”

I laughed quietly into my drink, savoring the moment.

The entire backyard had been transformed for the party. String lights hung overhead despite the afternoon sun, casting a warm glow that would only become

more magical after dusk. Large tables stood beneath white canopies, and the usual pink and blue decorations were nowhere to be found, replaced instead by vibrant purples and greens. It had taken Violet exactly three days to decide she hated normal gender reveal themes. Naturally.

The food tables stretched nearly the entire length of the patio. Because my wife had casually mentioned she wanted Chinese food, I’d ordered enough to feed an army, three different restaurants, dozens of trays piled high.

Lo mein. Fried rice. Orange chicken. Sesame chicken. Egg rolls. Spring rolls. Crab rangoon. Sweet and sour chicken. Beef and broccoli. Mongolian beef.

At least five different desserts.

hrough a

The smile on Violet’s face when the food arrived had been worth every single dollar. She was currently working her way through a second plate, and that

made me ridiculously happy.

My attention drifted across the yard.

Avery stood near one of the tables, deep in conversation with several employees from the rehabilitation project. She looked healthier, stronger, though not completely healed. Maybe she never would be. But she was trying, and that mattered more than anything.

Nearby, Devin laughed with a group of contractors, looking almost completely recovered. The bruises and pain were mostly gone, leaving only the occasional stiffness to remind him of what he’d been through. Otherwise, you’d never know he’d nearly died.

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Chapter 255

Comments

RVisitor

Awwwww, I was hoping for a boy for Violet and Rowan or surprise twins – 1 of each

1 days ago

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The CEO Above My Desk