Redemption: (Dark Desires Book 3) by Kourtney King Page B

ceiling and took a deep breath. Why did
everything have to be so complicated? She was his wife now. In his mind, no one
else factored into the equation other than him and Valerie. Taking her away
from everyone around her that thought she was making a mistake was starting to
look like the only resolution to their current problems.
      When they were alone together, everything was
perfect. It was the outsiders that made their lives difficult. And her
children, he would learn to accept them in time. They were half Valerie, which
meant that they were also little angels – if he discounted the rapist-father
part of their DNA. He wasn't relying on the paternity test to prove him wrong.
Keyaan had been with her first which meant that they were very likely his.
    He
wasn't a compromising man, but he was willing to make certain concessions for
the woman who was now his wife. She had gone through so much because of him
which meant that her happiness took precedence over his wishes. Maybe they
could go somewhere within the country for a few days, just to rekindle the
romance that had bloomed in his office after their mutually agreed on
abstinence.
    No,
he wanted to take her somewhere she had never been. A place that was of
significance to him. Romania was where he was born, and Russia is where he
became the man he was today. The choice was between those two countries. Family
and friends were important to her, and Andrei and Raven were important to him.
He wanted to introduce them to her without any drama. They were the only other
people Vlad cared about besides her. However, he doubted she would willingly go
until she'd sat down and spoken to her mother.
    Mrs
Thusi would be flying down to South Africa to see her daughter in a few weeks.
The idea came to him with that thought. They could stop over in Dubai and meet
her mother before flying over to Romania. It was a suitable compromise. He
needed to introduce himself to his mother in law and Valerie needed to tell her
that she was now his wife. After that was sorted out, they would be on their
merry way.
    “Valerie,"
he turned to face her only to find that she had fallen asleep. He ran his
fingers across her cheek and looked at her. He still couldn't believe that she
had agreed to be his wife. "I would do anything for you, angel. I love
you," he declared. It was the first time that he had ever said the words.
They had come so naturally they rolled off his tongue without hesitation. He
would always put her first. Vlad could no longer imagine a life without her by
his side. If that was not the epitome of love, then he didn't know what was.

Chapter Ten
     
    Thembi had gotten a call from
her daughter. Valerie was coming to see her. She didn’t know the why’s behind
this visit, but Val had said that she would explain once she got there. She
better have a damn good explanation she thought as she checked on her last
patient for the night. There was also the issue of her unplanned pregnancy and
her babies' father to discuss. Her daughter had been acting strangely for a few
months now, and she needed to get to the bottom of it. Everything in her gut
was telling her that something had happened to Valerie, and she was keeping it
a secret.
    In times like these, Thembi
questioned whether she had made the right decision when she moved to Dubai for
work. Even though she made more money here than in South Africa, was that
reason enough to leave her only child back home? What other implicit costs came
with her job?
    Valerie had been thoughtful
enough to ask Thembi, which days she had off, so as not to put her mother out
too much. When she landed and they reconnected after six long months, she would
get to the bottom of what was going on.

 
    On Thursday afternoon, there
was a knock on the door. Thembi rushed to open it and found Valerie on the
other side.
    “Hi mom,” said Val.
    “Hi baby,” replied Thembi
before wrapping her up in a tight hug. She pulled back and placed her hands on
her