13
Vivian
Valkyrie Security
The guys at the security desk had said that Rowan was still in the building, so gathering her courage, Vivian hit up instead of down on the elevator.
The lobby area of Valkyrie Security was dimmed, but a few office lights were on.
The door between the lobby and offices was propped open, and she walked cautiously toward Rowan’s office.
She needed to know. Had that kiss been a one-off?
Had he really meant to ask her out? Her gala attendance was mandatory, but she wouldn’t mind having a date.
Although, this would probably dictate her dress choices and absolutely her underwear selection.
And also whether or not she went home and spent too much money on alcohol and ice cream tonight.
But she had picked out her lingerie today for confidence, and if she didn’t at least let Rowan get a glimpse of it, then it was a wasted effort. She had worn what was supposed to be a breezy casual shirt-dress that buttoned up the front, and flats. All of the excitement was underneath.
She could see that the light was on in Rowan’s office. Vivian’s heart seemed to battering against her ribcage in an attempt to fly away. She hadn’t felt this nervous to talk to a boy since high school.
Oh, dear, sweet baby Jesus.
Rowan lay on the floor holding a toddler. Vivian watched in ovary-melting shock as Rowan tossed the little boy into the air, caught him, and brought him down for a raspberry on the tummy. The little boy squealed with delight.
“A-gin!”
Up in the air and back down for another tummy tuba.
More shrieks of laughter. And that made Rowan laugh nearly as much as the little boy. They shared the same hazel eyes that crinkled the same way when they laughed.
Vivian hadn’t given much thought to Ashley’s train station theory previously, but she was now pretty sure she had just pulled into baby town.
“Lady!” exclaimed the little boy, spotting her, and Rowan looked up, letting the toddler sit on his chest.
“Hi,” he said, smiling at her without moving. She thought it was the first time she’d seen him look genuinely relaxed and happy. His carpet was littered with toy tanks and a few Cheerios.
“Hi. Sorry if I’m interrupting. I didn’t realize you were in a crucial meeting with a VIP client,” said Vivian, smiling back. Hadn’t she told Christine no on step-kids? Why was this the most adorable thing ever? It was cuter than puppy videos, but this should be a red flag, right?
“Well, Oliver is the most important client,” said Rowan, laughing. “But you’re not interrupting.”
“Unca Roan!” exclaimed the little boy, grabbing Rowan’s face with both pudgy hands. “A-gin!”
Oh. Uncle. And it was green flags all the way down the track.
“Again?! I’m starting to think you’re destined for the paratroopers.”
Vivian chuckled. In the distance, she heard the ding of the elevator and the sound of hurrying feet.
“That’s going to be Forest,” said Rowan without moving from the floor. He tossed the little boy up in the air again as the door burst open.
“I’m here. I’m here. Sorry, sorry.”
The man looked to be in his thirties and with dark, disheveled hair as if he’d run all the way up from the parking garage. Vivian recognized the piercing green-flecked eyes that Rowan shared with Oliver, but the slightly frantic edge was not something she associated with the Valkyrie aura.
“Daddy!” chirped the little boy.
“Breathe, Forest,” ordered Rowan, using what Vivian thought of as his commanding voice, and Forest automatically inhaled. “We’re fine,” said Rowan more softly.
“Sorry,” said Forest again. “I didn’t mean to be late.”
“Everything’s fine,” said Rowan. “Olly is training for the paratroopers, and I am getting my arm workout for the day.”
Forest snorted, then he spotted Vivian and looked embarrassed.
“Hi. Sorry. I’m Forest Valkyrie. The small one is my son. The big one is my brother.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Vivian, holding out her hand. “Vivian Kaye.”
“Vivian is my building rep,” said Rowan, without moving from the floor. Oliver was now driving a tank over his chest. “She works downstairs at Hoskins, Branch, and Kato.”
“Oh, they handled Olly’s citizenship after Vera passed,” said Forest.
“Olly’s mom was from Australia,” said Rowan by way of explanation, and Vivian nodded.
“Nice guy named…” Forest hesitated, seeming to search his memory. “Grant Ichikawa.”
“Oh, yeah. Grant’s great,” agreed Vivian. Grant was one of the nicer lawyers at the firm.
“I didn’t know they did other stuff,” said Rowan. “I thought they all did Estate Planning like everyone else in the damn building.”
“That’s Howard’s specialty,” said Vivian. “We have civil and criminal divisions, too.”
“Estate planning,” said Forest, dropping into one of the chairs that Rowan had pushed up against the wall. He looked exhausted. “I’m going to have to figure that out at some point.”
“You don’t have a will?” asked Rowan, surprised.
“Like you do,” said Forest sourly.
“I’ve had a will since I was eighteen and entered the service,” said Rowan. “I had to assign death benefits.”
“You never said anything!”
“You were twelve, and Ash was nine, and you were already freaking out about me leaving. I didn’t need to add an oh by the way if I die you’ll get a bunch of money and don’t worry I’ve put it in a trust so Mom doesn’t blow it all on her shit boyfriends.”
Vivian blinked at the casual description of their childhood. It seemed to explain a few things about how seriously Rowan took himself.
“But, but,” said Forest. “I don’t even know how to get a will.” The panic was evident in his eyes. It was as if Rowan had just assigned him a new and insurmountable task.
“Forest, it’s fine. I’m in a high-risk profession. It just makes sense. You’re in real estate development and construction.”
“An elevator could break and I could plummet to my death or an I-beam could drop on me on the next site visit!”
“Then you should probably get one,” agreed Rowan soothingly. “But there’s no rush.”
“I’ll tell you what,” said Vivian, feeling sorry for Forest, who had anxiety rolling off him in waves.
“If you worked with Grant before, then you’re already a client.
I’ll email him now, and tomorrow, he’ll send you a questionnaire and some stuff to fill out, and then we can draw up a will for you to approve or modify. ”
“Questionnaire?” asked Forest.
“So that we can get a sense of how you want your assets divided. That kind of thing. And who would get custody of Oliver.”
“Rowan would take Olly, of course,” said Forest as if it were obvious. Then he blinked at Rowan. “You would, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes, of course,” said Rowan. He pretended to eat the tank Oliver drove over his face and Olly chuckled. “Although, I might have to fight Uncle Ash for you. Yes, I would.” Vivian tried not to melt over his growly but sweet baby-talk voice.
Vivian took out her phone and stepped around Rowan to lean against his desk while she typed.
“I’m sure Ash would be fine,” said Forest. “But I don’t really think he’s ready for kids. And obviously we can’t let Mom have him.”
Vivian tried not to take that as a statement about Rowan’s readiness for kids.
“Well, considering that you’re not about to die, I think it’s kind of a moot point,” said Rowan, sounding amused as the tank drove up his face.
“There,” said Vivian, hitting send. “Grant will take care of you. You’ll barely have to think, I promise.”
“Thanks,” said Forest, looking like he genuinely meant it. “I’ve been meaning to get to that, but I didn’t even know where to start.”
“Amazing what happens when you ask for help,” said Rowan, in what Vivian thought was slightly too pointed of a commentary.
“Help is nice, but sometimes it’s just faster and easier to do it myself,” said Forest. “I don’t want to spend forever explaining what I want to someone.”
Vivian resonated with that, but she had also learned that attitude wasn’t sustainable.
Not in her work and not in her personal life.
That’s why she had the brain trust of girls on a permanent text thread.
She didn’t know why boys didn’t get themselves a brain trust of bros.
She looked around the office and then down at the floor and wondered if that was Rowan’s entire business model.
“Mm-hmm,” said Rowan, and Vivian thought it was a tactical withdrawal from the argument. Olly climbed off Rowan and toddled toward Forest.
“Daddy. Tank!”
“Yes, that is a big tank,” agreed Forest, scooping up his son. “You ready to go home and get some dinner, big man?”
“Nugits!”
“Right,” said Forest, looking around. “Where’s all his stuff?”
“Piled in a cart by the elevator,” said Rowan. “You can wheel it down with you and leave the cart by the elevator when you’re done.”
“Didn’t use any of it, did you?” asked Forest with a sigh.
“Where do you think I got the Cheerios?”
Forest shook his head and hoisted Olly up. “Thanks, Row. I really do appreciate it.”
“Any time,” said Rowan from the floor. Forest’s footsteps receded, and Rowan looked up at her.
“Thank you,” he said after they heard the elevator door close.
“Forest’s wound so tight these days sometimes I think he’s going to bust a spring.
He’s hiring a new nanny, but if that doesn’t take the edge off, Ash and I will have an intervention. ”
“It was literally the least I could do,” she said.
Vivian realized she had a dopy smile on her face for no good reason and looked for something to say.
“Are you going to lie on the floor all night?”
His head twisted to one side slightly. “I don’t know… I kind of like the view.”
Her first instinct was to look up and see what had him so fascinated, and then Vivian realized that she was what was up for him.
“Rowan Valkyrie,” she said, trying to pretend she wasn’t smiling, “can you see up my skirt?”
A cocky grin spread over his face.
“Yes, but not nearly as far as I’d like,” he said, and Vivian bit her lip trying to suppress a giggle.