Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 87289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Well, hell.
“Oh. I’m, ah, flattered. I just… I’m not sure I’m in a place to start dating.”
He shrugs. “Is it really necessary to slap a label on whatever this turns out to be?”
Um…
It takes effort to keep the smile pasted in place. “As much as I appreciate the offer, I’d prefer to keep our relationship strictly business.”
He arches a brow. “Perhaps I can change your mind about that.”
Unlikely.
I shake my head. “Thank you again for the opportunity. I look forward to hearing from your assistant.”
Before he can attempt to change my mind or rescind the offer, I’m tumbling out of the car and onto the curb. It only takes a moment to straighten and dust myself off before I’m halfway up the steps to the townhouse. Once there, I turn and lift a hand to wave. Using the key, I slip inside the safety of my home. Only then does the tension I’ve been carrying around all night ease from my shoulders.
No matter what River texted earlier, I’m fully expecting to walk into pandemonium. Nora’s probably running wild, refusing to go to bed, and every toy she owns will be strewn around the place.
Instead, I find the lights dimmed and the TV volume on low. My footsteps stall when I spot River in the armchair and Nora curled up against his chest, fast asleep with her cheek mashed against his sweater and her hand clutching the fabric.
I freeze as everything inside me constricts.
They look so cute together.
Kind of like they belong.
What hurts even more is that Zane never cuddled her like this. He never held our daughter like she was his whole world or acted like she was the best part of his day.
But River?
He does it as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.
His lips curve in a slow smile as our eyes stay locked. I slip off my jacket and then my shoes. Every step I take feels deliberate. Magnetic. Like some kind of invisible force is drawing me to him. It’s one I don’t have the strength or the will to resist.
I’ve never felt this way before.
Not with anyone.
Including Zane.
Back then, I mistook his attention for affection. I was swept up in the whirlwind of being wanted by a pro athlete who said all the right things… until the shine wore off and the truth came into sharp focus. He didn’t love me. He enjoyed the chase. By the time I figured it out, I was already pregnant and in too deep to turn back.
But with River…
This isn’t a storm.
It’s something I don’t recognize.
And I’m not sure if I should step closer… or run.
12
River
Nora’s completely sacked out on my chest, one arm flung across my ribs like I’m her personal stuffed animal. Her lips are parted slightly, and her fingers twist in the fabric of my sweater.
I should probably get her to bed before Callie walks through the door. I want to make things as easy as possible for her.
But I don’t move a muscle.
Instead, I remain in the armchair, content to have this little girl snoring in my arms. There’s something comforting about the warmth of her body. The trust that had filled her face when she stared at me with eyes the exact shade as her mother’s. She could have asked me for a pony, and I would’ve wanted to know what color she had in mind.
I’m knocked from those thoughts when the front door clicks open and Callie walks in.
For just a second, I eat her up with my eyes.
All right, let’s be real.
It’s for way more than a second.
Anytime this woman is near, I find myself forgetting about everything else going on.
It’s a relief that she looks the same as when she left earlier. Gorgeous, calm, and pulled together. She shrugs out of her jacket and hangs it on the hook before bending to unfasten her shoes one at a time.
That shouldn’t be so sexy.
Our gazes cling as she closes the space that separates us until she’s no more than a foot away.
“I take it the meeting went well?” I ask, refusing to call it a date.
“It did. He agreed to carry my desserts.”
“That’s great,” I say, meaning it. “I’m happy for you.”
I brace myself as she leans in to pick up Nora. Her scent hits me first. It’s something light and floral. It’s unfair just how quickly it goes straight to my head. I inhale a lungful of her before I can stop myself.
Her eyes widen as they dart to mine, and we freeze for a beat.
Maybe less.
But it’s enough to leave me reeling.
Nora stirs, and Callie pulls back, as if she touched a live wire, before easily adjusting her daughter in her arms. It’s almost like Nora is an extension of her own body. Watching them together makes something inside me ache.