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“He's the complete opposite to me. He doesn't even want kids.”
“Some men are like that at first. He might change his mind.”
“No, not Hunter Le Blanche. I won't get any of the things I wanted out of a relationship with him. I'm bound to him because of duty, because my father needs our union, and all I’m being told is that it's a good opportunity. Love shouldn’t be about opportunity.”
Emily taps my wrist. “You need to try and calm down. You're worrying way too much. Take baby steps right now. That's all you can do. You can't worry about things you can't control.”
The phone on my desk buzzes. It's Elaine, the receptionist. I tap the button to release the call and leave it on loudspeaker.
“Hi, Elaine.” I try to mask the angst in my voice.
“Hey, Luna. I've got Ryan here to see you. He says he brought coffee.”
She sounds cheerful and I can imagine Ryan standing in front of her, smiling.
“Thanks. Can you ask him to meet me in the garden?”
“Sure.”
I hang up and look back at Emily. "It's showtime."
“Just try to keep yourself calm and remember what's important.”
“Always.”
It's such a shame that what's important never seems to be me.
Or what I want.
I find Ryan sitting on the bench in the garden. Next to him are two large coffee cups from our favorite coffeehouse.
Ryan stands on seeing me and smiles.
Like always, I rush up toward him, greeting him with a hug. I'm grateful when the hug feels as familiar as it usually does, with that warmth of friendship that soothes me.
“Hey, there,” he says with a smile when we pull apart.
"Hey, yourself.” I look at his hair, which he’s cut shorter. “Your hair looks nice.”
He chuckles and runs his hand through it. "After months of growing it out, I decided it was time for a trim."
“It suits you.”
“Thanks. In other news, the coffeehouse has just started doing their toffee nut special.” He picks up mine and hands it to me. “I got you an extra shot of toffee.”
“Oh, thank you.” I smile back at him. Every summer the coffee shop does a special line up of flavors that I absolutely love. Whenever Ryan is in town we get them. “I can't believe it's that time of year already.”
“Time flies.”
“It sure does.”
He motions to the bench for me to sit. I do, and he lowers next to me.
While I sip on the coffee and savor the gorgeous blend of sweetness, he stares at me, his expression transforming from excited to cautious.
“I figured you chose the garden because you wanted to talk to me in private,” he states, maintaining that caution. “I guess I need to talk to you in private, too."
"Yes. We have a lot to discuss."
