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“Are you sure? I’ve been on here for a while. I don’t mind getting off of it.”
“I’m positive, Leighton.” I love hearing him say my name. “It’s not a big deal. Promise.”
River moves to the weight bench when he finishes on the elliptical and I’m happy that he’s lying on his back. I can watch him without being caught.
Up, down. Up, down. Up, down. God, I love watching the taut muscles in his arms and chest and abdomen bulge every time he lifts and lowers the weights.
River Winfrey is so damn sexy.
But he is my boss.
And a mega superstar.
He’s totally out of my league, and I have no business watching him or lusting over his hotness.
I finish my run and turn off the treadmill, taking a big drink of cold water and wiping my face with a towel.
“Finished?”
“Yeah. Scarlett will be awake soon, so I need to jump in the shower.”
“Before you go… my mom’s birthday is this weekend. I was planning to go into town today to get her present. I wouldn’t mind some help picking out a gift. And I could show you around.”
“I don’t know. I mean, I would love to, but Scarlett’s immune system is still weak. She’s three months old, but it still isn’t a good idea to take her out into a large crowded area like the mall.”
“What about keeping it low-key? We could shop at one of the small boutiques?”
There would probably only be a handful of people in a small shop. “I think that would be okay. Any ideas about what you want to get for her?”
“None.”
I don’t know Diane Winfrey extremely well, but I know that she’s crazy about her new granddaughter. “What about a grandmother’s birthstone necklace or bracelet? Maybe a piece she can add to as she has more grandchildren.”
“She’s not getting any more grandchildren.” River isn’t smiling at all. He’s serious.
“Well, maybe not from you, but your sister will probably have babies one day.”
He shakes his head. “She and her husband don’t want children. They’re happy without them.”
“I’m surprised to hear that.” And a little disappointed. Sally Kate is so good with Scarlett.
“It’s not that she doesn’t like children. She just doesn’t have a desire to have any of her own and neither does her husband. They prefer to travel and have fun with their friends rather than take care of kids.”
I understand that there are plenty of people in this world who don’t wish to ever have children, and that’s fine for them, but that’s not for me. I can’t imagine going through life without trying for another child. But I want a husband first. A committed husband.
I don’t want to go through that alone. Again.
Being a wife. Being a mother. That’s what I want more than anything in the world.
It’s still hard to swallow… that I was living my dream, or so I thought, and both slipped from my grasp within the same week.
But enough of that. Back to the birthday gift for Diane Winfrey. “Do you want to get her something expensive or thoughtful?”
“Thoughtful. My mama is not impressed by expensive gifts.”
I’m with her on that. Not my thing either. “Okay. Let me think about it, and I’ll hopefully have something cooked up for you before we go.”
