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But, suddenly, there’s the sound of a throat clearing near us, and we stop kissing to look over and see Gabby and Anna standing in the shop, Gabby’s hands covering Anna’s eyes.
“Seriously, guys?” Gabby says.
River and I both laugh as Anna pushes Gabby’s hands away and runs up to us. My sweet daughter has a huge bouquet of flowers in her hands, and she proudly presents it to me.
“Oh, those are super lovely flowers, honey,” I say, dipping my head to breathe in their fragrant scent. “Thank you for picking them out.”
“Were you twokissing?” Anna asks, looking suspiciously from me to River and back to me.
“Just a little,” says River.
The last thing I hear is Gabby’s snort as she turns and walks into the kitchen.
Chapter Five
River
Two Months Later
Anna’s peals of laughter ring out over the sand. She’s chasing the waves as they pull back out to sea, then squealing with delight as they roll in and chase her back up the beach. Leah is sprawled out near me on an oversized towel, a broad-brimmed hat perched on her head. She’s also got on a new swimsuit—a purple one that somehow manages to be classy, simple,andsexy all at the same time.
Although, let’s be real. Leah would look sexy wearing a crumpled paper bag.
“Hey mister,” Leah says, looking at me with one eye open. “If you’ve got the time to stare at me like that, then make yourself useful and help me with some sunscreen.”
“You got it, sugar,” I say, grinning at her as I grab the bottle. She sits up and I squirt a glob of the coconut-scented cream into my palm and spread it along her shoulders.
“Hmmm,” she purrs. “I’m thinking about taking someone on permanently for this job. You interested?”
I tangle my fingers into her hair and pull her head back so I can press my mouth to hers.
“Okay, you’ve got the job,” she says breathlessly as she pulls away.
“That’s what I thought,” I say as I continue to slowly spread the sunscreen over her shoulders. Then I slide my hands down to her ass and give her ample cheeks a hearty squeeze. “Jesus. You don’t know how badly I want to make you come right now, Leah.”
“River!” she gasps, but when she turns around, I see that her nipples have hardened beneath her swimsuit.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t fantasized about it, too.”
She tries and fails to hide a smile. “Oh, shut up.”
I laugh and kiss her cheek. She insists that I give her one more, then lets out a gentle sigh as she looks over at Anna. “Guess we should probably get going, huh? That girl needs at leastonedecent meal today.”
“Stay here. I’ll get her,” I say before Leah can stand up.
“Aw, thanks, babe. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” I drop a kiss onto the top of Leah’s head and jog across the sand to the edge of the water, where Anna is arranging seashells into a pattern.
“Anna, it’s time,” I say to her. “You ready, sweetie?”
She leans to the side and peers around me at her mom before giving me a grin and a decisive little nod. “Yep. Ready.”
Together, the two of us quickly shovel more sand into her bucket. Then I pull the ring from the pocket of my swim trunks, tuck it into the sand, and cover it with a shell. “All right, girly. Careful, now.”
Anna gives me a serious nod as she stands up and takes the bucket carefully into both hands. She holds it firmly against her chest as she takes measured steps across the beach.
Meanwhile, I follow close behind.
