Heather
Saturday in Manhattan was crazy busy, especially on a gorgeous day like this one. It was the beginning of May, which meant half the flowers in the parks were in full bloom. Everything was green anyway.
I felt like royalty from the moment I stepped inside Bergdorf Goodman. Everything from the way the merchandise was arranged in displays and on shelves to the faint jasmine smell in the air dripped with elegance and luxury.
We went directly to the children’s section. Avery and Ryker were in the lead, whispering. It felt like we were a little family, traipsing around and discussing the pros and cons of every toy.
Ryker kept taking out his phone from time to time, typing notes on it.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Writing down potential investors for Skye and Tess.”
I’d resolved to not let him worry, but this was something else: he was finding solutions. I barely refrained from suggesting he take a seat in the coffee shop across the street and finish his list. He’d insisted that he did want this shopping trip... but he already had so much going on. An old worry resurfaced, wondering if this change in lifestyle was too much, but I pushed it away, choosing to focus on what was in front of me.
When Avery stopped to inspect a huge, turquoise Smurf figurine, I pulled Ryker to one side.
“How many items did you negotiate?” I asked him.
“What do you mean?”
“How many items is she allowed to choose?”
Ryker cocked a brow.
“Please say you’ve told her how many items she’s allowed.”
“That’s no fun. We’ll just play it by ear.”
“Have you ever been shopping with a seven-year-old before?”
“No.”
I pressed my lips together, but still couldn’t hold back laughter.
“I’ve got this,” Ryker said confidently.
“Okay. You do your thing. I won’t interfere.”
I was curious to see his tricks. After all, he’d cut his teeth on Wall Street wolves. Fifteen minutes later, I realized Ryker’s trick was saying yes to everything. Clearly, his Wall Street rules didn’t apply to Avery. We already needed a cart to carry around our acquisitions.
I’d said I wouldn’t interfere... but he needed saving from himself. I was torn between saying something and just watching Ryker and Avery. They were having so much fun that I just couldn’t bring myself to interfere. Midway through the spree, I went to buy water. Upon my return, there were three more items in the buggy: a mini skateboard, a mug, and a candle. I wasn’t sure who was trying harder to pretend that the items weren’t there: Avery or Ryker. I decided not to call them out on it. Five minutes later, it turned out they thought they’d fooled me, because they attempted the same maneuver. I had gone to ask where we could find sheets, and upon my return, there was a tea set in the pile that most definitely hadn’t been there before. Yeah... definitely time to interfere.
“What’s that?” I asked, gesturing to the tea set.
Avery pointed an accusatory finger at Ryker. “It was his idea.”
Ryker laughed, crouching until he was level with Avery.
“Avery, a partnership works only if we don’t rat each other out.”
Avery shrugged. “Yes, but then Mommy would be mad at both of us. Now she will only be mad at you.”
He laughed, standing up, turning to me. “She has a point.”
“I’m not mad at either of you. But we’ve got enough things. You already have enough toys to keep you busy for a while.”
Avery pouted, looking from me to Ryker, who nodded.
“Excellent. So we’re done?” I asked.
“Avery wants to check out the playground,” Ryker said. “We can drop her there while we wait for the store to bring the sheets from the storage room.”
We dropped Avery off at the playground, where a supervisor assured us she wasn’t letting the kids out of her sight.
“Just say it,” Ryker said as we went up again on the escalator.
“What?”
“I know you’re dying to make fun of me.”
“Well....”
“I just don’t know how you say no,” he said.
I wiggled my eyebrows. “Practice.”
“Doubtful. She just has this look in her eyes, like her entire world revolves around buying this next thing.”
I was on a higher step than him, so I easily laced my arms around his neck, playing with his hair.
“Yeah... she’s good at blackmailing without even using words.”
Once we reached the floor, Ryker put one arm around my shoulders, keeping me close. When he nibbled at my earlobe, I elbowed him lightly.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
“I’ve been dying to touch you for hours. Didn’t want to do it with Avery watching.”
“How about everyone watching right now?”
“Don’t give a fuck about them.”
Warmth coursed through me, rising to my cheeks.
“Fuck, I love seeing you blush. Especially because I know how far this blush spreads.” He dragged the back of his fingers from my cheek down to my neck, and then lower still, only stopping at the neckline of my dress. That warmth instantly turned to heat. I licked my lips, pulling slightly away, needing fresh air. The combo of cologne and testosterone was not easy to resist.
The bedsheets were supposed to be delivered to the cash register on the main floor, but the woman working behind it informed us it’d take a while until they’d be here.
“You’re welcome to look around until then,” she finished.
“Thanks,” Ryker said. We moved along the counter toward the back, where there were no buyers.
Now that we had time for a breather, I took time to admire him for the first time today. He wore a light blue shirt and jeans and looked simply delectable. He was just getting hotter by the day.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
Blushing, I turned around, glancing down at the glass counter.
“That you’re basically like George Clooney. Getting sexier all the time. When you’re fifty, you’re going to be winning sexiest man of the year awards, and I’m just going to keep out of the pictures so I don’t cramp your style.”
“Already imagining us at fifty?”
I gasped. My stomach tightened the very next second. “I was just... I mean, I know how that sounds.”
“Sounds like you believe in what we have. I know I do. And today I just had this glimpse of what it feels like to have a family, and I want it, Heather. With you. And I bet you’ll be hot when we’re fifty.” He lightly bit the side of my neck, laughing like we were just playing around, when he was claiming more of me with every word.
I want it, Heather, he’d said. But we’d known each other for two months only. Was he ready? Was I ready? I had no answer, but I knew one thing: I loved being wrapped up in him like this. He was holding me tightly to him. If I stood still, I could feel his heartbeats echoing against my body.
“Choose something,” he whispered in my ear.
“What?”
“Anything. I want to buy you a gift.”
“That’s not necessary. And you’ve already bought so many things that we’ll need a truck to transport them.”