Counting the Kisses (Counting the Billions, #3)

by Lexy Timms

  Leanne shrugged, taking another sip of her drink. “Well, actually, Matt and I are thinking about trying for another baby,” she said casually.

  I gaped at her. “Leanne!” I exclaimed. “That’s amazing. Any luck yet?”

  Leanne shook her head. “We’re still mostly just thinking about it,” she admitted. “But I’m pretty sure we’re going to go for it. We both always thought that three was the perfect number. And now that Layla is old enough that we don’t have to worry about her so much, I guess it just seems like the perfect time to have another one.” She wrinkled her nose. “Of course, I’ve finally given away all the baby things and gotten used to not having to change diapers anymore.”

  I laughed and shook my head as well. “You know that as soon as you have a new bundle of joy, you’ll forget all about the bad parts,” I reminded her. “Or at least, if you don’t forget about them, you’ll realize that it’s all worth it in the end.”

  Leanne smiled. “That, I know,” she said. “It’s all worth it in the end.”

  “I mean, you already have two perfect little angels,” I added. “You seem to know what you’re doing, at least.”

  Leanne snorted. “To be honest, I don’t think you ever really feel like you know what you’re doing as a parent. But somehow, everything seems to work itself out. Or at least, that’s my experience with it.”

  I giggled. “Well, I look forward to having a new little niece or nephew, if you do decide to go for it,” I told her.

  “You look forward to spoiling the little one!” Leanne joked, and I had to laugh. “And what about you?” she asked. “Do you think you’ll ever give me a little niece or nephew to spoil?”

  I sighed and shook my head. “I don’t know, Leanne.”

  Leanne raised an eyebrow at me. “You don’t know?” she echoed. “That’s at least a change from the straight up ‘no’ you always said before.”

  I smiled at her. “It is a change,” I allowed. “And I don’t know if I’ll ever actually go through with it. But that night that Daniel and you guys and the kids and I all had dinner together, I was just watching him there at the table with them, imagining what it would be like if he and I had a family to have family dinners with. I don’t know.”

  Leanne smiled. “That’s how it starts,” she warned me. We both laughed. “And what about Daniel?” she asked. “Have you talked to him about it? Having kids?”

  I shook my head. “Not yet,” I admitted. “As you know, things haven’t been easy between the two of us. There’s been a lot of drama. I didn’t want to rush things.”

  “These are conversations that you guys need to have,” Leanne reminded me.

  “I know,” I said. “I just don’t want to scare him off or anything.”

  “Do you really think you would?” Leanne asked exasperatedly. “You’ve seen him with Zach and Layla. The guy is wonderful with them. And you know I don’t say that about a lot of people.”

  I laughed. “I know,” I said again. I sighed. “I guess what I’m really worried about is just getting in over my head. Even further than I already am. You know, I really like this guy. Love him, even. And he said that he loves me, too, but all the same, I’m just worried.”

  “Wait, back up a minute,” Leanne said, holding up both hands. “He said he loves you?”

  I blushed and nodded. “Yeah,” I admitted. “It was the night he came over to your guys’ place. When he and I had been fighting. He told me he never should have treated a woman he loves the way he treated me.”

  “Aww, that’s so cute,” Leanne said, smiling at me. “So if he loves you, why are you so worried? At least it sounds like the two of you are on the same page, even if you haven’t been dating so long. Or are you still afraid that things with the media could get difficult?”

  “It’s not that,” I said, shaking my head. “And I know that this isn’t fair to him. But I’m just worried that one day either Daniel is going to do something that makes me realize he really has been an ass all along, or else he’s going to get sick of me or something. You know I don’t have the greatest track record with guys.”

  It sounded so self-deprecating just to say it out loud like that. It wasn’t like I had self-esteem issues, not really. But I really was worried that somehow, things with Daniel and I were going to fizzle out eventually. I didn’t want to get too attached to him if that was the case.

  “It’s just, every time that I start making plans for the future, I check myself,” I explained to Leanne before she could say anything. “Because I know that that’s the worst part of any breakup: having those plans for the future that you made with the other person and realizing that none of those things are actually going to happen now, or that you can never do certain things again without thinking about them."

  Leanne winced. “There’s a lot to unpack there,” she said.

  “I know.” I sighed. “And like I said, I know none of that is fair to Daniel.”

  “Yeah, but you have to be fair to yourself. I get that,” Leanne said, nodding at me. She reached out and caught my hands where they rested against the worn, wooden table. “I know that you haven’t had the best track record with guys,” she said slowly. “But you also know that Matt and I weren’t stoked about you being with Daniel originally, and we’ve come around. You don’t think we would have done that if we thought the guy was an asshole, do you?”

  I laughed. “No, I guess not,” I admitted. “But still, something could happen.”

  “It could,” Leanne agreed, nodding. “Tomorrow, you could be hit by a bus on your way to work, rendering all plans for the future as meaningless. Maybe you’d never become a CEO, even. But does that mean you should stop your training with Daniel to one day lead a company?”

  “No,” I said immediately, shaking my head. I frowned. “You know, when you put it that way, it sounds really silly,” I admitted.

  “It’s not that it’s silly,” Leanne said. “I get why you’re nervous. Hell, you know how nervous I was when I first started dating your brother. Not least of which because I was afraid that if he and I ever broke up, you would be obligated to take his side. I didn’t want to lose my best friend as well as the guy I was crushing on.”

  I grinned. “At least I don’t have to worry about that,” I agreed.

  Leanne shrugged. “Just, I think that if things feel this right with Daniel, if you’re willing to forget about all the drama with the media and everything else, then maybe it’s worth making some long-term plans with him.”

  “You’re right,” I agreed. I sighed. “The thing about it is, though, there’s so many things that I want in a future with him.”

  “Such as?” Leanne asked.

  “Kids,” I admitted. “I want to get married and move in together and have kids. I want to travel with him, and not just for work. You know that I’ve always wanted to be a CEO one day, but for Daniel, I don’t know. I either want to be a fantastic CEO at a company that really makes a difference, or...” I trailed off, feeling silly.

  “Or?” Leanne prodded.

  “Or maybe I’d be ready to give up the idea of being a CEO if it meant that I could keep working with Daniel as his advisor,” I admitted. I groaned and put my head in my hands as I heard the words leave my mouth. “And I know that it’s way too soon to be thinking along those lines, but there it is. That’s all I’ve been able to think about since he started training me more in what is necessary to be a CEO. I’m not sure that I ever want to leave McGregor Enterprises.”

  “Honestly, that’s kind of refreshing to hear, with the way that you’ve bounced through jobs since your graduation,” Leanne teased.

  I had to laugh at that. But then, I shook my head. “It’s just, I’ve always wanted to be a CEO,” I reminded her. “I feel like I shouldn’t be basing my future so totally on Daniel that I’m willing to give up everything I’ve always wanted, just to be with him.”

  “You’re not,” Leanne protested. “If you think that you want to keep working
alongside him, then you’re not giving up everything that you’ve always wanted. And not only that, but forget all about that nonsense about it being too soon to be making those sorts of plans. If things are right, then things are right.”

  “I guess so,” I said, frowning as I thought it over.

  “Besides,” Leanne added, a twinkle in her eyes, “if you’re going to have kids, someone is going to need to look after them. Maybe it’s a good thing if the two of you can split the role of CEO so that there’s always someone home with the kids.”

  I grinned at her. “The kids?” I asked jokingly. “How many are we having, then?”

  “I guess we’ll have to see,” Leanne said, smiling at me. “You know, I’m really happy for you. I’m glad that you found someone you like finally. And a good one, too.”

  “We’re not getting married yet,” I reminded her, caution in my tone.

  But Leanne just rolled her eyes. “Oh, I know,” she said. “I’m sure I’ll be the first person you tell when you are getting married. But anyway, what I’m saying is that it doesn’t hurt to plan things. Matt and I talked about kids and everything else when we’d only been dating for, like, a month. And sure, we had known each other for longer than that since we all basically grew up together starting in high school. But all the same.”

  “I’ll think about talking to him about some of it,” I promised Leanne. “I’m not saying we’ll make any firm plans just yet, but I guess if things are going to go anywhere at all, then we kind of need a road map.”

  “Exactly,” Leanne said. “And hey, why don’t the two of you come over for family dinner again this coming Sunday? If he’s going to be a staple in your life, Matt and I want to get to know him better. And like I said, he’s great with the kids.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” I said, smiling.

  Chapter 23

  Daniel

  I HEARD ABBY’S CAR pull up outside on Tuesday evening and smiled to myself. She had gone for drinks with Leanne that night, a much-needed girls’ night she had told me. I knew that she hadn’t had a chance to see just Leanne, without the kids or Matt being there, in a while now. So as much as I would have liked to have her all to myself for the evening, I was glad she had gone. But I was equally glad that she was back relatively early, I had to admit.

  I liked having her around the mansion with me. Somehow, she filled all those empty spaces that had bothered me ever since Austin had moved out. Somehow, even when we weren’t talking, when we were just curled up together reading or working in the living room, Abby seemed to kill those terrible silences.

  But I had used her absence that night to work on something slightly different, and I was proud of myself for getting everything done before Abby came inside.

  She paused when she found me in the living room. “Hey,” she said, smiling at me. “What’s that look for?”

  “I have something for you,” I told her slowly, and I watched the excited curiosity fill her eyes.

  “Oh really?” she asked, coming over to the couch and sitting down next to me. She leaned in for a quick kiss. “What is it?” she asked.

  I reached over to the coffee table and grabbed the white envelope I had placed there. “Now, I know that me handing you envelopes has a little history to it. Something that we’d rather not repeat,” I said slowly, and Abby laughed. “This is a good surprise, I promise you,” I told her.

  Abby flipped over the envelope and lifted the flap, pulling out the papers from inside. Her jaw dropped. “Is this for real?” she asked.

  “One hundred percent,” I promised her, grinning at her hushed excitement. “Two one-way tickets to Thailand, one for me and one for you, leaving in a little over two weeks.” I paused. “I moved around some of our meetings, with Erin’s help. I have to admit, I was kind of surprised to find out how willing everyone was to let me take a vacation. I guess a lifetime of great service pays off eventually.”

  Abby shook her head, still looking stunned. “And the other employees?” she asked. “What did they say?”

  “I haven’t told everyone yet,” I admitted. “But I think things are going to be fine. They’ll be in Erin’s capable hands.”

  Abby’s head snapped up. “You’re putting her in charge as interim CEO?” she asked, and I couldn’t read the expression on her face. Having recently put Abby in that position, though, and realizing just how uncomfortable it had made her, I could imagine some of what she was thinking, though. Hell, she was probably wondering what would happen if Erin outshone her. If I would keep Erin as my advisor instead or something.

  “I didn’t ask her to be interim CEO, no,” I said quickly, keeping my voice gentle. “She’ll basically be doing the same thing that she’s always done, only with a bit more scope now. She’ll be in charge of making things run as smoothly as possible in our absence and letting us know about everything that we need to handle right away. The meetings that can’t be rescheduled, she’ll sit in on them and take detailed notes for us. That sort of thing.”

  “Oh wow,” Abby said, shaking her head. “And you really think this will work?”

  I shook my head as well. “To be honest, Abby, I don’t really care if it works or not. All I know is that as irresponsible as it may sound, all I want to do is show you all the places you’ve always dreamed of seeing.”

  A slow grin broke across Abby’s face. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

  “Thank you,” I said to her in response. “You know, before you came along, the only thing I could focus on was work. And I definitely love my company and the work we do. This isn’t the end of that. But on the other hand, you’ve made me want so much more than just that.”

  “How long are we going for?” Abby asked, looking down at the tickets again. “These are just one-ways.”

  “I know,” I said. “There are two reasons for that. The first is that if anything big does happen with the company and I need to fly back right away, or we both need to fly back right away, we have the flexibility to do so. Of course, I’m hoping that nothing like that happens, but I figured we should be on the safe side either way. We can always pick back up once everything settles down again, so don’t worry about that.”

  “Makes sense,” Abby said.

  “The other reason is that this leaves us free to pick our own route once we’re over there,” I continued. “Rather than lock ourselves into a certain amount of time in Thailand followed by a certain amount of time in Australia, this gives us the chance to explore for as long as we want. Maybe we only end up seeing Thailand. Or maybe on the way down to Australia, we decide to stop off in Indonesia or somewhere as well. I just didn’t think it made sense to lock ourselves into anything.”

  “I love that plan,” Abby said, grinning at me. She shook her head, though. “I still can’t believe this is real,” she said. “I feel like you need to pinch me or something.”

  I laughed and gave her a hug. “How was drinks with Leanne anyway?” I asked.

  Abby seemed at a loss for words for a moment. Then, she smiled. “Not nearly as exciting as this,” she joked. But her eyes turned serious again. “Really, Daniel. I can’t imagine a better gift than this. Getting to see the world with you? That’s amazing.” She paused. “Thanks again.”

  I leaned down to press a soft kiss against her lips. “Thank you again,” I murmured. “I know you don’t believe I was ever the terrible person that the tabloids make me out to be, but still, I have to thank you for always believing in me.”

  Abby grinned up at me as we pulled apart, then got to her feet, setting aside the envelope and pulling me up to my feet as well. “Let’s go upstairs,” she suggested. “I think this time, it’s my turn to show you how truly grateful I am.”

  Chapter 24

  Abby

  I ROLLED OFF OF DANIEL and flopped down against the mattress, just trying to catch my breath. Daniel twisted his fingers in mine, but it was clear that all he could do was breathe for the moment, too. No matter how many times we’d had sex th
is week, it seemed like we kept reaching higher and higher degrees of ecstasy. Each time I came, I was sure that I could never cum so hard again. But each time we made love, Daniel seemed intent on proving me wrong.

  I certainly wasn’t complaining.

  But now, as I looked at the time, I groaned. “Maybe I should just call Leanne and tell her that we can’t make it to dinner tonight,” I said to Daniel. “Some work emergency.”

  Daniel grinned at me, rolling toward me and propping himself up on one arm. With his other hand, he traced the curve of my breast, making me shiver as lust flared anew in the pit of my belly. “Or maybe we both have some terrible disease that makes us unable to make it out of bed,” he agreed gravely.

  I giggled and pushed his hand away, sighing. “We should probably get going,” I said.

  “I thought you were almost ready anyway,” Daniel reminded me.

  I snorted. “That was before you tore off my dress and tangled your fingers through my hair,” I pointed out. “If I don’t want to look like I was just fucked, and I don’t since we’re going to Leanne and Matt’s place and they already know too much, then I’m going to need a little more time getting ready."

  Daniel kissed me. “Take as much time as you need,” he said. “I’ll get the driver to go extra fast if we need.”

  I laughed and shook my head. “All right, getting ready,” I said, slipping out of bed.

  I picked up my black dress where it had been discarded on the floor. I dragged it on over my head, smoothing the material down with my fingers. There were a couple of wrinkles from where it had been unceremoniously discarded, but I didn’t think anyone would notice. More obnoxious was my hair. I dragged a comb through it for the second time that night and then carefully pinned it up.

  “You look beautiful,” Daniel said from behind me. He stepped closer, picking up my waiting necklace from the bedside table, and then put it on me, his fingers brushing lightly along my skin. “Absolutely beautiful.”