glad you’re here.”
“Me too,” I said, meaning it. Being in his arms filled me with a certainty I couldn’t explain, except that I knew everything would be all right as long as we were together.
I’d almost forgotten Natalie was there until she cleared her throat, reminding me of her presence. I reluctantly disengaged from Andrew’s embrace and said, “This is my best friend, Natalie. She was there the day we met, but you probably don’t remember her.”
Andrew looked apologetic as he walked toward her with his hand extended. “It’s nice to meet you, Natalie. I’m sorry but I don’t remember much about that day except Ryanna and realizing she’d saved my life.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said in a quiet voice, appearing shyer than I’d ever seen her. Normally, Natalie took the attitude of ‘a stranger is a friend you haven’t met yet,’ greeting people with boisterous affection. Now, she acted like I usually did with strangers, shy and withdrawn.
Not that I blamed Natalie. Even without knowing he was a billionaire CEO, Andrew’s height and stunning good looks made him an intimidating presence. As if he realized this, Andrew looked her in the eye and said, “Thank you for bringing Ryanna here today. I know how important you are to her, and that makes you important to me as well.”
Natalie’s face brightened and I breathed a sigh of relief as well, knowing he’d gotten her seal of approval. We all entered the house, which was even more impressive on the inside. The modern, sleek furniture looked like it came straight from the pages of Elle Décor . The liberal and strategic placement of various antiques created a unique atmosphere. While all very beautiful, it didn’t look like a place where I could make myself at home.
Andrew appeared to read my mind, because he said, “These front rooms are where I do most of my entertaining. But come, let me show you where I spend most of my time, where I’m most comfortable.”
We walked along the hallway, passing what felt like at least a dozen more rooms, before we came to a small wood paneled den with exposed beams and a rumpled decor of comfort. “Your man cave?” I asked in a teasing tone.
“Yep.” He collapsed onto a leather couch, and I couldn’t help but notice how toned and muscular his body looked as he sprawled out. “This room is usually off limits to any and everyone. But I wanted to share this with you because I didn’t want you to think those front rooms represented the entire place.”
“That’s good because they weren’t very child friendly,” I said. I’d been doing that more and more, thinking in terms of how something would affect or impact a baby. Andrew and I hadn’t even had sex yet, and I already acted like the baby would be coming any day now.
“Where is Ryanna going to stay?” Natalie asked.
I looked at Andrew, whose lips curled into a mischievous grin. “I thought we’d have some lunch before I showed Ryanna to her wing.”
My wing? Natalie and I exchanged impressed looks. If my “wing” was anything like what I’d seen so far, I’d be living in luxury and splendor for the next few months.
Natalie made an exaggerated show of pulling her phone out of her purse. “Would you look at the time? I have an appointment back in the city, so I’d better get going. It took longer to get out here than I thought it would.”
I knew she was making up an excuse to give me and Andrew privacy. “Oh, come on, Nat, you drove me all this way. The least I owe you is a little lunch.”
“Seriously, Ry, I need to go. Training at the bank has been moved up to next week, and there are a million things I need to do before I start working there.” She hugged me and whispered in my ear, “You’re in good hands. I wouldn’t leave you here if you weren’t.”
I hugged her back, grateful for the encouragement and support. “I’ll talk to you later.”
After Natalie left, Andrew led me to his kitchen, where a