Counting the Kisses (Counting the Billions 3)

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.