Page 76 of Friends With Benefits

“Yesterday I had a meeting with a client. Remember the guy who still wanted to get back with his wife and was giving her everything under the sun?” She nodded, eyes shuttered. “Well, we were talking and I realized it doesn’t matter if we’re married or not —being without you hurts. I love you and I want to be with you for the rest of our lives and if I can’t be with you… Hell, I don’t know how to say this.”

He watched her swallow and lick her lips in a sexy way. “Are you saying…you want to get married? Or are you still trying to convince me we can be together without being married?”

“I’m saying I want to marry you.”

He could not believe what had just came out of his mouth. He had never in his life thought he would ever say those words. A painfully heavy silence hung between them for long heartbeats.

“Well,” she said eventually. He’d expected a bit more of a thrilled reaction from her.

“Uh…”

She still just gazed at him. “The thing is,” she finally said. “I don’t think I need to get married any more.”

“Huh?” He didn’t get it. “What the hell does that mean, you don’tneedto get married?”

She gave a crooked little smile. “Turns out my family apparently does respect me.”

What did that have to do with marriage? Sometimes she really was flaky. He gave his head a shake.

“I don’t need a husband and a family to be taken seriously,” she said. “I am a successful, independent woman.”

“Yes, you are,” he agreed, still bewildered. “But…isthatwhy you wanted to get married?”

She nodded, looking a little abashed. “That’s part of it. I do want to have a family and I’m not getting any younger, but I…” She focused on her hands. “I felt like nobody took me seriously. All the stuff I’ve done… I know my business isn’t as big as Sela’s, but I do okay. My parents treat her like an adult and they treat me like a little kid. I just thought if I was a married woman, a mother…they would know that I’m grown up. They would treat me like an adult, respect the things I’ve done.”

Mitch studied her for a long moment, not sure what to say. Wasthatwhat this whole marriage thing had been about? He couldn’t believe someone so together, someone as smart and funny and special as Kerri could have had doubts like that about herself.

“Kerri, you are most definitely all grown up,” he said. His throat felt like he had a popcorn kernel stuck there. He gave a little cough. “I’m just…mind-boggled you could think that. So, what happened to make you realize that’s crazy?”

“Sela and I had a big fight the other day, about her trying to control my business and me interfering in hers.”

“Ah. The massage oil issue. I gather she found out.”

“Oh yeah. And was she ever pissed! Some beauty editor from Lux magazine came to the spa and had a massage with one of my oils. She raved about it and wrote a promo piece in the magazine about our spa. Then people started calling here and asking for the stuff. That’s how Sela found out.”

He nodded.

“But it’s actually a good thing. When she found out about the article, she wasn’t so mad, because it is good publicity after all. Free advertising. So, she apologized. She really overreacted because she’s been so stressed about the move and everything. Sounds like her family is going to make her change some things. Iknewshe was overdoing it.” She shook her head. “And she actually proposed that we start producing some of my oils and other skin care products—remember, you and I talked about that?”

“Yeah, I remember.” He smiled, warm pride rushing through him.

“She also told me that Mom and Daddothink I’m doing a good job,” she continued softly. “So getting married just to show them how together I am is probably not the best idea. I thought I needed to do that, but now I know that was just crazy. Besides, you don’t really want to get married. You’re just saying that.”

“Kerri, why would I say that if I didn’t mean it? God,meof all people.”

She nodded. “You’re just trying to make me happy.”

“Is that…bad?”

She smiled slowly. “No. I love it. I love you. But I don’t want to make you miserable. If you don’t want to get married, I’m fine with that. We can be together and…just…be together.”

“What about…kids? You know you want to be a mother. Youshouldbe a mother.”

Her smile softened, touched with a hint of sadness. “Yeah. But if it never happens, I’d be okay with that. It would be…you know…karma. I think I can live without kids.” She hesitated, took a breath. “But I don’t think I can live without you.”

He felt like a fist squeezed his throat. Ah, hell. That was how he felt, too. Now hehadto touch her. He rose up out of the chair and went behind her desk, pulled her up out of hers. They stood there, his hands holding hers, tightly pressed between their bodies.

“I don’t want you to give that up,” he said. “You want kids and I want them to be mine. Nobody else’s.”

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