The Broken One (Corisi Billionaires, #1)(16)

I tipped my head back and rubbed a hand over my forehead.

I don’t just want sex.

I walked back to my desk and sat down.

What do I want?

What was it about Ava hugging Sebastian’s neck that kept the scene popping into my thoughts?

What did it represent?

What do I feel like I’m missing?

A happy, successful man who gives me butterflies just by showing up. A man who sees me as his partner in and out of bed.

Someone who would love my child as much as I do.

I’m wishing for a unicorn.

I stretched my arms above my head.

The positive?

I had admitted something important to myself: I wanted more than Ava in my life.

A healthy step.

It also made Sebastian’s rejection easier to work through. It wasn’t that I cared about him not wanting me. I’d let him represent my ideal, and that had given my exchange with him more importance than it warranted.

Deep breath.

Inner peace returned.

Thank you, Mr. Romano, for returning Wolfie to us. For me, not you, I forgive you for your rude parting comment. I hope you find something today that makes you smile.

“Knock, knock,” Teri said at my doorway. “Erica is here and asking if you have a moment.”

“Send her in.”

Smiling, Erica entered, placed a brightly wrapped package on the corner of my desk and said, “I had an epiphany this morning.”

Teri hovered near the door. I stood and waved her in. I might need the moral support. “An epiphany. Sounds interesting.”

Erica turned to Teri. “Did she tell you about the man who brought Ava’s stuffed animal back?”

“She did not.” Teri’s eyebrows arched in interest.

I put a hand on one hip. “He was above average in the looks department, but not big on pleasantries.”

“He was hot,” Erica said, fanning the air. “H. O. T. And she practically wet herself just looking at him.”

I rolled my eyes. “It wasn’t like that.”

Elbowing Teri, Erica nodded. “You should have seen the look on her face. She wanted to eat him up. And he was looking at her the same way. I should have offered to take Ava with me so they could have gotten it on right there.”

Hand to heart, Teri said, “How romantic is that? What a great way to meet.”

I pinched an inch of air. “Erica is exaggerating just a little bit.” I separated my fingers. “By that I mean a lot. He dropped off Wolfie, we barely spoke to each other, then he left. End of romantic story.”

Laying her hand on the package on my desk, Erica said, “Only if you let it end that way. This morning you said you had Ava write him a thank-you letter. Do you have it with you?”

I glanced at the pile of paperwork on the corner of my desk. “Yes, but I have no intention of actually sending it to him. I just wanted her to take the time to express her gratitude.”

Erica tapped the top of the wrapped box. “That’s so wrong. Take her note, add one of your own, and send him this package. I guarantee you’ll have a date with him by the weekend.”

“Trust me, he doesn’t want to hear from us again.”

Lifting a shoulder and cocking her head, Erica said, “I never knew you were a coward. Did you know that, Teri?”

“I’m not in this,” my assistant said wisely.

Mirroring my stance, Erica continued, “Since I met you, Heather, you’ve described a certain kind of guy you could imagine yourself with—but when he actually shows up at your door? What do you do? Write him off? Do you know who gets married by giving up that easily? Um. No one.”

My eyes narrowed. “Have you ever heard of false advertising? His packaging might be what I said I wanted, but I’m not bringing anyone into my life—into Ava’s life—who isn’t as together on the inside as he looks on the outside.”

“You talked to him for two minutes. You don’t know what’s on his inside.”

“Trust me, I got a glimpse of it. I saw it in his eyes. He’s not happy.”

Erica looked to Teri, then back at me. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize you were also looking for perfection in a man. Let me amend my advice. Forget about this guy and stock up on vibrators, because you’re never going to find someone who doesn’t have some kind of issue.”

Teri coughed and excused herself from the room.

I stood taller, temper rising. “He literally looked right at me and said he didn’t want me.”

Erica’s eyes rounded. “I don’t believe that. Did he use those words?”

“I’m paraphrasing.”

“No, you’re reading into what he said because you’re afraid you might actually have met a man you could like. You’re scared. Admit it.”

I plopped into one of the leather chairs in front of my desk. “Do you think he actually looked like he wanted to eat me up?”

With a chuckle, Erica took the seat next to me. “Oh, hon, he was a starving man, and you were an all-you-can-eat buffet.”

I laughed. “It felt like that for a second, but then it didn’t. He did actually say it didn’t matter if he was married or not because there was nothing there he wanted.”

“That is odd.”