Anna gently rubbed Margie’s head.
“Thank you for doing this,” I whispered to Anna, I was trying not to wake Margie.
“You are more than welcome. I really do enjoy both of you guys being around.”
I smiled at her. “I enjoy it too. And I can tell she just adores you.”
“I adore her. She’s the sweetest little girl I’ve ever met.”
The movie ended, and Anna helped me carry Margie out to the car. I gently put her in, and she didn’t even wake up. I closed the car door and turned to Anna.
“Thanks again for doing this,” she said.
“It was my pleasure, Anna,” I leaned in and gave her a kiss. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” she said.
I got into the car and watched her in my rearview mirror until she made it back inside. I was falling madly in love with this woman. It excited and terrified me at the same time.
Chapter Eighteen
Anna
The next day, I went to my studio to clean the place up. Dinner with my family, Justin, and Margie had been amazing, and Margie was a huge hit with both my parents. Even Ally adored her. I saw my dad pull Justin off to the side, but I didn’t know what they talked about it. I forgot to ask before they left, but I was very curious what was said between the two.
I refilled my lotion bottles and heard the front door open. I didn’t have an appointment for another two hours, so I figured it must have been a walk-in. While I didn’t get them a lot, they did happen occasionally. I only allowed enough time for two 15-minute walk-in sessions per day. Any more time than that, and I wouldn’t be able to get much of my other things done.
An appointment could be booked for anywhere from twenty to sixty minutes. I found most people picked either twenty or the full sixty. There were hardly any in-between. I had only ever done one twenty-five minute massage before.
I walked back out of the room and was surprised to see that Justin was sitting in a waiting chair.
“Hey. I wasn’t expecting to see you today,” I said, but I realized I should elaborate more. I
didn’t want him to think I was upset that he just dropped by. “I mean, I don’t mind that you’re here, of course. It’s a nice surprise.” I said it with a bright smile.
I felt incredibly nervous without knowing why. He met my family, and they absolutely loved both him and Margie. Dinner was a total success and yet, seeing Justin sitting in my waiting room filled me with a fresh wave of nerves.
Justin smiled, and I nearly fainted. He had the best smile I’d ever seen on a man. I loved every smile he sent my way. I knew I needed to get a hold of my emotions before he saw through my façade.
“I just wanted to talk to you. If you aren’t busy,” he said and glanced around as if he hadn’t yet checked to see if someone was there.
“My next client isn’t for a couple of hours. I can talk. Are you okay?” I moved and sat next to him in another waiting chair. I felt weird standing there when he was asking if we could talk. I hoped that he wasn’t going to tell me he couldn’t pretend to be my boyfriend anymore. My heart rate had picked up, and I could hear it pounding in my ears.
“I’m still stressed about my next fight,” he admitted.
I let out the breath I’d been holding and hoped he didn’t notice. I placed a hand on his arm. I was big on showing affection to people who really needed it. “You’re going to do great. You are going to win. You need to put the last fight behind you because you did win it. It doesn’t matter how close you came to losing, you won, Justin. That is all that matters.”
“I know, but it still really bothers me how close I came to not winning. My next fight is coming up, Anna,” he said, and then he looked into my eyes. “I really need you there.”
He put emphasis a strong emphasis on the word “really.” My heart ached for him, and I wanted nothing more than to comfort him.
“I know,” I started to say, but he cut me off. It didn’t bother me because I could sense the amount of fear he felt.
“No, you don’t. I’m serious; I need you there. You don’t understand… If you aren’t there, I’ll lose for sure.”
“I don’t think that’s true.”
“But it is. Please. I can’t do this without you, and I cannot afford to lose.”