Page 17 of The CEO

“Lilly is as much your daughter as mine now. I don’t want you to keep anything from me. We’ll make decisions together. Ifyou’re worried about something let me know, and we’ll figure it out…together.”

“Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around his waist.

“We’re a team. Team Lilly. Don’t ever forget that.”

“I won’t.” She moved out from under his arm and looked up at him. “Shall we take our daughter outside? She can say her goodnights to her grandmothers, and they can love on her once more.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Then I think I’ll leave Ray in charge. My brother can handle anything that comes up. Then the three of us can go to bed. If we’re not careful we’ll turn her into a night owl.”

“You’re right. We can’t have that. She needs to keep to her routine. But that doesn’t mean we should abandon our guests either. When she’s tired, we’ll put her back in the playpen.”

“You’re right.” He turned toward the door. “Let’s get this done.” He walked out toward the crowd in the backyard.

Lilly wasin back in her playpen before nine o’clock. She didn’t even make a fuss about going down.

Bree and Adam went back to the reception until close to midnight, when they said their goodnights and showed their guests out.

When she got back to her bedroom, Bree took down her hair and brushed it out before braiding it. If she didn’t, it would be a rat’s nest in the morning, and she hated that. After she was finished, she pulled on her nightgown. The summer garment had spaghetti straps and hit her mid-thigh.

She thought about the commitment they’d just made, not only to Lilly but to each other. Would they eventually fall in love?Could they have a real marriage? Bree was the one who’d put the limit on it. That it just remain that they were friends. She was afraid Adam would never fall in love with her, and she didn’t want a marriage just based on sex. Bree needed to be loved. Adam knew this and had never given any indication that he felt more than friendship for her. She wondered if she would be able to only have friendship for their whole marriage. Knowing she needed to be loved didn’t bode well for her. If she was to be brutally honest with herself, she’d married Adam as much for him as Lilly. She’d fallen in love with him years ago. She’d thought it was only because she missed Brad, but after much reflection, she knew it wasn’t true. Bree loved Adam for himself and for no other reason.

Just as she was about to crawl into bed, a knock sounded on the door.

“Bree? It’s Adam.”

She grabbed the robe that matched the nightgown and pulled it on before answering the door. “Is it Lilly? I didn’t hear anything. I think I need to sleep with the door open.”

“It’s not Lilly. Now that everyone is gone, I just wondered if you wanted to have a nightcap. Even though it’s past midnight, I find I’m not sleepy.”

“Um…sure. Why not? For some reason Iama little wound up.” She walked back to the bed and slid into her slippers. “Shall we?” She noticed Adam was wearing an old t-shirt and sweatpants. “I feel like I’m underdressed for this excursion.”

He chuckled. “You’re not. I had to put on clothes, so you didn’t think I was a pervert or something. I rarely wear anything to bed, but I’ve decided that with Lilly here, I need to be prepared to be up at a moment’s notice and not have to worry about getting dressed whenever she needs me.” His gaze roamed over her from head to toe. “We haven’t seen each other before bed yet, so I didn’t know what you wore to sleep.”

“I always wear a nightgown or, in winter, pajamas. I don’t like to be cold.”

“We can turn the heat up if you like.”

“No, that would make everyone else uncomfortable. I can add layers. It’s what I did at home because I didn’t like the environmental impact of using so much gas, so I’m used to it.”

“You do realize we can afford whatever the heating bill is, right?”

She snorted. “Just because we can afford it, doesn’t mean we can’t still do our bit for conservation.”

Adam shrugged. “I suppose that’s right. I simply didn’t want you to be cold.”

Bree reached out and touched his arm. “Thank you, but I’m fine and if I get to the point I’m not, you’ll be the first person I come to.”

He covered her hand where it rested on his right arm. “Good. I don’t want you uncomfortable.” He walked down to the recreation room where the bar was located.

The room was set up for watching movies, with six reclining chairs, a couple of loveseat recliners, and a full bar. The TV screen was the largest she’d ever seen. She figured Adam had it custom made. He wasn’t one to use anything but the best for his guests.

“What would you like?” Adam slid behind the bar.

Bree sat on one stool. “I would like a chocolate martini.”

Adam frowned. “That’s the one thing I can’t make you. I don’t have any Godiva liqueur. If you’re feeling like a dessert drink, how about a mudslide?”

“That is my second favorite drink, so bring it on.” She leaned her elbows on the teak bar and watched him work. “Ah, you make it with real ice cream. That’s the best kind.”