Page 29 of What I Needed

I laughed at his behavior as I placed Riverlynn in the center of my bed, then opened my text thread with Shakira to reply to her text.

Me:

My bad. Donovan called as soon as I walked in.

Kira:

Damn. That’s kinda thirsty.

Me:

You think so?

Kira:

It hadn’t even been an hour since you parted ways. That’s definitely thirsty.

Me:

River probably thinks so too. He overheard our conversation, and I think he has an attitude.

Kira:

You think he’s jealous?

Me:

I doubt it. His roster is too full for him to be jealous about what I’m doing. I’m going to bed. We’ll talk tomorrow.

Kira:

Good night. Love you.

Me:

Night. Love you too.

I placed my phone face down between Riverlynn and me and picked up my Kindle. After reading for a few minutes, my eyes became heavy, and I didn’t fight it. When I opened them again, River hovered above me.

“I put Rivvy in her crib already, but I was sure you’d want to put your bonnet on and get underneath the comforter,” he said.

I heard him, but his words took a moment to reach my sleepy brain, so I didn’t move.

“Huh?”

Instead of responding, he put my bonnet on and lifted me from the bed, bridal style, pulled back the comforter, and tucked me in.

“You should be good now.”

He kissed my forehead, turned off the light, and left. I was asleep before I could process what had happened.

“I didn’t expect to hear any of what you told me. It seems a lot has happened in the past month,” my therapist, Dr. Black, said.

“I know, and I almost didn’t tell you, but you probably would’ve picked up on it.”

“I definitely would’ve seen the light in your eyes and the genuineness behind your smile. You look different, Erissa.”

“I feel different and better than ever. I don’t know what to attribute it to, though.”