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Crystal shook her head. “He’s crazy if he thinks you won’t be a good mom, Annie. You’re practically a mother to all of us at the yoga studio. He’s a fool for breaking up with you!”

As I pulled myself together, I realized that I wasn’t mad at Richard. He was only doing what he felt was best for Addison. In a perfect world, there would be no Heather in between us.

“No, it’s not his fault. Nor is it just me being a stepmother to Addison.”

“Then what is it?”

After wiping my face clean with some tissues, I told her about how obnoxious Heather had been at the lake. That she had been stalking Richard that whole time, along with me, and even called me a ‘slut.’

“Who the hell is SHE calling a slut?”

I put my fingers to my lips, worried that students down below would hear Crystal screaming.

"Sorry, but she doesn't know you."

"She’s just nasty, Crystal. Before Richard came along, I might as well have been a nun. Did I tell you about the time he bought her a Coach handbag, and she complained about the color?”

“Are you serious? I would give anything for a designer handbag of any color!"

I told Crystal how back when they were dating, Heather had made it clear that she loved Coach handbags. She had gone on and on about how badly she wanted one, specifically in black but only this one style. Richard had contacted the store directly, who knew who he was, but they only had that style in beige. Ordering one would take several weeks, and it was their anniversary, so he got her the beige one.

“So there they are, having a romantic dinner at his place, and she flung the handbag at him from across the table because it was the wrong color.”

Both of us shook our heads. Not only was Heather a stuck-up, spoiled woman, but Richard was a genuinely good man who deserved better.

“No wonder she’s a horrible mom,” Crystal said. “Well, I think Richard will come back around. Once the whole child custody legal crap is over with, he'll be able to think straight again. Has anything else happened with your lifestyle line?"

"There is some good news. The investor emailed me and wants me to fly out to New York City. They’re ready to move forward with creating my line, but I need to meet them in person.”

Crystal threw her hands in the air and yelled, “Annie, this is perfect! When you go out there, you can see Richard too.”

I tilted my head at her, confused at what she was saying. “Richard lives here, Crystal. In River Valley.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I heard that he flew out to New York City for business the other day, and this is the perfect opportunity to show him what he’s giving up. Prove to him that you’re not letting go that easily.”

My eyes lit up for a second.

“Annie, he cares about you. That is no question.”

I didn’t even know he had flown to New York City, but then again, his dad had been giving him more work. He was probably staying at his father’s penthouse in midtown Manhattan. I’d never seen pictures of it, but knowing the Truman’s, I'd bet good money that it was gorgeous.

“I don’t know, Crystal. Being confrontational just isn’t my style. Wouldn’t I be acting just like Heather?”

“Confrontational may not be your thing, but I know that you have it in you. Richard probably ended things with you because he didn’t want to hurt you in the long run. Showing up at his doorstep is your chance to show him that you’re worth fighting for and that you two belong together.”

“He made it clear that he doesn’t have time for a relationship right now,” I said.

That was my biggest concern. I knew that we made each other happy, and I never doubted his feelings for me, but relationships took a lot of work. With everything going on in his life, I didn’t want to be a burden.

“If you can run a successful yoga studio and launch a product line at the same time, then he can make time for you. Richard is a good guy, Annie. I say go for it.”

As Crystal fished through her bag to find the movies she brought, I played a few scenarios in my mind.

If I showed up to his place and he was happy to see me, then maybe we could work things out. I could prove to him that I’d be a good stepmother to Addison and that his legal hearings wouldn’t get in the way of our relationship. I wasn’t a woman who had nothing to do all day besides waiting for her man.

I had my own life, too.

If he wasn’t happy to see me, then at least I’d have closure and could move on with my life. The past few days had been awful. I convinced myself that it would get better in time, but that wasn’t happening. I needed one more shot to be with Richard.