their fingers together before letting them fall to the bed beside him.
“Yours,” she said simply.
Chapter Ten
Emily lay between Greer and Taggert, one arm and leg thrown over Taggert and her head resting on his
shoulder. Spooned behind her, Greer rested his hand possessively on her hip and he kissed her bare
shoulder.
Peace. For the first time in a year peace filled her. Sweet. Unending. So exquisite she wanted the moment
to last forever.
With a wistful sigh she snuggled a little deeper into the crook of Taggert’s arm.
Some of the constant ache she’d lived with ever since Sean’s death dissipated as she felt the steady
reassurance of Taggert’s heartbeat and Greer’s warm lips brushed across her skin.
And then, because she couldn’t stand another moment without saying it, she whispered, “I love you.”
They both went still beside her, their bodies tense. Not even the sounds of their breathing could be heard.
The silence hurt her ears. It was harsh. A white void that filled her with insecurity all over again. It was
too easy to go back to that awful day when her world had irrevocably been turned upside down.
“Do you mean that, Emmy?” Greer asked as he stroked the curve of her behind.
Taggert raised his head to stare into her eyes. There was such hope reflected in his gaze. And fear. She
found herself staring at the same insecurity that rocketed through her chest.
“I’ve always loved you. That’s never changed. It didn’t change when I married Sean. I loved him. I loved
you. I’ll always love all of you.”
Greer put his lips to her shoulder again and left them there. She felt the slight tremble as if he were trying
valiantly to come up with just the right words.
Taggert shifted and came up on one elbow. He touched her cheek, his finger tracing the line of her jaw
and then lightly feathering across her lips.
“I love you too, Songbird. I think I’ve always loved you.”
Her heart swelled, and she swallowed to alleviate the discomfort. An ache bloomed but a different kind of
ache. Not the sharp, incessant pain of grief and longing. This was overwhelming. Hope budding and
unfurling like a flower seeking the sun.
“I love you,” Greer whispered against her skin. “I’m so sorry I hurt you.”
She closed her eyes against the sting of tears. It wasn’t fair. How could she hope to have it all when she
didn’t have Sean?
“Emmy, look at me.”
Taggert’s command, tender and coaxing, penetrated the fog swirling in her mind. She forced her gaze to
his, her lips trembling even as he continued to stroke his thumb over her mouth.
“Tell me why you blame yourself for what happened.”
Her pulse jumped and stuttered. She tried to shrink away, but she was caught between the two men. There
was nowhere to run.
“Sean gave up so much for me. For my dream. He loved me. Protected me. He died protecting me.”
Greer kissed her nape, and his fingers curled over her shoulder in a gesture of comfort.
“He grabbed my throat—the attacker—he was so angry. He kept saying I’d ruined everything. He was…”
She could feel his hand tightening around her neck. Feel the pressure as he squeezed. Remember the
absolute knowledge that she was going to die. “He had to be some obsessed fan or someone like my
father who felt my career was an abomination,” she finished in a barely audible voice. “My singing, my
gift, killed Sean. I should have been happy to have just been with him and away from my father. We
could have had a wonderful life, but I was so determined to prove my father wrong. My anger and my
resentment killed the man I loved more than anything.”
Taggert sucked in a stuttering breath. His hand fell away from her face for a moment, and she refused to
look up at him. She didn’t want to see judgment in his eyes.
“Is that why you won’t sing?” Greer asked.
Her hand flew to her neck. Her pulse jumped crazily against her fingertips.
“I can’t,” she said honestly.
“You will, Songbird,” Taggert said. “Right now you’re afraid, but when you feel safe again, you’ll sing.”
She shook her head, but he leaned down and kissed her, refuting her denial.
“It’s not your fault,” Greer said as Taggert pulled away. “You can’t second-guess your entire life. Sean
was proud of you. He loved you. He wouldn’t have had it any other way. You know that, Emmy. If you
look past your hurt and grief, you’d admit to yourself that he’d have no regrets.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” she said quietly. “But I do.”
“So do I,” Taggert said. “But I can’t torture myself forever over them. All I can do is try to make things