“I get it. That’s the same reason I didn’t say anything to Brett at first. This is just really hard, sweetheart…I mean, Emmy.”
“No, I like sweetheart.” I look up and catch his mouth in a soft kiss. “So you love me, huh?” I smile.
He holds up his fingers about an inch apart and says, “Little bit.”
“Oh, come on! I love you at least this much.” I spread my fingers about three inches.
He gives me a smirk that Caleb should be famous for. It’s bad-boy sexy but still warm and tender. “Tell me you’re mine.”
I lean into his chest and take a deep breath of his scent. He’s sweaty and sticky from working hard at moving all of my stuff, but he still smells amazing. Part sweat, part soap, and one hundred percent Caleb.
“I’m yours,” I whisper into his neck, giving him the one sentence he asks for daily. It’s true, and it always has been.
“Fuck!” He quickly lifts me off my feet and pushes me against the side of his truck. I wrap my legs around his waist just as his hand roughly moves over my breast and up the back of my neck. He looks deep into my eyes and demands, “Say it again.”
“I’m—” I begin, but I’m interrupted.
“You all right, Emma?” Hunter yells from the doorway.
“I’m fine. We’ll be there in a minute.”
Caleb lets out a string of curses while staring up at the sky. “Fucking prick!”
“Oh, stop it. He’s a good guy. Give him a chance. Will you please still go out with us tonight?” I beg, being sure to add my pouty lip that never works on him.
“Fine, but here is how it’s going down. Tonight, I will put on my best happy face. But I swear to God, if he touches you, I’m going to lose my shit. I’ll try to keep in under wraps, but you’re going to have to help me out a little too. Don’t encourage him, and for the love of God, stop bouncing your tits in their faces. Alex is a big dude. That fight would not end well for anyone involved.”
I let out a loud laugh. “Okay, no touching and no shaking. I think I can handle that.”
“Then, you are coming home with me. They can stay here alone. I want to be inside you where I can say I love you properly.” He leans his forehead against mine.
“I like the sound of that.”
“You always do.” He rolls his hips into mine.
“HEY, ANGEL,” I say as I walk up to Manda’s grave.
The familiar weight settles in my stomach the way it does every time I come here. I miss her—there is no denying that—but it’s just different these days. Emma has filled the darkness surrounding my heart. She has rejuvenated me and pieced me back together. It’s been just over three months since we met at the hospital, but Emma Erickson has changed me, and as rough as it is going to be, it’s time I told Manda.
“Sorry. It’s been a few days since I was here, but I wasn’t exactly sure what to say. I’m treading in new waters right now.” I settle down on the ground next to her name. “I finally met someone who makes me feel again. It’s been a long time coming, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to move on from the holes you left in my soul.”
I glance around the cemetery, very aware that I’m talking to the wind. Fucking hell, Manda is the wind. No matter how long it’s been, it still cuts me deep.
“I’ve been seeing Emma Jane Erickson for months now, and last weekend, I finally grew a pair of balls and I told her I love her.” I let out a loud sigh. “Jesus Christ, I was scared to death at first, Manda. This whole thing with Emma has been a whirlwind. It’s been fast, but it’s the realest thing I have felt since I met you. I know she’s Sarah’s sister, but no matter how fucked up it is for me to be with her, I couldn’t stop myself from falling in love with her. I even feel like you may have had a little something to do with that—which is why I’m here today.
“I loved you, angel, but this thing with Emma is something completely different. I don’t know where it’s going for sure, but I know where I want it to go eventually. So I hope you understand that I need to leave this with you.” I spin the black box around in my hand. “I don’t feel right about carrying it around with me anymore. It’s time. Jesse has told me repeatedly that I should leave it here, but I just couldn’t let go.” My voice chokes in my throat at the admission. “It’s just that we never talked. I never knew your reasons, but I hope you know there is nothing you could have said that would have changed my mind. Nothing.