And it was so unlike someone to notice how Emily was doing – Emily, who always tried to make everyone comfortable and well fed and kept a stiff upper lip no matter what – that she trembled. It wasn’t that she was cold; it was like her body couldn’t handle all the conflicting emotions inside it. She didn’t know what to do, what to think – so she shook like a frightened puppy. Kind of sad, really.
“Here,” Jericho said, and he shrugged off his leather jacket and then draped it around her shoulders, mistaking her shiver.
She wanted to correct him, but the jacket was warm and heavy and smelled like Jericho. So she burrowed deeper into it and gave a small sigh. “I should be able to handle all of this, shouldn’t I?”
“I think it’s natural to get emotional when you’re around your ex.” After a moment, he added, “It sounds like he misses you.”
“It does sound like that, doesn’t it?” Gosh, her voice was bitter. “But what it sounds like and what it really is are two different things. I learned that the hard way with Braden.”
Jericho paused. “He said he wanted you back. That what you want?”
She swallowed hard, thinking. Trying to gauge his reaction. If she told him what she really wanted, would he run off and leave her? Could she handle being abandoned twice? “I think I’d really like for you to hold my hand again,” she said in a small voice.
He reached over and took her hand in his. “That’s easy enough to do.” His thumb brushed against her palm, sending ticklish feelings up her nerve endings. “Better?”
“Yeah.”
They sat there for a long, quiet moment, just holding hands and listening to the water. Then, Jericho broke the silence. “I know I’m not exactly a great catch. I’m the town outcast. A drifter, I guess. A bad boy. Not the kind of guy you bring home to Mom, you know? I have tattoos and piercings and I’m pretty much the only one in my family that hasn’t spent time in prison. I don’t have a place of my own yet. I really don’t have a lot to offer a girl like you. Not like Braden.”
She blinked. Looked over at him. Her fingers curled against his, squeezing his hand. “What do you mean, a girl like me?”
“I mean, I’ve never really dated anyone like you. Most of the chicks I’ve seen have been casual hook-ups. I feel like I’m not the right kind of guy for you because you’re so pretty and sweet and you like to bake and do stuff around the house. I’m not used to that kind of girl.”
He made her sound like the most boring woman on earth. “I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be. I like it. I really do.” This time he squeezed her hand, and she could have sworn he moved a little closer to her on the dock. “I just don’t have much to offer that kind of girl. Braden’s got a great job, and probably a college education, and savings, and shit like that.”
“Yeah, Braden’s just great on paper,” she said, resentment clouding her voice. “But when I needed him, he took off to pursue his own ideas and left me to clean up the mess. You know what I want in a guy? Someone that loves me for who I am and sticks around to help me change the light bulbs. That’s all that I ask.”
He looked thoughtful. “I do change a mean light bulb.”
A giggle escaped her.
“I guess I just have a hard time asking a girl to take a chance on me when I don’t feel like I have much to offer.”
She gaped. Just a little. “Not much to offer? Are you kidding? You’re smart, you’re funny, you’re kind, you’re good with your hands, you’re great in bed, and you make me laugh and feel totally comfortable.” This time, it was Emily that scooted a little closer. “And best of all, you are always there when I need you.”
“Well,” he said softly. “All right then.”
She tilted her head back and gazed up at him. “You make me happy and you’re there for me. I don’t think a girl could ask for more.”
“So…all that shit I said about us being casual? I lied. I don’t want you seeing anyone but me.”
“I don’t want anyone but you,” she whispered happily. “And I don’t want you to see anyone but me.”
“Emily Allard-Smith, ever since I met you, I haven’t been able to see anyone but you.”
“See, there you go again, always saying the right things,” she said, snuggling up to him. He looped an arm around her shoulders and he felt so good, so very right. “And I’m pretty sure I’m going to go back to just Emily Allard. The ‘Smith’ part kind of gets on my nerves.”