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“Probably not, but she knows he’s a little crazy when it comes to her safety.”
She nodded her head in agreement, so I continued.
“Anyway, the timing wasn’t right to approach you, so I decided to wait. That doesn’t mean I didn’t seek you out every chance I got.”
“The parking lot incident,” she grumbled. “You were stalking me?”
“Stalk is such a harsh word. It was more along the lines of investing in my future.”
She smiled shyly as a light laugh fell from her lips.
“When the FBI approached Quattro with evidence of your father’s crimes, I knew I had to figure out a way to protect you, regardless of whether or not we took the job. Then Joel hurt you and I saw red. That was when I knew for sure.”
“Knew what?” she asked.
Taking a chance, I leaned forward, brushing my lips against hers.
“I’d fallen in love with you.”
Her quick inhale was all the encouragement I needed to finish quickly.
“After I brought you home from the emergency room, I called my brothers and told them to accept the job from the feds. Their investigation was moving forward with or without us, but if Quattro was involved, we’d have control over the narrative.”
“Are you able to tell me what’s going on? With the investigation?”
She looked apprehensive as she asked, and I hated I was the cause of her discomfort. I squeezed her hand to get her attention, then stared into her eyes, letting her see the truth in my words.
“I’ll never lie to you,” I began. “What I have to tell you about your dad and brother…it’s not good. I’m sure you’ve already guessed considering what we overheard, but I’ll try to soften the blow as much as I can.”
She remained quiet while I explained about the initial meeting with Duncan and how the FBI’s evidence pointed to her father being a traitor to his country. I went on to tell her what Rico had uncovered in regards to Maxwell’s gambling problem. By the time I finished, I felt as if a load had been lifted, yet there was still so much uncertainty. I had no idea if she’d forgiven me, and the unknown was pure torture.
“That’s everything I know.”
“Thank you for telling me,” she uttered. “Now, it’s my turn to say a few things.”
Rising from the couch, she began to walk back and forth from one end of the small room to the other, wringing her hands together in front of her. Finally, she stopped pacing, but she was still too far away.
“Before I came to Mountain Grove, I’d never had a real relationship with a man.” She shook her head. “When I thought you’d betrayed me, I was devastated. I felt out of control, which was why I asked you for time. Later that night, when I talked to Gigi, she made me realize something.”
“Emory?”
The physical distance between us became too much to handle, so I stood and moved in front of her.
“I love you too,” she breathed.
Thank fuck.
I took a step, only stopping when she held up her hand.
“Wait. Let me finish.”
My heart, which had finally started to beat again, thundered in my chest. If she told me she never wanted to see me again, I’d get down on my hands and knees. There was no chance in hell this was the end of us.
“I came home early, not to punish you, but to do a little soul searching. There used to be an annoying voice in my head that would constantly tell me I wasn’t good enough, or skinny enough. When I was on the plane, it hit me.” She started to close the gap between us as she spoke. “Since you came into my life, the voice disappeared little by little until it was gone. And you know what else?”
“What, babe?”
“You helped me find something I thought I’d lost a long time ago…myself.”
