“Yeah, yeah.” I brush her off, already missing my siblings.
“I’ll make sure he does,” Emma responds.
They both leave in a cab with one final wave as Emma and I begin to walk.
“You okay?” Emma looks up at me.
I nod. “I’ll miss them, but I’m okay.”
She nods and looks ahead. “I’m stuffed. I can’t even think about taking a bite of this.” She lifts the container of leche frita. I wait for Emma to finish her thought. “At least for another hour.”
“There she is,” I say, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. Emma rests her head on my chest as we walk through the streets of lower Manhattan, heading to SoHo to do one last check on our place. There are only two days left before we head back to Driscoll, and the two weeks since I came back have been nothing short of fucking amazing. I look down at Emma and grin at the bounce of her new curls.
Emma is mine, all mine, and we’ve made the most of the past few weeks and then some. She said she wanted a love that consumed her, but she’s the one who’s consumed me, mind, body, and soul.
I hold her tighter to me, and she tries to wiggle free, laughing beautifully, but I refuse to let go. I can’t get enough of her and nevereverwant to leave her side again.
We’ve done everything a typical city couple does, plus fucked a ton, and still managed to work. The woman is a damn machine. I have no doubt she’ll be running the newsroom of her choice after she graduates.
Every time we head to the bookstore we haven’t named yet, she isn’t afraid to be stern and ask for what she wants. Emma’s always been the no-bullshit kind of person, and it’s one of the many reasons I fell for her.
The last time she got mad at someone for making a huge mistake, I planned to fix it, but she took charge instead. After it was resolved, I took her back to my apartment and fucked her on every surface I hadn’t already taken her on. Not that there were many left. We’ve been at it every day and keep doing it in some public places. Places where we both have to cover eachother’s mouths because I make her scream and she makes me whimper every. Damn. Time.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks as we round the corner toward the store.
Smirking, I tell her the truth. “About the day we did it in the bathroom at the MoMA.”
Emma snorts. “Oh, that was one of our best times. I still can’t believe we pulled it off.”
We enter the bookstore and soon-to-be restaurant, where the construction crew is listening to music that we can hardly hear because of all the noise they’re making. I shake my head at how Emma insisted they play music whenever they needed to, to help reduce their stress.
Her advice is now taken seriously, and they don’t go a day without playing something.
Her curly hair moves as she walks to the general contractor, and they discuss what’s been fixed, built, and decorated since we visited four days ago. I’m constantly on call, but have hired a trusted project manager who came with a reference from a former colleague of mine. She and Emma got along right from the start, and she’s been on-site almost every day.
The place is coming together nicely, and everything should be ready in about five months, including the liquor license if all goes well. The book area with lounge seating is in the back, while the restaurant is at the front. The bar and some stools separate the two areas. It’s huge and just what I imagined. I had no disagreements with Emma, and even if she had wanted to paint it neon pink and green, I wouldn’t have cared, as long as I got to see that gorgeous smile of hers.
I lean against the doorframe and stare in awe of her. Those weeks we spent apart were the worst torture imaginable. She still doesn’t know how hard it was to stay away from her. Then again, she also felt the fucking pain I did. I hated making her wait, and I don’t think I’ll ever get rid of the tiniest bit of guiltthat still lingers in the back of my mind, even if she has forgiven me.
Maybe once I’m more integrated into her daily life, I’ll feel better. And that isn’t me saying I doubt us, because I don’t, haven’t in months. It’s about her people. She’s comfortable with my siblings and the other people in my life. She met Jamal and his girlfriend, and, unsurprisingly, they found something in common to talk about, specifically traveling. She has something in common with everyone close to me, and even if she doesn’t, she still knows how to gauge everyone’s comfort level and then guides the conversation.
She’s amazing.
I, on the other hand, haven’t had a real chance to spend time with Jake because he was in Aspen the entire winter break, according to Emma. I’ve also seen two pictures of him with a woman in some tabloids. It seems they can tell when the paparazzi are around, since they haven’t managed to photograph her face once. It’s strange that she has a friend with such a public life, and after what happened between Emma and me, I can’t help but feel sorry for the poor bastard.
I’d gotten the worst kind of calls after the picture spread. More than threats toward me, they were aimed at Emma and what the sick fuckers wanted to do to her. I’ll never tell her what they said. It’s not something she needs to know, and I’ll protect her from that every day.
I’ve gotten to know Levi, Stevie, Cameron, and Kamila well, and as I’d already suspected, they’re good people. They’re incredible friends to Emma and have been courteous enough to welcome me with open arms…after threatening to kill me if I ever left her again, that is.
I deserved it.
We all went to a concert and spent the rest of the night eating and drinking. Then, when I was drunk enough, Emma convinced me to tell them about my wild college stories. After that, I had their full stamp of approval.
Her dad’s a different story. Paul is slowly warming up to me, while her mom, Kate, was friendly from the beginning. They’re protective of their daughter, and there’s nothing wrong with that.I have a feeling her dad would have been this way with any man Emma chose to be with.
Emma is surrounded by people who love her. Almost everyone who meets Emma instantly loves her. She’s a unique person. She’s a fucking force to be reckoned with and still doesn’t realize how much power she wields.
Taking in a deep breath and snapping out of my haze when Emma gives me a look that says,I’m horny,I check my watch, knowing we won’t have time to do anything because she promised Paul her last two days of vacation. And there is no fucking way I’m getting in between that.
