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"She's practically grown," Emmy says, furrowing her brow. "Why would her parents care?"
"Rich people." Stella shakes her head. "They didn't want her ruining their good name. Sent her ass to Europe. Poor thing."
Emmalyn rolls her eyes. "Sounds about right."
"Summer was in on it, too. She quit, but no one knows where she went."
"Good riddance, if you ask me," Stella mutters.
I stand from the bed.
"Where are you going?" Emmalyn asks, pouting.
"To pack a bag. I'll be back in two hours to pick you up."
"Okay. Drive safe."
"I will." I pause right outside her door. "Oh, and, Emmy?" She looks up at me. "I love you."
Her cheeks go pink. "I love you, too."
Chapter Forty-Six
Emmy
"I'm really proud of your progress, Emmy," says Holly, my therapist. "You've come leaps and bounds.”
I laugh softly under my breath. "Still got a long way to go."
"And that's okay. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Do you remember what we discussed, about what to do when you feel overwhelmed?"
"Yeah, I remember."
"Good. Employ the things we've discussed, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results, okay?"
I nod.
"Great. Same time next week?"
"Yep, see you then." I do an awkward little finger wave before ending the video call and packing up my laptop.
I linger for just a moment before taking a deep breath and stepping out of the bedroom.
"How'd it go?" Sterling asks, standing from the chair he was seated in.
"It was good. We talked about a lot today. Unpacked a lot, too."
"I'm so proud of you, baby."
I can tell he wants to say more, to reach for me, to kiss me and touch me. There's a longing in his steely gray gaze that reflects that of my own.
Ever since coming to his family's cabin two weeks ago, we've been dancing around each other, but neither one of us has made a move.
Aside from sleeping wrapped around one another and a few soft kisses, we may as well be completely platonic friends.
At first, it was to protect myself, and then it was to protect him—I didn't want to jump back with both feet only to have another breakdown and drown him right along with me. But now...now I'm ready.
My heart, brain, and body are all on the same page, and they're shouting for me to claim my man and my happily ever after.
Holly thinks it's okay, too. Not that her opinion is the be-all-end-all, but it's nice to have her on board.
"So, I have a surprise for you tonight." He rocks back on his heels, a boyish look flitting across his handsome features.
"Do you?"
"Well, since it's our last night at the cabin, I figured I could grill us a nice steak dinner and maybe we could check out the hot tub."
I have to bite my lips to stop from grinning. Looks like we're both ready to take things up a notch, because I know for certain neither of us brought a swimsuit.
"That sounds really nice," I murmur, and he leans in, pressing a soft kiss to my lips.
I'm half-tempted to deepen the kiss here and now, but Sterling pulls away before I can. The man must have the self-control of a saint. I know he's been trying to respect me, but I also know he's got blue balls like whoa.
But tonight... Tonight everything's going to change.
Tonight, we're going to get back on track.
Tonight, I'm going to show him exactly how much I love him, how much I trust him, and how much I want to be his.
Not that I ever really stopped being his. Not really.
"Do you mind if I take a bath first?"
"Go for it, baby. I'm gonna go ahead and start grilling, if that's cool with you?"
"It's perfect."
He leans in and kisses me once more. "Come find me when you're done."
* * *
"Mmm." I inhale deeply as I step out onto the deck. "Something smells good."
"Gonna taste good, too." Sterling winks at me from behind the grill. "You want to run inside and grab us some plates and the salad I made?"
"So fancy."
His lips quirk up into a smile. "Your therapist said a healthy diet's good for your physical and mental health."
"That she did," I say, secretly touched by his thoughtfulness, before turning and heading back into the house.
When I step back outside, I'm blown away. Somehow, in less than five minutes, Sterling's managed to light like a bajillion candles.
Okay, so like, twenty. But still.
They're spread out, with a few along the deck rail, two tall ones on the table, and the rest scattered around the hot tub.
"Ster," I breathe. "This is magical."
He smiles, but doesn't say anything. Not about the candles, at least. "Ready to eat, little mouse?"
I nod, and he takes the plates and salad from me before pulling out my chair. I serve us each some salad while he pulls the steaks from the grill. "Made some eggplant, too."
