I watched her for a second, then asked more gently, “What do you need from me?”
The question seemed to catch her off guard.
“Right now?”
“Right now.”
She was quiet for a moment.
“I need you not to make promises you can’t keep,” she said at last. “And I need you not to go all…mafia avenger if Adam so much as breathes in my direction.”
I considered that.
“The second one seems restrictive.”
She gave me a flat look.
I let out a breath through my nose. “Fine. I will not commit any crimes in your hometown unless directly requested.”
“Then yes,” she said, and something in her voice softened. “I would very much like you to come.”
The rush of satisfaction that went through me was almost embarrassingly strong. Not because she wanted my company—though I wasn't enough of a liar to pretend that wasn't part of it — but because she was choosing to let me into something difficult. That mattered more than I had words for.
I leaned in and kissed her hard before I could say anything reckless. “I’ll be there,” I murmured against her mouth. “Justgive me ten minutes to shower. I want to drive you home like a gentleman.”
She huffed a laugh. “It’s fifteen minutes away.”
I brushed my thumb over her lower lip. “Humor me, sweetheart.”
She sighed, but there was no real resistance in it. “As cheesy as it sounds, I like when you call me that.”
My mouth curved. “Good. I have no intention of stopping.”
I was in the shower a few minutes later, halfway through rinsing the shampoo from my hair, when the bathroom door opened and Emily stepped in holding my phone at arm’s length like it might explode.
“Your mother is calling,” she said.
I blinked water out of my eyes and glanced toward the screen through the steam. Even blurred, I recognized my mother’s smiling face, the wild red curls in the photo I had used for her contact, and with that one look an idea settled into place almost fully formed.
Emily still had fears about my life. Of course she did. She had accepted the truth, but acceptance was not the same thing as understanding, and I suddenly knew exactly what I wanted to do about that.
“Answer it,” I said.
“Me?” she squeaked.
I laughed under my breath and scrubbed a hand over my face. “Yes, you.”
“And say what?”
“That you’re Emily,” I said lightly. “The girl she’s heard far too much about already. Maybe thank her for raising me properly and ensuring your pleasure was my main priority last night.”
She let out a horrified little noise that was far too adorable for my peace of mind. “I would never. You are an insane person.”
“That’s hurtful.”
“Good.”
She set the phone down on the counter with theatrical care, as though distancing herself from the entire situation. “I’m letting it ring. You can call her back when you’re decent.”
