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And I had to admit, it was working. As soon as he’d mentioned her husband, I could see Emily’s demeanor soften. I knew she didn’t want to be mad at Holden. It was why I’d never mentioned it in the first place. I didn’t want to drive a wedge between her and people who clearly loved her and even if misguided at times had her best interests at heart.
“Andy’s not here anymore, Holden, but I am and I appreciate you wanting to honor your best friend by helping take care of his family. But this isn’t taking care of me. This is hurting me. Weston’s and my relationship is none of your business. Do you understand?” she asked succinctly, calmly. Somehow sticking up for herself in the most grown-up and mature way I’d ever seen someone do.
Fuck. I was proud of my girl.
Holden hung his head. “I don’t ever want to hurt you, Ems. I want to keep you safe.”
“Oh, Hold. It’s not your job to protect me, especially from hurts.” She reached out, rubbing his arm. “I’m a grown woman and I’m choosing West. Whether you like it or not. I need you to respect that. You’re either on board or not. But it’s not going to change how I feel about Weston. Okay?”
I felt my heart swell in my chest at her words. It was so damn full, it felt close to bursting.
Holden nodded, looking properly chastised. “Got it,” he said, his jaw still hard.
And I wondered if he did. But Emily only leaned up and wrapped her arms around his thick neck. “But I really hope you’re on board, Boss, because I need you in my life.”
He immediately softened at her words, placing his arms around her waist, hugging her back. “I miss him, still,” he said, burying his face in her shoulder.
I felt like an intruder at that moment. An interloper. But I figured out that maybe some of the reason Holden was having a hard time with me was that I wasn’t Andy.
And there wasn’t a fucking thing I could do about that.
But I got it. I’d lost, too. It wasn’t easy. This grieving thing. There weren’t directions on how to lose a loved one. How to move on. How to behave afterward. We were all just out here trying to find our way.
And Holden was trying to find his. He’d lost his best friend when Emily had lost her husband.
“I know, me, too,” Emily said. “But I feel like I’m finally learning to live without him, ya know?” she asked, squeezing Holden tighter.
He backed out of their embrace and looked down into her eyes. “I’m glad, Ems. That makes me really happy.”
She grinned up at him, taking his hands in hers and squeezing them. “Now you better go talk to your wife. I think she’s madder than I was.”
He nodded with a sad smile before walking over to me and sticking out his hand. “Sorry, man,” he said, holding his hand out there, waiting for me to take it, the remnants of grief sitting there in his eyes.
I placed my hand in his with a nod, hoping like hell one day I’d be lucky enough to call him a friend.
I could tell he was good to the people he cared about.
Once he left the kitchen to find Miranda, Emily turned her stern eyes to me. “Now, you.” She pointed at me as she made her way across the small kitchen in my direction.
I let out a long breath, my mouth ready to spew a million excuses as to why I hadn’t told her about the Holden situation. Only, as she saddled up to me and pressed herself against my chest, her eyes softened and her lips tipped up in a smile.
“You love me?” she asked, her eyes full of emotion.
I placed my arms around her waist. “Come on, Slugger. You already knew that.”
“I l—” she started, but I placed a long kiss to her lips, silencing her.
“Don’t say it because I said it. Say it when you mean it. Say it when you’re ready,” I told her.
She smiled up at me, love hanging there in her gaze. “Okay.”
Iwas a nervous wreck. I’d never hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for someone’s family before in my entire life.
Sure, I’d cooked for my small little family my whole marriage, but I’d never had anyone over for a big meal and Weston had thought it was a great idea for his parents to come to my place for Thanksgiving and to meet Parker.
So I was doubly nervous because I needed them to love Parker. Things would not work out unless they did. Because let me tell you. You don’t like my kid, you don’t like me.
So basically I had a lot riding on this holiday meal. More than any other meal I’d ever made.
