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I shrug. "Yeah."
"You're an author?"
I nod. "Yes."
"Not just any author," Leah breaks in. "Ember is aUSA TODAYbestselling author."
The silence in the room is deafening, and everyone looks at me with stunned expressions.
Glory sets her glass down and stands. "Let me get this straight. You are a bestselling author?"
I bite my lip. "Yes."
"And you didn't think this was something your girls should know?" She throws her arms up.
"I mean…" I try thinking of a way to explain why I've kept this secret for as long as I have. "I planned on telling you all one day."
"Why not when you published your first book?" Grace asks. "Or when you were writing it?"
"Scared," I admit.
Bella cocks her head. "Scared of what?"
"Failing!" I cry. "My whole life, I've never really had a passion for anything. I used to think something was wrong with me, because I had no dreams of being a doctor, lawyer, or teacher. I didn't fit in. Then I came here, and the club accepted me. Nobody ever questioned what I was going to do with my life. I was able just to be me and be content. Then Alba and Leah invited me into their crazy book-obsessed circle."
"Hey," Alba grumbles.
I bump her shoulder. "But I'm forever grateful you did. Because I fell in love with reading. Then, one day, I started having thoughts and ideas and making up stories inside my head. The next thing I knew, I had completed my first manuscript." I look at my friends. "I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want you all to witness me failing if it should happen. To be honest, I didn't think I could do it."
"Ember." Leah walks over and wraps her arms around me. "I wish you would have said something. We’re always in your corner, no matter what."
"I know that now. And I know I shouldn't have kept my secret for as long as I have. I never expected my books to blow up as they have."
"Damn." Glory plops back down on the couch. "Again—" she waves her hands "—I came here expecting her to admit she's knocking boots with Blake, and instead, she's ousted as a bestselling romance author."
Lisa lifts her glass in the air. "Best damn girls' night I've ever been to."
"I'll drink to that," Emerson agrees.
9
BLAKE
It's early, and the sunlight is just beginning to break through the shadows of the trees. I keep a steady speed while driving the UTV, following the fence line as Grey and I patrol the perimeter bordering the west side of the clubhouse's property. There's a ghostly gray mist crawling along the tall blades of grass. The lack of conversation between my brother and me gives me time to think, most of my thoughts swirling around Ember. My feelings for her are becoming difficult to keep at bay.
"What's eatin' you this mornin'?" Grey breaks the silence I've been soaking in.
“Nothin’,” I mutter.
"Bullshit," he huffs. "We've known each other for a few years now, brother, and I consider you my best fuckin' friend, so don't go bullshittin' me. You've been more withdrawn than usual the past couple of days."
I roll my neck, feeling the tension build at the base of my skull. "Just dealin' with some shit."
"This shit you're speaking of happen to have rosy hair, gray eyes, and curves like a back country road?"
Grey mentioning Ember's curves has me white-knuckling the steering wheel. It's been a long time, but knowing my brother has been with Ember fucks with me sometimes. I mean; it shouldn't. When Grey realized I'd gone and caught feelings for Ember, he never touched her again. I grip the steering wheel tighter, reeling in that ugly green-eyed motherfucker. I have no right to feel this way. Hell, I've had my fair share of pussy, and I sure as shit don't have any claim on Ember's. Though I want to. I want nothing more than to mark her as mine.
"Y'all need to quit skirtin' around these feelings for one another. Stop fightin' it, brother." Grey hits hard with his words. I remain silent, but he continues. "You are nothin' like that sorry piece of shit," he says with bite. His words are nothing I haven't heard before from him or other brothers who know my story. "You can't keep clinging to his ghost, man. He's dead; his remains are nothing more than recycled worm shit. Don't let anything he said or did hold you back from being fuckin' happy."
