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“Well, I’ll be.” She turns to the woman who’s looking a little frustrated in front of her and then back to Em. “Go look at some books for thirty minutes and we’ll sit down and chat after I’m done here.”
He gives her a nod and pulls me away from my favorite author. By “pulls me away”, I mean it. My legs aren’t working. My mind isn’t working, for that matter. I’m going to get to sit down with Maya Hall and talk about books with her. Not just for two minutes at a signing. A real chat.
Em pulls me into an empty aisle in the history section. “I hope you’ll enjoy this a little more than getting your book signed.”
His words snap me out of my stupor. “This was your plan for tonight.”
It all makes sense now. He hadn’t planned on me getting my book signed, but he’d planned on taking me to dinner with someone I’ve wanted to meet for years. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that he’s not just a normal person. I can’t help but see him as an advertising giant, but he’s more than that. He’s a celebrity who’s talked to nearly everyone of any level of fame.
Of course, he’d know the most popular romance author.
“Why didn’t you just say something? Then I wouldn’t have gotten upset.”
He grins. “You were so cute when you got upset. If you’d actually been angry, I’d have told you, but then it wouldn’t have been a surprise. You’re about to go away for three days, and I wanted you to remember that I love you. I wanted you to know that I paid attention to you all those times you jabber about such-and-such author. A surprise makes it a little more memorable.”
I can’t help but hug him. Not even a book boyfriend would know the heroine’s favorite author or set up a dinner with them.
He wraps his arms around me and pulls me close. “I don’t like that you have to leave, Madison. But if you do, I want you to go away thinking you have the best guy in the world waiting at home for you.”
“I know I do, Em. You’re incredible. Thank you so much for this, and I’m sorry if I might have imagined you catching on fire an hour ago.”
I look up at him, and he’s grinning down at me. Standing up on my toes, I give him a kiss. “You’re my best book boyfriend. You don’t even understand how hot you are right now.”
He chuckles, and I pull away from him. With a wink, I say, “Now you get to do the other thing no other man has ever done for me. You say, ‘Pick out whatever books you want. I’m paying.’ Then you walk behind me and carry them for me like the big strong man you are.”
Em nearly falls over laughing. “Books? That’s the first thing you think of when you ask to borrow my credit card? Not a trip or a car. Not jewelry or shoes. Books.” His laughter becomes almost hysterical. “You’re the cheapest girlfriend in the world. Shop away, my love. The only requirement is that they fit in the Porsche.”
I guess that could be funny if it weren’t so sexy. All the books I want. I don’t even know where to start. He might be laughing now, but when he realizes he’ll need a library after a few of these shopping trips, he might rethink the cheap remark. That’s okay. I won’t mention it until I have the books to need one.
I just grin and lead the way through the romance section, piling the stack higher and higher as I walk. At one point, Em has to go put the pile on the counter because he’s worried he’ll spill them all.
All the books I want. When I was fourteen, my dream was to live in a house with a library filled with all the books I wanted. Not reference books or the history of tapestry weaving. Not the seventy-two volumes of encyclopedias. Just everything I could ever want to read.
And I’m going to have it. I glance at Em as he talks to the woman at the register, who looks a little shocked at the massive stack of books. He’s happy here with me in a bookstore chatting with me about my favorite thing in the world. Is there anything more amazing than that? Okay, maybe if he actually liked to read them, it’d be better, but maybe not. Then it’d be both of our things instead of him supporting me with mine.
It's hard not to be in awe of Em Brooks.
When he gets back, he looks down at his watch and says, “It’s time to talk with Maya. Don’t worry, though. I’m certain that these books will be here when you get back from your trip.”
I feel like the smile on my face is cemented in place. Like there’s nothing in the world that could happen that could take it away. My real-life boyfriend that loves me is taking me to dinner with my favorite author after telling me I can buy as many books as I want, and he’s paying. This is literally the best night I could imagine. I know people talk about fantasizing about men, but if there was ever a fantasy I’ve had for my entire life, this night is it.
“I don’t know how else to say it, but thank you for tonight. Also, I apologize in advance because I’m basically going to ignore you when I start talking to Maya Hall.”
“I had a feeling that would happen, so I’ll just quietly snore while you two enjoy yourselves. Just don’t take pictures of me if I drool, okay?”
I can’t help but laugh. I feel giddy, like a kid after riding their first rollercoaster. Or after an especially good concert. There aren’t words that do my emotions justice, so it all just comes out as laughter.
He laughs along with me, and I can tell that he’s just as happy. He knows he did well, and as we walk toward the book signing table, Em wraps his arm around my waist. It’s his first truly public display of affection. Everything else has been hidden from the world. Either behind closed doors or between the stacks of books.
But his arm on my waist isn’t hidden, and I feel like I can fly.
Maya is standing up, and the bookstore owner is talking to the people still in line, explaining about how she’ll be back in nine months when her next book releases. It’s the same speech I heard the first two times I tried to get my book signed.
“Pancakes are your post-signing dinner of choice, if I remember correctly,” Em says.
She grins first at him and then at me. “I’ve always heard that Emery Brooks remembers everything, but that’s as close to a superpower as I’ve ever seen. I don’t even remember telling you.”
He’s got that arrogant smile that I hated initially. “Six months ago, we were both at a charity event for an animal rescue. You were annoyed that it was mostly men. I remember telling you that you should be happy. More fodder for your books. You told me something similar to what Madison told me recently. You can’t base romance heroes on real men because real men don’t know how to win a woman.”
