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“Minx, I’m glad I was there. I’m glad I was the one to hold you when you fell apart. There’s nowhere else I’d rather have been last night.”
I look up into his hazel eyes, and my heart starts to race. How come being around him still feels like being home. He’s still my safe haven.
“I’d better get ready,” he says, his hand cupping my cheek. “We leave in ten minutes, okay?” he says.
I nod, and Carter takes a step closer. He presses a soft kiss to my forehead, and my eyes flutter closed. “Everything will be okay, Emilia. I’ll do everything in my power to make it so, all right?”
I nod, and Carter smiles at me. He takes a step away and then turns to walk out, leaving me standing here breathlessly. I sit down on my bed, my eyes roaming over the clothes he left on my floor.
He’s still able to take me from sadness to desire, from pain to happiness, from hopelessness to optimism, all in a couple of seconds. No one else has ever been able to do that to me. I inhale deeply and run a hand through my wet hair.
My phone buzzes on my nightstand, and I reach for it, expecting to find a text or call from Dad. Instead, I find ten missed calls from Sam, the last one just a couple of minutes ago. My heart starts to hammer in my chest, and I’m instantly filled with so much guilt that I physically feel sick. I needed Carter with every fiber of my being last night, and I didn’t even think of Sam. I didn’t, but I should have.
I call him back, my hands trembling. He picks up almost immediately, and my guilt increases further yet.
“Emilia, where have you been? I haven’t been able to reach you in hours. Is everything okay? Did you get to New York okay?”
“Yes,” I say, quick to reassure him. “Everything is fine. I’m sorry. I just… I just tuned out last night. I was going to call you, but I just… I couldn’t.”
Sam is silent for a beat. “What do you mean? What’s going on?”
I inhale deeply, tears threatening to spill down my cheeks all over again. I draw a shaky breath before I speak. “I got a call from the clinic last night. I’m not a match,” I whisper.
Sam exhales, almost as though in relief. “God, I thought you were going to tell me something happened with Carter,” he says, and I frown.
I bite down on my lip harshly before speaking again. “Did you even hear a word I just said? I cried myself to sleep over and over again last night, and the news still wrecks me, yet your first reaction is to worry about Carter?”
A spark of anger ignites within me, and I clench my jaw. I understand where his worries stem from, but at the same time I’m hurt that he’s glossing over what I just told him.
“Shit, I’m so sorry, Emilia. I just… I don’t know. My first thought was just God I hope I don’t lose her. What you told me didn’t even register until now. I’m so sorry, honey. I’m sorry to hear the news, and for the way I reacted.”
I grit my teeth and try my best to calm myself, my anger turning into fury. I shake my head, feeling disappointed and hurt. “I gotta go,” I tell him. “I need to get to work.”
“Emilia, no. Please, honey. I’m sorry. Don’t hang up like this.”
I shake my head. “Bye, Sam. I’ll speak to you later.”
I can hear him still speaking as I pull the phone away from my ear, but I end the call nonetheless. I’m hurt, confused, and heartbroken in so many ways. Sam calls me back, but I reject the call instantly before turning my phone off entirely.
Part of me feels relieved about not having to speak to Sam. He’s the one I should be reaching for, the one that should be my greatest support in these trying times. Yet it’s someone else that soothes my soul.
Chapter 21
Carter
Emilia has been distant and quiet all day. I’m worried that she’s thinking about her Dad, that she’s keeping in her sadness in order to get the job done.
“You all right?” I ask, my hand on her lower back. Emilia looks up at me, and guilt flashes through her eyes.
I grit my teeth and carefully brush her hair behind her ear. Looks like it isn’t her dad she’s thinking about… it’s Sam.
Waking up next to her this morning was amazing, it was everything I’ve been wanting for years, yet to her, I was likely just someone who was in the right place at the right time, someone to confide in when she received devastating news.
Emilia nods, and I lead her to our table, when the very last thing I want to do is have another fucking business dinner. I want to take my Minx back to our hotel and draw her a bath or book her a massage. I want to take care of her, if she’ll let me.
“Carter,” Chris says. I nod at the man whose company I’m trying to acquire, but tonight all my attention is on Emilia. I pull her seat out for her, and she smiles up at me. I don’t know what it is about today, but I’m feeling far more protective than usual. I’m worried about her and I want to be the one that makes her feel better. I don’t want her thinking of anyone but me.
“Is this lovely lady your girlfriend?” Chris asks, Emilia’s hand in his. I drop my arm behind her chair and shake my head, wishing I could yes instead.
