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Once I pulled in front of her house, I offered her the food. “Just promise me you’ll eat something. Abby says you’ve been super busy lately and not eating regular meals.”
She stared at the bag and took it. “I will.”
I waited for her to invite me in, but she didn’t. When she moved to open the door, I shook my head. “Wait.”
I raced around, opened it, and helped her down. For a beat, she stared up at me, her expression unreadable.
I wanted to take her inside and make her laugh, or at least smile, and then make her forget about her problems, even if only for a few hours.
But I wasn’t her boyfriend, barely more than a friend with benefits, and didn’t really have that right.
Even if I fucking wished I did. I wanted to be there for her, take care of her, be her person, the one she could lean on whenever she needed.
To make her mine and let the world know.
Because some how, some way, I was already falling for this woman.
But after tonight, I wasn’t sure if I’d ruined my chances because of my thoughts about Rafe.
I still stood by my guess about her brother. And yet, she’d spent so many years blaming herself, she might not want to hear a different point of view. I never wanted to cause her pain, but I hadn’t been able to let her continue to punish herself.
Eventually, she touched my face, and I leaned into it, hoping it wasn’t the last time.
She whispered, “Good night, West.”
She turned and walked inside her house, and I watched her, memorizing the movement of her hips, wishing I could run after her and ask to stay.
After so many years of thinking I’d never want anything to do with a woman and then getting a little taste of what it could be like? Fuck, it was hard giving her space when she needed it.
I sighed, climbed into my truck, and gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white.
Maybe this was proof I shouldn’t date or try to let someone close to me. For the second time in my life, I felt I couldn’t help a woman I cared about.
And the scary thing was that my feelings for Emmy were already more than I’d ever had for Andrea. If Emmy rejected me? It was going to fucking hurt.
At least I hadn’t brought my kids into this relationship yet.
As I drove home, I still held on to the hope that Emmy merely needed time to think and that I hadn’t fucked things up for good.
ChapterThirty-Five
Emilia
Abby:Where did he take you?
Me:Er, we never made it to the date.
Abby:There’s more to the world than the bedroom.
Me:No, it wasn’t that…
Abby:Something’s wrong. I can get my aunt to watch the kids and come over, ice cream in tow.
Me:No, no. I need to be alone right now.
Abby:Are you sure?
Me:Yes. Just like you needed time by yourself after coming back from San Jose, it’s the same for me now.
