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“How good are we talking here? Finger you as we reach the highest peak on the wheel, good?”
Ignoring his question, I stood from my perch on his lap and faced him. I held my hand out for him to take.
For a few minutes we didn’t say anything, and like before, it wasn’t uncomfortable. We just watched the other. There was hope in his eyes, while I fought an internal battle.
Everything he said weighed heavily on my mind.
I wanted to confess. To admit my own feelings.
But not yet. I needed more time.
To come to terms with the fact that he left and is now back asking for my heart.
“Follow me.” And for the first time, he did. At that moment, I was the one leading.
We stopped at a light, and I turned to face her. “Has it always been so obvious?”
“Does a gold digger like money?” she deadpanned, brows raised over her sunglasses.
I laughed. Hard.
Emily had always had a way with words.
“Blunt much?”
At my words, she reached over and flicked my forehead. “Dumbass much?”
“It’s just that—”
“You love him, and he is an asshole for pulling a disappearing act.”
“Yes.”
“For rejecting you all those years ago.”
“Yeah.”
“For leaving you that gift—”
“I get it. He has multiple offenses and is a dick.” Has a nice one too.
Taking another sip from my cup, I mulled over the best way to tell her that he’d said the L word. How that affected me. Rocked me to my very core.
To be honest, I never expected him to say he loved me.
Not in a million and one years did I ever think that he’d see me as anything other than little Bailey Jones—nothing more than the girl he grew up with.
But those three words happened, and my world shifted. Had I not been sitting, I’d have fallen to my knees.
“He said he loves me.” Band-Aid effect. Eyes on hers, I blurted it out and hoped for the best.
She waved a hand in the air. “Everyone knows that.”
I gaped at her. “What are you talking about? Explain.”
“Do you really not remember all the times Hunter hovered over you as a kid? How he went out of his way to sit next to you at the movies even though you are my best friend. Or what about all the times he refused to let you partner up with anyone but him? Sports, ride buddy at the theme parks…school dances?” Emi ticked off each one with her fingers, rolling her eyes at the mention of dances.
That was one memory I wished to forget. It should be swallowed by a black hole and never spoken of again.
