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“Yes, those are all her.” Trenton remembered the exuberance and energy Emily had brought into his world. She’d been so different from anything he had pictured for his life, but he had loved every second of it.
When he focused on Celia, he found her frowning. “Wait, you said she dropped out? So she never received a degree, despite all the money she spent?”
“She regretted that for a while, especially since her parents were angry about her wasting their money. They made up eventually, and it wasn’t like her to live in regrets. The life she ended up with was exactly as it was meant to be, she once told me.” Trenton was surprised at the continued frown on Celia’s face.
Her fingers slipped down from his neck as she sighed, turning her head to rest against his chest.
“What about you, Celia?” Trenton asked, studying the part of her face he could still see, trying to decipher what was bothering her. “I know you’re working at the tavern right now, but what did you used to do?”
Her fingers played with the edge of the blanket. “Just random jobs. Anything that made a decent wage but didn’t require a degree. I could never have afforded school, and I couldn’t take more from Malcolm’s parents.”
His tension left as he understood. Malcolm had never given him a lot of the details, but he knew Celia’s home life had been strained enough for her to move in with his family. Trenton had always gotten the impression that Celia did not have an easy life, even before that, when he just saw her as Malcolm’s sad-eyed cousin that rarely smiled. “You must think Emily sounds rather spoiled.”
Her head jerked up. “No, not at all!”
Trenton smiled to soften the accusation. “It’s okay. It was part of what made her who she was, but even Malcolm was annoyed by it at times.”
Celia shook her head. “That’s really not it. I’m just… envious, I guess. It sounds like she had the perfect life.”
His smile faded at the words. “She felt the same. I think that’s why she had such a hard time when her diagnosis came. Though being told you’re going to die isn’t something anyone would take easily.”
“So it was sudden?” Celia asked.
“The doctors predicted she’d have several years. Even they were shocked when she entered hospice six months later.” Trenton mainly remembered Emily’s fear. During those last days, there had been such regret that she hadn’t done enough to be remembered. They hadn’t had any children, and her parents had already passed away. Trenton had been the only one left to remember her, and so he had promised he always would.
Celia didn’t say anything. Her hand began stroking his shoulder.
“She died nearly three years ago. The anniversary is two weeks away.” It hadn’t slipped his mind despite the distractions. He’d made her a promise, after all.
The ringer on his phone chirped at him. Literally, it sounded like birds. He frowned at it, wondering when Jacob had managed to figure out his password again. His assistant was too smart for his own good.
Turning the screen to see who was calling, Trenton smiled as he answered it. “Hello, Mom.”
Celia tensed against him as he listened to his mother’s greeting. She started to lift from his chest, and Trenton shook his head at her, rubbing her back to tell her it was fine.
“I wanted to ask you a favor for today’s lunch,” his mother was saying. He pictured her sitting at the kitchen stool she had always used when she talked on the phone.
Trenton winced as he realized he’d forgotten about the monthly lunch with his family. “What did you need?”
“Will you pick up your sister? Her car is acting up again, and I told her I didn’t think it was safe.” His mother had always been a worrier.
“Yes, I will.” Trenton looked down to see Celia biting her lip. “Hold on a second, Mom,” he said, pressing the ‘Mute’ symbol. He reached out, brushing over Celia’s lip, which she released with a gasp. “You’ve been doing that a lot. Maybe it means you’re hungry,” he teased with a smile. She shook her head at him, pointing to the phone. “Oh, my mom can’t hear us. I wanted to ask if you’d like to have lunch with my family.”
Celia blinked at him, then frowned. “That’s not a good idea. Your family might think—” She gestured between them, red creeping across her cheeks as if she just remembered she was lying on top of him naked.
His body also began to take note, and Trenton considered hanging up on his mother, wondering which choice would be more appropriate. The idea of talking to his mother while he struggled with an erection made him flush as well.
Trenton reached out, brushing his fingers over her blush. “I’d explain. And you could use some home cooking.”
She stared down at her hands, not able to say yes or no.
He unmuted his phone, holding it back up to his ear. “Sorry about that, Mom. What would you say to me bringing an extra person to lunch?”
“One of your friends? You know they’re always welcome.”
“Great. I’ve got to go if I’m going to pick up Rachel beforehand.” Let her believe that was the reason.
“Of course. Thanks again, Trenton.”
