Текст книги "Love's Secret Torment"

Автор книги: Stacy L. Darnell

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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

We spent the rest of our trip playing on the beach and swimming in the ocean. We snorkeled in the reefs and saw all the beautiful, amazing fish and corals. Their colors were vivid. I loved the sea turtles. They were majestic and graceful old souls.

I couldn’t stop myself from peeking up at Emmett’s sexy body as he swam ahead of me. The way his muscles flexed made me hunger for him. He would catch me looking, and the cutest smirk would cross his face. I knew he was thinking the same as I was. It was a good thing we were of like minds, as our nights grew hotter and steamier.

Emmett longed to surf, so I read in the sun while he rode the waves. It wasn’t something on my bucket list, but I enjoyed watching him from afar. Sometimes he would catch one just right and smile all the way in, filling me with pride and joy. That night after dinner, we returned to the beach and splashed each other like children, running through the water. I tackled him, and we ended up in a heated kiss as I lay across his chest, and the warm waves flowed around us like a scene out of From Here to Eternity.

It was surreal being there in Emmett’s arms. I vowed to myself, never to push him away again. What we had was real and special, and for the first time since finding out that Emmett and Alec were brothers, I finally felt peace about us being together. I knew I could move forward with him, and felt ready to take that next step.

“Emmett, I want to tell you something.”

He tensed, staring into my eyes. “What is it, Peach?”

I snuggled into his chest and smiled up at him as the waves washed up from the shoreline. “I’m ready for us to spend more time together. I missed you so badly following our fight, and after being here together, I know I can’t go back to the way it was without you. It would break me. I love you so much. Let’s try again.”

He smiled the biggest smile I’d ever seen. “That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time, Peach. I love you too, more than I’ll ever be able to show you, but I’ll damn well try.”

“Hey, Riley. Come on in. The beer’s in the fridge,” I said.

“What’s up, Emmett? Haven’t seen you since you got back from Hawaii. How’d it go? That floating lantern thing sounded like a cool idea,” Riley said, leaning against the counter with the beer in his hand.

“It was unreal. I mean, my little brother, man. I just, God . . . sometimes it’s hard to believe it’s true, but then setting Alec’s lantern afloat made it so damn real. I didn’t think anything could hurt as bad as when I stood in the hallway in that hospital and realized it was him, lying underneath that sheet. But I was wrong, Riley. So damn wrong. Sam was great though. The service was amazing. She found this song to play while we said our goodbyes, ‘In Loving Memory’ by Alter Bridge. Play it sometime, man, and just listen to the words.”

“Yeah, I’ll Google it.”

“It was perfect. It felt like he was there with us. It was the most peaceful I’ve felt in a long time. I just couldn’t get our last words out of my mind. But now I feel better about Alec, and I think everything will be okay.”

Riley took a swig of his beer and stretched out on my couch. “Oh, man, I know it’s been hard for you. At least you and Sam are finally together again and working things out. Y’all are the real deal, ya know. You two have that whole soul-mate shit going on. Everyone can see it.”

“Listen, man, I know this is going to make me sound like a girl, but I don’t care. I’m so damn excited. I thought of the best gift for Sam.”

“What—” Riley began.

“I was planning to tell Peach about Alec’s engagement ring while we were in Hawaii, but the time never felt right. She’s never seen it. I thought it would be too hard for her. I’m taking it to a jeweler in the morning to have the diamond set in an infinity symbol pendant. I hope giving it to her in this form will make it easier to accept. It won’t be such a blow, like seeing the actual engagement ring he’d picked out for her.

“Yeah, man, that’s—”

“I know what you’re thinking, and that’s fine dude. I don’t care. I am so damn happy and in love. Someday, Riley, you just wait and see. You’ll be in love and know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Dude, you are a girl! I tried like two different times to say how fucking cool I thought that was, but you just kept going on and on and on. I couldn’t have gotten a word in even if I was using a damn megaphone! And Emmett, dude. I know already, man. Alison is it for me. I am so in love with that girl, she makes me feel all sorts of weird happy shit. Sometimes, I worry about my manliness, but I chalk it up to being in love, and I feel better again.”

I laughed at Riley, but was happy for my friend. I always knew if anyone could calm that boy down it would be Alison, and she’d done a damn good job.

“So, Ry, Sam and I are going to take our relationship to the next level. I’m just waiting for her to get home from seeing Alison and Tamron. She gave them the bracelets she made.”

A knock sounded on my door. Riley answered it and let Marchello, Alec’s old housemate, in. He had an old-style storage chest with him and looked a haggard mess.

“What’s up, Marchello, are you all right, man?” I asked.

“Hey, Emmett, Riley. Uh, no, man. I got something you need to see. I don’t know if you should show Sam, too, but I think you need to see it and figured, when you were ready, you could call her.”

“Okay, what is it?”

“I think we finally have the answers to Alec’s behavior. I was going through the attic at our place and found this old storage chest, so I opened it up, figuring it was Alec’s. It has some stuff in it and a bunch of letters he wrote to your mom. I don’t know, maybe, like . . . a way of writing things down in a journal or something, but . . . not. Anyway, you need to read these letters. Then I think you need to call Sam and let her read them, too,” he finished as he dropped down onto my couch.

I sat down next to him and stared at the old chest. It was one he’d had when we were kids. My hands felt heavy as I reached forward to flip open the latch on the front. I held my breath, and I pulled his precious items out, and then set them on the coffee table.

There was the miniature dolphin water globe he’d gotten when he was eight years old on our family trip to Panama City Beach. I turned it upside down and watched as the glitter floated around the two dolphins. Remembering when he’d seen it in the gift shop, and the pure look of wonder on his face.

After setting it back on the table, I picked up his Swiss army knife that Dad gave him when he’d turned thirteen. It matched the one Dad had given me. With a shaky hand, I set it back down and picked up the stack of folded letters.

I read them, and as I took in his tear-stained words, my heart died. I needed a drink, so I poured two fingers of whiskey into a glass and sat down on my couch. We now had the answers to Alec’s strange and cruel behavior toward Sam. Marchello was right. I had to call her. She had to know.

She came over, and after Riley and Marchello left, we sat down and read Alec’s letters to my mom together. I held her hand and stroked her back as the tears flowed down both of our faces.

Alec’s letters:

Her hands shook as she sat gripping Alec’s letters tightly. “Oh Emmett,” she sobbed as I took Alec’s letters, and set them back into his storage chest. She curled into my arms, and I held her tight.

“I know, Peach . . . I know.” I ran my hand up and down her back and kissed the top of her head.

“We have to look at these letters for what they are, an answer to a lot of our unanswered questions. We can’t move forward if we dwell on our guilt. We still didn’t do anything wrong, but now we know why Alec did and said things he did. Thankfully, we finally have answers, and now, some closure.”

Sam and I held each other for hours while she had fits of crying, and when she finally fell asleep that night, I carried her to the bed and let her rest. The next morning when I woke up, I just lay there and watched her sleep. She was so peaceful. I couldn’t bear the thought of seeing that brokenness on her face again when she woke up, so I stayed silent and let her sleep for as long as possible.

As she lay there sleeping, I found myself thinking about Alec’s letters. I couldn’t believe he’d gone through all of that alone. Why didn’t he tell me about it?

The next day, while Sam was having lunch and another spa day with her sister, Tricia, I called Aunt Robin, and she said she’d never heard anything from Alec about his condition. Since he was already eighteen before the date of the first letter, we guessed he decided he should go to the doctor on his own.

I read the letters to her over the phone so she could understand what had happened to him, as well. But somehow, reading his words out loud and saying it made it so much more real to me.

I broke down, and Aunt Robin and I cried together on the phone.

“I wish I could’ve taken Alec’s letters over to your house. We could have read them together in person.”

“Sweetie, do you want me to come home?”

“No. It’s fine. Y’all saved a long time for this trip. It’s not like you can go back anytime soon.”

“Really, it’s okay. Kent and I can cut the trip short. We only extended because he had work over here, and I thought I’d stay a while since he had a hotel and had to be here anyway.”

“Nah, stay and have some fun. There’s no use in both of us sitting here grieving. We both need to focus on the positive things in life.”

“All right. If you change your mind, just call, and I’ll be on the first flight back to the states.”

“Thanks, Aunt Robin.”

“Anytime. So how was the trip to Hawaii? Was the Toro Nagashi ceremony nice?”

“It couldn’t have been more perfect. It was peaceful. Sometimes I feel like shit for thinking this, but it felt good to say goodbye to him.”

“No, don’t feel bad, Emmett. It’s a natural part of grieving. So, are you and Sam back together? How is she holding up?”

“Yeah, we’re back together. Gonna see how it goes. I found an engagement ring in Alec’s jacket from his hospital belongings.”

“Oh my God.”

“Yup.”

“Did you tell Sam about it?”

“No. It would’ve upset her too much. But I’ll tell her eventually. I had the diamond set in an infinity pendant for her, so she can always remember him.”

“That’s an amazingly thoughtful gift. She’s lucky to have you.”

“It’s me who’s lucky to have her.”

“I’m sure she’ll cherish it.”

“Thanks. I gotta go. She’s waking up, and I want to have coffee on before she gets out of the shower. I love you, Aunt Robin.”

“I love you, too, sweetie.”

When Sam woke up, we had breakfast. Even though she said she was ready to take our relationship to the next level, I was nervous about even bringing the subject of living together up. I decided to look through the apartment rentals on an Auburn apartment guide site just in case she said yes, and saved a few ads for us to call on and set appointments to look at. I felt it was finally time for us to move in together.

A week had gone by, and I picked up Sam’s pendant from the jeweler. I turned on the Keurig and started toasting a couple English muffins while she was in the shower. I could hardly wait for us to get through with breakfast so I could give it to her. She walked into the kitchen dressed in a pair of jeans and one of her baby doll shirts and was the prettiest girl I’d ever seen. She joined me at the breakfast bar and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tight. Our bodies melted together. I leaned down and kissed her. I couldn’t resist. With a passion that quickly heated, I picked her up, carried her back to her bedroom, and made love to her.

“Hmmm, that was the best breakfast detour I’ve ever had.” She giggled, batting my hand away from her thigh when I reached for her again.

I laughed. “I’m hungry,” I told her. “And now our English muffins are going to be cold.”

We got dressed . . . again . . . and walked back to the kitchen. She took the English muffins and sprinkled a little water on each one then popped them in the microwave for five seconds. They were just as if I’d taken them out of the toaster. After we finished eating, I decided I couldn’t wait any longer.

“Peach, I have something for you.”

She looked up at me from the table with a coy smile. “What is it?”

“Please, come here and sit with me on the couch, so I can show you.”

Once settled, I took her hand in mine, set the long velvet box in her palm, and let her open it.

“Emmett, this is breathtaking. I love it,” she replied.

“There’s an interesting story behind this gift.” I took a deep breath. “Six months after Alec died, I felt ready to go through his personal things from the hospital. I found a velvet jewelry box in his jacket pocket.”

She looked up at me, her beautiful brown eyes wide with shock.

“It was a diamond engagement ring.”

She gasped as she placed a hand over her mouth. I lightly rubbed my hand up and down her back while giving her a moment to process what I’d just said.

“I wanted to give it to you right away, but I knew you weren’t in a place to see it yet. So after we got back from our trip, and Marchello brought over Alec’s letters, I took it to a jeweler. I just picked it up yesterday.”

Her breath hitched as she held the velvet box in her hand and stared at the pendant inside.

“I had Alec’s diamond set inside this infinity pendant so you could always keep his token of love close to your heart. I thought you would like a memento to represent the importance of him in your life.”

She looked up at me and smiled one of the sweetest smiles I’d ever seen. The way it met her eyes, and the slight quiver to her upturned lips, showed me just how happy she was.

“That’s amazing, Emmett. It’s absolutely beautiful, and I love what it means, and that you thought of this. It makes me feel so special, like I have a piece of his heart with me. Thank you, I love you so much, Emmett.”

“I love you too, Peach.”

It was exactly what I had hoped for and more. She would now have this with her to remember him, and hopefully look toward a happy life in the future. She could feel good about those memories, and not sad for all the misunderstandings.

After breakfast, Emmett sat on the counter, flipping through the newspaper and drinking his coffee. I was sitting on the couch reading when a paper airplane flew over and landed in my lap. I jumped then laughed and looked up at his adorable smirk.

“Unfold it, Peach.”

I did as he asked and saw his message inside, four little words . . .

I smiled up at him and nodded. It was such a sweet gesture, and I couldn’t help but appreciate his creativity. The last time he asked me to move in with him, resulted in the loneliest two weeks of my life.

We drove back to Auburn and spent the day going from apartment to apartment until we found the right one. It was a large, ground level unit near a dog park where we could walk Gage. It was also much closer to campus than Riley and Quinn’s. Thankfully, I’d signed a month-to-month lease on my condo in Atlanta, so we could move into our new apartment soon.

There wasn’t a lot to pack since my condo came fully furnished, and Emmett had all of his stuff ready to go from his Aunt’s house. We planned to pack up his room at the frat house, as well as see the girls, Riley, and Quinn. We would also have to shop for more furniture. The first purchase would be a bed and some bar stools. Everything else we could take a little longer to decide on.

I occasionally found myself touching Emmett’s infinity pendant with Alec’s diamond. It made me smile and feel whole. I couldn’t think of what I had done to deserve Emmett in my life, but I thanked God for him every day. He always knew exactly what I needed.

As we pulled up to Riley and Quinn’s house, the street was vacant of cars. Emmett parked his Camaro in the driveway, and we went inside. They were already up and sitting in their gaming chairs, playing some combat game on the big screen TV. They waved us inside with quick hellos.

Emmett and I each grabbed a cup of coffee in the kitchen before heading upstairs to his old bedroom. When we walked in, I flashbacked to my first time there, and I giggled as I sat on the end of his bed. He walked over and stood between my legs, running his hands through my hair.

“Penny for your thoughts, Peach.”

“I was just remembering the first time I followed you in here,” I replied, looking up at him.

“Really?” he smirked. “Well, maybe we should do a replay,” he replied then pushed me back onto his bed.

“Yes, we should,” I said, pulling his head down for a kiss.

He lay down beside me and gathered my body into his. Reaching down, he twined his fingers with mine and lifted my arm up above our heads.

“I love you, Peach,” he said, kissing me lightly on the inside of my elbow.

I giggled at the soft touch. “I love you, too.”

He trailed kisses from my neck to my cheek before capturing my mouth with his and slowly entangling his tongue with mine. I let out a whimper as he lifted himself up and sat back on his knees, looking down at me with a glint in his eyes.

“What’re you doing?” I whispered.

A sexy smile spread wide across his face as he lifted my foot to his chest. “Trust me?”

“Of course,” I whispered.

He ran his fingers up to my knee, and back down the top of my leg. Then he started massaging my foot.

“Oh my God, Emmett, that feels so . . . good.” I sighed, leaning my head back into the mattress and closing my eyes.

“Does this feel good, too?” he asked, placing warm kisses on the top of my ankle before setting it down on the bed.

“Yes, it does.”

He lifted my other foot up against his chest and massaged it, gently lowering it to the bed, and trailed kisses up my leg. I arched my back as he ran his fingers up under the hem of my shirt and lifted it over my head, tossing it on the floor.

I needed to feel his skin against mine. I reached up and ran my hands over his strong muscles, feeling them move as he pulled his shirt off. He hovered over me, and I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his body down to mine, reveling in every touch of his body as we made love. Afterwards, I snuggled into his chest, his heartbeat a steady rhythm in my ear.

“That was amazing, Peach,” he said, kissing the top of my head.

“Mmmm, yes it was, babe. We should forget packing and do that again,” I said.

“The sooner we pack and get through the barbeque, the sooner we can drive home and make love in our own bed.”

I laughed. He was so matter-of-fact about it, like all that really mattered was us getting home, when I knew he damn well he was as excited about the barbeque as I was.

I heard the doorbell ring and hoped it was the girls. I really missed Tamron and Alison. I ran downstairs, past the guys still gaming in the living room with their headsets on. They probably hadn’t even heard the doorbell.

When I opened the door, I was surprised to see John standing there. Usually he only came down from Alaska in the winter months.

John had gone to college with the guys and graduated last year. He and Emmett were best friends from their days back in Georgia right after Emmett and Alec moved up from Florida. I think Emmett chose Auburn in part because John had chosen to go there. I couldn’t blame him. John was a nice guy, and who wouldn’t want to go to a college where you already had a best friend?

After giving him a hug, I invited him in. This would be a real surprise for Emmett. As we walked back to the living room, Emmett came down the stairs. The look on his face was adorable. He was surprised, all right.

“John?” Emmett called.

“Hey, Emmett, what’s up, man?” He looked at me with a devilish glint in his eye. “Hi Peachy,” he added, earning himself a smack on the back of his head from Emmett at the use of his version of Emmett’s pet name for me.

“When did you get in?” Emmett asked.

John shook his head. “About five minutes ago. I drove straight here from the car rental place at the airport.”

“Holy shit, man! I had no idea you were coming. Great to see ya. Damn . . . it’s been too long,” Emmett said, pulling him into one of those back-slapping guy hugs.

“Yeah, long-ass flight, too, but it’s all good man, I got to sit by a hottie. For the first time, I was happy to be by a chatty person. Even got her number. She lives here in Auburn. Girl like that could tempt me from Alaska. Tempt, not convince,” John added after seeing Emmett’s and my surprised expressions.

We laughed, both of us knowing there was absolutely no way John would ever move away from Alaska.

We sat out back and caught up with him over a few beers while I waited anxiously for the girls to get there. Wondering where they were, I sent a quick group text.

Me:

Where the hell are y’all?

T:

A bit snarky aren’t ya?

A:

We’re coming . . . soon.

T:

Don’t tell her. Make her wait.

Me:

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

A:

Don’t worry about Tamron. She’s just pissy because, in order to see you, she has to see Quinn, and they had a fight.

T:

Great. I didn’t want to get Sam involved too, Alison.

Me:

A fight? No way. I’m here, and Quinn isn’t acting like there’s a problem. He’s playing some video game with Riley like he always does.

T:

Fucker.

A:

Relax, Tamron.

Me:

Wow, I really need to get caught up on this.

T:

We’ll be there in a few.

A:

We’re leaving the apartment now.

Me:

Awesome. See y’all soon.

It was rapid-fire texting at its best and we had perfected it. We had an entire conversation in less than three minutes. When the doorbell rang again, I excused myself and rushed inside to intervene between Tamron and Quinn. I wondered what their fight was about, because they always seemed so happy together.

I opened the door and threw my arms around my best friends, each of us squealing our hellos. It wasn’t until I let them inside that I felt the air thicken, and knew it had to be the fight between Tamron and Quinn. I would talk to Tamron about that, and soon. Alison walked over to Riley and gave him a kiss, but let out a shriek when he grabbed her ass as she spun back toward me. On our way to the kitchen, Tamron walked by Quinn without saying a word or even glancing in his direction.

I grabbed us glasses of lemonade then set chips and salsa on the counter for an afternoon snack.

“So, umm, what exactly was this fight about, Tamron? Why are you being so cold toward him?” I asked her in a hushed tone.

“Sam, I really don’t want to talk about it. Okay? I just want to hang with you. We’ve missed you so much,” she replied.

“Tamron. You can’t expect her to accept that answer. First of all, and you know this is true, we wouldn’t let her get away with shrugging us off like that if she and Emmett were fighting.”

“All right. Fine. Damn it. He wants us to move in together,” she explained.

I gasped and brought my hand up to my mouth. She shook her head and continued.

“See, this is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you. I can hear it already. First of all, you’re gonna be just like Alison and get all excited, and want us to move in together. I can see it already starting in your composure, you’re all happy and bouncy. I am not in the mood for it. Second of all, you aren’t one to talk about who should move in with who, since you have had your own issues with whether or not to move in with Emmett.”

I gasped. “But Tamron, that’s diff . . .”

“Yeah, it’s different. I realize that, but it doesn’t change the significance on my situation. I’ll tell you like I told him; I’m not ready to move in with him,” she sighed. “Why the ever-loving fuck did he have to ask me? He’s got a good thing here with Riley. I have a good thing at home with Alison. I don’t want to rock that relationship boat. I mean I love him, which is why I can’t move in with him.”

“Okay, but that’s really the best reason to move in with him.” I said softly.

She shook her head. “We’ve been dating for almost two years, and I do miss him when he’s not with me, but what if it doesn’t work out? I’ll lose him! I can’t take that chance. So, I told him no, that it was ridiculous for him to even ask.” She breathed a huge sigh, and laid her head in her hands.”

“Wow, Tamron. Quinn didn’t understand that?” I asked.

Alison huffed. “He would if she’d have just told him that. But no. All she told him was that last part about it being ridiculous. So to be honest, I can’t blame him, and that pisses Tamron off even more.”

I smiled at Tamron. She looked up at me between her fingers, like hiding from a scene in a movie you don’t want to see but can’t keep from looking.

“Tamron, it’ll be all right. I’m sure it’ll all work out in the end, as long as you keep your heart open to Quinn. And you know Alison and I are always here for you.”

I walked around the counter to give her a hug, noticing the tears in her eyes. She wiped them away and hugged me back. I hoped she might be ready to talk to Quinn, but as we pulled apart, he walked through the kitchen to get a beer and didn’t even look at her.

He made a point to say hi to Alison and me though, and I could tell some real damage had been done. I felt the chasm between them as stark as if I were standing in one for real. Quinn grabbed two beers then made his way back into the living room.

Tamron leaned back against the counter with a sigh. “It’s probably too late to fix it now. I can’t tell him all of that anyway. He won’t understand. It’s just . . . God, I can’t lose him.”

“You’re going to lose him, if you don’t explain it to him, Tamron. You have to at least try,” I told her with Alison nodding in agreement.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. I knew she probably wasn’t ready to talk to Quinn, but she looked like she was getting there, and I hoped she would be soon.

We spent the afternoon talking about all we had missed while away from each other. I told the girls about my trip to Hawaii with Emmett. They listened intently as I told them about Alec’s memorial. I grabbed my phone and showed them pictures of Alec’s lantern. Neither one asked me what I had written on my panels. They knew it was something just between Alec and me. But they each squeezed my hands as I spoke about Emmett and I drawing strength from each other, as we set his lantern afloat in the ocean. I’m sure they were relieved we’d been able to finally say goodbye and get some closure.

Emmett walked into the kitchen and grabbed two more beers then went back outside. I wanted to join him so I could catch up with John, too.

“So, guess who’s here.” I said, smiling.

“Well, don’t keep us waiting. Who?” Tamron asked.

But Alison was already up and walking to the back doors. “It’s John!” she squealed.

“Here? Now? Really?” Tamron asked as she followed Alison outside.

Emmett and John were sitting on the brick wall surrounding the back yard. I walked up to Emmett and nestled between his legs, while the girls ambled up to John. He had enough time to jump down before they threw their arms around him and hugged him tight.

“Tamron, Alison . . .” he said, laughing. “It’s good to see you.”

They started into twenty questions—when did he get there, why didn’t he say he was coming? Did he have a girlfriend up there in Alaska, and if so, they wanted all the details about her, and they would need to make sure she knew the consequences of hurting him.

I smiled up at Emmett as he looked down at me with a glint in his eye.

“Those girls never change,” he said and we both chuckled.

“Hey Emmett,” Alison and Tamron said in unison, still standing with John’s arms around them.

“No, there’s no girlfriend,” he finally answered. “But there are girls,” he continued at their surprised expressions. “I do date, for fuck’s sake. I just haven’t found one that I want to have around on a regular basis. That’s all.”

Emmett cleared his throat. “There’re lots of fine, southern girls down here in Alabama and Georgia, you know.”

I motioned around at all of us. “Plus, we’re all here. If you’d just stay down here permanently.” I added.

“Never gonna happen, my friends,” John answered. “I love Alaska. I’ll keep coming down here for the heavy winter months, but Alaska is my home, and if I were to find a fine, southern girl, she would have to travel with me between here and Alaska.”

We all laughed as Riley and Quinn walked through the back door. Riley walked up to Alison, and Quinn fired up the grill. I could sense Tamron’s tension from across the yard. Man, I understood her hesitation, but I knew first hand it was better to be honest about your feelings, rather than keep it in, no matter what happened.

I went inside to grab a couple sodas. Tamron followed me in with a look of panic I’d never seen before. She shook her head when I started to ask what was wrong, and I realized she likely just needed a breather.

As the afternoon crept on, Quinn had slowly inched his way closer and closer to Tamron. I had a feeling he wasn’t going to let things stay the way they were between them for long. Tamron was going to have to talk to him, and soon. Trouble was, she was nowhere near ready. I handed her the tray of hamburgers and hot dogs, and she grew more panicked than ever.

“Tamron, this is the best way to break the ice between you two. He has the grill ready. Just hand this to him and say ‘hi’ or ‘here ya go.’ You don’t have to engage in real conversation yet. He still has to cook. But you’ll at least have something other than silence to step you two closer to actually hashing out your problems. Remember, this all started because he wanted y’all to move in together. He loves you. It’ll all work out.”

She nodded and, in normal Tamron fashion, stood tall and walked out the back door, looking confident and ready. I smiled, hoping they’d be okay. Their relationship was one of the most rock-solid that I knew, and it made me feel very uneasy, for them to be in turmoil.

I gathered more drinks into a cooler and carried it outside. Emmett watched me with that same look he had upstairs in his old room. A chill ran through me as I thought of his arms wrapped around my body and his mouth kissing mine, softly at first, then turning hungry and greedy. With a shake of my head, I snapped myself from the sexy daydream. Man, just a look from him had me all hot and bothered. If it hadn’t been for the company we were in, I would have rushed that barbeque along, too.