The After of Us (Judge Me Not #4)(28)

As we near where the cars are parked, Emma says, “Hey, Will. Let me drive you home. You had a lot more to drink than I did.”

I consider it, since I am a little more than buzzed. “What about my car, though?” I motion to my shiny BMW.

Emma’s eyes widen when she realizes what kind of car I have. “Wow,” she murmurs. “What happened to the rental?”

I lean against the side of my car. “The rental company came to the house and picked it up.”

“And this one is yours?”

“Yep.”

She shakes her head, and I swear I hear her mumble something about the “different worlds” we live in. Maybe she’s right.

Fishing the keys from my pocket, I say, “Hey, I’ll see you around.”

Before I can go, though, Emma places her hand on my arm. “Will, wait. Seriously, you shouldn’t drive. I’m sure Chase or Kay can bring you back tomorrow to pick up your car.”

She does have a point, on all counts. “Okay,” I reluctantly agree. “I guess you’re right. Though I don’t think my brother is going to be happy when he finds out I was out with you.”

She laughs as we walk over to her car. Great, a Mini Cooper. This is going to be far from comfortable for someone tall like me.

“Oh, really,” she replies. “Why would Chase be mad we went out?”

Since I’m a little drunk, I don’t sugarcoat the truth. “He’s worried I’ll take advantage of you.”

Opening the passenger side door for me, she says, “That’s sweet of him, but I think I can take care of myself.”

I can’t argue with that; she certainly put me in my place tonight. Or at least gave me a lot to think about. My respect for Emma has gone way up. She’s not some pushover I can take advantage of, and I like that about her.

Once we’re in the car, but before we back out of the parking space, she looks over at me and asks, “What are you thinking, Will?”

Again, I say the first thing that comes to mind. “I’m thinking that I really like you, Emma. I like you a lot.”

With clear regret in her tone, she says, “I kind of like you, too, Will.”

“Why do you sound so sad about it?” I ask.

“Because you’re leaving in a few days, remember?”

“Ah, yes, there is that.”

We drive to the house in silence, but with my head full of thoughts. Thoughts of whether I should stay in Harmony Creek and pursue my dreams of freelancing, and thoughts of whether it’s wise to pursue Emma any longer, since I am leaving in a few days. But most of all, above everything, my main concern is what’s really, truly best for Lily.

Because one thing for sure—I don’t ever want her to feel the way Emma does—abandoned by her father.





Will



I don’t try to kiss Emma when she drops me off at the farmhouse. There’s a moment, though, where she hesitates, and I think she may want me to.

But really, what’s the point? Like she said, I’m leaving in four days.

“Hey, thanks for the lift,” I mumble as I slip from the car, which actually turned out to be roomier than I had expected.

“No problem,” she replies quietly.

She sounds disappointed. Did she expect me to kiss her? Oh, well. I don’t want to make out with her while half-drunk anyway. If I ever do kiss Emma Metzger, it will be with a clear head.

With my hand on the top of the open car door, I lean in and say, “Guess I’ll see you tomorrow when I drop Lily off at daycare.”

She nods, but doesn’t make eye contact. “Guess so.”

I tap the top of the door twice, consider saying more. But in the end, I just close the damn thing and walk away.

I linger, however, in the driveway, watching Emma’s headlights grow smaller and smaller as she backs down to the road. When she’s out of sight, I sigh, wishing our situation was different.

But it’s not.

Inside, the first thing I do is check in on Lily. As usual, she’s in Sarah’s bedroom with Sarah. Both girls are sound asleep in beds I assume Kay has pushed together for the night. I give both Lily and my niece kisses on their forehead, noting how Sarah resembles Lily a lot. Her hair’s not blonde, though, like Lil’s. Sarah’s is the same chestnut shade as Kay’s.

Leaving the girls, but not before making sure the nightlight is on, I head down the hall to my bedroom.

My room is located next to Chase and Kay’s bedroom, and I stop in the hall and consider knocking on their door to see if Chase is still awake. I really feel like talking to him. Maybe he can help me sort out all my confused thoughts. My brother’s usually good at that sort of thing.

But, just as I’m about to rap on the door, I hear murmurs and soft gasps from the other side. I lower my hand. Chase is clearly preoccupied with his wife, so I shelve that idea.

In my own bedroom, loneliness overcomes me. I find myself thinking of Emma again. If she were here, one thing is sure—I’d make her feel amazing, like Chase is apparently doing with Kay in the room next to mine.

I wonder if there’ll be any girls like Emma in New York City. Probably not, I conclude. Emma is small-town, but in a good way. She’s not pretentious or snobby. She doesn’t even care that I have money—thanks to Greg and my mom, of course. That leads me to think about how I’ll be making my own bank soon enough. That prospect is what attracted me to the fancy ad firm I’ll be working for in the first place—the lure of a big paycheck.