The Crush (24)

Emmett quietly processed everything I was saying, his eyes locked on mine in a way that had me feeling desperately winded.

Finally, he blinked away. I found myself holding my breath, wondering what he was thinking. If he thought it was weird that I was laying this out there for him.

“That’s a noble promise,” he said quietly.

I exhaled, slow and steady. “I love my life in Seattle, but there’s only one reason I’ll give it up. And that’s if they need me here. My mom and Tim, they built this family out of so much loss and trauma, and no matter what we needed—they found a way to give it to us. Because they saw a life that was good and built on love. We weren’t defined by my dad leaving. My stepbrothers weren’t defined by their mom dying. Our parents made sure of that.”

Emmett listened so intently. And it was such a good trait, but for some reason, on those swings—it left me feeling on edge.

I wanted to pry his head open with a can opener because not knowing his thoughts suddenly seemed like a punishment.

“You know what I noticed about you that very first weekend up at the beach house?” he said.

“If you say my cleavage, I’m going to be really disappointed in you.”

He grinned, quick and fast and hot, but his face smoothed out. “You take care of people in a way that comes so naturally. That first night, when the kids were out of their minds crazy all day, I remember watching you with Luna and Asher. You were reading a book over in that big chair they used to have. She climbed on your lap, and you were scratching her back. I’d never seen anyone quiet her so quickly.”

I smiled. “She was … insane back then, wasn’t she?”

“I’m still a little terrified of her, to be honest.”

My laughter broke up the seriousness of the moment, but his comment burrowed deep, deep into some little corner of my heart. I never really knew how much he’d noticed me in return. All I knew was that when I took my shot, he told me he didn’t think of me that way.

“You have this ability to see what people need,” he continued. “It’s amazing. And your family is really fucking lucky to have you in their corner.”

Well, shit.

My eyes went all blurry, and I blinked away the moisture that threatened to spill.

“Did you think about moving back home?” he asked.

“After Nick?”

He nodded.

“I did,” I admitted. “The night we broke up, I almost packed my bags and drove straight back.”

“What made you stay?”

I gave him a wry grin. “Your mom.”

Emmett laughed. “Oh boy. I’m almost scared to ask.”

“I was doing well with my business, but I hadn’t taken that big leap to hiring and expanding, doing bigger events.” I settled my head on the chain again. “I was sitting at their kitchen island, and she was doing such a good job of vilifying Nick.”

Emmett’s smile was so full of affection for his mom that I damn near burst into tears. “Sounds like her.”

“And I told her I didn’t know what to do next. Going home felt like I’d be starting all over again, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted that. But even staying in Seattle—I knew I needed a change. So she took out a bottle of tequila, made the best margaritas I’ve ever had in my life, and got me drunk off my ass while I cried over my stupid ex-boyfriend, and we made a business plan that didn’t make much sense the next morning over the breakfast your dad made.”

His teeth flashed white in his smile, and a dimple popped in the side of his cheek. “You slept over?”

I nodded, my eyes darting to his and holding. “In your bed, actually.”

Emmett’s gaze heated, slow and molten, and this time, I did nothing to stop the corresponding goose bumps that sprinkled up my arms.

“I’m sorry I missed that,” he said.

I raised an eyebrow. “You never would’ve tried anything, not if I was drunk.”

His eyes locked onto my mouth. “No. I would’ve slept on the floor like a perfect gentleman.”

Who was I kidding? If Emmett had been in that bedroom with me that night, he would’ve had to tie me down to keep from mounting him like a bike. I tore my gaze from his, exhaling slow and steady.

This was why I was afraid to be alone with him.

This pull that I always felt when he was around. The difference now was that I wasn’t the only one following the tug, the push of the magnets.

Realizing that had me asking the thing I couldn’t quite figure out, without pausing to consider the ramifications.

“Why did you come here, Emmett?”

My question had his expression softening, a tenderness in his gaze that I’d never seen before. It caused the same ominous rumbling as when he took my hand and led me onto the dance floor.

Something was changing, and I didn’t know what.

I wanted to know.

And I didn’t. The unknown of all this was terrifying in its bigness because nothing felt unimportant. Not a single exchange we’d had could be swept away or ignored.

Emmett braced his feet on the ground and spun his swing, the chains crisscrossing at the top and his big muscular arms moving to pull me into the same position. We faced each other now, and he braced his elbows on his thighs, clasped hands dangling between his legs.