Life In Reverse(87)

“Chwissy! Wook what I got.”

“Wow, Riles, that’s awesome.” He kneels down and shakes Mickey’s hand. “Listen, we need to get going. Mom is making dinner and your friend Lenny is coming over.”

Riley licks a circle around his mouth, chocolate sticking to his tongue. “Okay, hewe.” He shoves Mickey Mouse at Chris. “Howd this.” Then he turns around, slinging his arms around Ember and squeezing until he practically cuts off her circulation. She smiles through it because she’s a trooper. “Bye, Embew. See you soon?”

“Absolutely, sweet boy.”

Riley backs away, kissing her cheek and my heart blows up. He moves on to me and gives me a big hug. “Bye, Unca Vance. Thank you fow bwinging me and fow the stuffed animal.”

“You got it, little guy. I’ll see you soon, okay?” I make a fist and he mimics me, pressing his curled fingers against mine. “Oh.” I pry the small plastic bag from my pocket with the Superman action figure. “This is for you, too. A little surprise for when you get home.”

His smile grows. “Thanks, Unca Vance.”

“Sure.” I grin. “Now scram.”

“All right, we’re outta here. Nice m-meeting you, Ember.” Chris’s gaze flashes to me with the discretion of a fly. “Hope to see you around.”

“Nice meeting you, too.” Ember waves once as Chris and Riley disappear into the crowd. She scuffs the toe of her sneaker against the floor, her gaze following the motion. “So….”

“So….” I wait until she raises her head then hold out my arm. She stares at it, hesitating for a split second before folding her fingers around my elbow. Small victories, I remind myself. “Shall we blow this joint, or what?”

“Let’s.”

We make it back out into the sunshine, prodded by a sea of people as anxious as we are to exit the store and breathe fresh air. Directly in front of the entrance, a group gathers around a man in a top hat and tails singing acapella. Not unusual for Manhattan and his voice is pretty damn good. Ember glances up at me, curiosity embedded in her smile.

“You said you play at that bar, Blue Monday, right?”

“Yeah. Every Tuesday and Thursday night. It’s no big deal.” I brush it off because when it comes down to it, the bar is a dive and the gig is solely something we do for fun. But I still f*cking love it.

“I always thought you should do something with that voice.” Her tone doesn’t jibe with her expression. It’s too soft somehow, and my jaw stiffens. She slips her arm out from under mine and shifts away, staring at everything except me. “I should get going.”

“Do you want to grab a bite?”

“I can’t. I… have plans.” Her words are vague, but her message is crystal f*cking clear. I know it’s with that guy.

“Ember.” I blow out a rough breath. “I don’t want to talk to your head. Could you look at me?” She turns, her face blank of emotion. “Go out with me tomorrow night.”

She sighs. “I can’t.”

I tug on my earring, suddenly wanting to rip it from my skin. “Why not?”

“I have plans with Avery.”

I shove my frustration into my pocket. “The night after that, then?”

Another lengthy sigh. “Vance—”

“Ember.” I tilt my head, searching her face. “I know you still care about me. I can see it in your eyes.” Reaching out, I tip her chin up with my finger. “What happened to the girl who always told the truth?”

She blinks slowly, breath rattling as it leaves her mouth. “She’s still here… she’s just terrified of it now.”

My eyes drift back and forth between hers, hoping she can see the sincerity in my gaze, feel it from my heart. “I won’t hurt you again.”

“You don’t know that.”

One thing I do know—words are f*cking useless at this point. I need to prove it to her.

“Okay,” I submit, dropping my hand. And for someone who claims to be terrified, her forehead creases in what looks a whole hell of a lot like disappointment.

“Thank you for today. I had a great time,” her mouth slants, “and I love little Riley.”

Without waiting another f*cking second, I lean down and let my lips graze her cheek before stepping back. “Thanks for coming.”

She walks away from me, and my stomach lurches. I can’t help thinking how the roles are reversed now, and how I deserve this—because I never should have walked away from her. I damn sure won’t make that same mistake twice. And since I can’t manage to take things slow, before she gets too far away I yell out. “Admit it. You missed me.”

Her movement halts and she spins around, throwing her hands up in the air. Even from here I can tell she’s smiling. “Okay! I f*cking missed you! Happy?”

Not entirely—but it’s a start.





IT’S AMAZING HOW slow a weekend can go by, even when you fill every second. To make sure you have no free moments to think. I can’t say it was all that successful. Hanging out with Avery, sculpting, and studying, definitely passed the time. But my mind strayed to Vance on more than one occasion. I blow out a ruffled sigh and lean back in my chair. Friday was great—more than great. While I can’t bring myself to admit anything else to Vance at the moment, I can own up to the fact that I missed him—like crazy.