Unbreakable(71)

The one thing this place has is a fantastic view of the city, thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows. She walks over and pulls the curtains back.

“What an awesome view!”

“Yeah, it’s the main reason I bought the place. Em, I’m going to get changed out of this suit. I’ll be right back. Grab yourself a drink. I have wine and beer. And I think there’s some soda in the fridge. Make yourself at home, okay?”

Emmy glances over her shoulder at me. “Sure. Thanks.”

I hurry into the bedroom and peel off my suit as fast as I can, tossing it on the closet floor. I yank on a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt before booking it back out into the living room.

Emmy’s at the window, holding a glass of wine. She turns, a small smile on her face. “Did you have a pit crew in there helping you? That’s the fastest I’ve ever seen anyone change their clothes.”

“Something like that,” I say, smiling.

She points to a wine glass on the coffee table. “I opened one of your bottles. Hope that’s okay.”

“Of course. It’s more than okay,” I murmur. Her cheeks are still flushed from the cold. Or maybe now from the wine. I notice half of her glass is already gone.

Suddenly, her fa?ade crumbles.

“What is it that we’re doing?” she asks, her voice shaking. She places the wine glass down on the table. “I mean, now that Sully’s okay…” She tugs on the bottom of the jersey and looks at the floor. “You said it was just sex between us, Will.” She glances up at me and swallows. “Was that true? I have to know. I poured my heart out to you at Glyka, and now—”

I reach out with one arm and haul her against me. The light honeysuckle and violet scent of her perfume invades my senses. It wraps me in sweetness and reminds me of everything that she represents. Joy, happiness, light, and love. It calls me home, because that’s what Emmy is—she’s home to me.

“No.” I thread my fingers through her hair. “It wasn’t ever just sex to me. I’m f*cking crazy about you, sweetheart. Can’t you see? I’ve wanted you forever.”

Surprise flares in her bright green eyes. “You have?”

I trace my fingers along her cheeks and cup her pretty face in my hands. “It’s always been you, Em. All I’ve ever wanted was you.”





Chapter Thirty





EMMY




I’m completely overwhelmed with emotion as I stare up into his handsome face. “Always?”

“For the past three years,” he admits.

“Oh my God.” How did he keep this to himself that entire time? “I didn’t know, Will,” I whisper. “I swear to you, I didn’t know.”

“Of course you didn’t, because that’s how it had to be. Or how I thought it had to be,” he murmurs, running his hands along my back. “I kept it buried so deep.”

Despite my joy at hearing that he feels the same way I do, I can’t help but feel sad and a little guilty.

He’d had these feelings for me for so long, yet he listened to every happy moment or complaint about my past relationships. And he’d never once backed away from any of those conversations, no matter how much pain they must have caused him.

“Em, there’s something I have to know.”

“Anything,” I say, cuddling closer to him.

“In the alley outside of Glyka, you said that you had feelings for me before anything happened between us.” He steps away to look down at me and takes my hands. “But it hasn’t been very long since you broke up with Aidan. I thought maybe he was the reason you were hell-bent on letting loose up at the cottage—so you could try to get over him. You guys were together for a while, you know?”

He pauses for a moment before continuing. “If this is headed where I think it’s headed, and we’re talking about really being together, you need to know that I can’t handle being your rebound, honey.” He takes a deep breath. “If I’m just a distraction, and you’re still struggling over that breakup—”

“I broke up with Aidan because of you,” I blurt out.

Will’s eyebrows shoot up. “What? What do you mean?”

“Things were breaking down between Aidan and me, and well… I kept comparing him to you. And honestly, he fell short in every category. I spent my days thinking about you. I looked forward to talking to you every night. I got so happy when I’d get a text from you.” I look out of the window at his incredible view before turning my gaze back to him.

“I tried to make it work with him for a while, but I realized that I shouldn’t have to try so hard. With you, everything always seemed effortless. Our joking and teasing, even our serious talks. With him, it just… wasn’t. So I ended it. I realized he couldn’t ever be like you. And you were everything that I wanted. I just never thought you saw me as anything except Sully’s sister, at least until we got to the cottage. Even then I kept wishing that things could be different between us and that I could really be with you. I fell so hard for you, Will.”

The way he’s looking at me right now—a little stunned and a whole lot sweet—completely melts my heart.

“So to answer your question, no, you’re not a rebound. All I want is to be with you. Only you,” I say softly. “I want to be your girlfriend. I mean, if that’s what you want, too.”