Mom: Obviously I meant grandchildren from Ryan
Gramma CeCe: I wouldn’t worry about babies. With the way he’s looking at her in these photographs, that horse might already be trotting down the lane
Ruthie: Let’s not jump to those conclusions until we have all the facts
Mom: Ryan, please tell your sister she doesn’t need to litigate anything today
Amber: Even if he does comment, she’ll find fault with it
Claudia: My evidence is stronger than your skepticism, Ruth.
Claudia dropped another dozen photos into the chat, including a blurry one where Emme’s hand was flat on my abs and I was staring at her like I wanted to devour her.
Which was not wrong.
The group thread had continued on but I noticed a message outside the chat waiting for me from Ruthie.
Ruthie: You and your new-old girlfriend are taking me to brunch this morning
Ruthie: Buttermilk & Bourbon at noon
Ruthie: Will you attract enough attention there or would you prefer someplace busier?
Emme returned, her hands curled up inside the arms of her sweatshirt. Her eyes were sleepy and the urge to take her back to bed shot through me. “What’s up?” she asked, tipping her chin toward my phone.
“Well, two things,” I said with a wince. “First, the entire world saw my post last night. You might want to turn off your phone for the day.”
She jolted when she saw all the notifications waiting for her. “I guess it’s a really good thing all of my social accounts were already private.”
“It’s the only way,” I said, taking the phone from her. It wouldn’t help to look too closely. “And, um, Ruthie wants to hang out. If you’re up for brunch.”
“Always up for brunch and I’d love to see Ruthie,” she said, wandering into her closet. “Where are we going? I’ll get ready and meet you there.”
“I’ll wait for you,” I called.
She poked her head out but that didn’t hide the fact she’d lost the sweatpants. The sweatshirtjustcovered the curve of her ass. The one I’d become all too acquainted with this morning. “You can get away with a lot but I don’t think last night’s tux is the look you want this morning.”
“We’ll stop at my place,” I said, turning to look out the window so I didn’t have to talk myself out of another erection this morning.
“Seems like it would be easier to meet you there,” she said.
I glanced over my shoulder as she emerged in a bathrobe that was many terrible things. Short, thin, soft. And her hair in those braids. Terrible.I went back to staring at Charlestown off in the distance.
“Ruthie likes to play the cynic,” I said.
“Oh, so this is a test.” Emme nodded as she loosened her braids. “Gotcha.” She stopped midway through one braid. “She’s doubtingme?”
I shrugged. “It seems that way.”
“This kid isn’t going to know what hit her,” she said. “She’s going to walk out stuffed with waffles and the knowledge that I’m actually your soul mate.”
I gulped. “That’s the spirit.”
But then she frowned and jabbed at the air between us. “Wait. So, you actually want your family to believe this is real?”
I knew how to take hard hits. I knew how to fall. I knew how to play through blinding pain.
And yet none of that prepared me to hear those words without taking it like a direct blow to the chest.
