Luke waited as Emmeline continued to chat with Saphira, who seemed to be trying to make plans with her for her birthday.
“Okay, I have to go now, but I’ll see you tomorrow, then, okay?” she said. “Love you, bye.”
She walked back over to Luke, but it was only a few steps. “Sorry about that,” she said.
“No worries,” he replied. “It’s your birthday tomorrow? Sorry to eavesdrop.”
She got a little shy, then. “Yes, it is,” she replied.
“You should have said! It’s a big one.” Her thirtieth!
She waved a hand, and he narrowed his eyes. He could see that she went out of the way for others, but when it came to herself, she seemed to do the opposite. It was so weird.
He had already wanted their date to be great, but now he was even more determined for it to be wonderful. He would stay with her until midnight, so he could be the first one to wish her happy birthday.
She covered her face with her hands. “The older you get,the faster time moves,” she said. “When you’re ten years old, a year is ten percent of your life, but when you’re thirty, it’s only three percent. That’s scary, isn’t it?”
“It’s not scary, it’s exciting,” he said, and he led her down the path around the lake. “Besides, you have so much to be proud of. And growing older is such a privilege.” He thought about his mother. He didn’t know how many years she had left, but he was thankful for the time he had had with her.
Emmeline considered that. “I’ve never thought about it that way,” she said. “My cousin Danny and I were the same age; every year I get older, he doesn’t. He’ll always stay twenty-five. It’s...” She trailed off, struggling to find a word, but there was no word for it.
“Were you two really close?” he asked. She nodded.
“My other cousins are much older, and in our age group, Aiden was really quiet and withdrawn,” she said. “Danny was always so hyper and fun. He, Millie, and I were a trio at family dinner.”
“Where’s Millie now?” he asked. He had been cautious about asking too much about her before, in case it made Emmeline upset, but she seemed to have moved on from all of that.
“She got married right after college and moved down south,” she explained. “Her husband, Liam, is actually the farmer who provides the coffee beans for Inferno.”
“Oh, wow,” he replied. “That’s great.”
“Mhm.” Her eyes looked a little sad, and he understood.
“You must miss her.”
She nibbled on her lower lip. “I get to see her, but it neverfeels enough,” she said. “Not the way it used to be.” There was yearning on her face, as if she ached for a bygone era, but then her expression warmed as she remembered something. “Let me show you my nieces and nephew.”
She took out her phone, pulling up pictures of some of the cutest kids he had ever seen. They were clearlyhernieces and nephew.
“They look just like you,” he said, and it was definitely the best compliment he could have given because she smiled widely.
“I am obsessed with them,” she said, scrolling through what must have been at least a hundred photos, and they all looked to be from this month. The children were certainly very cute, and they were obviously obsessed with her.
“I’m sure you’re a great khala,” he said. She beamed. “And I’m sure you’re going to be an even better mom someday.”
She looked a little emotional at his words. “I hope so,” she whispered, putting her phone away.
Their shoulders bumped as they continued walking. “You and Farhan are close, too,” she said—not a question but a statement.
“Yeah, luckily,” he replied. “He can be annoying, but I love him to bits.” She smiled. “Don’t tell him that—he’s already got a big head.”
She laughed, and they continued talking, walking slowly. Eventually, they made it back along the path to where they had started.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “I had planned for us to get dinner at a local spot, but since it’s your birthday, we need to do something special.”
“Oh, we don’t have to,” she said, cringing. He furrowed his brows, putting a finger to his lips.
“Don’t argue,” he said. “Answer the question.” Her eyes widened a little at his bossy tone, but she didn’t seem to mind it.
