“I was going to go to my parents’,” she said. “My mom came back last night from Millie’s.” There were still a few hours until then, and she considered inviting him over.
But she paused. A part of her wanted to let him into her space, but a part of her was afraid it was too much, too soon. She very rarely invited men to her place.
“Will I see you tomorrow?” he asked. “At the bookshop?”
That reminded her again of their meeting with Anh, the investment they were both vying for. Before, she had been so focused, so determined, and a large part of that had beenbecause she wanted to beat Luke—but now? She didn’t want to beat him. A part of her wanted him to win, to see him happy and successful.
But where did that leave her? All her hard work? All her plans to expand Inferno?
“What are you thinking about?” he asked, brows furrowed.
She blinked. “Oh—the meeting with Anh,” she replied quickly. “It’s so soon.”
“Are you worried?” He looked confused still. “I’m sure your proposal is going to be great.”
But that wasn’t what concerned her.
“How’s yours coming along?” she asked. He paused, glancing away from her, then back.
“Maybe we shouldn’t talk about it,” he said, releasing a breath. “I don’t want it to inadvertently come between us.”
“Okay,” she replied, though she didn’t feel any better. She felt torn. She hadn’t planned for this. She needed to think—to strategize. The girls’ warnings rang in her head, about how she couldn’t micromanage everything, but she ignored them. There had to be a solution that would lead to success; there always was. And she always found it.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked. She nodded, giving him a smile. He leaned in to give her a final kiss goodbye, and she hummed against his mouth, perfectly content.
But as she flew home on Torch, she couldn’t help but worry.
Chapter 28
Emmeline spent the rest of her birthday at her parents’ place.
Samreen was back from Millie’s and made Emmeline a special birthday dinner of mutton korma with homemade naans, and kheer for dessert. The rice pudding was one of Emmeline’s favorite desserts, but it took hours to make, which was why Samreen refused to make it except for her birthday.
Emmeline was glad her mom was home; Samreen seemed more relaxed. Emmeline knew it was probably overwhelming for Samreen to be at Millie’s with all the kids, which was why she had been a bit highly strung.
The next day, Emmeline had work at Inferno, and after, she went to the bookshop. She didn’t really need to spend as much time at the bookshop anymore, since she had done most of the work for her proposal, but she still liked seeing Luke every day.
When she was apart from him, she spent her time thinking about when she would see him again, and when they weretogether, she was entirely present in the moment with him, not wanting it to slip away.
The week passed in bliss. She hardly got any work done as they distracted one another, stealing kisses when they should have been working, talking when they should have been focused.
They fell into an easy routine, one that made her feel as if it had always existed. After spending a few hours at the bookshop, they would get dinner someplace in town or in Bayview, a date for every night. After, they would walk around the lit streets or the lake, talking and kissing and laughing. They had so much to talk about, an entire lifetime’s worth.
She hadn’t had so much fun in a long time, and each day was just as good as the last, if not better.
On Friday, they didn’t meet at the bookshop; instead, she went over to his place. Emmeline made sure to wear the earrings Luke had gifted her—she had been wearing them almost every day—and when he opened the door, his brown eyes lit up with warmth.
“Hi,” she said, smiling. She loved making him happy. Closing the door behind her, he pulled her into a hug. She melted against him, utterly safe in his arms.
“Hi.” He was wearing a casual outfit for once, a sweatshirt and sweatpants rather than his usual dress shirt and trousers, and she liked seeing this different side of him. He wasn’t wearing any rings, either, and while she loved his ringed fingers, she liked his hands like this, too, completely bare. She twined their fingers together.
He kissed her cheek, then led her inside, and she held onto his hand, hugging his arm. It had been over a week,which wasn’t a very long time, but Emmeline felt as if they had been together for ages.
At the same time, every moment also felt brand-new, like she was uncovering some hidden treasure. Being with him felt as comforting as reading her favorite book, and yet with every reread, there was something new to explore and discover.
She followed Luke to the living room, where Rhea was sitting with the baby chimeras at her feet.
“Emmy, hi,” Rhea said, smiling brightly when she saw her.
