Emily tenses as she watches me.
“Yes. Yes. Son, you can’t panic every time I call you.”
I release a huge breath, and Emily seems to relax too.
“Can you stop by the grocery store and pick up a few things before you come home today?” Mom asks. “I’ll text the list to you.”
Emily crawls out of bed, and I frown even though I know we need to take things slow.
“Sure.” The one word out of my mouth is painful as I watch Emily comb her fingers through her long hair. I want to be those fingers. I want to touch every part of her slowly, deliberately, and worship her like she deserves.
You’re talking to your mother, Adam. Get your fucking mind out of the gutter.
“Adam, are you there?” Mom’s voice penetrates through my lust-filled mind, and my erection is gone.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll...” I forgot what Mom wants me to do. “I’ll be there around one.”
“Do you have money to buy the groceries?”
Emily mouths, “Bathroom, then coffee.” I nod, and she sashays her hips out of the room.
“Adam.” Mom raises her voice. “Are you still sleeping? Did I wake you?”
I shake my head vigorously. “Sorry, I’m here.”
“Are you with a woman?” She asks so innocently, but I swear she sees through the phone.
It’s too soon to tell her about Emily. I don’t want to answer her hundred questions either about who the girl is. Mom has a tendency to grill me about the girls I date. Sadly, I haven’t had a steady girl in quite some time, and I don’t share my rare one-night stands with her. But I’m not going to lie to her either.
“Just having breakfast with a friend.”
“Well, you can tell me all about her later. See you soon.” She hangs up.
For a beat, I stand in Carter’s black-and-white room dumbfounded that Mom is so sure I’m with a woman. But I shrug it off and slide into my jeans and go in search of Emily.
It’s not hard to find her. Carter’s pad is small, but it’s Emily’s lyrical voice pulling me to her.
She’s singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” This time she’s not strung out, and her voice is even prettier than when I heard her sing in my dorm room.
She doesn’t hear me as I approach. I prop a shoulder on the wall and watch her as she makes coffee like she’s the one who lives here.
“Dreams really do come true,” she sings.
I hope they do because my dreams are beginning to include her.
I don’t want to startle her, but my legs are moving before I can think. “You know you have a pretty voice?” My hands curl around her waist.
She jumps a little before she leans her head back into my chest. “Thank you.”
I flatten my large palms on her stomach, and I plant a kiss just below her ear. “I’m sorry about the phone call.”
She spins around, looking up at me with doe-like eyes. “Don’t be. She’s your mom.” A hint of sadness threads through her last sentence.
I drag my fingers along her cheek, sweeping her hair behind her ear. We stare at each other for a long minute.
Her hands slide up my chest. “Adam.” She worries her bottom lip. “I’m concerned that Wes is going to have you arrested.”
I lift her up easily and set her on the counter, rubbing my hands up her bare legs.
