I don’t know how to handle the thought of a world without her in it.
When it’s finallytime to drag ourselves out of bed, Emma looks like she won a battle. She stretches, shamelessly naked in front of me. I groan, half asleep now that we’ve spent all morning completely lost in each other.
“You really want to start this again?” I warn as she tries pulling the blanket off me again. “What, you don’t think we have time for round three?”
I grab her wrist, yanking her back down onto the bed, making her laugh. “Keep looking at me like that and we won’t even make it to your birthday dinner.”
She presses a quick kiss to my lips before climbing off. “As tempting as that is, I need you to take me home so I can shower and get ready.”
I sigh dramatically. “Fine. But I love knowing my cum will be dripping out of you all day long.”
Emma slaps my shoulder once before I grab her naked body and pull her into one last kiss.
—
She leans over as the truck stops in front of her house, pressing a goodbye kiss to my jaw before opening the door. “Pick me up later?”
“Yeah,” I say, watching her climb out. “I’ll be back at 6.”
She’s halfway to her front door when I roll down the window. “Do we have time for one more quickie?” I call out after her.
She flips me off over her shoulder, laughing as she disappears inside. I chuckle as I pull away.
But as soon as she’s out of sight, the smile fades and the weight I’ve been trying to ignore settles back on top of me.
I drive towards the bar, lost in my thoughts.
I'm scared.
I just got her back, and I’m not ready to lose her. Ican’tlose her.
31
EMMA
The hot water beats against my skin, steam curling around me as I press my forehead against the tile. I close my eyes, replaying the events from last night and this morning: the way Alex lost himself in me and the way he groaned my name like it was the only word he knew. My fingers skim over my stomach, trailing lower. I already know exactly how this will end, but before I can lose myself completely, I force my hands to stop.
No time.
Focus, Emiliana.
I shut off the water with a frustrated sigh and step onto the bath mat, grabbing a towel and wrapping it tightly around my body. My reflection in the mirror is wild—flushed cheeks, damp, tangled hair, and swollen lips that still tingle from biting my lip as he fucked me. I look…happy. It scares the hell out of me. I have way more to lose now than I did months ago.
As I wander into the bedroom, I eye the outfit I set out earlier. My first birthday back in Windhaven, and I’m going all out by showing up to dinnerwithAlex.
I swallow as my stomach twists, all of a sudden feeling nauseous from the nerves. Thanksgiving used to be one of myfavorite days of the year, mainly because it’s so close to mine and Frankie’s birthday and sometimes overlapped. Every year it was loud, chaotic, and spent elbowing my brothers out of the way for food while mom laughed at us from the kitchen.
It hasn’t been the same since she’s been gone. Now, with everything happening with my health, and Alex, and the fact that my brothers are about to see us actuallytogetherfor the first time… tonight feels bigger than merely a celebratory dinner.
I try to shake off the nerves and start getting dressed. I pull on a maroon knit sweater dress that hangs perfectly off one shoulder. I tug on a pair of black tights before finishing the look with my knee-high black leather boots. It’s casual but cute. Comfortable but intentional. Probably a lot like my entire relationship with Alex right now.
I’m adjusting the sleeves on the sweater when my phone buzzes on the nightstand.
I smile, unlocking it to find a text from Dallas:
Dallas
Happy Birthday and Thanksgiving, babe! so glad your parents fucked 29 years ago and you were born! How’s it going?
