I turn back to her, finding her jumping off the desk and straightening her panties. “By the way, that outfit really is hot as hell, and he’s a fucking idiot for cheating on you. But I’m glad you left him. You deserve more than he could have ever given you.” With that I close the door and walk to my room.
Chapter fourteen
Greyson
Got to clean up that ice cream.
~ One Week Later / Christmas Eve ~
“Emma, we need to get going. Are you almost done?” I shout from down the stairs while getting little Gracie into her winter coat.
We’re on our way to the Burkley residence for our annual Christmas dinner with the team, or Christmas brunch in this case. Since we’re flying to my parents tonight, Morgan thought itwould be best to host the party during the day, and kids tend to be less fussy during that time compared to at night.
The outfit Gracie wears is way too cute for her own good—a red plaid long-sleeved dress with ruffles over the shoulders. Green tulle peeks out beneath the dress, and a big green bow wraps around her and ties at the back.
I added black nylons beneath and cute little red flats with bows on the top that look a lot like the shoes Dorothy wore inThe Wizard of Oz. I also put her hair in two tiny pigtails like Bunny always does and added a red plaid bow to each.
Who knew dressing up your kid would be so much fun? It’s become an addiction of mine. Every time I see a cute outfit, I get it. Emma seems to be suffering from the same addiction. Gracie now has so many clothes that we started putting some in the spare room beside hers, and we plan to turn it into a closet for her.
I stand from the couch, grab the diaper bag, and come to the base of the steps, waiting for Emma. Around five minutes later, I finally hear the telltale sound of her heels clacking against the hardwood. I look up, and the air is instantly stolen from my lungs.
She looks like a queen.A goddess.
“Bunny…”
“My parents know, so I guess it’s time my friends do, too.” She offers me a hesitant smile and takes her first step down.
A pair of white Mary Jane platform pumps with low ankle straps make their way toward me. They’re accompanied by an olive-green off-the-shoulder vintage dress with a butterfly print that falls just below her knees and has a light V-shaped neckline accentuating the top of her breasts. And on her arm she carries an ivory cashmere cape with a fox fur trim.
When she reaches the bottom step and stands before me, her eyes search mine as I examine her features. Her makeupis heavier than usual, but it still looks stunning. A thin strip of eyeliner graces her eyes with gold sparkling eyeshadow. Black mascara enhances her long eyelashes, a soft pink blush highlights her cheekbones, and crimson matte lipstick covers her pouty lips.
Her hair is in a sleek French-twist updo with curls. It’s beautifully flawless and shows off her red hair even more. “You look absolutely magnificent.” My hand comes up to her cheek, caressing her soft skin with my thumb.
“You don’t look so bad yourself, Mr. Ford.” She winks and fixes the lapels to my suit jacket, then my tie.
I’m wearing a fully black three-piece suit and tie. I don’t usually dress this formally for our Christmas get-togethers, but I knew Emma would go all out, so I thought I’d do the same.
She rests her right hand on my chest and gazes at me in that same way she’s been doing all week, with a feeling I’m not ready to think about. But to say my emotions for Bunny aren’t changing… would be a lie.
Since our second time together, we’ve gotten a lot closer in some ways. There’s more touching here and there, more standing close to one another, more laughs, and little looks. I find myself enjoying this version of Emma and craving more of her at every turn.
I know she’s said twice already that there can’t be anything between us and that mentally and emotionally she’s not ready for any form of relationship. But when she looks at me like that, I get the sense that maybe she’s changing her mind as well. Maybe a part of her questions the ‘what if?’.
Emma takes her left hand and cradles the side of Gracie’s face. “Well, don’t you look beautiful, Little Tulip. You’ll be the prettiest one in the room. I have no doubt.”
“Or a close second,” I whisper to Emma.
Her eyes whip back to mine, a beautiful hue joining her blush-covered cheeks.God, I wish I could always make her blush like that…We’re stuck in a moment, both wanting the same thing but neither of us willing to admit it.
She licks her lips and looks away. “We should get going.”
I clear my throat and adjust my daughter on my hip. “Right, yeah.”
Ten minutes later, we're walking through a winter wonderland and into Morgan and Clay’s home. Silas, Clay, and I all live within five to ten minutes of each other, which is convenient with the amount of time we spend together.
I remove Gracie’s coat first and hand her over to Silas, who greets us at the door accompanied by his wife. He walks off with Gracie, most likely putting her down to play with Dante. Next, I help Emma out of her cape and hang it up in the entry closet. She thanks me with an adoring smile and turns back to her best friend, who stares at her with wide eyes and a hand over her gaping mouth.
“Oh my God, Em! You look stunning!”
