Deva sank onto the couch next to us. “We call the girls.”
10
EMMA
All the ladies came.I’d given them the rundown, and they crowded around the book in case I'd missed something. We all came to the same conclusion. We hadn’t learned anything good, but also nothing soul-crushing.
We sat in a painful silence before Carol stood and walked to a bag she’d set on the counter. We watched her in silence. Nobody knew what the hell to say.
She reached into the bag and with a triumphant smile pulled out two wine bottles. “My solution. Liquor. Lots of it.”
Beth turned to look at me with a raised brow.
I smiled. “Liquor is most definitely the solution for tonight.”
She laughed and sprang to her feet, hurrying to the kitchen with Carol to uncork the bottles.
Deva bumped me with her shoulder and said, “I brought treats to lighten the mood for a night like this.” She got off the couch too and switched on the stereo before heading to the kitchen with the others.
Daniel slid his hand into mine. “Hey, this might not be the time, but I’m sorry about that awkward moment with Mari.”
I stiffened. I'd forgotten all about the witchy librarian and how close she and Daniel had been sitting. “There’s nothing to be sorry for.” Even though my words were right, my tone wasn’t.
“I want you to know, nothing happened with her. Nothing has ever happened with her. After my wife passed, she pursued me for a while, but I wasn’t interested. Not only because my heart was in a million pieces, but because she wasn’t my type.”
I snorted. “I’m pretty sure that she’s every guy’s type.”
Daniel stiffened next to me. “Mari is an awful, awful woman. Do you think I’m shallow enough to only like a woman for the way she looks?”
I didn’t think that, but I also wasn’t able to keep my stupid mouth shut before saying another dumb thing. “Does that mean you’re only with me because of my personality? Since you’re not into the way a woman looks?”
He stared at me. Hard. I was forced to look at him. I couldn't help myself. The force of his glare drew my gaze. “You know you’re perfect for me in every way, including how gorgeous you are.”
I really needed to shut up, but my mouth kept freaking moving. “My ex said that kind of stuff too, but he still found someone younger and prettier.”
He reached out and stroked my cheek, his gaze gentling. “If I haven’t said it before, your ex is an idiot.”
I snorted, feeling silly. “That’s something we can both agree on.”
He leaned in and whispered, “You have no idea how much I love you, Emma Foxx.”
I melted. “Even though I get stupid like this sometimes?”
“You’re not stupid,” he said with a laugh. “We’re not in our twenties anymore. We’ve had experiences, good and bad, and those experiences color everything we do. You’re a little traumatized by what your ex put you through. I’m a little traumatized by what happened to my late wife and best friend. It makes things more complicated, but also so much richer, so much more real. You know?”
The thing was, I completely knew. I mean, if Daniel could love me and understand me even when I was being crazy, this was the kind of relationship that would last through thick and thin. Daniel wasn’t the guy who'd stop talking to me, slowly pull away, all because he'd found someone more interesting and exciting than I was. He was the kind of guy who already knew that my life consisted of adventures with him and my friends, and nights spent cuddling and watching movies.
“I love you, Daniel.”
He grinned and kissed me for a long minute before we both pulled away. “I'm one lucky man.”
My breath had left me during the kiss, and I was having a hard time finding it now.
Someone knocked at the door. Carol ran for it, calling over her shoulder. “That’s Bryan. I hope it’s okay that I invited him.”
I laughed. "Of course, it's okay." My brother didn’t mind, and I loved filling my home with people who made me happy.
Bryan came in looking a little shy and totally exhausted. His wrinkled suit looked as tired as he did. Poor guy. He was handsome and cleaned up nice. For him to look this chaotic, he must've been busy today.
