“Nothing.”
Her response ruffled his feathers. “Go ahead and say it, Andie.”
“Well, I was just going to tell you to be careful. I don’t want you to get your heart broken. But then I realized that that’s all youhavebeen—careful. Ugh, if it feels right to…open up to this woman and get to know her, go for it. Don’t let any of us hold you back. I know how hard that is.”
A sense of hope sprang from deep in his chest, warm and encouraging. As if he’d really needed to hear Andie’s advice. What if Sloane was the woman he’d manifested? The mere thought should have sounded crazy, but it didn’t. It sounded…well, at least possible.
“Thanks.” It came out raspy, so he cleared his throat. “I have no idea what I’m doing. But tonight, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I got to be myself.” He shrugged, affected by the warm wave of emotion sweeping over him. “I just don’t want to shut out the possibility, that’s all. I’ll be careful, I will.”
Andie sniffed. “I know you will. But only be careful with the things that matter—safety. Our story, things pertaining to Ava. As far as the rest goes, keep being brave. I’m proud of you.”
He chuckled low in his throat. “I’m not sure how proud you should be. I’ve been pretty selfish over the years. I’m just hoping to clean up my act. Be a decent person and all that.”
“Yeah,” she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. “I knew you’d eventually come around. You’re going to make some lucky woman very happy one day. I’m absolutely sure of it.”
Another comment he didn’t feel worthy of. It wasn’t that he doubted it—Emmitt would treat the woman he loved like gold—but how could Andie be so sure when she hadn’t seen the greatest sides of him? “Thanks, sis,” he said all the same. “I, um…that means a lot.”
“I meant it,” she assured. “Goodnight, Emmitt.”
“Get a good sleep,” Trenton hollered in the background. “Spending all that time with a woman—you’re going toneedit.”
“Oh, please,” Andie said through a laugh.
Emmitt grinned, imagining what it would be like to have his person by his side like that. Trenton and his sister were happy together, and that gave him hope now more than it ever had. Maybe he could have that one day as well.
Chapter 10
“You’re not falling for this guy, are you?”
Sloane’s eyes went wide. She pulled her phone back and gave it a glare. “No, Gabe, I am notfallingfor this guy. Sheesh, I was only saying that he is a lot different from the other guys I have worked with, that is all.”
“You sound whooped to me.”
She thought back on what she’d been saying before Gabe made his accusation. “How? What did I say that made you think I sound, as you say, whooped?”
“Well, let’s see. Your voice got all high and dreamy, and you let out this big, breathy sigh, and then you said,I do not know, Gabe, Emmitt is not like other guys…”
Sloane rolled her eyes. “Shut up.”
“Hey, have you heard from Mom?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No. You?”
“Nope. But I saw her latest post on social media. Looks like they’re having a fab time in Monte Carlo.”
Sloane sighed. Gabe was not a fan of Mom’s husband, Elroy. Sloane might not have bonded with the guy over the years, but she’d learned that he was perfect for Mom. “They travel literally ninety percent of their lives. I’ve stopped wondering if she will check in.”
“So you just pretend you don’t have a dadora mom?”
Sloane felt that one deep in her chest—hot, stinging pricks right to the heart. “Is that what it feels like for you?”
“Pretty much. It feels that way for you, no?”
She considered that. “In a way, it does. Home does not feel like home since no one lives there. But with Mom, she never connected, you know? When Dad died, that was a loss that…”
“Oui,”Gabe said. “It was brutal.”
She nodded. “But with Mom—how can you mourn losing something you never had? She has always been disconnected, I think.”
