It’d been three days since I’d left her there, and while I knew she was obviously safe with Pete and Courtney, I’d genuinely hated coming back without her.It’s crazy how fast you can get used to having someone with you all the time.
After so many years alone, basically single my entire life, I would have thought this would feel normal, but it didn’t. I glanced at her side of the bed, her pillows perfectly fluffed instead of dented and the room depressingly quiet.
I sighed and tossed back the rest of my whiskey in one big gulp.Fuck, this sucks.
Trying to distract myself by going back to the real estate listings, I scrolled for a few more minutes, but no perfect place had magically been dropped into the lineup on the website. Eventually, I gave up and reached for the TV remote, switching it on and pressing play on a baseball game I’d recorded weeks ago.
My laptop was still open next to me and I smiled a little when it chimed with an incoming email. It was instinctive. Muscle memory after all the years I’d spent talking to Emma at this time of night.
Obviously, it wasn’t her now. Kate was probably asleep, and even if shehadwanted to talk to me, she would have just called.
My thought process cut off when I glanced at the screen and saw Emma’s name on the notification.What the hell?
Chuckling, I picked up the laptop and slid it back to my legs. I clicked on the email, kind of hoping this was something naughty. My dick roused at the thought.Now that might actually be able to distract me.
She and I had kept things strictly platonic for years, but after that night when she’d told me she was in love with me, we’d ventured into murkier territory from time to time. More and more often as our relationship had grown stronger in the months leading up to her being sent to Chicago.
It had been a damn long time since we’d done anything like that, though. My heart rate was already kicking up, but as the message appeared, I suddenly had a feeling this wasn’t that.
Emma: CB, we need to talk.
Still hopeful she might be going somewhere fun with this but happy to just have her back on the other side of the phone, I arched an eyebrow and quickly typed out a response.
CB: We do? What’s up?
Emma: I’m sorry, but… I’m seeing someone else. He’s the love of my life. I met him and I just knew I couldn’t let him go.
CB: Oh, really?
Emma: Yeah. He’s really into baseball, though. That’s his only flaw.
CB: How is that a flaw?
Emma: He’s a CUBS fan!
She put a little throwing-up emoji after the words and I laughed, shaking my head. Even from several states away, it seemed Kate hadn’t lost her ability to find a way to harass me. I was still trying to figure out how to respond to that when another message from her popped up.
Emma: Also, I’m having his baby.
I jerked to attention, so startled that I nearly fell off the bed, but then I relaxed.Of course. She’s joking. Stringing me along just to get a rise out of me.
CB: Okay. How do I get rid of this guy so we can be together? I’ll be a good stepdad, I swear.
A grin curved on my lips, but then the bedroom door burst open and the woman in question stepped inside. I blinked hard, staring at her silhouette for a second as my mind raced to catch up to what my eyes were seeing.
“Kate?”
“Hi, love,” she said softly, but for some reason, she also sounded nervous. “Surprised?”
“You’re not supposed to be back until tomorrow.” For a long minute, I just stared at her, wondering if she was a mirage, but then my chest filled with a weirdly bubbling kind of joy and immediately I set the laptop aside. “Come here, baby. God, I missed you.”
I pulled back the covers and climbed out of bed, going over to her in just a few long strides. I couldn’t wait to touch her again. To have her here with me. In this room that had felt so wrong and empty without her in it.
As I reached her, however, I stopped short of pulling her into my arms, picking her up, and carrying her straight to our bed as I’d been intending. Now that I was close enough to see it, the look on her face wasn’t something I’d ever seen before.
“Kate?” I asked carefully, my heart suddenly hammering against my ribs. “What’s going on?”
“Was that a stupid way to tell you? I thought it would be cute,” she said, but she was all choked up and I frowned.
