His eyes finally landed on her, and he broke into an embarrassed smile. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. How long was I out for?”
“Almost an hour. I’ve been having hot chocolate in the kitchen with Elton. He just left. You should go before Granddad finds out you tried to stay the night.”
George smirked. “I’ll take that bet. Your granddad hasn’t been up past nine-thirty in twenty years.”
“That’s not the point. He has a strict house curfew, afraid rogues like you will take advantage of me.”
He mussed his already adorably messy hair and grinned. “I’m not trying to stay the night, and I’m pretty sure I’m the farthest thing from a rogue you’ll likely encounter.”
“True.” Emma sank back into the cushions and rested her legs over his knees. “I could fall asleep right here.”
“Oh, no you don’t. Come lock the door behind me before you go to bed.”
“Don’t you have a key?”
He yawned. “Yes, but you’re lying across me, and now I want to stay here.”
Their eyes met, and something passed between them that made her heartbeat pick up.
“Sorry, I’ll move.” She pulled her legs back and picked up the blanket next to her, folding it so her hands had something to do. She didn’t breathe easy until George left, and she turned the lock.
Chapter 6♥Banned From Candy
“Johnny, no!” Emma caught the sturdy toddler just as he launched himself off of Granddad’s favorite reading chair. Destination: the glass-covered coffee table.
“Let me fly,” he insisted, squirming out of her arms like a wriggling fish. The second his feet touched the ground he took off running.
In hot pursuit of him, Emma did a full loop around the dining table before she doubled back and caught him again. He was laughing, the infectious, carefree laugh of a child who knew he was being an absolute stinker. Emma couldn’t decide whether to cry or laugh with him.
“Is everything okay in there?” Isabella called from the kitchen. She, Emmy, and Granddad were making sugar cookies. Bonding time, Isabella had called it. Johnny lost interest four seconds after they started, and Emma, the non-baker, was sent to keep an eye on him.
He needed more than an eye. More like two arms and a leg lock. How did Isabella keep up with him day after day? “We’re fine,” she called back. Sort of.
“Can I have candy?” Johnny asked, his bright face full of hope. “I like the red ones.”
He was remembering the sweets from the candy dish, though apparently not the broken glass or angry adults.
“You’re banned from candy here. Remember?”
“What’s banned?”
He patted her cheeks and she leaned down and kissed his nose. “It means it’s time to go outside and throw shriveled-up oranges at the wall.”
He cheered, and she sagged with relief. Their orange tree was so big that the top fruit would inevitably remain unpicked, and after drying up to practically nothing, would fall down if the wind blew hard enough. After realizing Johnny was fascinated with them, she’d saved a bucketful for when he came over again. She took his hand and let him drag her out the back door.
While Johnny happily chucked the hard brown objects at their block wall, Emma pulled out her phone and called Taylor. She’d been trying to give Taylor honeymoon and new marriage space, but it was hard not to talk to someone Emma used to see every day.
“Hello?”
“Taylor!” Emma couldn’t help squealing out. “How are you?”
Taylor groaned. “So good. Except for work. I hate it. You and Granddad spoiled me for all those years. I come home dead on my feet and immediately shower. If it wasn’t for my awesome roommate situation, I’d hate it.”
“Your awesome husband roommate?”
“Well, yeah. You should find one of those. I highly recommend it.”
“Oh, yes, I’ll get right on that,” Emma said as sarcastically as possible, though her thoughts betrayed her and immediately conjured up an image of George with his beautiful, brown eyes.
