Page 132 of The Emma Special

Daniel recovered first and snapped his fingers in the air. “Reconvene at the Moore residence in fifteen minutes.”

Katie pointed a finger in James’s face, then turned it to Emma. “No parking on the way home. I skipped breakfast, and I’m starving.”

Chapter 38

Emma Is Not Afraid

“You got me an old couch!” Emma shouted as she bounced on her toes.

“I would have bought you a new one, but⁠—”

She leapt toward James, arms and legs out, and latched herself onto him. “This one is so much better!”

James took a bracing step back but held her secure. The strength of his arms lifting her from the ground was another reminder of how wonderful marriage could be. His arms tightened. “Best gift ever?”

Emma nuzzled against his ear as she squeezed him. “No. There was this one time a sweet guy married me so I could have the surgery I needed.”

James Moore had a way of shattering all the records. Fleeting regret washed over her that she’d missed years of his love by not turning toward him sooner. He seemed to sense her mood and adjusted to catch her lips in a forgiving kiss.

The front door hit Emma’s back as Katie entered the house behind them. “Oh!” Katie pushed around the couple, but Emma was too preoccupied to care. Katie flopped onto the couch and sighed against the cushions. “I’ve missed you so much. Never leave us again.”

“Gross.” Allison patted Emma’s back. “There’s time for smooching later. Hey! It’s our couch.” She scrunched her nose. “You could have at least cleaned it first.”

“We were on a time crunch.” Daniel shoved James, who only held Emma closer. “This baby was on the fast track to the dump. It was a Mission: Impossible type save.”

Allison scoffed. “Don’t let it go to your head. You moved a couch. You didn’t save a country.”

James’s kisses didn’t stop with Emma wrapped around him like a baby koala bear, and her friends’ chatter faded in the background.

Too soon, he jerked his head away from her and snapped, “What?”

Daniel, standing beside them, merely lifted an eyebrow at James’s impatience. “Pizza?”

“It’s in the kitchen.” James slowly lowered Emma to the ground, the skin of his bare shoulders hot to her touch. He looked as dazed as Emma felt. Who were these people? Where was she? Couldn’t they keep kissing?

Emma caressed her husband’s face. Why in the world had she been fighting this? Someone in the room coughed an obnoxious “get a room” that had them both laughing. She ducked her forehead against his chest. With his hand firmly against the back of her neck and another around her waist, she was beginning to see how Lottie’s suggestion made the most sense.

Focus! She could return to solid ground for another hour. It was time to play hostess in her own home. “Did you get a cheese pizza?” Emma asked. “Lottie said she was coming over and bringing Kenna.”

“I did. I got your favorite too.” James pressed another sweet kiss to her forehead.

Summer burst through the door holding up a mason jar. “I brought okra! Wait. Is that our couch?”

“You bet it is!” Katie scrambled to her feet with Daniel’s help. “And I’m not eating your okra.”

“Come on. It’s pickled!” Summer added.

Katie scrunched her nose in disgust. “All the more reason to pass.”

Summer lowered the jar in a huff. “I worked really hard to grow these okra. My best friends could at least try it.”

“Okra is not hard to grow.” Katie groaned as she headed toward the kitchen. “Fine. I’ll have a single vegetable before pizza in case I hurl.”

Daniel laughed. “I can’t turn down an offer that includes food.”

“You’ve probably never turned down any offer. Beggars can’t be choosers,” Allison mumbled.

“At least I have offers,” Daniel quipped back with a wink.