I’d offer Drake an incentive to postpone his move for a few months, but he already has other plans. I need to clue Emma into those.
I should wake her up and do it now.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
Anything I need to say to her can wait until morning. It’s waited this long. It’s been days since we kissed.
I haven’t seen her or spoken to her. Text messages have been our only line of communication for the past few days. Yesterday, I checked in, and she told me she was hanging out here. Earlier today, I texted her to see how she was, and she replied that she was at a bookstore in Brooklyn with her new friends.
She asked how I was doing. I typed out a response about missing her, but before I pressed send, I deleted it and replaced it with my typical generic answer of I’m fine .
It was bullshit; both times I sent it.
I glide a finger over the smart home panel’s screen, hoping to activate the light above me. I hit the mark this time.
“Case?”
I turn when I hear her voice behind me. “Emma.”
She’s wearing a light pink tank top and a pair of black shorts. Her hair is a tousled mess. I don’t know if I woke her when I walked in or not, but I’m grateful that I get to see her like this.
I’d place my entire company in her hands for the chance to feel her arms around me.
“I didn’t know when you’d come home tonight.”
I considered sleeping at the office to ward off the need I feel for her, but hiding from it won’t chase it away. I’ve slept here the past two nights, but it’s been no more than a two to three hour stretch at a time.
I drop my keys, wallet, and phone on the foyer table. “Work never ends. I need to grab a few hours of sleep and head back to the office.”
She rubs at her eyes. “You should go to bed.”
You should join me.
I shove my hands in the front pocket of my jeans to resist the temptation to reach for her. I still haven’t stopped thinking about the kiss. Fuck, that kiss.
It ruined me. It cracked open something inside of me that I can’t hide from anymore.
I felt again. I haven’t felt anything but numb in seven long years.
I know she has reservations. I do too, but mine aren’t tied to my relationship with her brother anymore. She just broke up with her fiancé. I don’t want to hurt her. I can’t start something that has an expiration date if she’s not on board with it.
I want her, but not if it costs her a broken heart.
“Drake sent me a text just now.” Her gaze drops to the phone in her hand. “It woke me.”
“I got a text from him too,” I confess. “Your brother just keeps piling on the surprises.”
Her eyes narrow in the dim light of the room. “What do you mean?”
Shit. I assumed Drake filled his sister in on his grand plan, but maybe he didn’t get that far.
I tread lightly. I start at the most logical place. “Do you know that Jane told her parents about the wedding?”
“I know.” Her gaze falls to the floor. “My parents have no idea that their son is married. I can’t talk to them because I make a promise to them that I’d never lie, and this would be a lie of omission. Drake wants me to fly back to Seattle with him and Jane to tell my family, but how am I supposed to keep this secret for another day?”
I can see that all of this is gutting her.
Her brother put her in an impossible position. Whether or not he realized how fucking selfish it is doesn’t matter at this point. Emma gave him her word, and I sense that she honors that at all costs.
She looks past me to the apartment door, but I catch the twitch in her eye.
I want to put her at ease. Shit, I want it so badly that I’m about to arrange for her family to be flown to London to surprise Drake and his bride.
This is between her and Drake, though, so I push the idea aside.
Her phone buzzes in her palm.
She looks at the text before she reads it to me. “We’re making a pit stop in London before we head back to New York, Em.”
“Her folks want to buy them a house in London as a wedding gift.” I tilt my head back. “Jane and Drake are meeting up with them to figure that out.”
When her meet mine, I can tell that she’s as shocked as I am by her brother’s latest revelation. “When did he tell you that?”
“Ten minutes ago,” I answer.
It’s the break of dawn in London. He’s already there, planning the next stage of his life. Apparently, he finally found time to fill Emma and me in.