“Welcome home, darling!” Landon called out as I made my way through the mudroom and into the kitchen.
The sight before me left me breathless. Landon stood in the kitchen in nothing but an apron. I laughed when I saw him leaning against the island, Lady at his feet.
“Are you always going to greet me this way when I come home from a long day’s work? Nearly naked with something delicious-smelling in the oven?” I asked, walking over to him and reaching up onto my tippy toes to kiss him. For a few blissful moments, I forgot all about Hannah, William, and brides from hell.
With his lips pressed softly to mine, he whispered, “I will greet you however you want, wife.”
I wrapped my arms around him, and we were soon lost in a kiss that seemed to last forever. Or maybe I simply wished it would last forever so I wouldn’t have to have this conversation with him. Especially on the day we had just gotten married.
When he drew back, he leaned his forehead against mine. “Talk to me, Emme.”
I jerked back and looked up at him. “What? What do you mean?”
“I’m standing here naked with nothing but an apron on, and you look like someone just stole your favorite toy right out of your hands. And you forgot that we have tracking apps on each other’s phones, so I saw that you were parked down the street for damn near thirty minutes. Before that, you were at a park. So, I need you to tell me what’s wrong. Do you regret that we got married this morning?”
I gasped. “No! God, no, Landon. I would never regret that for a single moment.”
He nodded, a look of relief passing over his face. “Okay. Tell me what’s wrong then.”
Looking at the oven, I asked, “How much time before dinner is ready?”
Landon glanced over his shoulder. “It’s chicken spaghetti casserole, and it’s got about twenty more minutes to go.”
Chewing on my lip, I said, “You might want to put some pants on.”
A serious expression moved across his face as he said, “You’re starting to freak me out, Emme.”
If he thought he was freaked out now, he was in for a surprise.
Landon
I RUSHED INTO my room and pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt before I made my way back into the living room where Emmerson was curled up on the sofa with Lady snuggled next to her.
The moment she’d walked into the kitchen, I could see the tension on her face and feel it in her body when she kissed me.
“Okay, what’s going on?” I asked, sitting on the ottoman in front of her.
Emmerson drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. She closed her eyes for a few moments before meeting my gaze.
“First, I want you to know that I don’t believe it. I’ll admit, I was thrown by what I’m about to tell you, but I truly believe with all my heart this is not something you would keep from me.”
My heart started to pound as I tried to figure out what in the hell she was talking about. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nodded for her to keep going.
“Today I met with a client and the groom’s mother at a country club to go over last-minute things for her wedding. After the bride left, the mother—her name is Mary—started asking me about you. When I mentioned you owned the restoration shop in town, she started saying all this nonsense about her niece and her niece’s baby son…and how you were the father.”
I nearly fell off the goddamn ottoman. “What!”
She nodded and took in another breath. “The child’s name is William, and his mother’s name is Hannah Marie Patterson.”
Emmerson paused, clearly waiting for me to recognize the woman’s name. I had to think for a moment before it finally clicked. “She worked at the bed and breakfast a year or so ago, right?” I asked.
“Yes.” Her voice suddenly sounded defeated.
“Emme, I never slept with her. I remember her because Noah liked her. The few times I was in town that year, I remember him telling me about how he wanted to…” I let my voice trail off. “Well, you know. Anyway, I’ve only spoken to her maybe five times, if that.”
Emmerson’s expression turned to one of pure confusion. “Why in the world would she claim that you’re the father of her baby?”
I brought my hand to the back of my neck and rubbed at the ache that had formed. “I don’t know. But I sure as hell am going to find out. What if she goes to a reporter about this?” I grabbed her hands and held them tightly. “Emme, you believe me, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course I do.”
My chest warmed when she didn’t even hesitate.
“I mean, at first I was thrown by what Mary had said, and I needed time to wrap my thoughts around everything. Once I was over the initial shock, I knew you wouldn’t keep something like this from me.”