Ignite

Emmit squatted down and placed his hand on the side of my face. “What are you thinking about, pumpkin?”

The last thing I wanted to do was scare Emmit by talking about the future and babies. But I also knew I would never hide my feelings from him again. “Our future.”

Emmit’s dimple came out in full force as he smiled. “What do you see¸ Addie?”

I swallowed hard as I looked at Lola and took in a small breath through my nose before blowing it out quickly. Bringing my eyes back to Emmit’s, I was taken back with the love in them. “Us. With Lola.”

With a tilt of his head slightly to the right, Emmit narrowed his left eye at me while he caused my heart to beat rapidly from that smile of his. “What else?” Emmit asked as he pushed a piece of my hair behind my ear.

I gave a quick shrug and said, “Maybe a little boy.”

Emmit’s smile widened as my heart raced the fastest it ever has. Letting out a nervous giggle, I said, “And a little girl running after Lola as we sit on the porch and watch them play.”

Emmit slowly shook his head as he cupped my face with his hands. His gray eyes caught mine and held them. “Addie, one of the most amazing dreams I’ve ever had is picturing you with a baby on the way. Our baby.”

Lola barked and pushed between us as we both started laughing. “I don’t think Lola’s ready for that dream yet.”

“Pulling in to your house, boss man,” Hank called out. A look of excitement moved across Emmit’s face. Taking my hands in his, he pulled them up and kissed them before he stood and brought me with him.

Lola started jumping and getting excited. Looking at her, I shook my head and asked, “How does she know she’s home?”

“She’s the smartest dog in the world.”

I playfully hit Emmit on the chest as I laughed. It was an off week and I couldn’t wait to just relax with Emmit and catch up for the last three years we were apart.

Emmit guided me toward the bedroom in the back of the bus where he grabbed my two bags and his duffle bag. “I’ll grab the rest of the stuff later. I want to show you around the house.”

I nodded and gave him a soft smile as I said, “Okay. Sounds like a plan.”

Not really knowing what to expect, I turned and headed to the door that led to Emmit’s house. He had been renting a condo in downtown Charlotte when he first hit the NASCAR circuit, so I had no idea what type of home he had bought. Daddy told me it was on Lake Norman and that was it.

Emmit gave me a wink as he walked past me and opened the door. Lola rushed past both of us and took off. Stepping out of the bus, my mouth dropped open as I froze in place.

“Holy crap,” I said as I stared at the monster brick house in front of me. Turning to look at Emmit, I attempted to get spit in my mouth so I could talk. “Um, you live in this house . . . alone?”

Lifting the left corner of his mouth, he shot me a sexy smile along with a wink. “Not anymore I don’t.”

Emmit grabbed my hand and led me to the front door. Glancing over my shoulder, I sucked in a breath as I took everything in. In the middle of the drive was a beautiful landscaped area with flowers so breathtaking, I swore they sparkled as little fairies flew around it.

Emmit made his way up the steps as he pulled out his keys and unlocked the massive door. “The alarm is set and it always freaks Lola out.” The beeping started the moment the door opened. Lola barked and rushed into the house.

A small intake of air was sucked in as my eyes scanned the inside of this beautiful house. “Oh my gosh, Emmit,” I said as I looked up at the high tray ceilings.

Taking my hand in his, Emmit asked, “Do you want a tour now or later? I know it’s late and you’re probably exhausted.”

My eyes were looking everywhere. “How big is this place?”

Emmit shrugged and said, “A little over eight thousand square feet.”

I stopped and I yelled out, “Eight. Thousand? Did you say eight thousand?”

“Um, yeah. I said eight thousand.”

My head was spinning as I thought about how hard it would be to clean a house this big.

“I’ll um, take the tour now if you feel like it.” I said as Emmit led us into a formal living room. It was painted in a neutral color as a beautiful craftsman’s style fireplace took center stage. Two leather chairs sat to one side and a sofa on the other. “It’s beautiful,” I said softly.

“Thanks,” Emmit said, as if I just told him the shirt he had was nice.