Something tickled the back of her mind. The longer she looked at him, the more she knew what it was. She’d talked about Grams before to Jake, but had she never mentioned where Grams lived? Had he never known how important Grams was to her? Why? kept echoing across her heart.
At the same time, there was so much wrong with what he’d just said. The old her probably would’ve swooned that he’d gone to such trouble to find her. Now, the violation of her privacy tightened her fist.
Jake didn’t seem to notice he was a second away from getting a punch to the nose as he glanced around. “Is your grandmother here? I’d love to meet her.”
Emma’s throat squeezed. She shook her head. “That day . . . with John . . . when I came up, it was to tell you that she had passed away and I needed to come here.”
Honest regret crossed his expression. “Damn, Emma, I’m sorry.”
He stepped closer, and she inhaled his familiar citrusy cologne. She had kissed his sculpted mouth so many times. His body was warm against hers on those cold nights when she drifted off to sleep. “I’m sorry for so much,” he continued, taking her hand in his. “I’m a fool. I thought I didn’t need you . . . didn’t need us . . .” She glanced at their held hands. “But then you left, and everything fell apart. I’ve been miserable without you. I cannot endure another day not being together.”
She parted her lips to say . . . something, yet she closed them again, silenced by what had unfolded between them.
Jake squeezed her hands, smiling at her like everything was perfectly right. “You don’t have to worry about anything. I fixed it all.”
She blinked, trying to catch up. “What do you mean, you fixed it all?”
“I found out who saw us kissing and spread the gossip originally, and fired them.” He ran a hand through his hair, looking the imposing multimillionaire he was. “Yesterday, I held a meeting in front of the entire company and told them we had been dating privately. I also explained that you had received your promotion long before we started dating, and that if I heard anyone say anything to the contrary, they would have me to deal with.”
Her heart squeezed, of course it did, she had cared for Jake before everything went to shit. “You did that?”
He nodded. “No one will dare mention this again, because now they know that we’re together, and I won’t tolerate it.”
We’re together . . . Heady warmth spilled over her. The woman that left New York City would’ve melted to hear those words. Now . . . hearing him defend her made her head spin, and not in a good way. “Jake—”
“You were right, Emma.” He cupped her face, staring intently at her with his warm, gorgeous eyes, like she was all that mattered now. “For a year now, it’s been me and you, and I was lucky to have you. I should have stood up for you then, not taken the coward’s way out and have you transferred because in my fucked-up mind that made more sense.” His voice thickened with emotion. “Do you remember how good we were together, baby? How happy we were? I won’t ever let you down again.”
Memories of her life in New York City flashed through her mind. His smile while they were in bed together. The sweet side Jake showed her, leaving rose petals on the floor leading to a bubble bath with him in it. The adventures they went on in his private plane. The extravagance. The luxuries.
Her voice still seemed stuck behind a wall of emotion, but she managed to push it free. “I don’t want to hide anymore.”
“Then we won’t hide. Not anymore.” Desperation clouded his eyes, all the emotion she’d craved to see from him now coming out,
unguarded. A tear slid down her face, and as Jake brushed it away, he murmured, “You don’t understand what it’s been like without you. I need you, Emma. What’s mine is yours.” She blinked once, then Jake was on one knee before her, holding up a black velvet box with a huge sparkly diamond ring in the center. “Come home with me and be my wife.”
“Emma.”
She startled, spinning around, discovering Shep’s furious glare fixed in one direction. At Jake.
Chapter 16
Shep couldn’t quite recall how he ended up outside near Nash’s truck, with his brother waiting inside. His mind had shut off the moment he saw Jake on one knee offering Emma a ring. When Nash had returned to the house after dropping her off and said, “You need to get to Emma’s, now.” Shep hadn’t asked questions. He got in the truck and Nash sped back to Emma’s, filling Shep in on Jake’s arrival on the way.
Now all of his typical calmness and steadiness that he prided himself on vanished into an uncontrollable fury aimed in one direction. At the bastard who’d hurt Emma.
With the fresh air and some distance between him and that asshole, Shep’s mind started working again. The fact that he was outside and Emma was still on the porch told him that she must have ordered him down to his truck and he’d listened.
Jake attempted to follow them outside. Emma shoved him in the house and shut the door. “Stay in there,” she yelled through the door, quite possibly the only sensible one there at the moment. Her shoulders lifted and fell with her obvious exhale, then she turned, trotting down the porch, coming straight for Shep. So many emotions crossed her face it was impossible to know where her mind was at.
Before Emma could say the thoughts on her mind, the passenger side window rolled down behind Shep. “Need me?” Nash asked, voice amused.
Emma glared, stopping in front of Shep, and pointed at Nash. “You stay in that truck, Nash, so help me.”
“You’re no fun, Emma,” Nash muttered, rolling up the window.
She finally turned to Shep and sighed, the glare vanishing from her face just that easily. “I’m sorry. I had no idea Jake was coming here.”
Shep shoved his hands in his pockets to stop himself from grabbing her and sticking her in that truck to get her far away from that dipshit inside her house. “Why is he here?” That’s all that mattered right now.