Out of Reach (Love Hurts 2)

“That was quite possibly the best meal I’ve ever had.” She sighed and lay back on the blanket I’d spread out where the tabletop—which had been removed by the waiter—had been. Throwing a couple more blankets over the top of her, I crawled into our makeshift bed, resting my head on my elbow.

“I can’t figure out why this was on his list.” Em laughed.

I studied her face as she stared up at the stars. Her creamy smooth skin glowed in the soft light of the full moon. Her lips parted into a smile as she turned to me. “Do you really think he’s up there, watching?” It was the second time she’d asked me that today.

“I think he’s always with you, Em.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Emily

We spent the whole week at the beach house before we went back home. Trying to get back into a normal routine without Andy was hard. Because life without Andy wasn’t normal—it was different, and scary, and lonely.

It had been eleven weeks since Andy had died, and every day I thanked God for Seth. Without him, I don’t know how I would have coped with the past few weeks. He was always there, always making sure I was okay.

***

My phone beeped. I picked it up, knowing it would be Seth. He always texted after work, just to check in on me. I smiled as his name flashed up.

I just saw a guy walking down the street in a Batman costume. That was the highlight of my day. How was yours?

I giggled and replied.

My day was good. Work, and more work. About to watch Game of Thrones if you want to come over? Bring some dinner and I might let you in.

A goofy grin spread across my lips as I pressed send. It shocked me how much I looked forward to seeing him. Even his messages made my heart race a little faster. How much of that was me trying to fill the gap that Andy had left, and how much of that was my feelings for Seth intensifying? I struggled to tell the difference, and that scared me.

The last thing I wanted was to move forward with Seth if I wasn’t a thousand percent sure. Any risk of losing him altogether, and it wasn’t worth it. My phone buzzed again.

I guess I can swing past and grab some Chinese. But only doing this for Kahleesi.

I snorted and replied: As if you’d have any chance with her.

I set

the phone down on the sofa. I needed to get changed.

Twenty minutes later, he knocked on the door. I ran my brush through my hair and then sprinted to the door, swinging it open. He stood there holding Chinese, a lopsided grin on his face. My heart began to pound as I took in his appearance. He looked sexy, in an ‘I just got home from work, threw on some clothes and haven’t shaved in a week’ kind of way. I resisted the urge to reach up and run my fingers over his stubble.

“Come in,” I said, blushing. Was I turned on? Oh God, I’d forgotten what that felt like. It had been a long time since those kinds of feelings had been stirred inside of me.

“You get some drinks and I’ll unpack this,” he suggested.

I nodded, relieved that meant I could at least try and gather my composure in the kitchen.

“I got you honey chicken and chow mein because I wasn’t sure what you were in the mood for.”

I know exactly what I’m in the mood for.

Emily, stop it. I was mortified at myself. I shoved a soda into his hands and sat down in one of the armchairs, mainly so I didn’t have to sit next to him. He raised an eyebrow at me.

“What?” I said, my defenses kicking in. I reached for the chicken and proceeded to shovel it into my mouth.

“Nothing,” he chuckled. “Just in all the time you’ve lived here, I’ve never seen you sit anywhere but on the sofa.”

I shrugged, like it didn’t matter, but I couldn’t help wondering what he meant by that. What was he thinking? Did he know I was sitting there because I didn’t trust myself to sit close to him? My face burned.

“You’re acting really weird, Em,” he observed. “Care to share with the class?”