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Her thoughts shifted to the time when he’d told her that he knew he could trust her. Just thinking about that conversation had her feeling like she was the worst person in the world. Every phone call she’d gotten had been from her sister, and it was all related to what was going on in the news.
Rachel was really doubling down on getting people to start looking for her. She wanted to have Emma found, one way or the other—and she’d become a genius at it. She claimed it was a giveaway of sorts. Emma was hiding, and the town that found her first would get an unexpected concert added to the upcoming tour once it was rescheduled.
Emma hadn’t called her lawyers because she already knew that stuff like this could happen. Rachel had wanted flexibility in making sure Emma’s fame continued as long as possible. At any rate, she could hardly be blamed. Emma had likely broken all kinds of conditions in her contract with Rachel. This was just Rachel’s way of showing she still had a small amount of control.
“You doing okay?”
Emma stiffened. “What?”
“I asked you a question and you didn’t answer.”
“Oh,” she murmured. “I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
She sat up and stared at him. “It does matter. That’s what this is all about. I want to get to know you, and that means I shouldn’t be daydreaming. I should be listening.” Her face burst with heat again. She hated how easy it was for her features to betray her. Why couldn’t she just put on a mask like when she performed on stage?
Caleb studied her for a moment, then let out a sigh. “You know how my brother showed up here the other day?”
She nodded.
“Well, I talked to him when I went home to get some stuff. Turns out my twin is MIA. He’s not telling anyone where he is or what he’s been up to. No one has any clue how to reach him.”
Emma gasped. “Do you think he’s alright?”
Caleb leaned back against the backrest and sighed again. “He’s a Keagan. We’re survivors. I know he’s doing okay. I just don’t know where he is.”
“And you think if he wanted to be found, he would have said something.” Her words hit her harder than she thought they would. She didn’t want to be found. She’d kept open the lines of communication with her sister out of sheer need. But she didn’t tell Jessica where she was or how long she’d be here. Thankfully, Jessica was respecting her boundaries—until today.
Emma got the distinct feeling that her sister wasn’t going to play nice for long. Eventually, Rachel would get to her. Or worse—their mother would get involved.
Caleb nodded. “I really think if he wanted our help with anything, he wouldn’t have made it so hard to find him. I don’t know what he’s up to or what his plan is, but he chose to go outon his own, and he’s going to have to deal with the outcome on his own as well.”
“You don’t think you’d help him if you knew he was in trouble?” Her voice was quiet. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to know the answer. She hadn’t exactly been honest with Caleb from the beginning. If Caleb was willing to abandon his own twin for something similar to what she’d done, then how would he react when he found out the truth about her?
“I guess I don’t know,” Caleb replied. “I suppose my decisions would be based on what he’d gone through, how much help he needed, and why he made the decisions he did to push us out in the first place.”
She rested her cheek against his shoulder, hating how the conflicting emotions within her continued to grow. Deep down she knew she needed to tell him before he found out. That would be better. The problem was that too much time had already passed between them. If she told him right here, right now, there was no telling how he would react. She couldn’t risk it.
Risk it? What was she risking, really? She didn’t live here. She didn’t belong.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t. One day she might be able to settle down in a place like this.
She closed her eyes tight, fighting off the two voices that argued in her head. The best option was honesty. She had to tell him and pray that the consequences wouldn’t destroy the affection she’d found with him. If Emma was honest with herself, she would accept that the reason she didn’t want him to know was that celebrity always changed relationships. People were never the same after they found out that someone was wealthy or famous.
Emma couldn’t think that way. Caleb was a good man. He’d understand. She took a deep breath, but then her voice died in her throat when he spoke first.
“You know, it’s been really hard to let myself trust anyone these days. My past experiences have always led me to a place where I am reminded day in and day out that people aren’t always good.”
She blinked a few times, then peered up at him. He was staring out at the land that surrounded them rather than at her. His eyes were contemplative, but the set of his jaw was sturdy and strong.
“It’s like with Carter. Not only did he take off, but he also stole. What kind of person does that to their own family? I guess I could understand, to a degree, that he needed it, but I know for a fact that Wade would have given him anything he asked for.”
Emma snuggled back against him, not sure of what to say. She didn’t have any familiarity with this sort of thing. Her only experiences were her own deceitful behaviors.
“As far as I’m concerned, Carter only did one thing right. He figured out before all of us that he wasn’t going to make it out in this world being chained to our family. He knew that he needed to distance himself from us in order to find out who he really is. That is the one thing I can admire about him leaving. It couldn’t have been easy to get out there on his own.”
“So, you admire him?” Her voice was somewhat hopeful—if only she could gauge where his heart would be when she inevitably told him about her own secrets.
