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“Will you just knock on the blasted door already?” Carter said.
Caleb glanced at the only barrier that remained between him and Emma. They were both right. He couldn’t drag this out any longer. He held his breath, then rapped his knuckles on the door.
Shuffling sounds followed by voices, then the click of the doorknob followed in succession. The door opened and anunfamiliar face materialized. She took one look at him and blinked. “Caleb?”
He glanced at his brother and sister. “Yeah.”
She shut the door and more muffled sounds followed.
Caleb released a disappointed breath. “I guess that’s that, then. See? She doesn’t want to see?—”
The door opened again, and the woman he didn’t recognize slipped out. “Hey. I’m Jessica, Emma’s sister. She wants to talk to Caleb alone for a moment, and she asked that I take you two to the refreshment table.” She motioned to Carter and Charlie. “There’s loads of junk food. You’re going to love it.” At Charlie’s defeated expression, she laughed. “Don’t worry. We’ll come back, and you’ll get an autograph and a picture and whatever else your heart desires.”
Caleb watched with dismay as his entourage disappeared and he was once again standing in front of a door he wasn’t sure he was ready to pass through. He knocked once more, then reached for the doorknob, but the door opened before he had a chance to touch it.
Emma stood in the doorway, just as stunning as ever. No amount of makeup or costume could cover up her natural beauty. Caleb sucked in a sharp breath and choked on it. He pounded his chest and glanced at her with embarrassment. “Hi, Emily—Emma… Emma,” he repeated. “You look…” Why was this so difficult?
“Do you want to come in?” She stepped back, holding the edge of the door as she motioned for him to enter. “I’m not sure how long my sister will be gone.”
He chuckled. “If Charlie has anything to say about it, we probably only have a few minutes.”
She laughed along with him. “Then I suppose we should make this quick.”
Caleb nodded, moving past her. The room was smaller than he’d expected. There was only enough room for her vanity and a loveseat. A coffee table was positioned in front of the latter, and a vase of red roses was placed in the middle. He stared at them, his heart crumbling just a little. He was too late.
Emma stood beside him after shutting the door. Her eyes dragged to the flowers, and she smiled. “They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”
“They’re… roses.”
“Yeah,” she said. “My mom sends them to every show.”
He stilled, sweeping his gaze back to meet hers. “Your mom.”
Emma nodded. “Yep. She’s probably my biggest fan. She can’t make it to all my shows, so she does what she can to support me.” Her fingertips traced the petals, and she appeared to be deeper in thought. “Anyway…” Her voice trailed off.
“I was wrong,” he blurted.
She glanced at him, startled.
“I should have never pushed you away.” He raked a hand through his hair and paced the small room. “I’ve made so many mistakes, and I’m regretting every single one of them. I don’t know what got into me.” His grief and distress over his current situation burst from him like a volcanic geyser. It didn’t matter that he knew he was going to hate himself for this outburst later. He needed to tell her exactly how he felt before he lost his nerve. “I shouldn’t have let you leave—especially with the way things were.”
Emma blinked, her mouth dropping open. He couldn’t tell if she was simply surprised or if it went deeper than that. He prayed that this wouldn’t make her pity him. His control over the situation was completely forsaken. It was as if a dam had burst after holding it all in for the last six months.
Well, it was too late to take any of it back now. He just had to move forward, or he’d regret it for the rest of his life. “I knowI haven’t shown it, but I love you, Emma. I think I fell in love with you that day you fell off your horse. I didn’t know it then. It developed slowly, quietly… it snuck up on me until I couldn’t deny it any longer. That was when I finished that song for you. Every word, every lyric… they’re written in my heart.”
His heavy breathing and his uneven heart rate did nothing to help. The only thing worthy of his relief was that he’d finally told her how he felt. Caleb nearly pleaded with her to give him a second chance. He would have been willing to get on his knees at that very moment and beg her to take him back.
But by the way she was standing—unmoving for so long, he could tell no amount of groveling would bring back what he had said. He’d made a mistake in coming. She could have just as easily gotten a text message or an email.
Caleb’s shoulders slumped, and he looked down at his hands. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have come?—”
“Caleb,” she whispered emotionally, her hand reaching for his and stopping him from escaping. “Were you not listening to a single word I said on that stage?” Tears filled her eyes, but she was smiling. Emma moved closer to him, taking his other hand in hers so she could hold onto him more securely. “I think we both have a habit of getting too much into our own heads sometimes. I never thought someone like you could want me… forme.”
He frowned. “What are youtalkingabout? You are one of the most amazing people I’ve met. You could have your pick of any one of the guys in that audience tonight… and you pick?—”
Her hands squeezed his, and she whispered, “I pick you.”
His stomach felt like it dropped to his knees. It churned like a tempest in the ocean—out of control and wild. Even though his ears had registered what she’d said, his heart and his head were still trying to figure out what it all meant. Was this actually happening? All his worry and agony had been for nothing.
