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Emma moved a little closer. Her face was inches from his, and her smile tugged flirtatiously at the corners of her mouth. “You won’t be able to comprehend how much I’ve missed you even if you lived a thousand years,” she murmured, her breath soft and delicious against his face. “There is no one I want to be with more. No one I feel I can trust to take care of my heart better… than you.”
Caleb exhaled, unable to hold his breath any longer. She continued before he had a chance to speak.
“I want you to know how much I’ve agonized over what I did. I’m so sorry I was dishonest with you. There really weren’t any excuses that warranted the sacrifices we ended up making after you found out the truth.” Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she brushed them onto her shoulders. “If you want to try again, I swear that I will never lie to you. Anything you want to know, I’ll tell you.”
That promise was more than he could have asked for. It was better than he had hoped. He nearly told her she didn’t need to make such a promise when she inched even closer to him.
“Can we… start over? Maybe… go on an official date?” She released one of his hands and brought her fingers up to feather them through his hair. “My treat.”
He opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by the door bursting open.
“He says yes!” Charlie announced.
Both Emma and Caleb turned toward the intrusion. Their siblings stood in the doorway, a mixture of expressions. Charlie was understandably thrilled. Jessica looked more apologetic. And Carter’s pain was being covered up by a flat and yet unreadable expression. Only Caleb could see just how hard it was for him to be there.
Emma turned back to Caleb and tilted her head. “Well?”
Caleb chuckled, and for the first time in half a year, it felt normal again. He didn’t have to force the sound. He didn’t have to pretend he was okay.
This was so much better.
“You heard the girl. How can I turn down a request like that?”
“You can’t,” Charlie interrupted again. “Because it’s Emma Hart. No one could say no to her.”
Caleb slipped his arms around her waist. “No, they can’t.”
29
Emma
Flashes of light. People shouting her name. Emma’s security team guided her out of the venue between hordes of fans and paparazzi.
“Emma! Emma, is that Caleb?”
“Have you found your true love?”
Caleb winced with the flashes, then glanced at her, eyes wide.
She squeezed his hand. All she could do was offer him an apologetic smile. This was her life. This would be what they would have to deal with if they were to stick it out.
Oh, how she hoped that could be her future.
Behind them, Jessica, Charlie and Carter stayed close until they were all ushered into a limousine. The second the door shut, Charlie let out a whoop.
“Whoa! That’s a rush. Is it always like that?”
Emma settled into her seat and rested her cheek against Caleb’s shoulder. “A lot of the time, yes.”
Charlie turned in her own seat to stare out the windows where the last remnants of camera flashes faded away. She practically buzzed with energy, bouncing around in her seat. Then she stilled and whirled around to face everyone. “What about Caleb’s truck? We can’t leave it there.”
Emma smiled. “We can come back for it in the morning. What do you say we hang out in my hotel room tonight? It’s huge. Everyone will have their own bed.”
No one complained. Carter was quiet, solemn. Emma watched him with curiosity, vaguely aware of Jessica scooting over to sit beside Charlie.
Caleb’s quiet question was the only thing that drew her from her thoughts. “I don’t know how you deal with all of that. How do you manage?”
She turned to him with a shy laugh. “I couldn’t, remember? Eventually, there was a breaking point.”
