Page 19 of Drive Me Crazy

He chuckles. "No, not really. Are you dating anyone?"

"All of them!" I grunt. "I have my choiceof a few but nothing serious."

"Em worries about you being alone, she wants to hook you up with a friend of ours. She's more your age, and its possible she's looking for something more than a weekend."

I wince. "Yeah, not for me."

"Have you considered looking for her?" He shifts his feet uncomfortably.

"For who?" I evade, fake it until I can leave. I hand him another plate.

"That girl, the one you talk about in your sleep and that Em searches the internet for her every few months." He stares at me as I blink, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"Uh, what do you mean by she searches for her?" My brain might be fuzzy, but I'm fairly sure of where she is and what she's doing.

Emerson walks around the corner, arms folded over her chest. "He's taking about Harper and you know it."

"So?" I curl my lip. "Why are you looking for her, we know she's in Charleston? Happily living with her beast."

"She sure was a beauty." She winks at me, drawing my stink eye. "Don't look at me like that! She's been on my mind lately and I wanted to check if I could find her. They say he won't let her be on social media."

My jaw tightens with a memory of them. "Landon told me."

"I miss her, Ridge." Emerson sits at the counter, gaging my reaction. "I know you do too."

"I do, but I can't live in the past anymore." I force myself to make eye contact, hoping she'll leave it alone. The growing pain in the pit of stomach is another reminder of her absence.

She drops her head, focusing on imaginary lint on her pants. "You called her name the other night."

"More like-screamed it." My eyes snap to Aksel's.

"Are they back? Because it so sounded as though it was the dream about her." I rub the back of my neck. Emerson means well but this isn't the time.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Tension coils in my stomach. "I didn't realize."

Emerson leans in, drawing my attention. "Why do you think you're having them again?"

"No clue, they usually come and go but lately it's been every night." I clench my jaw and grab a few plates and starts putting them away. I don't want to talk about it. Or her.

She stands, coming around to me. "I can't imagine, it has to be hard, Ridge but until you talk about what happened, you're gonna always carry it with you."

"Then I'll carry it!" I grimace for my clipped tone. "Em, I'm sorry. That thing is a sore spot, always will be."

She falls against the wall behind her. "I don't mean to be pushy."

"Yes, you do." I quirk my brow, hoping to lighten the moment. "But it's also why I love you."

"I love you, Big Brother." She practically knocks me down, rushing over and wrapping her arms around me. "Your pain was so fresh, like you were watching it again."

"It's all good, I promise." I rub her back, pretending I'm okay for her. "Now, I have places to go and people to see."

She leans away, staring up at me. "So, I hear. What'cha doing with Mena Nelson?"

"Everything." I release her with a waggle of my brows to high five Aksel.

"Will you bring her to Sunday dinner?" Mom interjects, bringing the room to a standstill. Until my little sister cackles.

I lay my arm over Mom's shoulder, pulling her to my side. "No, I will not. You're the only love for me."