Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76006 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“Why is that?” He tried for a soothing tone. “Something wrong with Neil?”
She frowned and kicked at the edge of the area rug. “He’s not you, okay?” Her entire body stiffened, and her hand came down over her mouth. She looked like she was going to cry.
“Audrey, honey. Why would you say that?” His pulse was battering as he knelt down in front of her. “It’s okay, you can tell me.”
She shook her head vigorously. “Em doesn’t want me to.”
Suddenly all the stern looks between them the last few weeks began adding up. What in the hell was going on? All he could come up with was that maybe she had envisioned something about all of them being a family. Or he was totally off track.
“It’s okay for Emerson to spend time with other friends,” he said. “Were you hoping that me and Em might—”
“It’s not something I made up in my head,” she bit out. “I saw you.”
His entire body tingled from his head down to his toes as some sort of awareness lurked in the shadows of his brain.
“Saw us what?” Why was he so fucking afraid of her answer?
“Kissing.” She motioned behind her. “In the kitchen. I was upstairs in bed, but I came down to get a glass of water, and you guys were…um…” Her whole face grew tomato red, and she turned away, offering him her profile.
Was he having an out-of-body experience?
“When was this?” he asked around a tight throat.
“Right before your accident,” she whispered, as if saying it out loud was too sacred. The gravity of what she’d confessed came crashing down on him like waves, pulling him under.
Why the fuck didn’t Emerson tell him this? He could not get a grasp on the thoughts flashing through his brain at warp speed.
Did that mean the two of them… Was that even possible? Was it just something stupid that happened, or was it something real and true and…and…holy shit!
“Were Emerson and I dating?” He could barely push out the words; it seemed surreal, unlikely. Her answer was liable to turn his entire world upside down.
“No. Emerson said you were gonna figure it out,” Audrey replied. “It was like, your first kiss.”
Now Rhys felt a bit dizzy as he held on to the bannister. That whole time-distortion thing again.
“Why didn’t he tell me?” Rhys said to himself again but loud enough for Audrey to hear.
“Because he didn’t want to make you feel responsible or ruin your friendship,” she explained. “I wanted to tell you, but he said it was a bad idea. He said it was important you figured stuff out on your own.”
He sat back on his heels and braced his hand against the wooden floor to try to get his bearings. “Oh my God.”
“He’s gonna be mad that I told you.”
She looked so haunted that he pulled her into his arms for a hug. “It’ll be okay.”
It would, wouldn’t it?
When lights shined in the driveway, Audrey looked momentarily panicked until she realized it was in fact Janice picking them up.
“Sam, come on down,” Rhys called out as he stood and wiped imaginary dirt off his knees. “Your aunt is here.”
Sam flew down the stairs and out the door. “Bye!”
“You promise it’s gonna be okay?” Audrey asked, her eyes wide and watery.
“I promise.” He sure as hell hoped it would be.
Once he closed the door behind her, he rested his forehead on the cool wooden frame.
He and Emerson had kissed.
And Audrey had caught them. Oh, he’d bet that went over really well with Emerson.
He’d smile if he weren’t so bowled over. He wished he could remember what that had felt like as well as the circumstances leading up to it.
But then his accident happened, and Emerson didn’t want to…what? Make Rhys feel obligated or awkward about it when he didn’t even remember? Yeah. So like him.
Or wait a minute…maybe after the kiss Emerson had decided it was a really bad idea—ever the responsible one in the room. Or maybe…maybe Emerson just wasn’t that into him. That made Rhys’s stomach throb.
But could it explain why Rhys was feeling so strange around Emerson lately? Was Rhys just on the pinnacle of remembering something, or was his attraction evolving naturally? Did it fucking matter? It did to someone like Emerson.
As if Emerson had heard his thoughts, Rhys’s cell buzzed with a text from the very man.
Be home in about an hour.
Take your time. The kids are gone, and I’m meeting Lance for a drink.
Oh, okay.
The house is all yours.
He winced as he sent it. He had no idea why he’d say such a thing. Especially after what he’d just found out. But he was so fucking confused, and he needed time to work through the idea in his head before he faced Emerson. Emerson and his date. Or whatever the hell that guy was. There was that jealousy again.