She freezes up, and I grip her by the shoulders. “Only to know you’re okay. I told him I’d bring you there in next week.”
When she’s still frozen in my arms, I force her to look at me. “I’ll be with you the whole time.”
She nods.
She looks up at the porch at Sophia and back at me. There’s so much sadness on her face, I would give anything to make her smile.
She lets her hand drop from my arm. “I guess since your fiancée is back, I should probably get going...”
I interrupt her. I haven’t thought about this or anything, but the thought of her leaving has me about to go off the rails. “I need you to do me a favor.’
She nods. “Sure, I owe you one. There’s no doubt about that.”
I don’t give her an explanation. I pull her to my side, backtracking toward the house, with her hand threaded through mine. We get a few feet from the house, and I mumble to her, “Just go with it, okay?”
She is no doubt wondering what is going on, but she doesn’t argue. She just puts her trust in me. She says okay, and I stop with her on the bottom step. “Sophia, what are you doing here?”
“I came home.” She smiles like she’s doing me some kind of favor or something. She left when things got hard. I’m definitely not letting her back now.
I shake my head. “This isn’t your home.”
She looks between Emma and me. “It was once.”
“Yeah, and then you decided you didn’t want to slum it anymore. Why did you come back?”
“Because I now realize what a good man you are. It may have taken me a year to figure it out, but I don’t care if we live on this run-down ranch....”
“It’s not run-down. It’s beautiful...” Emma says at my side.
My hand tightens on hers. “I’m sorry you came all the way here. But as you can see, I’ve moved on.”
“Moved on?” she asks.
“Well, yeah,” I say, looking at Emma. “Emma and I are getting married.”
Emma’s big green eyes get even bigger, but besides that small movement, she doesn’t give anything away.
“Married!?!” Sophia exclaims.
“Yeah.” I wrap my arms around Emma and pull her against my chest. “But I’m not going to let her leave me at the altar.”
Emma wraps her arms around my neck. She’s staring up at me. “I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. I love you, Brett Barrett.”
She says it with such intensity, I almost believe her. I may have asked her for a favor, but she’s going all out.
I know I’m pressing my luck, but I dip my head and capture her lips. The kiss is just as explosive as the one this morning.
Emma pulls away when Sophia makes a disgusted sound. Sophia throws her hands up in frustration. “Well, that’s nice, but I don’t have anywhere to go.”
I’m about to tell her that she can’t stay here when Emma’s arm goes around my waist. “It’s going to be dark soon. She can stay here for tonight, can’t she, Brett?”
But I’m already shaking my head. “I don’t think that’s...”
Sophia interrupts. “Just one night, so I can make a few phone calls and get something else lined up.”
I know Emma’s heart is in the right place, but she doesn’t know Sophia. Sophia doesn’t care if I’m supposedly engaged. She’ll do whatever she has to tonight to try to get me alone with her. But that could actually help me, because I’m not going to let Emma out of my sight.
“Sure, if you’re okay with it, honey, I am too,” I tell Emma. I turn to look at Sophia. “But tomorrow, you head out.”
7
Emma
What the hell was I thinking? The whole day all I could think about was possibly staying here. I cleaned the house top to bottom, put dinner in the crockpot, and daydreamed about Brett all day long. I know he only wants a housekeeper and someone that cooks, and I can do that. I’ll do the very best at it. I’ve never felt so safe and looked out for in my life, and I don’t want to lose that feeling now. That kiss from this morning made me start to think about all the possibilities, but I shove them all aside. He’s not interested in me that way. He told me so last night. But no matter what I do, I still can’t stop that tiny bit of hope from building inside me.
And then Sophia came knocking at the front door.
Then it’s like all of a sudden, everything I dreamed about all day long was shot to hell.
I don’t have time to think about why Brett agreed to let Sophia stay. I felt bad for her in a way. She’s not very smart for doing what she did to him, and a part of me hates her for it. But she acts like she’s in pain, and I hate to see anyone in pain.
“Go unlock your car. I’ll be out there in a second to get your bag,” he tells Sophia.
As soon as she walks away, he turns to me. “Move your stuff into my room.”
I swallow. “Your room?”
“Yeah, honey. You’re going to have to stay with me tonight.” He smiles real big, and it’s then I realize why he gave in to her staying here.
“Brett Barrett, did you agree to this...”
He interrupts me. “To hold you in my arms all night? Yeah, honey. That’s the only reason I’d let that woman in my house again.”
He then smiles and kisses me before walking off.
I could watch him all day, but I turn and go quickly to grab my things. I have everything in one bag already, since I didn’t
