Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

W arrick

It was nice to have Mom back, but it was even nicer to see the way she immediately welcomed Em and Georgia with open arms. I'd told her on the drive home from the port that I'd gotten married and why. She'd quizzed me down about the two of them, and by the time we got home, Mom seemed perfectly at ease with the odd situation. Then again, Mom liked everybody and always wanted to see her boys married, so I figured she'd take a marriage any way she could get it.

"The thing is, honey, this cookie recipe is a state secret. We can't make it with parents in the kitchen." Mom looked over at Em and me like we were annoying interlopers.

Georgia squealed. "They gotta go!"

"Exactly what I was thinking!" Mom high-fived Georgia. "I was thinking we should send them to some boring fancy dinner in town while you and I eat hot dogs and make cookies. Whaddya say?"

Georgia cheered and hugged Mom's legs, clearly already replacing me as her favorite person. Mom smiled broadly, looking a lot like her old self before Dad got sick. I hadn't seen her this animated in years. Who knew the cure for grieving would be to bring a potential grandchild around? I liked that a hell of a lot better than a cruise with old people who liked to strip.

I turned to Em, who was already working up an argument based on the slight frown and the headshaking. "You heard the woman. No one crosses Gigi when she has her heart set on something. Why don't you go put on one of those pretty sundresses and I'll take you out on the town?"

Em's shoulders dropped as she watched her daughter and Gigi already pulling ingredients out of the pantry. Mom tied an adult-sized apron on Georgia, and she was so damn cute, Em couldn't possibly be mad. She looked back at me, resigned.

"Okay."

I lifted an eyebrow, my pride smarting. "It's dinner, baby, not a death march."

Em smirked and I couldn't help but think about the way her lips looked after we'd been kissing. Her fair skin showed every touch and it drove me wild. Made me want to keep touching just to see that trace of pink that followed.

"I think arguing is my natural reaction to everything."

I grinned at the truth of that statement. "Self-awareness is the first step."

Em stuck her tongue out at me and spun to walk away. I burst out laughing. That might have been my first glance at a playful Em and it enthralled me just as much as all the other sides of her.

I got shooed out of the kitchen and found myself out on the back porch, texting with the detective I hired to watch Cayden. He said he had some things to talk to me about, so we set a time to chat tomorrow. My ultimate goal was to make this custody suit go away before it even reached the courts. I didn't want Em to have to go through the stress of a lengthy court battle if I could help it. Based on what Em and Anton had told me about him, Cayden sounded like he'd probably engaged in a few shady things with his business, and if he did, I'd exploit that to get what was best for Georgia.

It was a good thing Mom and Georgia were already covered in flour and stealing chocolate chips out of the cookie batter because when I saw Em in another of those sundresses I'd bought her—this one pink with ties at the top of her lightly tanned shoulders—I couldn't help the predatory gaze I sent her way. I wanted—no, needed —to get my hands on her before the night was over. Which was why I steered the conversation toward my first order of business when we sat down at Raw Junkies, the upscale sushi restaurant in downtown Blueball.

"We make a good team, Slaywright." I held up a glass of the wine I'd ordered after Em said she liked a buttery Chardonnay. She clinked her glass against mine and smiled softly.

"We do." She took a sip and the smile turned into a grimace. "A fact I was reminded of when my next client called today to tell me the wood I had delivered yesterday is already wet with dew and that it'll rot and I can't use that wood any longer. I spent a good fifteen minutes having to explain about pressure-treated wood. You were a much easier client."

I frowned, not liking that someone was being difficult with her. "Who's your client?"

She sighed and smoothed the white cloth napkin over her lap. "A guy named Roger Englewood?"

I grimaced. "Oh shit. That guy's a cranky old man. He tries to wiggle out of everything. He's been like that his whole life. It's why no one will work with him." I leaned closer. "You may reconsider working for him. He'll try to screw you over."

Em sat up straighter in her chair, bristling at my words. I shut my mouth, knowing it was like talking to a stubborn brick wall. "Remember our deal?" she asked tightly.

I held my hands up and sat back in my chair. Some people were determined to learn things the hard way. "I know, I know. Just offering some friendly advice about someone I've known my whole life. You do with it what you want."

Em nodded, but it still felt like there was an awkwardness between us. I plunged ahead, wanting to put that topic of conversation to rest. "I actually wanted to talk to you about another project for me. Before you get too busy with other clients, I wanted to get on your schedule."

"Oh, yeah? What needs remodeling at Gigi's place now?"

I leaned forward again, excited to share with her my plans. "Nothing. But I talked to her this morning about an idea and she was fully on board. I just need a builder and I happen to be married to the best one west of the Mississippi. Lucky me."

Em ducked her head, hiding a grin. She might act like she didn't like compliments but I didn't miss the way she soaked them up like a dry sponge.

"What am I building?"

"You'll do it?"

She laughed, the sound like music to my ears. "Give me more info, but yeah, I don't see me turning you down."

Well, fuck. Now my fancy jeans were too tight, reading into her words in more ways than one. "Well, as much as I love Gigi, I can't live with my mom forever. I want to build a custom house on the back of the property, right by the pond. Mom said she's going to put all three of us boys on the title to the land. That way we can each build a house somewhere on the property and it'll transfer to us when she passes."

Em reached across the table to squeeze my hand. "Warrick. That's amazing. You really want me to build it?"

"Fuck, yeah, I do. I wasn't lying when I said you're the best builder I know. You and the crew you're building are amazing. I want your input as I hire an architect and I want you to bring the plans to life. Will you do that for me?"

Surprisingly, Em's eyes filled with tears.

"Hey, what's wrong? You don't have to if you don't want to. I can?— "

She held up her other hand, stopping me. "No, it's not that. I'm actually very honored you'd want to hire me again. I've been wanting to get into custom home building but figured it would be a couple years off." She put her hand on her chest. "I can't believe I get to do something like that so soon."

I watched her face as she grappled with obtaining her dreams. "One day you're going to believe in yourself like I believe in you." That only made her eyes tear up further.

Our food arrived, platter after platter of sushi rolls, and we turned our conversation to lighter topics as we ate. When we couldn't eat anymore, I paid the bill and walked her to my truck, helping her up into the passenger seat. I paused to look up at her, drinking in this moment. I wanted a thousand more nights like this one with her.

"This has been a great second date, but there's one more place I want to go."

She reached over and ran her palm along my cheek. "I'm finding that I'll go anywhere with you, Warrick."

I felt ten feet tall as I closed her door and got in on the other side. I held her hand the whole way back to the Timberwolfe Farms, country music softly playing in the background. Pulling around the back of the property, I parked just about where I envisioned my new house. I wanted Em to be in on the vision of this place right from the start. If things went my way, she and Georgia would be living here with me, after all.

I swept Em into my arms and out of the truck, spinning her around 'til she laughed and begged me to stop. Setting her down on her feet, I kept my arm around her waist and pointed at the pond.

"The kitchen should be right here, with a view of the pond. Might even build a little dock we can fish off of. Back porch with views of the trees. Every bedroom will have incredible views of nature. I want this place to feel like a sanctuary."

Em was nodding, looking around and getting more excited as I explained what I wanted. She pointed at a tall tree near where Georgia and I had sat fishing that one afternoon. "You ever thought about putting up a rope swing from that tree?"

Of course she'd suggest that. Just more proof we were on the same page. I squeezed her tighter. "That tree had a rope swing when my brothers and I were younger. It broke one year and Dad just never fixed it. Then we got older and got busy with sports and we never replaced it."

Em smiled up at me. "I'll put up a rope swing for you, Wolfe."

I leaned down and kissed her, needing to feel that smile intimately. She slid her arms around my waist and clung to me, letting me tip her back and claim her mouth. My hands slid into her hair and then down her back, molding her small body to mine. When my fingertips reached the hem of her sundress, I stopped. If I touched those smooth thighs, I might just take her up against the truck and I wanted to give her so much more than that. Instead, I placed my hands on her waist and swayed her side to side to the love song streaming from the truck speakers. I broke off the kiss, our foreheads pressed to each other's as we caught our breath.

"Em," I whispered.

Her eyes flew open, but she let me keep dancing with her.

"I want this every night. Conversation, laughter, dancing, sharing dreams. I want this with you."

She blinked her eyes, her rhythm faltering. I pulled back just enough to see her expression clearly. Her eyes were filling again and I didn't know if that was agreement or regret. Honestly, I couldn't wait any longer. I needed her to know how I felt. If losing Dad had taught me anything, it was that when love was felt, it needed to be shared. No gatekeeping.

"I'm in love with you, Emmerleigh," I admitted softly.

She inhaled slightly. "You…you are?"

I nodded, watching her process and struggle to accept what I felt so freely. "I want to make this marriage real. You don't have to agree or say it back, I just want you to know how I feel. This isn't temporary for me."

Her hands gripped the back of my shirt in tight fists. She blinked up at me, studying my face, sorting through my words.

"I'm scared," she finally said, her normal bellow nowhere to be found tonight.

I stilled, wanting her to truly hear me. "I know you are. Cayden lost your trust. You learned in stunning fashion how you couldn't rely on him, which you took to mean you couldn't rely on anyone. But I've been trying to prove to you that you can rely on me. Because if you do trust me, then you can be vulnerable with me too. With vulnerability comes intimacy. And I want all that with you, Em. And it all starts with your trust, baby. Only you can decide if you trust me wholly."

She sniffled and swallowed hard. Then she stunned me by letting go of my waist and gripping my shirt, yanking me toward her. She got in my face, her expression fierce.

"I'm trusting you, Wolfe. You better not let me down or I'll kick your ass and you'll wish you never moved back home. You hear me? I trust you and you better not fucking break my heart!"

Ah, there was the bellow I loved so much. My contractor had her spine of steel back, but this time, her heart was cracked wide open too.

"I promise I'll never hurt you, baby."

And then she pulled me down so she could kiss the ever-loving hell out of me. When her hand dipped into the waistband of my jeans to grip the erection that always seemed to be at the ready when she was around, I let her. Because while I needed her to trust me, I had to show her I trusted her too. We were partners, husband and wife, best friends.

And somehow, claiming my wife against the side of my truck with her skirt scrunched up around her waist and my jeans around my ankles was the exact right way to end our second date.