By Friday morning Reeve was sore from head to toe. It had been one of the busiest workweeks of his life, not including his military career. Nothing could really compare with that. But he was older now, and his body—while still in good shape—just couldn’t handle the beating like it used to. He was even sunburned on the back of his neck, which rarely happened since he was outside so much. But Thursday he’d worked in direct sun the entire day. Thankfully, he’d taken today off.

Even though it was nearly eight in the morning, the sky was still dark outside his window. It was late May, and there was rain in the forecast for the next four days. Not unusual for Kansas where the weather was so erratic it could be scalding hot one day and freezing the next. After slaving away in the heat for the past week, a cooler, overcast day was welcome.

With that thought, the rain began to fall, pelting against his roof. Snuggling further back into his pillow, Reeve reached to the bedside table and picked up his phone. He found the last text he’d received from Emily on Wednesday night.

EMILY: Goodnight. Xoxo

He smiled and sent her a new text.

REEVE: You forgot to send your address. What time tonight?

She replied immediately. Up and at ’em, his girl.

EMILY: 3849 Yellowhaven Drive. How’s 6? I’m making you dinner. Hope you like it!

REEVE: See you at 6. And don’t worry, I’ll feast on you if I’m not satisfied.

It was getting ridiculous, how much he liked this woman. He thought about her constantly. Played back their times together in his mind. Even that kiss at the country club. He was still shocked that she’d done it, expecting full well for her to maintain her distance from him in that setting.

He shouldn’t have confronted her in front that of that asshole like he had. He knew better than to interfere with places of business while working, especially at the damn Sunset Country Club. It was a brand-new contract, for shit’s sake. But when he’d looked over and seen her walking toward that group of men, he’d been thrown for a loop. While he hadn’t known or expected Emily to be a member there, it didn’t surprise him too much. He’d known from the start that she was well out of his league. But watching that dickhead put his hands on her, step into her personal space—it had enraged Reeve and he couldn’t help it, just found himself stalking toward them unsure what was going to come out of his mouth.

When she’d led him away to talk, it had settled the raging beast inside him. Pleased him way more than it should have, and then when she’d actually kissed him . . .

Reeve closed his eyes and slid his hand down his bare torso. Since it was morning, he wasn’t surprised to find his body in accordance with his thoughts. Gripping tight, he stroked himself a few times. How often had he done this with the image of her in his mind?

Nearly once a day since they’d met. Today would be no different.

Five minutes later he got out of bed and into the shower. He had plans to work out with Tyler at the gym, and the guys were going to hang out at his house tonight as they usually did on duty weekend. Meanwhile he would be with Emily. He hadn’t told them yet, but he knew they wouldn’t mind. Matter of fact, he could already imagine the ribbing he would get when they all found out. Maybe he’d be the first one of them to finally have a healthy relationship with a woman.

* * *

Emily got out of the town car she’d taken from the hotel to the airport. Dave had called early this morning and delayed their nine o’clock flight back home due to some thunderstorms rolling across the Rockies. She’d learned to trust Dave’s expertise and she knew him well enough to understand that when he gave an advisement he really meant “please don’t question me.” So here they were, hours behind their original schedule.

It was fine, though, even if she’d had to cancel her lunch with Amanda. They’d have to get together the following week. She’d felt a little better after squeezing in a coffee date with one of her long-time general managers and had even gotten a pedicure at her favorite spa in Chicago. The change in plans and being a little behind today were worth it to make sure she and Dave were safe.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Phillips,” Dave said, holding a hand down to her from inside the plane. “I’m sorry we’re so delayed, but we finally found a window. I’m hoping to avoid the worst of it.”

“I always trust your judgment, Dave. You know that.” Emily ascended the small stepladder and took his hand. “What time do you think we’ll be home?”

“Approximately four fifteen.”

“Okay, thank you.”

He gave her a wink as she shuffled herself and her bag onto the small aircraft. Letting out a deep sigh, she tossed her things onto one of the four seats and sat down on another. She was glad that the rest of her passengers had flown home commercial last night, and now she was alone.

Within twenty minutes they were taxiing down the runway and Emily closed her eyes tightly, trying to focus on all the things she needed to do today to prepare for this evening. It would now be very tight to get it all accomplished. Once they were at altitude, she pulled out her phone and started making out a quick grocery list to shoot over to Daniel. He’d never purchased groceries for her before, but she knew he wouldn’t question it.

Sure enough, within minutes of sending the email he’d responded with an efficient, “On it.”

With that settled, Emily pulled up the reading app on her phone and settled back into the book she’d been reading for the past week. It didn’t escape her notice that since she’d been having sex with Reeve the books had fallen by the wayside a bit. The real thing was infinitely better than reading about it.

She was a few chapters down when Dave called back to her from the cockpit. “Please make sure your seat belt is on, Emily.”

The fact that he’d used her first name was alarming, and she knew because of it that her stalwart pilot was feeling stressed. Wonderful.

“I have. Is everything okay?” Now that she looked out the window, she noticed how dark the sky had gotten on the horizon. It was amazingly frightening and beautiful at the same time to see a thunderstorm from above the clouds.

“Just a storm. I’m hoping we will miss it, but there will be some turbulence.”

“Don’t worry, Dave. I trust you.”

She said it for both of their sakes.

“I couldn’t live with myself if I had to enter the Pearly Gates having to explain to your grandfather why I allowed anything to harm you.”

They chuckled, but there was unease in the air. Emily looked back out at the storm. She suddenly wished Reeve was with her, and that thought surprised her. She was incredibly independent, relied on only a handful of people, her pilot and her assistant being the bulk of that group. But right now, nothing sounded better than having him by her side. Holding her hand. Telling her everything would be okay.

She decided on the next best thing.

EMILY: Are you busy?

REEVE: Busy thinking about you.

She smiled down at her phone.

REEVE: You’d better say you’re thinking about me.

EMILY: I texted you didn’t I?

REEVE: Yes you did. Working?

EMILY: Flying home. Delay.

As she hit SEND, the plane began to rock lightly. Emily grabbed the armrest with her free hand, squeezing it tightly.

REEVE: From where?

EMILY: Chicago

REEVE: It’s storming here. Everything okay?

EMILY: Everything’s fine. Just a little turbulence.

REEVE: It will be fine. Pilots can handle that.

EMILY: You’re right.

REEVE: You scared, Whip? I wish I was with you.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she read his words again. How had this man dug so deeply under her skin in such a short period of time?

EMILY: I do too.

REEVE: It’s a short flight. Think of me babe. Imagine us joining the mile-high club. We could create our own turbulence.

He had added two emojis, an airplane and an eggplant—the unofficial symbol for penis. A large purple penis. Emily laughed quietly to herself. If only he knew that they could do whatever they wanted in her plane. Not that she would, considering Dave was like a father figure to her, but still. That reminded her of all the things about her that Reeve still didn’t know.

He would tonight. She could only hope that after she told him everything he would still want her.

She typed out a reply, but when she tried to send, she got a MESSAGE FAILED notice. Her cell coverage showed zero. “Damn.”

After waiting a while she tried sending the text again, but it still didn’t budge. She got another failure message so she put her phone away, stared out the window, and began to worry. Reeve was a good guy. She’d accepted his past, understood his feelings about it. Surely he would do the same for her.

The flight went on for another forty minutes, the turbulence going from mild to frightening. Several times she felt the need to start praying, but they finally seemed to be past the worst of it.

“We’ll be in landing in five minutes, Ms. Phillips. But I’ve just been notified that Riley County is under a tornado watch. Do you have someone picking you up?”

“My car is at the airport. Do you know how late the watch lasts?”

He spoke into his headset and then called back to her. “Seven fifteen.”

“Damn.” Living in Kansas, a tornado watch unfortunately wasn’t normally a cause for too much panic. They happened often. This time of year the conditions were frequently ripe for funnel clouds on the plains. They rarely caused destruction, so most people were complacent.

Emily, however, hated tornadoes. Even a watch made her feel stressed and want to be home in the basement.

When they landed, she quickly gathered her things. Before stepping off the plane, she gave Dave a long hug and thanked him for keeping her safe.

“It’s always my pleasure,” he said with a warm smile. “Now get home and find your flashlight.”

“You do the same, Dave.”

The sky looked fairly normal as she made her way to the parking lot, but darkened slowly as she made her way through town. In record time she was pulling into her driveway, just in time to see Daniel locking up her front door.

“You made it,” he said.

“I did. Thank you for doing this. I appreciate it. Have you been watching the news?”

“No. Why?” He asked.

“Daniel, we are under a tornado watch.”

“No kidding? It’s been storming all day but I hadn’t checked.”

They looked up to the sky, which had turned an odd shade of gray-green.

“Do you notice how quiet and still it’s gotten?” she asked.

“That’s not a good sign.” Daniel looked as nervous as Emily felt.

She glanced up and down her street, noticing a few neighbors standing on their front steps and in their driveways. Typical Kansans, heading outside instead of taking shelter. One man even had his camera out, snapping photos of the ominous clouds heading their way.

“Daniel, how far do you live from here?” she asked.

“I live up north with my mom.” He looked a little embarrassed to admit that.

“How far north?”

“Just south of Tuttle.”

“That’s too far, please hang out here for a little bit. Till this storm passes.” Emily asked him to unlock the front door again and they headed inside. She rushed to her bedroom and put all her things on the bed. She’d unpack later. It was already a quarter till five and Reeve would be there at six. If she started now she could possibly have dinner ready by then.

Heading back downstairs to the living room, she found that Daniel had turned on the television so they could watch the weather forecast. The meteorologist stood in front of the green screen, the entire area covered in giant red, orange, and yellow blobs. The incoming storm. The woman pointed out the affected cities, noted what time the worst of the storm would arrive, and talked about the areas that had already been hit. It appeared to be a massive system, producing golf-ball-sized hail. Two funnels had already been spotted near Fort Riley.

“Shit.” Daniel looked at Emily. “You do have a basement, right?”

“I do. Is your mother safe? Should you call her?”

“She’s actually in Texas this week visiting my sister.”

“Well, good. Then sit tight. Everything will be fine.”

Emily headed for the kitchen to begin preparing her chicken Marsala. It was one of her favorites and while she didn’t fix it often, she always enjoyed the process. She cracked open a bottle of wine to sip on while she chopped vegetables. As soon as she poured her first glass and took a sip, the hail started outside, pounding on the windows and her back deck. Within five minutes the electricity went out.

“Seriously?” she called out to no one.

Daniel came into the kitchen. “It’s not dark yet, but do you have flashlights?”

“Hall closet, top shelf,” she instructed. She silently apologized to Dave for not following his one instruction.

Without the option of cooking, Emily ran back up to her bedroom and changed her clothes. She slipped on some capris and a striped boat-neck top. Might as well get comfortable if she was going to be hunkering down in the basement with her assistant. Outside, the trees beyond her bedroom window had begun to whip around violently, setting her nerves on edge.

Pulling her phone out of her purse, she turned it on so she could call Reeve. It wouldn’t come on. “Shit.”

The battery had died and now without electricity she had no way of charging it. She headed quickly back down to the living room to find Daniel. The minute she stepped off the last step, the tornado sirens sounded.

“Daniel?” she called out, fear sizzling through her body.

He came around the corner, a flashlight in each hand. “I’m here. Where’s the basement?”

Emily’s heart was thumping in her chest as she ran toward the door that led downstairs. “Follow me.”

They carefully navigated the stairs in the dark, and all Emily could think was that she might never get to tell Reeve who she really was.

* * *

“Goddamn it.” Reeve slammed his phone down on the couch. He’d been trying to call Emily for an hour and now the tornado sirens were going off.

She’d never responded to his last text, so the last thing he’d heard from her was that she’d been experiencing turbulence on an airplane. During a thunderstorm. His skin felt tight and his chest burned from the tension of worry and stress.

Reeve tried calling his mother.

“Hello?”

“Mom, can you go in the basement?” The can was necessary since he wasn’t even sure if the basement was accessible anymore.

“Yes. Mr. Boo and I are sitting on the steps.”

He was tempted to argue that that wasn’t quite the same thing as down in the basement, but he didn’t bother. It was obviously the best she could do.

“Do you have power?”

“No, it went out about fifteen minutes ago. But my phone has a flashlight.”

“Okay. Mom. Be careful.” That was really about as sentimental as he could get.

“I will, Reeve.”

He ended the call and sighed. As frustrated as he was with her, he would be devastated if something ever happened to his mother, but he couldn’t deny that the thought of her house being torn to bits in a tornado held some serious appeal. Feeling guilty, he pushed that thought away.

Besides, his main concern right now was Emily. Stepping out on his back deck, Reeve looked around at the sky. The hail had stopped, but the sirens were still sounding and the wind was definitely picking up. Despite dark clouds, he still hadn’t seen anything resembling a funnel.

He tried texting and calling Emily one more time, furious when it didn’t produce a different result than the last time. It wasn’t smart, but he was just going to have to drive over to her house. Surely she was home by now.

He went back through the house and out the front door, heading for his truck. And that’s when he saw it.

“Holy fucking shit,” he whispered.

A massive wall of black clouds was not three or four miles from where he stood in his driveway. He’d never seen anything like it. It was terrifyingly menacing. He knew without a doubt that Manhattan was not going to weather this storm unscathed. The greenish sky to the west was brighter, letting him know somewhat how fast and in what direction this was heading.

On instinct he ran to his truck and got inside. Pulling his phone from his pocket he pulled up Emily’s address from her earlier text. Yellowhaven Road, Yellowhaven Road. For the life of him, he had no idea where that was. He tried using the map on his phone but the service was slow and probably overloaded. With a tornado on the outskirts of town, he could not just start driving aimlessly.

“Shit.” Reeve got back out of the truck and looked to the west. Dread filled his chest. There was a clear funnel now, massive. Despite his years of living in the Midwest, it was the first time he’d seen one in real life rather than being reported on the news.

It was the most horrifying thing he’d ever witnessed. Even from this distance, probably several miles away, he could see the debris whipping around the circumference, items spitting from inside the cyclone to and fro. He couldn’t tell what they were, but it was undoubtedly tree limbs, housing materials, and God knew what else. He glanced down the street to see trees bending nearly in half. Shingles flew from roofs, and someone’s trash can literally flew down the road a foot off the ground.

A car came down racing down the road and went screeching into the driveway next to his. The neighbor to his right. Reeve was certain he recalled her name being Beth. They’d recently moved here. Her husband was an army transfer to Fort Riley. Reeve didn’t really know them well yet, but what the hell was she doing out? He watched, stunned, as she scrambled from the car—and that’s when his instincts kicked in. He raced across the yard, watching as she began to pull a baby out of the backseat.

“Do you have a basement?” he yelled over the hood of the car.

“No!” Her expression was frantic, full of fear.

He nodded to the baby she was still trying to free, her hands shaking. “You get him, I’ll get her. Then follow me.”

Reaching into the backseat of her small sedan, he unbuckled the car seat of a crying toddler with shaking fingers. In normal circumstances, she may have feared an unfamiliar man pulling her from her seat, but as it was, she held her arms out for Reeve, sobs escaping her mouth, tears running down her face.

“Come here, darling. Everything’s going to be okay.” He pulled her from the car as gently as he could. Once she was plastered to his chest, small fingers gripping his neck, he headed for his house, Beth running beside him with the baby.

Glancing over his shoulder he saw that the funnel cloud was closer, probably right on the edge of town, and he was thankful he hadn’t locked his front door when he’d left to find Emily. Oh God, Emily. Please be safe.

Holding open the door for Beth, he quickly led them through the house and down the basement steps. Compared with the outside, the basement seemed quiet, but the howling of the wind was loud enough to let him know that the worst of this was yet to come.

The little girl in his arms had stopped wailing but her face was smashed into Reeve’s neck. He patted her back gently, trying to reassure her as he quickly tried to decide the best course of action. His brain went into military mode, shutting down panic and switching into action. He glanced around the room. His basement was practically empty, of course. But he had a couch and a pool table. He knew instantly what he had to do.

“Now listen, little one. I’m going to sit you down by your mom, okay?” Her tiny arms wrapped harder around his neck, squeezing him tight. Glancing over to Beth, he saw tear tracks on her face.

“I want the three of you to sit against the wall. Then I’m going to push the table over the top of you. You stay underneath it. Understand?”

She gave a shaky nod. “Okay, please hurry. I saw it. I saw it on the west side of town when I was driving.”

“I know.”

He forced the little girl out of his arms and sat her down on the hard floor next to her mother. Quickly he leaned on the pool table and began to scoot it across the cement floor. The feet squeaked as it moved, but within seconds he’d maneuvered it against the wall.

“You okay down there?”

“Yes!” Beth called out. The whining of the wind had increased and Reeve could swear he felt the pressure in the room change. Her daughter began to cry again.

The house began to shake then, and it sounded as if a freight train were barreling down the tracks at a hundred miles an hour.

“Get under here with us!” Beth screamed.

Reeve frantically looked back and forth. He felt like there was something else he needed to do.

Plain Jane.

He cursed out loud and headed for the stairs.

“Don’t leave us! Please!” Beth screamed.

Her voice was muffled by the sound of the storm raging outside, and that was when Reeve knew he had to get under the pool table. The minute he got to his knees and crawled below, he felt the same small hands from before lock around his neck. Wrapping his arms around her fragile little torso, he held on tight, pulling her against his body. The next form he felt was Beth’s, her baby in her arms, sidling up next to him, grasping at his arms. Putting an arm around her shoulders he pulled her in tight, the four of them huddled together. He could hear Beth crying while simultaneously speaking soothing words to her children.

He barely knew these people, didn’t know their father, who was probably on base, panicked and worried sick. That man was a fellow soldier, and Reeve knew he would die before he let anything happen to this family.

He closed his eyes.

Within seconds he could hear the house above them splitting at the seams.

* * *

Emily walked up from the basement, almost afraid of what she’d find. Never in her life had she heard anything as frightening as the sound of a tornado passing through.

“Hold on,” Daniel said behind her. “Let me go first.”

Emily smiled at him. “Okay. Although I think we’re fine.”

They’d waited it out in the basement and were now only coming up because the all-clear siren had sounded.

Opening the basement door, Emily was surprised to see how bright the upstairs was, considering that before the storm hit the sky had nearly gone black. An odd feeling of peacefulness filled the air. And her house was completely fine.

“Holy shit. Look outside,” Daniel stood at the window that faced Emily’s backyard.

“Oh my,” she whispered. Her patio table and umbrella were in the pool, along with three of the four chairs and a carpeting of leaves. To the right of her yard, her neighbors’ trampoline sat on its side, having obviously jumped the fence. She quickly scanned the homes around hers that she could see, noting that besides some similar disarray and a few missing roof shingles, everyone seemed to have fared well.

“I have service now,” Daniel said, looking at his phone.

The electricity was still out, however, and Emily was pissed she couldn’t charge her phone and talk to Reeve. The thought of him made her feel sick. If anything happened to him she wasn’t sure if she could handle it. Maybe when Daniel was finished she could use his phone to search for Big Blue and find a way to get ahold of him through that.

She hoped against everything that he was safe.

She leaned against the kitchen counter unsure of what to do with herself. It was five thirty. Maybe he would come over, and then she would know he was safe. Surely he was wondering how she was, since they hadn’t communicated for a while. But there was also a chance he couldn’t get to her. Was there a lot of damage around town? Would roads be blocked? What if his own house had been damaged? She pressed her fingers to her head and blew out a breath. Chances were in her favor that he was fine, but the not knowing was terrifying.

Daniel’s fingers flew across his phone screen, texting people frantically. He stopped when it rang. Looking at the caller ID, he then looked at Emily. “It’s Kate.”

Emily’s eyes went wide and she nodded for him to answer it. Kate was the young woman who worked the welcome desk in the lobby.

“Hello.” Daniel listened as Kate spoke, his eyes rounding into saucers.

“What?” Emily prompted.

“Okay, okay. I’m with Ms. Phillips. We’ll be right there.”

When he got off the phone, Emily’s heart was pounding. “What did she say? Is she all right?” It was possible with the storm coming some employees had chosen to stay and wait it out in the basement and not risk driving home in it. Emily would never recover if any of her staff were injured. “Is everyone there okay?”

Daniel’s face was solemn as he spoke. “Everyone’s okay. But the building was hit.”

“Oh God.” Emily felt faint, her shoulders sagging and her heart skipping a beat. Holding a hand to her stomach, she took a deep breath, trying not to be sick. “How bad is it?”

Daniel shook his head. “She didn’t say. She was upset.”

“Let’s get over there.” Emily began to walk to the front door, grabbing her purse and keys. She tossed them to Daniel. “Will you please drive us?”

He nodded, looking a little surprised. Didn’t he realize the last thing she was worried about was her car?

As they headed through town, she and Daniel remained silent, the visible damage breaking their hearts. Getting around was slow going, and even though it had only been thirty minutes or so since the tornado went through, assholes were already out sightseeing, taking photos, walking around and looking at debris that littered the streets and lawns. Several times they had to stop for ambulances and fire trucks, and every time she heard the sirens, Emily felt sick inside, praying that none of them were heading toward Reeve.

Thirty minutes later they made it to the state highway that led out of town toward the LAM offices. It wasn’t long before they were pulling into the long driveway. Emily braced herself for what she was about to see.

“There’s a lot of cars still here,” Daniel noted.

He was right, considering it was Friday.

The part of the building they saw first looked completely intact, and Emily sighed. Whatever damage was done, it wasn’t leveled. The building still stood. She hoped that Kate was right and everyone had made it through unharmed.

As they drove through the parking lot, Emily finally spotted the damage. She inhaled, shocked at what she was seeing. The far side of the lot was leveled, several trees razed as if a giant lawn mower had gone straight through, cutting them down at the base.

“Pull around to the back, please.”

Daniel did as she asked, and tears welled in Emily’s eyes as she saw the backside of the building. One entire corner was in shambles, as if someone had cut it off like a corner slice of cake. People clustered in the yard, looking up at the structure, hugging one another. Two sheriff’s vehicles were pulled up in the fire lane, talking to those standing around.

The minute Daniel parked Emily got out and began to run. Every person she encountered she quickly looked over, assuring herself that they were okay. All of them were relieved to see her and gave her their sincere apologies.

“Emily?”

Emily turned to see Natalie rushing out from the side door.

“Nat!” Emily’s tears fell harder and she rushed to her CFO and threw her arms around her. “I can’t believe this. I just can’t believe it.”

“I know.” Natalie was now crying, too. “It was terrifying. But everyone is safe. Only about twenty people were still here.”

They hugged for a long moment and then tried to pull themselves together. Natalie was still in her skirt, but she’d kicked off her shoes at some point.

“Ma’am, it’s not safe for you to be barefoot out here.”

The two women turned to see a young and handsome man in a sheriff’s uniform standing nearby. Emily glanced at the grass beneath him to find that he was right. The LAM corporate office was made mainly of glass, and the yard now sparkled with pieces of it.

“I’m afraid I took them off when I ran down the basement steps. I don’t know where they are.” Natalie wiped at her nose, her eyes swollen and red.

“I’d be happy to carry you back into the building and help you find them.”

Emily glanced at him, finding that he was serious as a heart attack, a completely professional look on his face. She glanced back at Natalie, who looked shocked but . . . intrigued.

“Okay. If you wouldn’t mind.”

He came forward and gently scooped Nat into his arms. As he began to walk toward the building, Natalie peeked over his shoulder and smiled at Emily. “I’ll be right back, Em. I won’t let you deal with this alone.”

“Thank you,” she called, giving her a faint smile. Clearly chivalry wasn’t dead here amid this tragedy, and the officer had been right. Natalie was in danger with all the glass strewn about. It was like a landmine, some of the pieces big enough to do damage even with shoes on. Emily picked her way through the yard and continued to speak with the employees who were still there. Many of them had left, hoping to get home and check on their families and their own homes. A few had driven back after being home during the storm, wanting to know how they could help.

Walking to the side of the building, she froze. The air left her lungs as she found the new patio completely devastated and her father’s willow lying on its side. Her hand went to her mouth as she began to walk over, a sob escaping her lips as she saw the base of it split like a twig. Making her way closer, she bent over and picked up the tiny copper plaque that had been dislodged from the earth.

Holding it to her chest, she took another look around. This company, this building, was her family’s legacy, and now it was destroyed. Not forever, of course; she knew they’d repair the damage right away. Insurance would cover it. But the feeling of helplessness that consumed her was like lead weighing down on her chest. So much trash and debris littered the yard, she wasn’t even sure where to start.

How did these things work? Did you go home and lick your wounds for the night? Or should she grab a trash bag and begin picking things up immediately? Who did she call? Who would help?

“Emily!”

Gasping, Emily turned to see Reeve making his way through the yard toward her. She choked out a sob and began running toward him. She’d forgotten that she’d told him she worked here, and he’d come looking for her right away.

As soon as their eyes met he began to run to also. The minute their bodies crashed together her hands locked around his neck, squeezing him as hard as she could. He did the same, his massive arms locking around her rib cage, hauling her up his body until her feet left the ground.

“Holy shit, Em. I’ve never been so happy in my life as when I saw you standing there. I hoped to find you back at work. I was so worried.” His voice was thick with emotion, and it forced more tears from her.

“My phone’s dead and I couldn’t call you. I was so afraid you might be hurt,” she said.

“I’m fine, baby, I’m just fine.” He suddenly jerked away from her, placing her feet back on the ground. His hands instantly went to her face and his eyes darted all over her body from head to toe. “Are you okay? Injured?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m fine. But . . .” How did she explain about her building? Now was the time. There was no more hiding it from him.

“Reeve. I have to tell you something.”

“There she is.” Daniel’s voice rang out through the chaos surrounding them. He was accompanied by a news crew, a man with a large camera and another man with a microphone. “Ms. Phillips, do you have a minute?”

Panic filled Emily’s chest. She glanced up at Reeve, whose brows were creased in confusion. The group was near and now waiting on her.

“Do they really need to talk to you?” he whispered.

Emily cursed to herself. “I’m so sorry, Reeve. Please wait for me.”

He nodded, not understanding, as she turned to the reporter.

“You’re Ms. Emily Phillips?” he asked, sticking out his hand. “I’m Todd Reynolds with Channel Four News.”

She smiled, hating that she could feel Reeve’s gaze on the back of her head. That he was standing there, taking all of this in. And she hadn’t had the guts enough to say it to his face. “It’s nice to meet you, Todd. I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances.”

“As am I. Your building appears to be the hardest-hit local business. I thought we might just get a small statement from you?”

“Um, sure. Okay. Although I wasn’t here when the tornado hit.”

“That’s fine. I’ll prompt you. It will basically be about clean up and moving forward.”

“Okay.”

Within seconds, Todd was signaling to his cameraman, a light shone in her face, and they were rolling. Todd introduced himself and then her. She could hear the voices of the newscasters back at the live studio coming from somewhere. Realizing she needed to focus, she listened as Todd turned to her.

“Ms. Phillips, what a tragedy this evening for LAM Theaters.”

He shoved the microphone in her face.

“Yes, it is. But thankfully no one was harmed, so I consider us all very lucky.”

From the corner of her eye Emily noticed Reeve had walked around to stand behind the cameraman. His mouth was tight and his arms crossed over his chest.

“Will you get started rebuilding right away?” Todd asked, then pointed the microphone in her direction.

Emily swiped a hair from her forehead. She had no idea what she even looked like right now. “Of course. This company is strong. Several employees have already made their way back, hoping to help. We obviously are fully insured and I plan to begin returning to normal as soon as possible.”

Todd nodded. “Your grandfather George Phillips passed away several years ago. How do you think he would have handled this situation? What advice would he give you?”

Emily tried not to reveal how shocked she was at his line of questioning. What did it matter that what her grandfather would have done? He wasn’t the owner now.

“I was left this company because my grandfather had complete faith in my abilities to run it. The past few years have been the best ever in LAM Theaters’ history. My team is strong and we take care of one another. I have no doubt in my mind that his advice would be to follow my gut and do what I see fit to rebuild us and move on from this terrible tragedy. He would also be ready to help the entire community of Manhattan in any way possible, as I of course intend to do as well.”

Todd apparently wasn’t as good at hiding his shock, but he quickly closed his parted lips and put the mic back up to his lips. “Thank you, Ms. Phillips. This is Todd Reynolds, reporting live from the LAM corporate offices. Back to you, Lisa.”

Without giving him a chance to speak again, Emily turned to Todd. “I would appreciate if you did not interview my employees. This has been traumatizing and I would prefer they were not bothered to speak of it. Thank you.”

She turned to walk away only to find Reeve gone. Her heart sped up as she peered around the lawn. A deep exhale left her lips as she spotted him standing amid the rubble of his once beautiful patio.

Emily took a deep breath and walked toward him. She knew her footsteps were far from silent as they rustled the pieces of glass and leaves, but he didn’t acknowledge her approach, just stood facing the cleared line of trees, his arms still crossed in a defensive posture.

Stepping around the broken cement, she stood in front of him and looked up. He didn’t meet her eyes. “Reeve. Talk to me.”

His lids closed for a minute, and Emily felt her heart split. When he finally looked down at her, she wasn’t sure what to think.

“You own this company.”

She nodded. “I’m so sorry. I should have told you. Right from the start. I had planned to do it this evening.”

He was silent for a long moment. Finally he spoke quietly. “Did you approve this design?” He nodded to the rubble surrounding them.

“I did.”

“And that was your special tree?”

Emily couldn’t look at the willow. “It was. No longer.”

“So I’ve spent the past few weeks working for you. Taking money from you. And you knew that. Is that what you’re telling me?”

“From my company, Reeve. Not from me. It was a business transaction.”

His eyes went stony. “A one-sided business transaction. At no point when I was fucking you did you see fit to inform me that I was employed by you.”

Emily shook her head, her mind muddled. “My company employed your company. You’re making this something it’s not. I should have told you. But . . .”

“You’re damn right you should have told me. This is a nationwide company.”

“I know.”

“And you own it.”

She whispered. “I do.”

He ran a hand down his face. “You were in my mother’s house.”

Emily’s shoulders sagged. “That’s irrelevant, Reeve.”

“No. No it isn’t. It was bad enough then. Now . . .”

He turned away from her. “I should have known when I saw you at the country club.”

Now she was angry. “So you’re going to judge me because I have money? That’s not fair. My money has nothing to do with us.”

A bitter smile crossed his lips. “You don’t get it, Whip. Today I lost everything. Nearly every fucking thing I own is gone. But you know what? The only thing I worried about was finding you. When I saw you safe and sound, my destroyed home didn’t matter anymore. I still had you. I thought I still had you. The woman I bared my soul to. But no. I was wrong, and I am judging you. Not for your money, although it does piss me the hell off. But because you didn’t care enough about me to be honest.”

Tears pooled in her eyes. “That’s not true.”

“It’s not? Then why did I not know, Emily? How many opportunities did you have to tell me about yourself?”

“How many did you have to ask?”

“That’s bullshit and you know it! You told me you worked here and you should have been honest then.” He laughed, shaking his head. “Okay, maybe I didn’t pry. Is that what I should have done? Pry into your business? Stupid of me, but I didn’t figure you were keeping things from me. Or maybe . . . maybe deep down inside, I knew this wasn’t meant to be.”

Before she could respond, he turned to walk away.

“Reeve, please. I’m so sorry.”

He looked at her one more time, and she swore he looked as broken as she was, his eyes red. “So am I, Em.”

He walked away toward the parking lot.

* * *

When he arrived home, Reeve had been relieved to find Aiden and Jase both there waiting for him. It was drill weekend so Aiden had probably been driving toward Manhattan as the storm hit Standing there with the two of his buddies, miraculously, was Plain Jane. Reeve couldn’t deny his relief as he shut off his bike. He was also glad he didn’t have to be alone right now, because he felt lost.

His yard looked like a war zone. Trees resembling toothpicks stuck out of the ground, the three downed walls of his house were scattered into matchsticks. Even his beautiful white Ford was pinned down beneath someone’s garage door. It was hard to take in.

“Jesus, man.” Jase walked over and wrapped Reeve in a big hug the minute he got off his bike. “I’m so damn sorry.”

Aiden slapped Reeve’s back. “I don’t know what to say, dude.”

Reeve sighed and told them what had happened. They listened in shock as he explained helping Beth and her children—who were now safe at her mother’s.

“I can’t believe that.” Jase said. “Those kids were lucky you were there.”

Reeve nodded, still finding it hard to believe himself. After the storm passed and he’d helped Beth and her children out from under the pool table, he’d been in complete shock. They’d come out of the basement to find themselves standing outside, three sides of Reeve’s house completely gone. Beth’s house had fared a little better, only a section of it damaged. But the bathroom that they’d have taken shelter in, had they not seen him, was gutted.

Retreating to Reeve’s basement had probably saved their lives.

The only good thing was that by some miracle, Reeve’s Harley had managed to remain unscathed in his garage. Tornado destruction could be weird like that. Just as the homes on the opposite side of the street were untouched. None of it was fair, but it did no good to think about it in those terms because at least he had his life. So did his mother. He’d stopped by her place on his way home and he felt guilty admitting that he’d sort of hoped to find it decimated. It stood strong as ever, and so did she and Mr. Boo.

So far the news had reported nine people dead and twenty-six injured, but the number was sure to rise as more people were found and taken to hospitals with life-threatening injuries.

“We’ve received official orders to report at oh seven hundred tomorrow. ’Course we were gonna be there anyway, but you know they’ll grant you leave if you explain your house is nearly gone.”

Reeve shook his head. “No. I want to stay busy. I’m sure the governor has declared a state of emergency by now, which means there will be plenty to do.”

Their silence stated they all understood. It was a somber group, and Reeve began to walk over the rubble, trying to make sense of his possessions. It occurred to him this was a good time to be someone who didn’t hang on to anything. There was really not much he needed here. Obviously the necessities—a bed, clothing, and such—were important. But he wasn’t looking for sentimental items or heirlooms because he didn’t hang on to them.

The one room somewhat standing was Reeve’s bedroom, although almost everything in it was unusable. The walls were splattered with mud and the bed was covered in splintered wood and Sheetrock. Stepping into his closet, Reeve found his army uniform intact. Imagine that.

“Here, I’ll help.” Jase stood beside him and began to grab what was savable off the rack. The three of them worked for a good hour, and when they’d loaded what they could into Jase’s truck, Reeve just stood and stared at what was left of his house.

The one thing he hadn’t shared with his friends was what had happened with Emily. He could barely stand to think about it, let alone say it out loud.

Standing there watching her with that reporter, her self-assured demeanor and the no-nonsense way she’d handled the douchebag had floored him. Things had quickly clicked into place. The way she’d handled the bartender, the way she’d handled him. He’d never been to her home. Did she live in a mansion? How much money did she really have?

He thought back to the night at Bourbon and Baker when she’d tried to grab the check. The expensive shoes and clothing she always wore. Of course he’d known she was one of those girls, the kind he had no business trifling with. She was a member at Sunset. But for some reason he’d just assumed that she’d come from money and was still living off the fruits of her parents’ labor. Generals did okay. Maybe she’d inherited some money from her late father. He didn’t know what, and that was partly his fault. He’d demanded nothing of her except her body and her time.

After living a life of secrets and not wanting anyone to ask about his home or his family, he’d just learned not to ask anyone else about theirs. Probably why he hadn’t questioned her not wanting him over. Wasn’t that normal, not wanting to invite someone into your home?

As an adult, he knew it wasn’t, but he’d been in denial with Emily. Not wanting to question anything that would take her away from him, because deep inside he’d feared their time together was temporary.

“You know we’ll help you do whatever you need,” Aiden said, interrupting the silence.

“No doubt,” Jase said in agreement.

“I know you will. And I’ll need it. Obviously.” He nodded toward the wreckage. “I’m fucking homeless, you guys.” He began to laugh, because there really seemed nothing else left to do. Aiden and Jase just looked at each other.

“We told Tyler we’re all staying with him tonight,” Aiden said. “You coming with or are you going to your mom’s house.”

Reeve tensed. These guys didn’t know about his mother’s house. “Nah, I’ll go to Brad’s. I’ll meet you guys at Tyler’s first thing tomorrow.”

“I’ll wash and iron your uniform for you,” Jase said.

“You don’t need to do that, man.”

“I got it. You just relax tonight.”

Reeve appreciated his friends more than they’d ever know, but Reeve’s thoughts were warring inside. He wondered what Emily was doing right now. Was she still at LAM cleaning up? He now regretted not staying, helping. But damn he’d been furious. Since it was now dark he assumed she must have gone home.

He should have been with her. She’d finally invited him over. She’d mentioned wanting to tell him tonight. How would he have responded? Would that have changed anything? He didn’t know. It was hard to separate what could have been from what had played out, which was him finding out her truth as she announced it to a television camera.

He finally parted ways with his friends and headed over to Brad’s house on his Harley. He needed a shower and he was exhausted from the adrenaline rush and the emotional roller coaster he’d been on today.

He’d have to get up early to meet they guys back at Tyler’s but he never had a problem getting up at the crack of dawn no matter what time he went to sleep. It was a part of his makeup to get up before the sun on most days.

As he drove down the streets of Manhattan, he was happy to see that the majority of it was free of any damage. Tree limbs were down and yard things were scattered, but most homes and businesses were fine. The damage was mostly limited to the southwest side of town although there were a fair number of people out, a lot of restless activity, probably friends and loved ones helping those who needed it.

He wondered if Emily’s house was okay and realized he hadn’t asked her. Damn it. Where was she staying tonight? Was she okay? Should he call her?

He pulled over in a Taco Bell parking lot and pulled out his phone to bring up her address. Finally, he had service. He typed her address into the map application and examined the route.

Five minutes later he was slowly driving down her street. It was a dead end, her house at the very end. As in many surrounding areas, the power on the block was still out and it appeared no one was home. He killed his headlights and stared up at her house. The sky had cleared and the moon cast a glow on the structure.

She had a nice house, that was for sure. It wasn’t massive, but it was at least twice as big as his. Probably more. The front yard appeared to be beautifully landscaped with curved berms and mature trees. The house was a little older, but had obviously been updated.

She was rich. How rich? He didn’t know. He also didn’t know what he planned to do with that information. But after seeing his life flash before his eyes as he held on tight to a tiny person under a pool table, he knew one thing for certain.

He’d fallen hard for Emily Phillips.

The fact that she ran a huge corporation didn’t change that. But Emily would never need anything of him. And he had nothing to offer her, especially not now when all he had was the clothes on his back, a Harley, and a bank account that she’d no doubt find laughable.

As he drove to Brad’s, Reeve couldn’t stop thinking about the damage at her office and the patio they’d worked so hard on. He knew without question he’d rebuild it just as it was. Maybe even better.

When he walked into Brad’s house, he found his buddy watching the news coverage. Brad instantly stood, came over and locked Reeve in a tight man hug.

“Damn, man. I’m so sorry.”

When they separated Reeve blew out a breath. He hadn’t cried today, but damn there’d been several times he felt like it. “Thanks. For letting me stay here, too.”

“Are you kidding me? You’d do the same. Without question.”

“I need your help with one more thing. Tonight.”

“Whatever you need, man.”

“I need your help picking something up. We’ll need the flatbed trailer. And a chain saw.”

“All over it. Let’s go.” Brad immediately sat down and began to pull on his shoes.

Reeve was grateful. As always, he knew he could count on Brad to help without question.