CHAPTER TWENTY
Emma was in her kitchen, dreamily putting away dishes and recalling every detail of the night before when an insistent knock on her front door broke through her reverie.
She found her sisters on her doorstep, Gia looking annoyed and Eva looking guilty. Mr. Snuffles, her father and Phoebe’s pug, cocked his head to the side at Eva’s feet.
“I have to find out from my husband who spotted Niko’s motorcycle out front this morning that my incredibly picky sister is dating?” Gia snapped. She was dressed for yoga and had her hands on her hips.
Behind Gia, Eva was gesturing wildly and shaking her head at Emma.
“And I have to find out from my other sister that my oldest sister is dating without having any prior knowledge myself? That’s just unacceptable, Emma,” Eva said when Gia turned to look at her.
Emma had to hide her smile. Eva was playing the victim so Gia wouldn’t be mad at her, too. She’d let Eva play it out and hang it over her head later, Emma decided. Same with Beckett who hadn’t come by the knowledge due to a bike on the street but an eyeful of naked people on the couch.
“Jesus, guys. It’s not like that exactly, and it literally just happened in the last twelve hours!”
“That is practically a century in Blue Moon gossip time. Now you owe me details, and I’m not leaving until you give me some. And a snack. I’m hungry and grumpy.” Gia shoved past her into the kitchen and flopped down on a barstool.
“Come on in. Make yourself at home,” Emma said sarcastically, stepping aside and let Eva in too. “Whoa, do not let that snot machine anywhere near my nice furniture,” she warned Eva.
Eva scooped up Mr. Snuffles and cuddled him to her chest. “Don’t you listen to your sister, Mr. Snuffles. She loves you. She just shows it by being bossy.”
Emma knew better than to argue with Gia and pulled the orzo salad out of the refrigerator. She produced three forks and leaned on the opposite side of the island.
“So what do you want to know?”
“How did this happen? Are you out of your mind? Niko is the opposite of your type. How serious is it? Have you had sex? And was it amazing?”
“Yeah, all those things she said,” Eva agreed innocently.
“Okay, first of all, let’s clarify something. We’re not dating. We were friends, and then we had sex,” Emma explained.
“That is so not you. Did you sustain a head injury? Have you been getting weird headaches?”
“Just the two sitting in my kitchen,” Emma said blandly.
“Sex makes you grumpy,” Eva teased.
“I do not have a head injury, and I’m not grumpy. In fact, I’m deeply and incredibly satisfied if you must know.”
“Hang on. So if it’s just sex, I don’t know if I lost. I have to check with Summer,” Gia muttered, digging into the salad with gusto.
“Why do you have to check with Summer about my love life?”
“We had a bet. I said there was no way you and Niko would get together because you’re immune to the whole sexy, dangerous, bad boy type. Summer thought Niko would wear you down. I just don’t know if we clarified between sex or relationship.” Gia frowned. “You know what? I’m not even going to tell her. We’ll just wait and see what happens.”
“You have lived in this town too long!” Emma accused. “You can’t bet on my sex life.”
“Can and did,” Gia shrugged. “You can bet on mine if you want.”
“How can you possibly have a sex life?” Emma demanded. “You have three children.”
“Beckett is very creative about timing, and we’re very motivated,” Gia said smugly.
“Wow,” Eva sighed.
“I’m impressed,” Emma agreed.
“So what else have I missed out on?” Gia demanded. “Did you two run off and elope? Eva, are you secretly starting a second career as a stripper?”
Eva dropped her fork and studiously avoided eye contact. “You know me. You can’t keep me away from those technical manuals.”
Hmm, Emma thought. There was something there. She’d need to browbeat it out of her sister later when she wasn’t expecting it.
“Did you know that Jax and Joey have two kids living with them?” Emma ventured.
“Now you’re just messing with me,” Gia laughed, scooping up a forkful of orzo.
“Nope. Dead serious. Reva and Caleb moved in Sunday night after the wedding. Their mother abandoned them three weeks ago, and Reva’s been trying to hide it so she and her brother can stay together.”
“Oh!” Gia’s face went through the stages of shock and sadness. “Oh, those poor kids. What do they need? Does Caleb need toys? Roar’s due for a purge. How about some dinners? We can alternate.”
“What about school supplies? I’d be happy to take the kids shopping?” Eva offered.
Emma smiled. Her sisters were damn good people. “I think what would help them out the most is an attorney. The goal is to keep Reva and Caleb together, and if they go into foster care, that’s going to be tough.”
“I think I know where we can find the best, sexiest, smartest attorney in the state,” Gia said, pulling out her phone.
“What about their father?” Eva asked while Gia texted Beckett.
“Not in the picture,” Emma shook her head.
“We were lucky, weren’t we?” Eva sighed.
“Very.”
Gia’s phone rang, and they listened as she filled Beckett in.
“You’re the best, smartest, sexiest, most amazing man in the universe,” she chirped. Emma and Eva mimed throwing up when Gia hung up. “Okay, Beckett is going to talk to Jax and Joey and Donovan.”
“Speaking of our fair sheriff,” Emma said, eyeing Eva. “Did you two enjoy your dance?”
“Oh, my God. Eva!” Gia pounced. “You need to move here and marry Donovan, and then we’ll all be together!”
Emma and Eva rolled their eyes. “What is wrong with you?” Emma demanded.
“I think it’s post-pregnancy hormones. I’ve been thinking about joining the Beautification Committee,” Gia confessed.
“If you do that, I’m disowning you,” Emma gasped.
“That’s what I love about you, Em. You’re so non-judgmental,” Gia teased.
“What exactly is the Beautification Committee?” Eva asked.
“It’s a secret committee that spends their free time trying to pair off unwilling townsfolk to create the illusion of happiness and stability.”
“Really?” Eva’s interest was piqued.
“It’s a non-consensual matchmaking service,” Gia corrected.
“I love you, but you’re insane,” Emma told her.
“Agree to disagree. Now, let’s get back to sex with your gorgeous Russian friend,” Gia said, pushing them back on track. “What does this mean? Are you seeing each other? Is it going to happen again?”
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Niko lined up the memory cards on the island and wiped his palms on his jeans. He’d put off reviewing the wedding pictures for a day. Emma had consumed his every waking thought since that first life-altering kiss under the stars. Their stolen night together, so fresh in his mind, was a turning point for him.
And now it was time for another.
It was nerves, a fear that the flow and energy of the day’s shoot had resulted in shit.
But there was only one way he’d find out. Niko shoved the first card into the slot on his laptop and drummed an impatient beat on the granite while the images loaded.
Was it just him, or was the house too quiet? he wondered. The twins were at daycare, Carter was outside running a new fence line, and Summer was hibernating in her office masterminding magazine matters.
He opened a playlist, and eighties metal drowned out the silence.
The pop-up on his screen told him the images had successfully uploaded to his cloud. “Let’s see what we’ve got,” he murmured to himself.
Diving in, he clicked at random, opening a ceremony shot.
It wasn’t bad.
Phoebe was laughing at something the minister was saying while her sons were peering over her shoulder. Franklin, smiling his biggest smile held her hand, while his daughters laughed. There was some life there. If he were editing, he’d sharpen the focus on Phoebe and Franklin and soften the rest. Maybe go grayscale and up the contrast.
“Okay, one acceptable shot,” he muttered. “What else is in here?”
The next was better and the next even better than both of the previous. “Now we’re talking.”
He grabbed that one, a shot of Phoebe and Franklin looking deliriously happy on the dance floor, and played with the highlights until he was satisfied. One down and three to go before Phoebe’s request was fulfilled.
He lost track of time and count of the images he’d pulled for editing. There was one of the brothers ranged around the bar in easy camaraderie, a round of beers in their hands. There was another of Phoebe dancing with Beckett, his forehead resting on hers as they grinned at each other. Another of Franklin surrounded by his daughters as they all hoisted flutes of champagne skyward.
There was another that tugged at him. Franklin and Emma taking a turn around the dance floor. He’d caught them over the shoulders of other dancers and sharpened the focus, blurring everyone else to isolate them. Franklin smiled tenderly at Emma. But it was Emma’s face that went straight to his heart. Tears in her eyes and a tremulous smile on her sweet lips. It was a beautiful moment between father and daughter, one that could be treasured forever now.
He hit pay dirt with another ceremony shot. Their heads bowed in a spontaneous moment of remembrance, Jax’s hand resting on Beckett’s shoulder, Beckett’s on Carter’s. A bond of brotherhood and grief and hope for the future. Emma, her own eyes glistening, handed tissues to her sisters behind her. Phoebe and Franklin squeezed hands and bowed their hands.
No one could look at that picture and not feel.
He sat back, rolling his knotted shoulders. He’d already edited twenty shots that were damn good. But there was one more he wanted to see. The very first shot of the day.
He scrolled to it and opened the file.
Emma.
He’d captured her mid-twirl, looking over her slim shoulder at him, the blush of her dress highlighting the happy flush of her cheeks. The green of her eyes didn’t need enhancing as they sparkled with joy. Her lips, glossed and pink curved in feminine knowing. Her hair, a fiery red under the spring sun, flowed out with the momentum of her turn. She looked like a fairy princess who would lead him down a forest path and never let him escape. She was luring him in, and he was too enamored to be afraid.
He stared as if hypnotized by emerald eyes and the smile that promised a life of laughter. He was still staring when his phone rang next to him.
“Yeah?”
“Hello to you, too.” Amara was too used to dealing with temperamental talent to take offense to a brusque greeting. She’d been his agent for three years now and had landed him every dream gig he could have envisioned. And never once complained about a thing.
“Sorry, Am. I was working. What’s up?”
“Working? Well, that’s a good sign. I was beginning to think you were going to give it all up to play scarecrow up there.”
He hadn’t exactly explained to Amara why he was taking a sabbatical, but she was smart enough to put two and two together.
“I have no plans of giving up Manhattan for Blue Moon,” he promised. But his gaze tracked back to the screen where Emma beguiled him.
“I know you’re not taking assignments right now, but I thought I’d pass this idea on. You know how if you’re off the scene longer than it takes to recover from rhinoplasty, everyone in the industry forgets about you?”
Niko picked up an apple out of the bowl on the counter and bit into it. “Uh-huh, sure.”
“Well, I’ve got an idea that could tide everyone over until you’re back from playing farmer. I’ve got a friend of a friend who owns a gallery in SoHo. He’s looking for a new exhibit, and I thought you could pull together some shots. Maybe do a retrospective with some of your favorites?”
He stared at his screen again. “Actually, I have a better idea.”
By the time he hung up, his agent was ecstatic and he was feeling a little psyched himself.