Chapter 23
Lucas
Glancing around at the crowd of people encircling me, I look for Emma.
I spot her immediately walking towards Eric, and I forcefully temper my jealousy as I see her reach out for his hand. I watch as she says something to him, watch as his face reveals the torture he is feeling.
It’s because of that slip in his façade that I remain where I am as Emma leads him outside.
I know she needs to close that chapter with him somehow.
That she needs time to speak to him.
So instead, I remain where I am for her sake - silently stewing - to give her time to speak with him.
After what seems like an insufferably long time, I can’t wait any longer.
Excusing myself from my guests, I stride to the back door and see them sitting on the bench, still holding hands and mine involuntarily clench.
Opening the door, jealousy fills me as he pulls her in for a hug but the eyes that meet mine are no longer cocky.
Instead, they are filled with pain.
I hear him murmur, “I’ll be seeing you,” just as I reach them.
I open my mouth to say something, memories of our days when we would tear up the town together making me want to reconnect with him again somehow, even though I shouldn’t after all the bastard has done to me and Emma.
But he turns abruptly before I reach them, walking away from Emma who turns to look at me with sadness and unshed tears in her eyes.
“You okay?” I ask, pulling her into me as I stare after Eric.
She nods against my chest as she whispers, “He’s just so lonely. Something in his life has happened, burying the true man he is. He doesn’t realize how good he is deep down.”
I look at Eric’s disappearing figure and suddenly I see what she sees.
Turning my attention from Eric, I place my hand underneath Emma’s chin to tilt her head up to me.
“You’re a good friend to him, Emma. Better than I ever was to be able to see the good guy underneath, but he’s got demons you and I don’t know about,” I murmur as I think of Eric and his upbringing. I didn’t know the extent of it, but I knew his mother was nothing like mine. My dad nothing like his.
She nods, sighing softly as she says, “I know. But I don’t want him out of my life, Lucas. If he still wants to be part of my life, I want to be there for him. It seems like he has no one but me.”
Her request should make me angry, make me feel the jealousy I’d had only felt moments ago, but I strangely don’t any longer. The look in Eric’s eyes when he held Emma was one of defeat - of pain – from realizing Emma was mine.
Always would be mine.
What Emma and I had couldn’t be torn apart by space and distance – or someone who called himself a friend that desperately wanted what I had. We’d gone through all of that and here we were.
She was now my wife.
Kissing Emma on the top of her head, I murmur, “I understand, Emma. And I’ll try my best to be there for him too, despite everything. You’ve made me see what you see in him. He just needs someone to believe in him.”
I’m rewarded with a bright, but shocked, smile on Emma’s face as she looks up at me.
“That’s one of the things that made me fall in love with you, Lucas. You are so very kindhearted,” she whispers.
Leaning down, I murmur against her lips, “I love you, too.”
Softly, I kiss her, and my hands go to her waist, clenching tight as I think of the night ahead.
Of making love to Emma as my wife for the first time.
Breaking our kiss, I ask in a whisper, “When can we ditch this party? I want to go home, wife.”
Her eyes widen for a moment over my use of the word wife, and then she is grinning, wrapping her arms tight around my neck as she pulls me down for a brief touch of her lips to mine.
I hear a laugh escape her as she teasingly steps away from me, turning to look sexily over her shoulder as she says, “We don’t have to wait until after the party…dad.”
With those words parting her lips, she makes my heart drop, my head spin as she disappears down a row of vines.
“Emma…” I manage as I start forward, walking to where she’d disappeared. She is clutching her wedding dress in her hands as she lifts it, revealing her ankles as she lightly runs, her laughter reaching back to me as she continues down the row of vines.
Grinning, with the words she just said reverberating over and over in my brain, I happily follow her to wherever she wants to lead me.