Emma

Emma found her father on the dance floor with Tara and Colin. She caught his eye and his face turned stony. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now, Dad. I just wanted to let you know I’m going back down to the apartment.”

“Do you want us to come with you, honey?” Tara asked.

“No, stay and enjoy the party. I just want to be alone right now.”

Tara gave her a tight smile and her father nodded, giving Emma a kiss on the cheek. “I’m here if you need me, sweetheart.”

“Thanks, Dad.” And with that, Emma fled from the dance floor.

She was working her way toward the exit when she felt a little hand tugging her back. She turned to see Colin dragging his feet as he clung to her wrist. “Emma wait!”

“Hey, buddy. What’s wrong?”

“Did your I’m sorry plan with Will work?”

Emma’s face fell. “No. It didn’t.”

“Why not?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Well you can try again, right? I’ll help you tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Colin. But I don’t think it’s going to work.”

“But you like Will. And I know Will really likes you. So why can’t you just both like each other? Then everyone can be happy and we can have the best Christmas ever.”

Colin’s little face looked so hopeful it made Emma’s heart ache. She knelt down to his level. “Sometimes things aren’t that simple, buddy.”

He frowned. “But why not?”

How was she supposed to explain this to a seven-year-old? “Things get harder when you’re older.”

“Maybe that means you have to try harder,” Colin offered.

Emma pulled Colin into her arms. The little boy had no idea how right he was. But no matter how hard Emma tried, it seemed nothing short of a miracle could save the future she’d so desperately wanted with Will.

“Emma, look,” Colin whispered.

She released him from her hug and trained her eyes to where he was pointing. She nearly gasped when she saw Will shouting heatedly at Liz.

“Whoa! Will looks mad.”

Before Emma had time to decide she didn’t want to watch their lovers’ spat, Will had ripped Liz’s phone from her hands and was storming their way, with Liz on his heels. Emma grabbed Colin and pulled him behind a wall of vines to keep Will and Liz from seeing them. But the greenery did nothing to shield Emma from their words.

Will

Will thumbed furiously through Liz’s iPhone for the photos in question. “Where are they Liz?”

“Will, stop it!”

“Not until you tell me the truth. Where are the pictures Emma’s talking about?”

“There aren’t any pictures,” Liz screeched.

“You’re so full of it, Liz. You think I don’t know why you’re lying?”

“I’m not lying.”

“Yes you are! Show me the damn pictures or I’m going to your parents right now and we can have this discussion in front of them.”

“Go ahead. I didn’t keep the photos. You really think I’m that dumb?”

“So they exist?”

“Maybe.”

Will’s temper was nearing its boiling point. If Liz were a guy Will would’ve sucker punched him already. Instead he kept her phone out of reach while scrolling back to last December. And when he got there, his blood ran cold. There they were—shot after shot of Liz and a guy wearing Will’s face in scandalous positions. There were dozens of them.

Will rubbed his face, the impact of what these photos must’ve done to Emma finally hitting him. “Jesus, Liz. This . . . I . . .” he sputtered as he scrolled through the flawlessly edited photos. Even Will himself would’ve been fooled by the level of perfection in Liz’s photos. “How did you do this?”

She shrugged. “I used Snip.”

Will just blinked numbly at her.

“It’s Marcy’s father’s plastic surgery app. It’s amazing, right?”

Will raked a hand over his face as the aftershocks of the incriminating photos rippled through him. “Why would you do this? I mean, what the hell were you thinking, Liz?”

“That we belong together,” Liz replied, slipping her arm through his. “We’re meant to be. Just like Hazel and Thomas.”

Will shook her off, completely repulsed. “Liz, there’s nothing between us and after what you did to Emma, there’s not a chance in hell that I’m even going to be your friend.”

“Will—”

“No, I’m done, Liz. And you better pray that I can fix things with Emma or I swear to God . . .”

“What are you so mad about? All I did was try to save you from yourself? Are you seriously going to throw away our potential for someone like Emma Rhodes? That family has more issues than Vogue. You’re too good for her. You’re a Taylor. You belong with someone like me.”

“Do you hear yourself, Liz? You’re insane. There is no us. And if you screwed up my last chance to fix things with Emma, I’ll never forgive you.”

“Why do you care? She doesn’t even live here anymore.”

“But she could,” Will interjected.

Liz laughed bitterly. “You think she’d move back here for you? Your parents don’t even come home to spend time with you.”

“This isn’t about my parents. This is about me and Emma. And people do crazy things for love all the time.”

“Oh, and what, you love her?”

“Yes! I do. I always have. But you took away any chance I had to find out how she feels about me.”

Liz looked truly astonished. “You’d throw away what we have for a chance?”

“We don’t have anything, Liz! But yes. I’d throw away everything for even just the slightest chance with Emma.”

“But—”

“No, Liz. This is over. Leave Emma alone and don’t speak to me again.” And before he did or said something he couldn’t take back, Will stormed away from Liz Vanderveer, praying he would find Emma in time to beg her to forgive him for being the world’s biggest idiot.

Emma

Emma sat in stunned silence behind the wall of vines, her hands still clutched over Colin’s ears. Her heart was hammering so hard she could barely hear anything over it. But when Colin tugged on her arm it pulled Emma back to reality.

“What?” she asked, staring at Colin’s grinning face.

“I told you he loves you.”

Emma shot to her feet. He had said that, hadn’t he? In the mix of all the other foul and terrible things Liz had admitted, Will had said the only thing that mattered. He loved Emma.

“I have to find him,” she whispered more to herself than Colin, but a moment later, both of them were running back toward the party.