Chapter 26 NOVA #2
I’d deceived Emmett for months. I’d used him and now I was living in his house.
Did they think I was still using him? Did they think I was still in collusion with my father?
At the moment, I was set on proving myself to Emmett.
But his friends? How was I supposed to show his friends that I wasn’t out to kill them or destroy their lives?
I’d burned down the clubhouse, for fuck’s sake. Seriously, what was wrong with me? I was crazy. Officially, undeniably crazy.
“Hey.” Two strong arms wrapped around me and my eyes whipped open. I was so stuck in my head that I hadn’t heard Emmett walk into the closet in his bare feet.
“Maybe I should go.”
“Go where? You live here.”
I live here. That concept was a little flimsy at the moment. “A coffee shop.”
He held me tighter. “They’ll love you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I love you.”
My body sagged into his. Mostly I wanted to avoid this forever, at least until Emmett and I had more time together. “How can you be so . . . sure?”
“They’re my family.”
“No, not sure of them.” I twisted out of his arms and looked up to his face. “Of me. How can you be so sure of me? It’s only been a week.”
“Nova.” His eyes softened and his hands came to my cheeks. “Don’t doubt us.”
I nodded and leaned into his touch.
Don’t doubt us.
“Okay.”
Today, I’d do my best. Tomorrow, those doubts would come back, but for now, I’d borrow some of his confidence and face his friends knowing that he didn’t doubt us.
“Come on.” He laced our hands together and led me out of the closet and down the hallway into the chaos of conversation.
“Don’t leave me,” I whispered, hating the insecurity in my voice. But I needed him today.
“Never.”
A little boy streaked across the mouth of the hallway, followed closely by another.
“Xander! Zeke!” a woman yelled. “If you want to play tag, go downstairs before you break something valuable.”
They bolted in the other direction, disappearing as we emerged in the common area.
Conversation stopped. All eyes turned my way and I squeezed Emmett’s hand tighter, raising my free hand to wave.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” A petite blond woman with short hair appeared at my side with a baby boy in her arms. She looked me up and down, wariness in her expression as she waved. “I’m Presley.”
I knew them, of course. But I simply smiled. “I’m Nova.”
A tall man appeared behind her and I did a double take. Shaw Valance.
It was one thing to know that Presley had married the famous Hollywood actor, but to see him standing here in Emmett’s—no, my house was something entirely different.
“My sister has the biggest crush on you,” I blurted, then cringed. Smooth, Nova.
Shaw chuckled. “Maybe we’ll get to meet her someday. I’m Shaw.”
I wiggled free of Emmett’s grip and shook Shaw’s hand. “Nova.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Was it? His wife smiled and though she didn’t seem cold or rude, there was some hesitation there. Rightly so.
In the kitchen, there was another woman—a version of Presley with long hair braided over her shoulder.
Scarlett. Presley’s twin sister. Behind her stood Luke, the chief of police who had to know that I’d burned down a building in his community.
Any minute now he’d probably haul out the handcuffs and drag me to jail.
Scarlett had to hate me. My father had kidnapped her. But the smile she gave me was a lot like her sister’s. No hate. Just caution. Luke, on the other hand, grinned like he knew I was expecting the cuffs and he thought it was funny.
Emmett just gave me a wink.
The door opened and a beautiful redhead walked inside with a bouquet of balloons in one hand. “Hey. Sorry we’re late.”
Cassandra. The Warriors had kidnapped her too.
Leo came inside behind Cassandra with the most precious baby girl in his arms. Neither seemed fazed to see me. They came inside like they’d been here a hundred times. Cassandra handed over the balloons to Presley and then stopped before me to study my face.
There was pity in her gaze. It was worse than suspicion. I inched back, ready to retreat to the closet, when Cassandra’s face softened and she pulled me into a hug.
She hugged me.
How did she know I’d needed one?
“I’m Cass.”
“H-hi.”
She let me go and glanced over her shoulder at Leo, then took their daughter from his arms before going to Emmett’s side for a hug. “Happy birthday.”
His birthday had been months ago.
“We postponed his party,” Presley said at the confusion on my face.
“Postponed. Because . . . right.” Because I’d burned down the clubhouse. My face flamed and even though I wanted to drop my chin, go back to bed and hide under the covers, I stayed strong and looked up at Leo.
He shrugged. “We’ve all wanted to burn that place down once or twice in our lives.”
“True,” Dash said, sliding off his stool at the island to join us. “Hey, Nova.”
“Hi, Dash.”
His beautiful wife appeared at his side, looping one arm around his waist and holding the other out to me. Her handshake was firm. Businesslike. This was a stretch for them all, but I’d give them credit for trying.
“I’m Bryce,” she said. “Sorry we invaded your house but if we had asked, Emmett would have told us no. We’re ‘beg for forgiveness, not ask for permission’ sort of people.”
A nervous laugh bubbled free from my mouth. “I can relate.”
She nodded for me to follow her into the kitchen, where I met Genevieve, Isaiah and their kids.
The party was actually nothing more than a Saturday barbeque except with balloons and cake. Whatever gifts they’d gotten for him he’d received on his actual birthday, which was nice because I didn’t feel left out. And otherwise, it was surprisingly fun.
His friends pulled me into their circle.
The day passed without any discussion of the Tin Kings or the Arrowhead Warriors.
When the party ended, hours later, I knew deep in my soul that there’d be no need to ask for their forgiveness.
It would take some time to get to know each other. To trust. But forgiveness?
They’d given it before I’d even arrived in Clifton Forge.
It was dark by the time everyone began shuffling to their cars. They’d spent the entire day at our house, the guys watching a football game while I’d been encircled by their wives.
Genevieve was a lawyer and the two of us had chatted about her work. They’d all been interested to know what I’d be doing in town and if I’d open my own practice. Maybe.
Maybe I’d work as a freelance legal consultant. Maybe I’d find a job that had nothing to do with the law. My life was full of maybes at the moment.
Except Emmett.
He was my constant.
“Next week, our place,” Leo said.
“Sounds good.” Emmett nodded and handed over a sleeping Seraphina. She’d fallen asleep in Emmett’s arms and he seemed reluctant to let her go.
Seeing Emmett with a baby brought up a lot of questions, ones I was desperate to ask, but I had held my tongue.
Did he want kids? Did he want marriage? Before I’d moved in, we probably should have talked about both, because it might crush my dreams if he didn’t want a family. I’d take him anyway, but having his baby was an idea that had bloomed after seeing him with Seraphina.
“Let me know what we can bring,” I told Cass, touching the soft skin on her daughter’s cheek.
“I’ll text you.” She hugged me goodbye, then did the same with Emmett before sweeping outside with Leo.
“Well?” Emmett asked as he closed the door and took my hand, leading me to the bedroom.
“You were right.” His friends had deserved every ounce of his faith.
He shot me a smirk and tucked me into his side. He didn’t drag me to bed like I’d hoped. Instead, he brought me to the closet, where he took a hoodie from a hanger and tugged it over my head. Then he pulled on his own sweatshirt, swiped my hand again and towed me to the deck.
Past the overhang, the railing was dusted with snow. The air was crisp and the night dark, the stars fighting to peek through the clouds that drifted by on the calm breeze.
Emmett sat in his chair, making room for me between his legs.
I settled into the seat, leaning against his chest.
There’d been a lot of good conversations here. Also some not so good. The last had been the night of the clubhouse.
We hadn’t sat out here since, even after unpacking yesterday.
Proving he had a direct link to my brain, Emmett held me tighter. “Doesn’t matter.”
“We should talk about it.”
“Someday,” he whispered. “But not tonight.”
“Okay.” I relaxed into his chest, not wanting to ruin the night.
“How about right there?” He raised a hand and pointed to the small clearing in the tree line. It was beyond the boundary of his yard, not that you could see it with the snow, but I’d spent enough time here that I knew the yard like it was my own.
I guess . . . it was my own.
“Right there for what?”
He shifted us, pushing me so that I leaned against one arm while his hand dove into the pocket of his jeans.
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, maybe a key to the house or something, but a diamond ring was not it.
“How about we get married right there?”
My mouth fell open as he picked up my left hand and slid it onto my ring finger. The solitaire jewel caught the warm light streaming from inside. The platinum band was studded with smaller stones that sparkled as bright as the stars that chose that moment to shine through.
“Ace . . .”
“That a yes?”
I twisted to look at him, his handsome face blurring with tears. “Yes.”
He flashed me a blinding smile that disappeared when his lips crashed on mine.
Five months later, when the forest was teeming with wildflowers and the smell of spring infused the air, we stood in that clearing.
Emmett made me his wife.
He became my husband.
And we stepped into the future, forging a life together, and leaving the past on the road behind us.