Chapter 18
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
EMERSON
My body felt sluggish from the emotional turmoil of the day before. I’d gotten lax in guarding myself. Brighton had made me comfortable, and now my stamina for attacks was low. The fact I had to have the stamina to deal with bullying wasn’t lost on me.
Dressing in a comfortable dress, jean jacket, and tennis shoes, I prayed changing up my look might help me blend in. I tiptoed down the stairs, but the house was quiet. No one was in the kitchen, so I sat at the island, excited to enjoy a peaceful breakfast.
“Emmy! I’m glad I caught you. I was wondering if you could do me a favor?” Rose asked as she stepped into the kitchen.
I paused with a mouthful of cereal, looking up to meet her eyes. She didn’t seem to know about the video from yesterday. Swallowing, I nodded for her to continue.
“I have some donations I need dropped off. I meant to yesterday on my way home and I spaced out. Wedding plans have me all over the place.”
“Donations?” I asked, wiping my mouth .
Rose glanced up from the coffee she was making. “I’m the current president of the Darlington Humanities Foundation. We had a donation drive on Saturday. I wanted to invite you to come, but yeah.” But I’d ignored everyone all weekend. “I got everything but the animal shelter donations delivered on Sunday. Are you familiar with Pawsitive Haven?”
“It sounds vaguely familiar.”
“It’s a no-kill shelter outside of Darlington, not too far from campus. The owner is a friend of mine.” She sipped her coffee, watching me.
“Cool. Um, yeah, I can do that for you.”
“Thank you. I’d do it myself, but I need to run by the seamstress this morning. Did you and Hope pick out your dresses yet?”
“Not exactly.”
“Don’t wait too long. There’s not much time for them to arrive if they don’t have it in stock.” I nodded, not wanting to get into all the reasons Hope and I hadn’t picked a dress together. “I’ll set the stuff next to your car. Have a good day, sweetie.”
She kissed my cheek before heading out the door, and I warmed from the simple affection. I wished Hope wasn’t her daughter. It would be so much easier if she wasn’t.
Finishing my breakfast, I gathered my stuff and loaded the bags of dog food, cat litter, and miscellaneous pet items into my trunk. The drive was quick, and I pushed open the door to Pawsitive Haven with the dog food in tow.
A woman with a long gray braid walked around the corner at my entrance. She smiled, putting me instantly at ease. “Hi! I’m Sandy.”
“Hi. I have donations to drop off.”
“Ah, you must be Rose’s daughter.”
“Step-daughter. I’m Emerson.”
She smiled, taking the bag of dog food. “Regardless, thank you for bringing this by. Rose is a dear friend, and the only one who goes out of her way to make sure our needs are met.”
“Rose does seem nice. I’ve only known her a short while.”
Sandy studied me. “Would you like a tour? You look like you could use a dog cuddle.”
“Oh. Um.” I looked at my watch. I still had two hours before I had to meet my professor in the library. “Yeah. Okay.”
“Perfect.” She turned, then stopped. “Do you have any allergies? The last visitor I had forgot to disclose his allergy to cats. The poor kid looked like a puffkin when he left here.”
My eyes widened, and I opened my mouth, words stuck on my tongue. “Um, no?” Why did I phrase it as a question? I wanted to face-palm myself. I cleared my throat and tried again. “No.”
“Good. And don’t worry; they assured me his face wouldn’t look like that permanently.” Sandy smiled and grabbed my hand, pulling me along. She talked a mile a minute, telling me about the animals, the adoption process, and how Pawsitive Haven got started.
I was amazed that a place like this was here. It was an onslaught of information, and I tried to do my best to absorb it. We walked through the cat room and then into the dog kennels. Dogs whimpered and barked at our approach, creating a cacophony of noises. There were older dogs and younger ones, and I wanted to take them all home.
“Ah, you got that look. You can’t take them all home, but you can come back and volunteer.”
“What?” I asked, confused. Sandy smiled and squeezed my arm.
“Don’t worry. The look is a good thing, but if you focus on how sad it is, you’ll never come back, and I’d like to see you again. Instead, focus on giving them the love you can while they’re here and helping them prepare to meet their forever family. ”
“Okay. I’ll try.”
“You got a good heart.”
“What does a volunteer do?” I asked, as she led me to a kennel. She opened it up and scooped out a fluffy puppy and handed it to me.
“Mostly this. There are some other tasks if you’re able to help more. Let me introduce you to my partner in crime, and he can get you the forms. Do you go to Hayward? He’s a senior there.”
“Yes, I do, but I just transferred this year so I don’t know that many people yet.”
“Hmm,” she said, eyeing me as I petted the puppy. He fell asleep in my arms, his nose nuzzled into my elbow. “You’re a bit like a Rat Terrier,” she said, surprising me.
“What?”
“You’re sweet and observant, but hiding a fighter underneath.”
I stared. What in the world? “Thanks?”
Sandy kept smiling. “I’m a Barbet myself.”
I nodded, despite not knowing either breed. I’d take her word for it. The front door jingled, and she took off toward it.
“Okay, wait right here. He should be in any second. He’s a Border Collie, that one!” She was already through the door before I could process her words. Did she describe everyone in dog breeds?
Cuddling my puppy, I kept petting his soft fur. I did feel better. Maybe I could volunteer once a week. A healthy dose of puppy kisses might be the pick-me-up I needed. A door swung open behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted a large dog trotting through it. When it spotted me, it took off for me and jumped. I turned to protect the puppy in my arms, missing his paws, but the leash managed to get wrapped around my legs, nonetheless. The big dog slobbered all over my legs, but thankfully, the puppy didn’t seem bothered .
“Rocket! What have I told you about boundaries? You can’t just lick people you meet.” The leash was unwrapped, and I stared at the last person I expected to see here.
“Mer?” Colter’s eyes widened in surprise before shifting to delight.
“Hey.” Colter pushed the over-excited dog aside as it tried to continue to lick me, jumping up on his hind legs. Colter laughed, shaking his head at the dog.
“Rocket, stop.” The dog sat and laid his head down, covering his eyes with his paws and whining. “I regret teaching you that trick.” He sighed and tackled the dog, letting him kiss his face while he scratched under his head and ears. I watched on in amazement. There was something about watching a man with dogs and babies that just did something to my ovaries. “Okay, you big goon, go bug someone else.” The dog trotted off like he understood.
Colter stood and brushed off dog hair. His eyes settled on mine again, and he smiled at the sleeping puppy in my arms.
“You look good holding a puppy.”
“Pretty sure everyone does.”
“Not that one. He doesn’t like people.”
I glanced down at my friend. “Then why did Sandy give him to me?”
He shrugged. “She always knows which human needs which dog.”
“Human, not the other way around?” I asked.
“Nope. Dogs own us.” He grinned, and I could almost forget about all the rumors I heard when he smiled at me that way. “You going to talk to me now?” he whispered, the vulnerability clear in his words.
“What’s there to say?” I cast my eyes down, unable to stare at his gorgeous face.
Colter sighed. “I like you, Mer—a lot. I know I didn’t respond well yesterday, and I’m sorry about that. Truly. I didn’t like seeing that video. It made me angry. ”
“Why?” I asked, unable to stop myself.
“ Why ?” he repeated, his brows furrowing more. He moved closer and took the sleeping puppy from me, then placed him back in the kennel. When he returned, he reached for my hands, and I was too weak to stop him from lacing our fingers together. “I might have only known you for a few weeks, but I care about you and feel protective over you.”
My stomach flipped, and my heart took off like a pair of maracas, sending tingles over my body. No one had ever felt protective over me. I lifted my head and stared, dumbfounded. I licked my lips, the words Jenny said racing through my head, combined with the image of Hope. I couldn’t forget that.
“I heard…” I shook my head. Was it better to be in denial?
“What did you hear, Merbear?” Colter caressed my chin, but I stayed silent. “Was it about my reputation?” I nodded, and he sighed. “I can’t change my past, and if you want to know the truth, I’ll tell you, even though I’m not proud of it. Without sounding like a cliché, you’re different.”
“How do I know that’s not a line?”
“You don’t. But you’ll never know unless you give me a chance. I don’t expect you to forgive me yet, but please don’t ice me out. Let me show you who I really am. Not the playboy or rumors, but me.”
Staring at him, I saw the vulnerability in his eyes, and I hated myself for assuming the worst of him. Colter had been nice to me from the second we ran into each other—something I kept seeming to do. And yet, I’d lumped him with all the other people who’d hurt me without giving him a fair chance. I didn’t know his story, but I could see my actions had hurt him, unintentionally or not.
I had a choice—keep hurting him or take a chance. It wasn’t risk free. I could still get hurt, but something told me it wouldn’t be by Colter.
I took a deep breath. “Okay. I’m sorry I ran away. My past… it isn’t pleasant, and I jumped to conclusions when I should have asked you first.”
“You can ask me anything and I’ll tell you, Mer.”
I searched his eyes, seeing honesty reflected. “Why didn’t you tell me you were on the football team?”
His nose scrunched up. “I didn’t?” I shook my head, and he shrugged. “Probably because it’s the least interesting thing about me. I only play because of my scholarship. I have no plans of going pro and don’t have any passion for it, like Holden does.”
“That’s fair. But that’s the other thing. Did you know?”
“Know what?” He lifted a brow.
“That Holden was my step-brother?”
He hesitated, and my heart sank. “I had a suspicion, but wasn’t certain until yesterday afternoon. I promise.”
I wanted to believe him, but it hurt. “Are you into Hope?” My heart pounded hard, and all the blood rushed to my face, heating my cheeks. Colter reared back like I’d slapped him.
“Hope Adler?”
I nodded.
“No.” He shook his head firmly. “An emphatic no.”
“She was touching you yesterday,” I admitted, biting my lip.
Colter stepped forward and dropped my hands. His body pressed into mine, and he pulled my lip free with his thumb, swiping it across the swollen flesh.
“None of that. No abuse on my watch.” I sucked in a breath, his words heating me from the inside out. He tilted my chin, his hand caressing me with soft strokes. “I don’t remember her touching me, but if she was, it didn’t register because all I could focus on was your ass in those shorts and getting my hands on you. Do you know how hard it is to practice with an erection, Mer?”
I shook my head, unable to say anything if I wanted. I just wanted him to keep touching me. His nose grazed my cheek, traveling down to my hair, where he inhaled.
“Fuck, you smell divine, Mer.” He continued grazing me with his nose, goosebumps breaking out everywhere he touched me. When he got to the spot on my neck, he stopped, tensing at the hickey Holden had left on me yesterday. Colter pulled back, and I pouted. His eyes held mine, heat and possessiveness overtaking his eyes.
“Is this from Cody?”
“What?” I asked, licking my lips. Colter’s thumb brushed the spot, and I remembered. “No. Not from Cody.”
His body relaxed, and he stroked the area again, a smirk growing on his face the longer he brushed it. “Good.”
I frowned. “You’re not going to ask who?”
He shook his head, that secret grin on his face like he already knew. “I think about you all the time, Mer. Will you let me take you on a date?”
“You really want to?”
“What did I tell you that first day?” I shook my head, not remembering. “I don’t ask for things I don’t want. I want you, so I’m asking.”
“Oh,” I stalled, wanting to, but suddenly overwhelmed by the prospect. Guys wanting to fuck me, I understood. Guys wanting to take me out was a foreign concept. “I’ve never been on a date.”
He smiled. “I like that I get to be your first. I will make it so perfect that it will ruin you for any other dates. Not that I intend to let you go, Mer.”
Colter leaned in, giving me time to stop him before he pressed his lips to mine. It was soft, yet just as passionate as the other two. It was a claim and a promise. I wanted to believe him, so I would.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever tire of kissing you,” he said after drawing back. I blushed, and he smiled. “Come on, we should wash our hands after handling the dogs. ”
He pulled me toward a sink and stood behind me as he turned on the water and soaped up our hands together. It was oddly intimate to feel his presence behind me. He dropped a kiss on my neck, then sucked at the skin, causing my eyes to close as desire washed over me. It wasn’t until he turned off the water that I opened my eyes and I realized he’d left his own hickey.
“Really?”
He grinned and shrugged, but there was no remorse. “You have a class?” he asked, walking me to my car.
“Yeah. I have two this afternoon. You?” I fiddled with my keychain. I needed to get going, but didn’t want to leave Colter.
“Yep. I have a full afternoon once I leave here. If I text you later, will you respond?” he asked, lifting a brow.
Feeling the Magic 8-ball in my hand, I shook it and lifted it for him to see. He grinned. “Signs point to yes.”
“Then yes.”
He laughed. “Bye, Merbear.”
“Bye, Colt.” He grinned wider before planting a soft kiss on my lips. He might break my heart, but I’d enjoy it until he did.