24. Emerson
Iwas grateful that the crowd was supportive even though Stone was nowhere to be found. I think it would have crushed me to have them pack up and leave when it was announced that Stone was unable to make it tonight. Luckily, Tilly kept the reason vague, and everyone seemed to understand.
They stayed in their seats and cheered after every song. I even got a request to play an encore, and this one had me out of the chair, singing and engaging with the crowd.
Tilly had pointed out Mr. Smith with Cherry Red Records as well as Mr. Thomas with Silver Bell Records. Both had come tonight, which was a good sign. It was always better to have two people interested instead of one.
I was smiling and sweating when I made my way off the stage. Tilly pulled me into a hug and jumped up and down—I’d done such a good job, a proposal had to come from this night.
I grinned as she pulled back, unable to speak. I’d sung with my entire soul, and my throat was tired. She nodded, understanding what I needed without me saying it, and ushered me to the dressing room so I could unload my guitar before saying hi to the two reps.
Tilly was pacing as I pulled my guitar over my head. I set it down next to me and stared into my case. An array of lucky charms was scattered across the bottom of the case. I laughed.
Tilly paused. “What?” she asked.
I glanced over at her. “Who knew that it was the acorn that had all the luck,” I said, picking up the small brass acorn that had been left in the dressing room when I first got here. “I mean I got the pig, the dream catcher, the easter egg?—”
“That one was weird.”
I shot Tilly a look. “An elephant, a Chinese coin, and then…” I tried to remember the Italian charm’s name. “The corn—cornicello?” I attempted knowing I was completely butchering it. “But it was the acorn I needed.” I moved to set it in my purse.
“What is with you and lucky charms?”
I stared at her. She already knew. I’d told her the story of my grandparents numerous times—mostly when I was drunk and lonely.
“My grandparents met?—”
“In Ireland because of a keychain, I know.”
I flattened my lips and gave her a deadpan look that said, then why did you ask?
She shrugged. “It was more of a rhetorical question.”
“Lucky charms mean something to me,” I said as I picked up my guitar and set it down in my case. Now, if there was a lucky charm that helped heal a broken heart, I’d buy that in bulk.
With my case now shut, I turned to face her. Before either of us could say anything, there was a knock on the door. The butterflies started dancing in my stomach once more as I stared at Tilly. “Is it time?”
She nodded. “I guess it’s time.”
She crossed the room and opened the door. I held my breath until she said, “Brett? What are you doing here?”
“Brett?” I asked, stepping toward her to get a look.
Sure enough, Brett was standing there holding a bouquet of flowers. When his gaze caught mine, he stepped past Tilly and extended the flowers to me.
Tilly protested, but Brett didn’t seem to notice. “Can we talk?” he asked.
Tilly looked upset, but I just nodded. “It’s fine. Why don’t you schmooze the reps, and I’ll be right out.”
Tilly glanced between us before she nodded. “If you’re not out in five, I’m coming to get you.”
“Sounds good.”
She left, closing the door behind her as she went. Brett and I were left alone, so I turned to face him. “What’s up?” I asked.
Brett was standing a few feet off and took a step closer to me. “Listen, I know things started off good and then got rocky with your whole neighbor situation. And then I saw you were dating that Stone guy on social media…” He paused as he studied me. “But I can’t believe that was real. Was it?”
My heart squeezed at his question. Memories of Stone came crashing back into my mind. I was never going to be able to shake him. Not now that my name was synonymous with his. The truth was, if I wanted any chance at a normal relationship, Brett was it. After all, he’d seen Stone and me before our arrangement, and he didn’t seem bothered that he could possibly upset one of the most popular NFL players in the league.
I decided to tell him everything. I told him the arrangement. That we weren’t really dating. And that we weren’t really fake dating anymore either. Brett listened intently until I was finished. When I was done, he studied me.
“So does that mean I can take you out tonight?”
My eyes widened. “Tonight?”
He nodded and reached forward to take my hand. “I don’t want to wait anymore.”
I stared down at the way his fingers encircled mine. There were no tingles like the way my body reacted to Stone’s touch. Going out seemed a little too soon. Did he mean as girlfriend and boyfriend? Or just as friends? How did I ask him without seeming presumptuous?
I took in a deep breath. Going out for dinner wasn’t a commitment ceremony where we signed our lives away. Plus, if I wanted to move on past Stone, I needed a rebound. Brett could be that rebound.
“I’m having drinks with the music reps who came to see me, but maybe after that we can just go back to my apartment. Would that work?”
He studied me and then nodded, a slow smile spreading across his lips. “That would be perfect.”
He offered to put my guitar in his car, and I thanked him. Then I hurried from the dressing room and out to the bar, where I found Tilly talking to Mr. Smith and Mr. Thomas. We had a few drinks, and I talked to them about my music. They both seemed to side-eye each other when it came to talking details, so in the end we scheduled times for me to come into their prospective companies to discuss things further.
I didn’t end up with a contract, but they both seemed eager to talk, so I left the bar feeling confident something was going to come of this. If not, at least the ball was rolling. My name was out there, and someone was bound to pick me up.
I was tired, so after I said goodnight to Tilly, I was glad I’d asked Brett to come over to my apartment. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere but at home on my couch, relaxing for the rest of the night.
We kept our conversation light as Brett drove me to my apartment. We talked about music and what he did for work...something in finance. Numbers were never really my thing, so when he started talking about them in terms of his job, he quickly lost me.
He pulled into a visitor parking spot, and we both got out. I went to retrieve my guitar, but he beat me to it, his hand grasping the handle just as I leaned in to pick it up.
“Let me,” he said as he pulled it out.
It startled me that he would move so quickly to pull it away from me after he saw me basically lean in to get it. But maybe this was his way of being chivalrous, so I just shrugged it off. We walked side by side to the stairs and started up to the fourth floor.
Just as we got to the landing, Brett did a double take. “So, that is your apartment, right?” he asked, pointing to my door.
I nodded. “Yes.” I pointed to my door. “Emerson’s apartment.” Then I pointed to Stone’s door. “Not Emerson’s apartment.”
He chuckled. “It’s locked away,” he said as he tapped his head.
The sound of the elevator doors opening caused us both to stop and wait. My entire body froze when I saw Stone standing there with his phone in his hand. He had a white bag of Chinese food in his other hand—I recognized it from the night he invited me over. My eyes felt as wide as saucers as my mind raced through all the emergency exits.
Then, realizing that he was a mere second away from seeing us, I just took a deep breath and braced for the inevitable. I took a step closer to Brett, and that movement seemed to draw Stone’s attention. He glanced up, first to me, and then to Brett. His body stiffened as he lingered on Brett and then slowly met my gaze.
“Stone,” I said, nodding to acknowledge him and then hurrying over to my door to unlock it.
“Stone Walker?” Brett asked. I wasn’t sure if the question was directed at me or Stone. But the sound of Stone’s door shutting answered that question. I turned to see Brett standing behind me, but his attention was on Stone’s apartment. “Stone Walker is your neighbor?”
I felt the lock release, so I pulled my key out of the handle and shoved them into my purse as I pushed open the door. “Yeah, he is.”
“You’re not-real boyfriend, who is also an NFL player, is your neighbor?”
I nodded as I held the door open for him, praying that Brett would get the picture and join me before I just slammed the door on his face. I was not prepared to see Stone again, and I was most certainly not prepared to see him again with Brett.
This evening was a mess, and I was ready for it to be over with.
Thankfully, Brett saw me start to shut the door, so he scooted his way into my apartment. “Should I be worried?” he asked, as I shut the door.
I shook my head. “Nope.” And that was the truth. Sure, I was still in love with Stone. My pounding heart from seeing him was proof of that. But Stone had no interest in me—fake or otherwise. Brett had nothing to worry about.
“I need alcohol,” I said as I turned and made my way into the kitchen. I pulled open the fridge and grabbed out a bottle of wine. I turned to get the glasses, only to run into Brett.
“This is a nice apartment,” he said, glancing around.
I sidestepped him and opened the cupboard. “Thanks.” I pulled two wine glasses down, and they made clinking noises on the countertop.
He made himself busy, walking around and opening cupboards and looking in my pantry. Then he moved to the living room, where I heard the sound of the closet door opening and closing.
I poured the wine while watching him inspect my apartment. It was strange to the point where it made me feel uncomfortable. “Are you looking for the bathroom?” I asked as I grabbed the glasses of wine and walked toward him.
“Hmm?” he asked as he took a glass from me. “Oh, no. I’m just looking around.”
I studied him, not sure if I should say something. Maybe this was a weird quirk of his. I just wanted to relax and get a little tipsy, so I took a sip of my wine. “Wanna join me on the couch?” I asked. The next room for him to inspect was my bedroom, and there was no way I wanted him in there.
“Um, sure,” he said, glancing over at my shut bedroom door. But, thankfully, he followed me to the couch.
We sat down next to each other, our knees touching. I cradled my glass in my hand while Brett set his down on the coffee table in front of us and leaned back. He rested his arm on the couch behind me as he leaned in.
Maybe this had been a mistake. Maybe I shouldn’t have invited him up here. Sure, we’d spoken a few times, but did I really know this guy? Like, know him, know him?
“What are you thinking?” Brett asked, leaning a little closer to me. He rested his other hand on the couch cushion, inches from my knee.
I flicked my gaze down at his hand and then back to my wine. I took a sip. “Cataracts,” I said, trying to think of the most boring topic we could discuss.
“Cataracts?” He frowned. “Why?”
I shrugged. “They are fascinating.” I turned to face him, which put me further away from him and his hands. “Wanna know why?”
He shook his head as he scooted closer to me. “No.”
My back was now pressed into the couch’s armrest, and I had nowhere else to retreat to. “But they are really interesting,” I said, wishing I hadn’t left the pepper spray in my purse on the other side of the room.
“Wanna know what I’m thinking about?” Brett asked, his arms now pinning me between his body and the couch.
“No,” I whispered.
He leaned closer. “Debt.”
I stopped. I had not expected him to say that. “Debt?” I asked.
He nodded, and suddenly, I felt his warm, sweaty palm on my knee. “How you owe me a debt, and I’m ready to collect.”
“I owe you a debt?” I asked.
He smiled. It was wicked and sent shivers down my back. “You have this apartment, don’t you?”
An icy shiver rushed down my spine. I blinked a few times, trying to process what he’d just said. “You’re—you’re the one who wanted to help me with my future?” I asked as I internally screamed at Tilly. She promised me it had come from someone good. Not a creeper. And then I realized he was the one who had sent me all those good luck charms.
I felt violated. He’d really done his research.
“Yes. It looks like you’ve done well for yourself.” He glanced around. “You do like it, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Now you owe me…right?” He slid his hand further up my leg.
Out of instinct, my hand flew down to stop him. “Please, don’t,” I whispered.
“It’s only fair. You have what you want, now I get what I want.” He leaned closer, his breath was hot on my skin.
Three solid knocks on the door reverberated through my body. My gaze whipped to the front door.
“Just ignore it.”
“It’s my neighbor. He checks on me every night.”
Brett frowned. “You said you weren’t really dating.”
“Doesn’t matter. He will break this door down if I don’t answer.”
“Really?”
I shrugged, trying to come across as nonchalant. “We can wait and see.”
Brett stared at me and then the door. Finally, he sighed and sat back. “Fine. Tell him everything is good and he can go.”
“Okay,” I said as I stood and straightened my skirt. I really hoped it was Stone on the other side of the door and not a delivery person dropping off a box.
I walked over to the door and pulled it open. A rush of relief raced through me when I saw Stone standing there with one hand resting on the doorframe, his head tipped forward and his other hand poised to knock again. He must not have expected me to answer because he quickly pulled back, his expression contorted into a look of confusion.
“Hey, Stone,” I said, just loud enough so Brett would know that Stone was there.
“Emerson,” Stone whispered. His gaze was dark and tortured as he studied me. “Can we talk?”
“I’m kind of busy,” I said, nodding toward Brett.
He glanced into my apartment before looking back at me. I forced a smile for Brett, but inside, I was begging Stone to read my gaze. I needed his help.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he started to turn away. But then he paused and studied me.
I motioned toward Brett with my eyes as I furrowed my brows, and I saw red flash in Stone’s eyes. He stepped forward and dropped his head slightly as he whispered, “Go in your room and lock the door. I’ll take care of him.”
“Hey, Brett. Long time no see, buddy,” Stone said, changing his voice as he walked into the living room.
I hurried past them and into my room, locking the door. I could hear Brett call out my name, but suddenly there was the sound of a scuffle followed by the shutting of my front door. Once my apartment fell silent, I pulled open my bedroom door and peeked out.
They were gone, so I hurried over to my front door and locked it before collapsing to the ground. Tears ran down my cheeks as my hands shook. I’d had a few bad dates, but this was the closest any guy had ever gotten to taking advantage of me. And I didn’t like it.
My face was buried in my hands when I heard a soft knock on the door. My heart started to pound as fear coursed through me. Brett was back.
“Em, it’s me. Stone. Open up.”
A sob escaped my lips as I pushed myself up. My hands shook as I unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the door open. I didn’t have time to process what happened next. As soon as the space between the door and the frame was large enough, Stone was through it. He wrapped me in his arms and pulled me to his chest.
He cradled my head in his hand and used his other arm like a vice around my waist. He buried his face into my hair. “Did he hurt you?”
I sniffled as I shook my head. “No. I’m okay,” I whispered.
“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” His voice was deep.
I wrapped my arms around his middle and sobbed into his shirt.
“That asshole. I swear, I should have never let you go last night.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I’m so sorry.”
I pulled back to look at him. “What did you do to him?”
He stared down at me. There was a fear in his gaze, mixed with the anger I’d seen earlier. “I made it clear that if I ever saw him around you again, he would regret it.” He moved to cradle my face in his hands. “He said something about you owing him money?”
I sniffled and nodded. “He was the ‘generous donor.’ Tilly said it was legit. He helped me get this apartment.”
Stone pulled me back into his arms. “Why didn’t you ask me for help?”
I scoffed. Was he serious? “Well, I didn’t know where you were. I didn’t know you’d be my neighbor.” I sniffled. “And it’s not like you’re my boyfriend anymore.”
Memories of what happened last night came crashing into me. He’d rejected me. He’d told me to walk away. That I should have never fallen in love with him.
I moved to wiggle away, but Stone just kept his arms around me.
“Emerson,” he said. His voice was deep and filled with emotion. It sent shivers down my back.
“What?” I asked, praying this was the moment that he would get his head out of his butt and admit that he loved me.
He pulled back slightly, so he could stare down at me. “You know what you said to me last night?”
I pursed my lips and looked up, pretending to think hard. “Um…no.”
“Emerson.”
I glanced over at him. “When I said I loved you?” I shook my head. “I lied.”
He studied me. “I should have said I love you, too.”
My whole body warmed as he stared at me. “Yeah, you should have.”
“Emerson, I’ve loved you my whole life. You’re the reason I’m the MEP. I fell in love with you that night you gave me the keychain. It killed me that my dad threw it away. I got this tattoo”—he pulled my fingertips up to press them into the soft cotton of his t-shirt—“because it helped me feel close to you.” He pulled my fingers away and bought them to his lips, where he gently kissed them.
“Then why did you push me away last night?” I asked.
“Because I was scared. I know what it’s like to have no family, and I knew if you were with me, your family would disown you. I felt like I’d already affected your life so badly, I didn’t want you to have to choose.”
I frowned at him. “That is my choice to make.”
He nodded. “I know that now.” Then he leaned forward, pressing his forehead to mine. “And I’m pretty sure I can’t ever let you go again.” He reached up a hand and brushed my hair from my shoulder. “You couldn’t push me away if you wanted to.”
I smiled before I rose up onto my tiptoes and brushed my lips against his. “Promise?”
He startled and looked down at me. “Promise what?”
I pressed my lips to his again. “That you’ll never leave me, even if I want you to.”
He wrapped his arm around my waist and yanked me to his chest. Then he dipped down and pressed his lips to mine. “I promise.”
I giggled as I raised my hands and rested them on his pecks. I loved how broad his chest was and how small it made my hands look. Then I frowned when I thought about the lucky charms I’d been sent, and that Brett was probably the guy who sent them. Something that had seemed so sweet was now tainted with Brett’s touch.
Stone dipped down to catch my gaze. “What is it? What’s wrong.”
I pouted. “I just realized all those good luck charms I was sent were from Brett.” I glared at my guitar case, ready to get them out of there.
Stone cleared his throat, causing me to glance up at him. His expression confused me.
“What? What is it?”
He shrugged. “I may have been the one sending those to you.” He smiled sheepishly at me.
I raised an eyebrow. “You?”
He nodded and then brought his hand up to run through my hair. “You gave me your lucky charm. I was trying to help you find a new one.” He studied me. “I hope that’s okay.”
I slid my hands from his chest up to his face and placed them on his cheeks. “I love you,” I whispered.
He growled, and it sent a shock of electricity through my body. “I love you more.”
I giggled as I slowly slid my hands down to his neck and pulled him back down to me. “Good. Now kiss me, Stone Walker.”
“Yes, ma’am.” His lips found mine once more.
In that moment, I knew Stone was mine and I was his. The future was an unknown place, but with Stone by my side, I didn’t care. My family, our careers, our future. I could face all of it with the man I loved beside me, supporting me.
My future was brighter and more hopeful than it had ever been. And I couldn’t wait to start living it.
I was one lucky girl.