Chapter 27
The next morning, Emmeline woke feeling just as happy as she had last night, and her joy only increased as she realized it hadn’t been a dream. It had been real. She could still taste him on her tongue, feel the way he’d held her flush against him.
Her heartbeat quickened, and she was dying to see him again. She had never felt this way before, and while it was kind of freaking her out, it was exciting all the same.
She got ready for brunch, humming to herself. Then, she flew over on Torch, who could sense her happiness and twirled through the air. Laughing, she petted Torch’s scales and they dipped down in the air, the wind rushing against her cheeks.
They landed in front of the cafe, and she dismounted, touching Torch’s face before heading in. She was excited to see her friends, but most of her excitement was to see Luke again.
When she entered, she saw the group sitting at the table in the back corner. Luke was there already, and the sight of him sent tiny sparks shooting across her skin. She felt ten years younger, like a teenager discovering the rush of infatuation for the first time.
“There she is!” Saphira said, waving. Emmeline walked over, and her friends all stood, welcoming her with birthday wishes. Aiden, Saphira, Lavinia, Theo, and Ginny. And Luke. Her gaze kept straying to him, even as she hugged her friends, and the girls absolutely noticed, giggling.
“Where’s Motu?” Ginny asked. Fang was with her, and the baby dragon obediently sat by her black-booted feet.
“At my parents’,” Emmeline replied, sitting down next to Ginny. “I’m going to pick him up later.” She turned to Saphira, who was on her other side. “Where’s Sparky?”
“Out in the garden,” Saphira said, tucking an errant wave back into her braid. She was wearing an oversized pink sweater over a floral dress.
“How’s riding going?” Emmeline asked.
“It was going well, but I’m taking a break now,” Saphira replied. That made sense since she was pregnant.
Emmeline nodded, then turned her attention to the beautiful brunch spread Saphira had set up with vases of flowers and lit taper candles.
Saphira had made a feast: chicken paratha rolls, cookie-butter French toast, along with karak chai and a gorgeous-looking cake that was topped with bright candied orange peels.
“Oooh, everything looks delicious,” Emmeline said, taking everything in.
“It’s an orange cake,” Theo told her proudly. She noticed he had a scrunchie around his wrist; it must have been Lavinia’s. Her straight hair was down at the moment.
“I think we should have cake first,” Emmeline said, and he pushed it her way, along with a knife. They all clapped as she cut into it, then plated a slice for herself. She took a bite; it was sweet and zesty, with the perfect amount of citrus.
“How is it?” Theo asked, running a hand through his wavy hair.
“Oh my god, amazing,” Emmeline told him.
Theo beamed, pleased, and Lavinia hugged his arm, looking up at him with stars in her eyes.
Saphira slid the cake her way to cut it for everyone else, but Aiden took the knife from her hands, doing it himself.
He made sure to give her an extra-large piece, which Saphira happily took.
“Thank you all for wanting to celebrate my birthday with me,” Emmeline said, raising her mug of chai. “I really appreciate it.”
They dug into the brunch spread, chatting about random things.
Luke was sitting across from Emmeline, between Theo and Aiden, and as she saw the boys talking, she felt her heart warming.
She hadn’t realized how special this could be, and the best birthday gift was seeing how seamlessly he fit in with the people important to her.
After they finished eating, Saphira turned to Aiden and said, “Why don’t you take Fang outside to Spark with Theo and Luke.”
Aiden looked confused for a second. “Why do I need to take Theo and Luke—”
Saphira seemed to silently communicate something with him, and he nodded. “Ah.”
He got up, and Ginny sent Fang with him, the baby dragon following the boys outside until only the girls were left. Luke glanced over his shoulder at her, and Emmeline’s heart skipped a beat as he flashed her an easy smile.
“Finally, some girl time,” Saphira said, once they were gone.
“Love the boys, but you’re so right,” Lavinia agreed, cutting herself another slice of cake, which was nearly finished.
“Now tell us everything,” Ginny demanded. Emmeline smiled, then started from the beginning, explaining how the more time she spent with Luke, the harder it was to fight her growing feelings for him. How she had finally given in. Saphira and Lavinia squealed.
“I totally knew you liked him,” Ginny said, pleased with herself.
“Right.” Emmeline snorted. “How did you know that?”
Ginny shrugged. “Because I know everything.” She smiled. “And I know you best.”
“You got me there,” Emmeline replied, pinching Ginny’s cheek. Her younger cousin swatted her hand away.
“Now don’t overthink it and ruin everything,” Ginny said, her voice a warning. Emmeline’s mouth dropped open at her cousin’s blunt words. Ginny may have been the youngest, but she sure had a lot of opinions.
“What exactly is that supposed to mean?” she asked.
Ginny arched her brow, giving her a knowing look. “You’re a control freak,” she said. “But you can’t micromanage your feelings for someone, or their feelings for you.”
“Oh my god!” Emmeline protested. She looked to Saphira and Lavinia for defense, and they exchanged a glance.
“I wouldn’t say you’re a control freak,” Saphira said gently. “I would say you’re meticulous—in a good way!—and like things to be in order.”
“Emphasis on the ‘in a good way’,” Lavinia affirmed.
Emmeline laughed. Ginny was her cousin, so she could get away with being a little monster, but Saphira and Lavinia were trying to be nice about it.
“It’s okay,” Emmeline said. “Maybe I can be a control freak. Sometimes.”
She was self-aware enough to recognize the fact. But if she didn’t manage things, who would? All she wanted was for her loved ones to be happy, and sometimes they needed a little help in accomplishing that successfully.
“Which is fine, except when it comes to love,” Saphira said. She looked around, then spotted a hanging piece of artwork on one of the cafe walls. “Ishq soch ke kita te ki kita?” she read the line of poetry from the artwork aloud, and Emmeline covered her face with her hands.
“Oh god, don’t quote Punjabi poetry at me.” She laughed, but she knew Saphira was right.
“Translation, please,” Ginny asked.
“It’s hard to get exactly, but it basically asks: ‘What type of love is a love carefully planned?’” Saphira said.
“So true,” Lavinia affirmed, speaking from experience. “You really can’t plan these things out.”
Emmeline was so used to planning things out to the smallest detail, but what if she allowed herself to not overthink this?
It felt reckless, in a way that frightened her, but she wanted to let go, to let things be as they were instead of analyzing everything.
She wanted to keep feeling as good as she did.
It was freeing to give in to the way she felt about him, to trust him. To let him take care of her. She had never felt so . . . liberated.
“When’s that big meeting with Anh?” Ginny asked, and Emmeline felt a dose of reality come crashing over her. She hadn’t thought about the investment they were both competing for, how Luke was still technically her rival.
“Next Friday,” Emmeline replied, nibbling on her bottom lip.
“Hey, don’t worry,” Saphira said, immediately noticing Emmeline’s worry. “You guys are both adults; I’m sure that won’t get between you two.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you’re right,” Emmeline replied, feeling confident. She and Luke had agreed to no more fighting.
The girls hung out together for a little longer, discussing in depth every single pregnancy craving Saphira was having (“This baby is being built on bagels and cream cheese!”) until it was time for everybody to go their separate ways.
They hugged and kissed goodbye. Emmeline had hardly made it a few feet down Main Street before she heard someone coming after her.
“Hey, wait up,” Luke said. She turned to see him jogging to catch up with her, and she smiled, a bubbly feeling spreading through her chest.
“Hi,” she said, as he stopped in front of her.
“Hi.” He smiled. “You got out of there fast.”
“Are you obsessed with me or something?” she teased.
He rolled his eyes, though she saw the amusement in his gaze. “I never got to give you your gift,” he said. She grinned.
“So you’re obsessed with me,” she repeated, being obnoxious on purpose.
“Shut up,” he said, laughing.
“Make me,” she replied. His eyes darkened. He grabbed her waist, pulling her towards him, and her stomach lurched.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” he asked, voice low.
Honestly? She would. He smiled like he knew, a smug look coming across his face.
Taking the invitation, he pulled her in for a kiss, mouth pressing hotly against hers. She rested her hands against his chest, moving to play with the chains around his neck, twisting them around her fingers.
She tugged, pulling him closer, and he kissed her harder.
His fingers pressed into her skin, and she broke away with a gasp, catching her breath.
He pressed his lips to the tender space beneath her jaw, his teeth skimming across her bare skin in a way that sent sparks shooting through every one of her nerves.
She inhaled the sweet smell of him, cypress and spruce, winter on his skin. Pulling away, she met his dark gaze with an amused smile.
“So was that my gift?” she asked, his chains still wrapped around her fingers. “Not bad.”
He laughed again, shaking his head. “No, but noted.” He gave her cheek a quick kiss, then let go of her to pull something out of his pocket.
Excitement spread through her, and she held out both of her hands.
He deposited the gift into her palms. It was something small wrapped in one of his black pocket squares.
“I didn’t have a box,” he explained, looking nervous as she undid the knot on top. “I just picked it up this morning. If you don’t like it—”
She ignored him, pushing the fabric back to reveal a pair of gold chandbali earrings. She gasped, touching her finger to them. They were round with an intricate design, about two inches big; beautiful but understated, something she could wear all the time.
“Oh my god, I love them!” she said. They were so pretty, and she was touched he had gotten her something at all. “Where did you get them?” she asked. “I haven’t seen a design like this at the gold store in town.”
He looked sheepish. “Well, funny story . . .” He ran a hand through his hair. “I called my mom this morning to ask her for help, since I couldn’t figure out what to get you so last-minute.”
“You didn’t need to get me anything,” she reminded him.
He furrowed his brows. “Sh.” She pressed her lips together. “So she told me to go to the drawer in her bedroom’s dresser and take out this pair from her jewelry box.”
Emmeline’s mouth jutted open. “These are your mom’s?” she asked. “I can’t take these.” She held them out for him to take back, and he frowned at her.
“Hush. Of course you can. I swear, she already likes you better than me, anyways.” She didn’t know what to say, and his face softened. “So you like them?”
“I love them,” she said. “It’s—They’re . . . I . . .” She blinked. “Thank you, Luke. Really.”
“’Course,” he said easily, giving her a sweet smile.
“And tell your mom I said thank you, too,” she said. “It really means a lot to me.”
Emmeline owned a good deal of gold jewelry, but these earrings would be one of her most prized pieces, for sure.
Her heart swelled with emotion, and she put the earrings on. Pushing her hair behind her ear, she showed Luke.
“How do they look?” she asked.
He smiled. “Pretty.” Leaning forward, he kissed her ear. Then, he cupped her face, turning her head to kiss her other ear. She smiled, throwing her arms around him in a hug.
“I love them,” she told him again, hoping he could feel just how much the gift meant to her. He held her close, lifting her feet off the ground and spinning her around. She laughed, not caring as people walked past them on the sidewalk.
He breathed her in, and she felt anchored, like as long as she could hold onto him, she would never have to worry again.
Eventually, they pulled apart, but didn’t let go of each other entirely. She played with the ends of his hair while he held onto her waist.
“So what are your plans for the rest of the day?” he asked.
“I was going to go to my parents’,” she said. “My mom came back last night from Millie’s.” There were still a few hours until then, and she considered inviting him over.
But she paused. A part of her wanted to let him into her space, but a part of her was afraid it was too much, too soon. She very rarely invited men to her place.
“Will I see you tomorrow?” he asked. “At the bookshop?”
That reminded her again of their meeting with Anh, the investment they were both vying for.
Before, she had been so focused, so determined, and a large part of that had been because she wanted to beat Luke—but now?
She didn’t want to beat him. A part of her wanted him to win, to see him happy and successful.
But where did that leave her? All her hard work? All her plans to expand Inferno?
“What are you thinking about?” he asked, brows furrowed.
She blinked. “Oh—the meeting with Anh,” she replied quickly. “It’s so soon.”
“Are you worried?” He looked confused still. “I’m sure your proposal is going to be great.”
But that wasn’t what concerned her.
“How’s yours coming along?” she asked. He paused, glancing away from her, then back.
“Maybe we shouldn’t talk about it,” he said, releasing a breath. “I don’t want it to inadvertently come between us.”
“Okay,” she replied, though she didn’t feel any better.
She felt torn. She hadn’t planned for this.
She needed to think—to strategize. The girls’ warnings rang in her head, about how she couldn’t micromanage everything, but she ignored them.
There had to be a solution that would lead to success; there always was. And she always found it.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked. She nodded, giving him a smile. He leaned in to give her a final kiss goodbye, and she hummed against his mouth, perfectly content.
But as she flew home on Torch, she couldn’t help but worry.