Page 61 of Runaway Bride's Guide to Love

My heart breaks for Emmett. I know he’s mentioned his childhood, which couldn’t have been further from mine. I can’timagine growing up not knowing my father. Or in a house with a revolving door of stepfathers.

“Well I don’t know about normal. One of those children was Simon.” That comment seems to lighten the conversation. “Though I can’t be too hard on him. He might be the odd combination of middle-child antics in a firstborn body, but he’s the best. Looks out for us even when we don’t know it. Wants to fix everything because he can. Wants everyone to have everything they want. He’s pretty great like that.”

“He’s done that since college,” Emmett adds. “One time I didn’t have a ride home to Chattanooga for Christmas. He had a car. Even though it was an hour out of his way, he drove me back, no questions asked. Refused gas money. He just did it because he could. He did stuff like that all the time. But let’s not tell him we’re giving him this credit. His head is big enough as it is.”

We clink our glasses for that one. “Deal.”

We go back to our meals, which I take a second to get lost in. Cajun pasta from Chilis is my favorite, and it was out of my life too long.

Out of all the red flags I should have noticed, Duncan saying that Chili’s was trash should’ve been the biggest one.

“It’s funny you say that Simon acts like a middle child,” Emmett says, “because for years I thought Maeve was the oldest.”

“She should’ve been,” I say. “Maeve is everyone’s second mother. She has texted me every day since I’ve been here and called twice to check in on me.”

“I believe it,” Emmett says. “The first time we met in college our freshmen year, she was making sure we all drank water and took aspirin before we went to bed so we didn’t have a hangover.”

“That’s Maeve. If you look up ‘oldest daughter syndrome’ in the dictionary, Maeve’s picture is next to it. But don’t get mewrong, she had her fun before her marriage, divorce, and kiddo. But now? She’s Mother Maeve. Super successful interior designer. Mother of the Year. Family coordinator. And those are just a few of her titles.”

“What about the other two? I’ve never met Quinn or Ainsley either.”

I smile, thinking about the two middle sisters of our crew. “Quinn lives and teaches middle school in Arizona. I don’t see her as much as I’d like, but we talk all the time. She’s what we call…unfiltered. Which we love about her. She’s always been like that—she’s the friend to tell you if the jeans make you look fat—but it heightened when she moved from teaching elementary school to middle school. I’ve heard teenagers today are unhinged.”

“I can only imagine,” he says. “And Ainsley?”

“Ainsley’s the sister I’m the closest with. We shared a room growing up. We lived together when I graduated from college. We lived together until…” I trail off, but I feel a squeeze on my hand. When I look at Emmett, and his reassuring smile, I know I don’t have to finish that train of thought. “Ainsley’s the good girl of the Banks clan. Doesn’t drink. Doesn’t swear. God forbid she ever smoked or did drugs. We’re pretty sure she saw Maeve and Simon during their high school parties and decided to go the other way. Ainsley is what Mary Poppins would call, ‘practically perfect in every way.’”

Emmett puts down his fork and knife and leans a little toward me. “And what about Stella? What’s Stella’s role in the Banks family?”

“I’m the baby.” I open my mouth to say more, but I’m not sure what else to add.

“Is that it?”

I shrug. “Pretty much.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Tiger,” he says. “You have to be more than that. Actually, fuck that. Youaremore than that.”

I feel my cheeks heat at Emmett’s words. “When you’re theyoungest of a big family, especially with three older sisters, you just want to be like them. I wanted to be fearless like Quinn. Or put together like Maeve. Or like Ainsley, the teacher’s pet, who everyone loved. I wanted Simon’s confidence. But I was just Stella. Just a bit short in everything I did. Smart, but not the smartest. Danced growing up, but was never the best. In a sorority, but never an officer. Don’t get me wrong, I had an amazing childhood and life so far. But I’ve always been just a bit behind. Majored in marketing, but couldn’t get a job so I took the job at daddy’s law firm. I didn’t leave college with a boyfriend or engagement like my friends, so I said yes to the first serious boyfriend I had, because I wanted what I saw others having. Look where that got me.”

I hate admitting that all to Emmett. Yes, he’s heard snippets, but I never put it all together. Yet, it feels good to get it all out there. Say what you want about Destin, Florida, but it has been quite therapeutic.

“Oh Tiger.” Emmett takes both my hands in his. I feel immediately better as I concentrate on the feeling of his thumbs stroking over my knuckles. “Like I said, you might not be a great actress. And you might not be what your sisters are. But you are definitely too good for that asshat, and I, for one, am glad that part of your plan didn’t work.”

“I am too,” I admit for maybe the first time. “Running away from that day was the best thing I ever did.”

“I agree. And I know it’s always hard to see yourself for what you truly are, but let me tell you what I see.” Emmett brings my hands to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the top of each one before he goes on.

Holy swoon…

“You’re beautiful and smart. You’re brave and bold, and yes, a little crazy.”

That last one makes me chuckle. I don’t know if anyone has ever called out my crazy but make it sound like a good thing. But if anyone could, it would be Emmett.

“I know you feel like you haven’t figured out where you fit yet. And that’s okay. You’re young. You have time. There’s no timetable for life. When you find where you fit, you’ll know, because it’ll be as easy as breathing.”

I’ve gotten a lot of advice over the years from friends and family. Mostly family. Mostly Maeve. But I’ve never felt more put at ease by words than I have right now.

“Thank you,” I say. “Sorry this got all serious.”

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