Page 56 of Anteros' Return

“I’m going to Uncle Harry’s and Mum is going out with Kayla.” Liam shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe she’ll find a boyfriend or take Kayla up on her offer of a double date,” he teased. It was a thought I bloody hated with a burning passion.

I didn’t fucking think so. The only man Emily would ever date would be me.

“I don’t think I’ll be taking up that offer, Liam.” Emily’s cheeks flushed with what seemed to be embarrassment, and it made me chuckle inside. In fact, I smiled so bloody hard it made my cheeks hurt. “Is something amusing, Beckett?”

“No, nothing at all, Em. I was just thinking,” I said, not taking my eyes off of hers.

“Mhm.” Her lips twisted into the softest smile before she pouted them ever so slightly. “Right, are you ready to go? I’ll drop you off at Uncle Harry’s.”

Liam took Emily’s hand tightly, and at that moment, my heart tightened at not being able to do the same.

“Liam, can you wait for your mum in the car? I need to speak to her for a minute.”

“Alright, I guess.” He shrugged, dropping her hand before running off to their parked car.

“What is it, Beck?” I didn’t know if it was a slip of the tongue, or if she meant to call me by my nickname, but I fucking liked it.

I always did when she said it, and all those years made no difference.

“Make sure you go home alone tonight.” I smirked, her lips pursing into a sharp, straight line.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me, Em. I told you years ago and I’ll say it again—no matter how long it takes, you know just as well as I do that we belong with one another.” I stepped a little closer to her. To the passersby, we probably looked deep in conversation, but to us, there was more to it.

So much more.

Ten years ago…

“We belong together, Em.” I announced as she straddled my lap.

“You sound so sure of yourself.” Her voice was playful, and I loved it. I loved every single second with her and nothing would change that.

“I’m so damn sure, I’d bet my life on it.” I pulled her body closer to mine, her eyes widening from the contact of our bodies together. “Because my life wouldn’t be worth living without you, Em.”

Her eyes softened the second the words left my mouth. Her lips brushed against my own as she melted into me.

“Neither would mine, Beckett Ashmore. Neither would mine.”

At that moment, I felt as though I was on top of the damn world.

There wasn’t another woman like Emily Ryton.

She was one of a kind and everybody knew it.

And she was mine.

Present day…

“Beckett, I need to go.” Small puffs of air left her lips as she cast her gaze to the ground.

“You know it, don’t you?” I glanced over Emily’s shoulder to check if Liam was paying attention to us or his trophy. Thankfully, it was the latter. I tipped her chin up with my forefinger and thumb, causing her to finally look at me. “Don’t you, Em?”

“Maybe once.” She took my hand in hers, gently moving it away from her chin, but she didn’t let go right away. Her fingers lingered on mine, and in that split-second of contact, it was like time folded in on itself. That old electricity surged between us. Sharp and sudden, as if no time had passed at all. My skin tingled where hers touched it, and I saw something flicker in her eyes, something unspoken but unmistakably familiar. She cleared her throat, breaking the moment. “I need to get Liam to Harry’s.”

“This conversation isn’t over.” I said, my voice low, a flicker of something unresolved in my eyes as she gnawed on her lower lip.

“Besides, if I don’t go home with anyone tonight, it won’t be because you’ve said so. It’ll be because I don’t want to.” She turned on her heel before glancing over her shoulder for a second. “I guess I’ll just see what the night has in store for me.” And just like that, she strode off to her car.

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