Page 79 of Breaking Emily's Rules
Now to decide between a butterfly and a dragonfly.
I hadn’t spoken to Stone in a few days. Cassie said he’d been busy fixing the house, apparently spending time getting to know his sister and working out the sale of the flight school. I had met the new future owner, a nice man in his fifties, who planned on hiring an entire staff of instructors and expanding.
I would have my choice of instructors, he’d assured me. But none of them would be Stone. The man who didn’t want to hurt me. Didn’t want anyone else to hurt me. But somehow, he alone made my heart ache. In a good way. In a way that reminded me I was alive and breathing, young and strong.
Most importantly, I had no regrets.
A few hours later, the wedding party was scattering and the hired help were cleaning up. Molly appeared at my elbow, holding a bottle of champagne. “Sneaked this from the bar before they packed it all up. What do you say we have a drink?”
We walked down to the fence post and I kicked off my shoes, sat on the post, took a swallow of champagne and handed the bottle back to Molly. Despite my recent meltdown at the Silver Saddle, I wasn’t a big drinker. But tonight, champagne seemed to be the right answer. I was celebrating, in a way.
Celebrating my new life.
With all traces of the wedding now gone, and with only the light from a full harvest moon, I thought about Stone. The few hours we’d had together, touching, feeling, forgetting the outside world existed, had been the best of my life. I did have one regret.
There wouldn’t be a next time. He was leaving soon, and that was the deal. Besides, one more time with him and I’d be hooked.
“I think you have to admit I’ve been super patient,” Molly said.
“About what?”
“You and the pilot guy. I know you had sex, Emily. I can see it in your face. In your eyes. You had great sex, and you haven’t shared with me!” She pointed an accusatory finger.
“All right, we had sex. And—I didn’t know it could be like that.”
But somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to share any more with Molly. It was too special, too private. The memories made my cheeks grow hot, even in the cold night air.
“Once you’ve had great sex, you never go back.” Molly took a gulp from the bottle and made no move to give it back.
I reached for the champagne and took a nice long swallow. The bubbles slid down my throat. “It was just the one time. We made a deal.”
“What kind of a deal?” Molly tried to pry the bottle out of my hands.
“I made a whole new set of rules.” I didn’t release her grip but took another sip.
“Your stupid rules again?”
“You might want to laugh, but it helped. Doing something crazy, but with rules. It gave order to my madness. And I realized something. Greg never made my heart shimmy and shine. It’s not that I didn’t love Greg, because I did. But I never loved him in that can’t-eat-can’t-sleep kind of way.”
“But that’s the best way!”
You’re telling me.“At least I know that’s what I want now. Even if it scares me.”
“What you’re talking about isn’t being scared. It sounds like excitement. But it’s all right to be scared sometimes,” Molly said. “Even I am.”
“You?”
“Don’t look so shocked. There’s only one thing that scares me now. Sierra is going to grow up and not know who I am. I’ll be a stranger.”
“You don’t have to be.”
“I’ve already missed so much. I don’t want to miss any more.” Molly chugged some champagne with a little too much gusto for my taste.
“Then don’t.”
“I’m not. I just decided right now. I’m going to get Sierra back! And I don’t care what it takes.”
It was about time. “Good for you.”
