Page 94 of RomeAntically Challenged
Annie decided that today was the day to be bold. “Why haven’t you tried to come in the bed?”
His expression was a mix of confusion and disappointment. “Because you haven’t invited me.”
Placing her hands on his shoulders, Annie went up on her tiptoes. “Emmitt, I’d like to go to bed now. And I’d like for you to come with me.”
“I thought you’d never ask.” And then they were kissing, and what a kiss it was.
Soft, tender, special. The kind of kiss someone shared with their person.
* * *
Emmitt was at his computer, working on one of the images he’d shot in China, when his vision started to blur.
Sitting back in the chair, he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Maybe Gray wasn’t being a Beaver Cleaver. Maybe he was right in advising him to take more time.
Emmitt couldn’t stare at the screen for more than twenty minutes before the headache came back. That Gray was stuck with the decoration committee for the next two hours made him smile though. He was picturing the look on Gray’s face as he realized the committee consisted of twenty teens, a few of whom smelled like saltines and BO, when the front door burst open.
“Dad?” he heard Paisley yell, and he could hear the tears in her voice a room away.
Before he could even stand, she came rushing into his office and flung herself into his arms. Her makeup was streaked, her face wet with tears, and Emmitt’s heart stopped beating.
He wanted to ask her what had happened and who he needed to beat up, but she was making the quiet sobs she used to make when she was a kid and needed to let out her grief, so he just held her tight and said, “It’s okay, baby. I got you.”
When her sobs became little hiccups, he ventured, “You want to talk about it?” She wrapped her arms around his middle and buried herself into him. “Or we can just sit here in silence—whatever you need. Just know that if you want to talk about anything, today, tomorrow, next week, I’m here. No lectures, no judgment.”
Lifting her eyes just high enough to meet his, she said, “About anything?”
“Anything, kiddo.”
“You were right. Sam’s a jerk.” She paused, her expression said she was waiting to see if he was serious about the whole no judging or lecturing promise. Emmitt bit his tongue. “I just caught him kissing my supposed friend in my bedroom.”
“Do you want me to kick his ass?” he said, earning a giggle.
“That’s not at all what I thought you were going to say.” She laughed.
“I guess there are things we both need to learn about each other,” he said.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “And thank you for being on my side. Not telling me you told me so.”
“How many times do you have to remind me that your mom’s chili is too spicy for me?”
“Hundreds.”
He wiped a tear away with his thumb. “We’ll discuss how public education is failing you in simple math later. The point is, I still eat it even though I know how miserable I’ll feel later. Why? Because the chili is too good to pass up.”
“Are you saying Sam is my chili?”
“Do you feel bloated, gassy, and like your chest is on fire?”
“Yes,” she said with a laugh, which made his chest swell. “Guys aren’t worth it. I am totally over the whole boyfriend thing.”
“Not all guys are Sams,” he said. “And while I’d be perfectly happy with you being single until you’re thirty-five, I also understand that’s about as unlikely as you being ‘totally over the boyfriend thing.’ Someday, sooner than I’d like, a great guy is going to come into your life and figure out what a cool chick you are and just how lucky he’d be to have you on his arm.”
“I don’t know about that. But a nice guy who doesn’t try to pawn me off on his sister would be nice.”
“Man, did he ever Sam things up with you.”
“Yeah.” She laughed. “What a Samhole. At least his sister is nice. We’re going to the movies next week.”
