Page 65 of Saving His Heart
“Yeah, these two dipshits flew us all the way to Las Vegas to be in bed by ten p.m.,” Lexi says, rolling her eyes.
“Well, excuse me, miss I rolled in at five a.m.!” Julia snaps back.
“Wait, what? Where the heck were you until five in the morning?” Lanie demands.
I sit in the middle of these ladies and watch the back and forth like I’ve always been a part of their pack.
“You guys left me high and dry, so I had to go out with the Westbrook boys of bad decisions,” Lexi says without making eye contact.
“That’s not what Colton said this morning,” Julia informs us, thoroughly enjoying calling Lexi out. “He told us he was home by one a.m. Only you and Easton rolled in at five.”
My head whips to Lexi, but she is working hard to keep her facial expressions neutral.
“What? If you guys think I’ll waste a free trip to Vegas sleeping in my room, you’re all insane. We went out, gambled, drank, walked the strip. All the stuff you’re supposed to do in Vegas.”
Trying to help a girl out, I change the subject. “Do you guys know where Preston is? I think he might be upset with me.”
“That man is far from upset,” Julia states. “That man is in love.”
I snap back so fast I bonk heads with Lexi.
“Jesus, Emory. What the hell has gotten into you?”
“Ah, sorry. Nothing. Sorry. So, where is he?”
Love? No way. We have an inevitable expiration date, and no matter how much either of us wishes it were different, it’s out of our hands.
“He had to run an errand. He said he’ll be back in a couple of hours. So we are here to snuggle with you and raid your mini-fridge until it’s time to head home since none of us want to gamble and the grandmas have the babies,” Lanie says while adjusting the pillows behind her and getting comfy.
“None of you are upset that I ruined your night?” I ask in disbelief.
“Chica, we have all been there. You should have seen my reaction when Dexter went behind my back to talk with Mimi. These guys grew up in a world none of us understand, so they may have some autocratic ways of dealing, but they do it out of love. Plus, we have a lifetime to make these memories. We can have a Vegas redo anytime.”
“A lifetime,” I repeat.
I wish with every fiber of my being that a lifetime was actually possible.
Chapter 27
Preston
Things have been different since we returned from Vegas last week. Emory has fallen into an easy routine with the girls and my mom, which I’m happy about, but I would be lying if I said I was missing having her all to myself.
Today she is at the infusion center since the rest of the week will be chaotic because of the wedding. Julia had a dress sent over this morning, having invited Ems to be part of the wedding party. Emory is uncomfortable by the offer, but I appreciate Jules for including her.
Using the few minutes GG isn’t talking nonsense, I take out Emory’s journal. I haven’t been able to write in it nearly as much as I would have liked now that we are sharing a room, so I sneak moments whenever I can.
Dear Goldie,
Your ring arrived today. It’s beautiful, just like you. I’ve never once thought about marriage, but I knew the first time I hugged you, something was different. This might elicit our biggest fight to date, but I know we’ll get there in the end.
You’re probably wondering what was going through my mind when I bought it in Vegas. It’s a fair question, so I’ll tell you. Watching my family and friends claim you as their own changed me. I know my time is short, and I decided on that trip I wanted to have all the firsts with you I can. I want to die a married man, Goldie. I want to go, knowing you were by my side because you wanted to be there. That’s why I bought the ring. If I had more time on this Earth, I know I would spend every day doing everything in my power to make you mine. Unfortunately, time is not on my side, so I’m having to speed things up to have it all.
These last few months with you have been the best and worst of my life. Why God gave me perfection when I’m destined to join him so soon is something that plagues my dreams. I wish I could have met you years ago. I wish my heart wasn’t so broken. I wish life had a different outcome for me, but it doesn’t, so I’m not wasting any more time.
I’ve never feared death until I met you, sweetheart. Now I wake every morning praying for ways to make sure you are always cared for, especially when I’m no longer here. I’m not saying that because I don’t think you can care for yourself. I’m saying it because I think you’ve done it on your own long enough. I know I’ll never find peace until I’ve done all I can for you.
My family will always be there for you, too. That’s both a blessing and a curse depending on how you look at it. But I’m a selfish asshole that wants to be the one who cared for you all of your days. That’s why we are going to get married. Here’s the thing—my family is loaded. My friends are loaded. Their children’s children’s children will never want for anything. They don’t need me to take care of them—
