Page 123 of Not Part of the Plan
Ellery flashed a guilty smile and gave a little curtsy. “Carry on.”
Emma turned back to Nikolai and continued. “I don’t want to be just friends. If you’re interested in a full confession, I doubt I ever did. From day one, you’ve fascinated me, and I couldn’t wait to spend time with you every single day.”
“Then whatdoyou want?” Nikolai asked, tracing his fingertips over her tear-stained cheek.
She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. “I want to choose you every damn day. Even when it’s hard. Even if one of us wants to give up. I want to fight and win and love you. I want to do this every day for the rest of my life.” Emma brought her lips to his, sealing her words with a physical promise. His mouth heated under hers, stealing her breath and tasting the salt of her tears. She knew she was where she belonged.
He pulled back just the slightest bit, and she fought for her breath. “Say the words, Emma,” he demanded.
She brought her hands to his impossibly beautiful face. “I love you, Nikolai. I love the havoc you’re going to wreak on my life.”
“Ourlife,” he corrected.
“So, you still love me?” she worried her lower lip between her teeth. She needed the words from him.
“Emma, I have a confession to make.” His voice was low, serious. “It might change how you feel.”
She took a breath and then another one. She wasn’t running. Not this time. “Okay. What is it?”
“I took one look at you yelling at a vendor on the phone and went into free-fall. I was never going to let you friend zone me, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let you run away from me.”
“Sneaky bastard,” Emma murmured. “I love your diabolical nature.”
“And I love every damn thing about you, Emmaline.”
“Even my crazy?”
“Even your crazy,” he confirmed.
“Thanks for not giving up on me,” she said, raising up on her tip toes for another kiss.
“Thanks for not making me regret this next thing.”
“What next thing?” Emma asked, suddenly nervous again.
“Remember how you hate grand gestures that should have been joint decisions in the first place?”
“Oh, hell, Niko. What did you do?”
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The house that had teased at the back of her mind, the one she’d seen herself making breakfast in, spending lazy mornings in, had a bright red sold sticker slapped over the for sale sign.
First came the bitter tinge of disappointment that someone else had had the guts to go after her dream. Then came the dawning of realization.
“Youboughtit? But we just made up!”
Niko pulled a key ring from his pocket and handed it over.
“Keys?”
“These are yours. I told you I would fight for you.”
“I broke up with you,” Emma gawked at him. “What was your plan?”
“I witnessed something amazing yesterday afternoon, something that I want to be a part of, something that you’re already a part of. So I decided that I’d buy your dream house here and torture you with my presence for the next year or so before I wore you down again. I’d show up at dinner every Saturday night, run into you at the gym, you know, the original plan.”
“You really do love me.”
