Page 69 of For Emery

That gave me hope my plan just might work after all.

Emery

I stood by the sliding doors of the hospital lobby with Jordan’s arms around me.

“Do I need to worry about you?” he asked into the crown of my head.

I shook my head against his chest. “You already threatened every cop who would listen that they needed to escort me to and from the hotel.”

He laughed. “Damn straight I did.”

I snickered, but the thought of being there alone, with Wayne still out there somewhere, filled my body with fear.

“I’ll see you in a week,” he assured me.

I nodded.

“Everything’s gonna be fine. Isn’t that what you said before forcing me to get back to campus?”

I stepped out of his arms and gave him a brave smile. “Yes. I’ll be fine.”

He stared at me and I wondered if he was looking for a sign that I was lying. But I wouldn’t cave. He needed to get back to school. And he needed to play football. “I’ll be at the airport when you get back,” he finally said. “Should I bring a sign?”

“A sign?” I laughed. “You’re so stupid.”

“Why?”

“Because I couldn’t miss you in a crowd of thousands.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Emery

The week dragged by. I missed all my classes and, more importantly, I missed Jordan. We’d spoken every day, but it wasn’t the same as having him there with me. The positive side was my mama had gotten stronger. And she was heading home with me—or at least to the Grady’s. And that was all that mattered.

The police hadn’t located Wayne, so security remained a huge concern for both of us. But Jordan’s uncle Cal had worked his legal magic and secured twenty-four-hour protection outside the Grady’s home. A police car would be a beacon alerting Wayne of her whereabouts, so he arranged for an unmarked vehicle with a plain-clothes officer to be parked nearby until Wayne was caught.

There’d been talk of hiring security for me on campus, but because I’d never been a target for Wayne and security on campus was tight, I was allowed to return. Jordan’s uncle met with the dean and campus security. They decided I needed to travel to and from classes with another person, and I was never allowed to be alone outside of my dorm room.

As our plane landed in Alabama, I gathered our belongings—pretty much what we had on our backs and the few items Jordan and I had bought at the store in Arizona. Since the house was no longer a crime scene, Jordan offered to go grab my mom’s belongings, but she didn’t want him to. I wondered if she worried about what he’d see.

We waited for the other passengers to disembark, then I helped my mom off the plane. I grabbed a wheelchair and wheeled her past the luggage claim and out to the lobby.

I glanced around the crowded area. There were people reuniting with loved ones and people saying their goodbyes. My heartbeat stuttered when I spotted Jordan standing there. A smooth smile slipped across his face when he spotted me. He didn’t hold the sign he teased me about as he strolled toward us empty-handed.

My heart thumped in tandem with his steps.

When he finally reached us, he leaned down to my mom first and hugged her, which just made me adore him more. “How are you feeling?” he asked her.

“Good, honey. Thank you for everything.”

He stepped back from my mom. “You might want to look away for a minute,” he told her. “I intend to kiss your daughter until she forgets her name.”

She laughed as she looked away, taking in the scenery in the opposite direction to give us the moment Jordan requested.

Jordan swept me right off my feet. “Hi,” he said, his nose rubbing playfully against mine.

I wrapped my arms around him. “Hi.”

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