Page 5 of The Love Chase

Don’t be Emma. Don’t be Emma.

I stilled at the thought. Why not Emma? Why was it such a big deal if it was her? We had been best friends since we were five. We knew everything about each other, and I loved her dearly—as a friend. She deserved happiness more than anyone.

So why was my entire body suddenly tense, my insides swirled and twisted?

Surely, she wouldn’t have found a man at ISU already. We hadn’t talked in a long time, but I hadn’t heard any rumors through the grapevine—every small town had a rumor mill that stretched far and wide. But was it possible that she was getting married here? Right now?

The thought of missing Emma’s wedding made me feel like the worst fool in the world, but the thought of seeing her standing there next to another man, kissing him—

I rubbed at the back of my neck, trying to calm the nausea spinning in my gut.

What the heck is wrong with me? She deserves to be happy. If it is Emma, I should be over the moon for her.

And yet, I wasn’t. This was a feeling I’d never experienced before. Whatever it was, I couldn’t say I was a fan.

Wyatt laughed at whatever expression was on my face. “Did California make you soft, Brother? You’re wearing your heart on your sleeve.”

My hackles rose in defense. “What?”

He just chuckled. “You can relax. It’s not Emma.”

And just like that, my entire body felt like jello, every tense muscle releasing. I swayed on my feet.

I crossed my arms, trying to save face as I asked, “What are you talking about? Why would I care if Emma was getting married right now?” The words tasted bitter on my tongue.

My brother huffed out a breath, rolling his eyes at me. “All these years and you still don’t see it,” he muttered, turning away from me.

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” I grabbed his shoulder, spinning him back to me. The part of me that expected my brothers to retaliate when I dared to get too close tensed, expecting him to take a swing at me or something. But even though Wyatt was two years older than me, I still had several inches on him.

“Nothing, Liam. I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” he responded, throwing his hands up in the air. He waved in the direction of the gazebo. “I’d stay away from the reception though. I got the impression that Emma isn’t interested in seeing you.” Wyatt stalked away and disappeared into the house, leaving me to overthink his words.

Not want to see me? Impossible. This is Emma.

When I first moved to California, I had tried to stay in touch with her, calling or video chatting every day, but then things got crazy, our conversations grew fewer, and it sort of fell off my to-do list. Never mind that when she started classes at ISU, she barely had time to sleep, let alone talk to me.

I’d never felt so far from her, so disconnected from the one person who had always been there.

But now she was just across the farm, within reach. It was unfathomable to me that she wouldn’t want to see me. I missed my best friend. Surely, she missed me too and would be excited to see me.

Ignoring Wyatt’s warning, I threw my backpack back into the truck and headed across the field. It wasn’t long before the sound of dance music filtered through the air. The sun was just starting to set, casting a pink and gold glow over the farm. Sweat slid down my spine from the heat, but I ignored it, determined to find my best friend.

When the gazebo came into sight, I noticed two couples dancing beneath it, and my heart stuttered in my chest for some inexplicable reason. I looked for Emma, but neither of the women were tall like her.

Where was she?

A crunching noise sounded to my right, somewhere near the barn, and I walked a few steps closer, stopping when I saw a familiar figure stooped over a cooler, rummaging through the ice. When she finally fished out a Cherry Coke, I knew for certain it was her. It was her favorite. The sound of her opening the can was so familiar that the word home clanged inside me again.

“Emma?” I asked, and she stiffened, the can halfway to her mouth.

Her brown hair was curled delicately, her body wrapped in a sage green dress that gave her tall frame curves I’d never noticed before, and suddenly my tongue felt heavy in my mouth.

Why was I reacting like this? This was Emma.

She’s your best friend, dummy.

I took a step closer, but she suddenly said, “Nope,” with a pop of her lips and stalked away from me.

What the heck?

---