Page 75 of The Snowball Effect

“Uh, hey, everyone. It’s nice to see you again.” Emma offered a wave.

Was that stupid? She felt stupid. And she felt annoyed at feeling stupid.

Regan stepped in closer to her, their sides brushing firmly together as she smiled that bright, brilliant, breathtaking smile. And it wasn’t awkward or stilted looking at all, as she easily greeted, “Oh mygod, you all look so much like Emma!” She looked back at Emma briefly before leaning in toward the doorway. “The crazy blue eyes, those cheekbones. That’s amazing.” She paused, tilting her head toward Ted. “Except for you; you don’t have the striking family features. But I think it’s a good thing that you don’t resemble your wife!”

She laughed, then, and Emma wondered if making a joke about… incest? Should be normal or funny when first meeting someone, but for some Regan-reason, it worked. She found herown smile melting into one that felt natural as Ted – serious, quiet Ted – laughed as well.

“You guys took forever to walk up here,” Eva cut in, not laughing or smiling.

Instead, she arched a blonde eyebrow up at Emma. Eva was different from the last time Emma had seen her – naturally older, as it had been… two years? Yeah, almost two years since Kimberly had brought the girls on a visit up to New York. The last time she’d seen her sisters, Eva had been ten and curious, asking Emma a million questions about her life. Emma answered as readily and honestly as she could, figuring that the best way to handle the conversation was to act the way she would if Eva were a kid she was babysitting, which had been her main gig throughout high school and into undergrad.

But she seemed more serious right now, more direct. Direct enough for Emma to know that she was no longer the same curious kid she could talk to as a babysitter.

“What, were you watching us?” Regan asked teasingly.

“Yeah, mom’s been staring out the window for like an hour!” Everly added, giggling.

Emma could easily imagine her mother pacing. Likely wondering if Emma was even going to come or if she’d get a text that excused her and Regan’s absence at the last minute. She knew, as she scanned her gaze over everyone else’s expressions – well, everyone over that age of ten – that they all knew that to be true, too.

Kimberly’s lips twitched into a forced smile, but before she could speak, Regan was already chatting, “Well, this house is absolutely gorgeous.” She used the hand not holding onto Emma’s to gesticulate dramatically around them. “Honestly,Ineeded Emma – Miss Punctual over here – to allow me to take a minute and marvel at it. The front gardens are really incredible; do you upkeep them, Kimberly?”

“She does,” Ted asserted. Well, as much as Ted ever asserted in his heartily soft-spoken voice.

Her mom flushed as she waved her hand in front of her. “It’s not a big deal. The last owners left very detailed instructions on maintaining the grounds when we moved.”

“Trust me, it’s a big deal,” Regan doubled down with a serious nod.

“Do you garden?” Kimberly appeared as though having a shared interest with Regan was a dream come true.

Regan made apfftsound. “Not really. I mean, you saw our apartment; we don’t really have a yard.”

Emma frowned and shook her head as she looked at Regan. “No, wait. Youdohave a ton of plants.”

There were a handful of plants artfully arranged in the living room, near the bay windows, that were always lush and thriving. On top of that, Emma had seen earlier tonight that Regan’s room held several more plants.

There were a variety – a couple of hanging ones, a large potted standing plant, one on her desk – but they were all plush and green and had made Regan’s room look so… fresh. Alive. Inviting.

She’d never been in there before Regan called for her earlier, insisting she needed help choosing an outfit. After all, she granted Regan the same privacy she’d like to be afforded. She’d imagined that Regan’s room would be a little chaotic, much like the woman herself.

But she’d been pleasantly surprised.

No, it wasn’t as organized as Emma’s own space was. But it fit her large bed, desk, dresser, and plants with some extra space to spare. It was bigger than Emma’s room was, which she’d found surprising – because that meant that between Regan and Sutton, Regan had the larger room – but it felt cozy. There were a litanyof knick-knacks, which she’d expected from Regan, but from what she’d taken note of, it wasn’t insanity incarnate.

Granted, she hadn’t studied anything too closely.

Not when Regan had stood only feet away from her in that lingerie. Looking absolutely, ridiculously sexy.

It didn’t shock her that Regan was so forward, so unassuming about herself. Itshouldn’thave shocked her that Regan would summon her while looking like… well, like an underwear model, not an ounce of shame in her body.

And, honestly, Regan had nothing to be ashamed of.

Emmaknewthat Regan Gallagher was beautiful; she had eyes. Emma even knew that she was attracted to Regan; she wasn’t delusional.

But it was one thing to know those things to be true, and another entirely to be faced with the most attractive woman she knew, who happened to be her roommate, who also just so happened to be worming her way right through all of Emma’s tried-and-true armor, wearing basically nothing.

She could feel herself blush as Regan smiled up at her. Even though she was doing exactly as she’d promised and acting as a world-class buffer, the look in her eyes was nothing short of genuine.

“I do love my plants,” Regan confirmed, tilting her head slightly up at Emma before she turned her attention back to Kimberly.

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