Page 130 of Always Be an Us

Grandpa rubs his eyes and shakes his head, unable to speak for some time. "You're going to have this old man leaking all over the place," he says rubbing his eyes too, and I get teary-eyed too.

The rest of the evening is spent with warm chatter surrounded by family and friends. Everyone munches on refreshments and hangs around, as my Grandpa occupies himself by telling stories of things that happened on dark, stormy nights.

This is my life,I remind myself.And it's not a bad one. I'm surrounded by love, even if it’s not the romantic type. This is enough.

The next morning, as I walk the twenty-five minutes to the Marriott Hotel, my phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," Xavier says.

"Oh hi." Even though I decided to forgive him, I'm still not entirely comfortable talking to him. I hope it doesn't show when I say, "Listen, this isn't a good time."

"Oh? Are you busy?"

"Yeah. Kind of. What's up?"

"Um...just thought maybe we could meet up. How about tomorrow? Maybe at that spot by the lake, you took me last time, where you found me that...pearl thingy."

"Rainbow Pearl." I correct. I don't want to go anywhere with Xavier, least of all somewhere secluded like that. "Um, how about at the Tiki Bar instead? We could have lunch there." That's better, safer.

He hesitates. "You sure your boyfriend won't pop out and kick my ass again?"

"He's not my boyfriend and no, he won't come. We're not really together anymore."

"Oh." His voice has a curious intonation. "Well, in that case, sure thing. Tomorrow at the Tiki Bar it is."

"Great."

I barely hang up when I suddenly bump into a broad chest. Hands go out to steady me and then I look up.

The apology freezes in my throat as a familiar masculine scent wraps around me like the wind.

Declan.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Declan

Emma recovers from her shock quicker than I expect, pulling away, and crossing her hands over her chest.

But her nerves show when she swallows.

"What are you doing here?" she says. "I thought you would be at work by now."

I don't answer her at first.

My mouth is dry, my heart beating with all the emotions running through me, everything I want to say to her. How much I fucking miss her. It's only been a day, but today has been dragging into eternity, knowing I wouldn't get to see her by the end of it.

"The security system," I announce. "I wanted to tell you that there was a delay, but they're going over today to install it."

Her expression doesn’t change. "You didn’t have to come all the way here to tell me that. You could have told me over the phone."

"You would have picked up if I called?"

Her frown deepens. "Of course. Contrary to whatever you might think, I’m not childish. And you could be calling about Amelia or the construction. I’m not going to ignore your calls just because you’re being a giant bonehead."

Regret spreads through my chest and I sigh running my hand through my hair. "I’m sorry."

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