Page 45 of Since the Day We Wished

“Good night, Luke.”

“Good night, Emma.”

As Luke walked onto the patio and opened the door, he was startled to see Jeremiah in the kitchen standing there, holding a glass against the fridge’s water dispenser.

“Who was that?”

Luke had to be quick on his feet. “Just a client I had to call back from earlier.”

“Oh.” Jeremiah didn’t ask any follow-up questions and headed out of the kitchen toward the stairwell. He stopped short of it and turned to face Luke. “Thanks for the pizza night, Dad.”

“Anytime, son,” he said, relishing the sound of the word ‘Dad.’ “We’ll do it again soon.”

Luke stood in the kitchen, his heart swelling with emotion as he watched Jeremiah walk away. It had been a challenging journey, fraught with ups and downs, but moments like this made it all worthwhile. The word ‘Dad’ carried a weight that Luke had longed for.

He looked forward to more moments like this, where the challenges they faced would be overshadowed by the joys of building a meaningful connection with each other. This small victory was a reminder of what he was fighting for, and Luke was committed to being the dad that Jeremiah deserved, no matter how tough the journey may be.

Luke’s footsteps were heavy as he ascended the stairs, a weight of guilt pressing down on him for keeping the truth from Jeremiah about his relationship with Emma. It was inevitable that he would have to come clean, but he was determined to handle it delicately, without undoing the progress he had made in rebuilding the connection with his son. It wouldn’t be easy, but he was willing to do whatever it took to keep his relationship with Jeremiah intact, while also building a future with Emma. Love and honesty were both important to him, and he wanted to find a way to honor both without sacrificing either.

Chapter 21

Emma

The following Tuesday, when Emma arrived home from work, she ran into her bedroom and rummaged through her closet, trying to find something to wear that she’d look great in. Most of her outfits were modest school clothes, so tonight she wanted to wear something that made her stand out.

Of course, she’d mentally been going through her wardrobe all last week. There was the purple dress, but she’d have to wear a dress sweater with it and it was too warm for a sweater. There was the green skirt and white blouse, but it was a little too casual. She must have gone through fifty combinations in her head, all finding a reason for them to not work out.

Emma browsed through rack after rack, trying to find the perfect outfit. She had almost lost hope when she pushed the last rack over and saw it; a dress that she had bought last summer and had completely forgotten about. It was a light, sea-foam color, with white lace along the bodice and the hem. She pulled it out and tried it on quickly, then went to stand in front of the mirror. It fit like a glove. She paired it with a pair of tan strappy heels and wore her hair down. At that moment, she closed her eyes, remembering how Luke had reached up and pushed one of her curls behind her ear. Her daydream was interrupted as she remembered the last time she’d dressed up like this was the night Chad served her with divorce papers. She exhaled, pushing that thought aside as she stepped out of her bedroom and walked over to Riley’s dog bed.

“How do I look?” she asked, turning in a circle. “Do you think he’ll like it?”

Riley let out a whine and put his head down.

“Well, thanks for the encouragement, buddy.”

She walked into the kitchen, making sure the food and water bowls were full, then checked the back door and made sure it was locked.

After she was all finished, she let out an excited squeal and left the house on her way to Sea Breeze Tavern & Grill.

She arrived about fifteen minutes early but decided to go in and get a table anyway. It was best that they didn’t come in together. But as she walked through the entryway, she came face to face with Tate, Charlotte, and Jeremiah.

Trying to hide her shock, she smiled at the three of them. “Hey guys! Small world, huh?”

“Hey Ms. Wright!” Charlotte and Tate said in unison. Jeremiah mumbled a greeting.

“Why are you here?” Tate asked. “Do you have a hot date?”

Emma laughed nervously. “No, no, I was just coming in here to pick up some food to go.”

Charlotte looked her up and down. “That’s a really pretty dress. You look awfully dressed up just to be picking up some food.”

Emma waved her hand awkwardly, trying to laugh her comment off.

Jeremiah looked up at her, giving Emma a strange look.

Emma smiled at him but made a note to herself. She wondered if he knew she was seeing Luke tonight.

The hostess walked over at that moment to tell the three of them their table was ready.

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