Page 63 of The Billionaire I Left Behind

She watches as I pay, her gaze unreadable, but there’s something in her eyes that makes my chest tighten. When I clasp the necklace around her neck, my fingers graze the back of her neck, and she shivers.

She feels it, too. She swallows, brushing her fingers over the pendant. “Thank you.”

I take her hand again, leading her back out onto the street. “Come on. Are you still hungry?”

She exhales a soft laugh. “Depends. Where are we going?”

When I tell her it’s the best seafood spot in town, she arches a brow. “That’s a bold claim.”

“Trust me.”

We walk hand in hand toward The Wharf, a small seafood shack perched on the edge of the bay. The scent of grilled shrimp and butter fills the air as we step onto the deck, the water stretching endlessly before us. Lanterns flicker, and a few locals wave as we settle into a table near the railing.

Emma leans forward, resting her chin on her hand. “I admit, this place is charming. It’s been redecorated since the “old” days.”

“Told you,” I tease, flagging down a waiter. “Two orders of grilled shrimp tacos, extra lime.”

Emma grins. “You remember my order.”

I smirk, sipping my beer. “I remember everything.”

The breeze lifts her hair, and in the golden glow of the lanterns, she looks breathtaking. As we eat, she watches the waves, her voice softer when she speaks. “The past few weeks…” She pauses, swirling her drink with her straw. “They’ve been some of the best of my life.”

Something warm and fierce flares in my chest. “Yeah?”

She nods, then hesitates, biting her lip. “The other best time of my life was before I left town.”

The words hit me like a wave. I set my fork down, studying her. “Emma…”

She shakes her head, looking down at her plate. “I guess I just … I don’t know. I wasn’t sure if it was okay to say that out loud.”

I reach across the table, my fingers brushing over hers. “It’s more than okay to say it.”

She looks up, and for a moment, we’re seventeen again. Just a boy and a girl who never stopped belonging to each other. The moment stretches, deepens. The hum of the ocean, the glow of the lanterns … it’s just background noise to the pull between us.

I squeeze her hand, voice rough. “For what it’s worth, it was the best time of my life, too.”

She exhales shakily, nodding. The waiter interrupts, dropping the check, and we both lean back, breaking the spell. But the tension lingers, thick and undeniable.

As we leave, Emma fingers the pendant around her neck, her steps a little lighter. She doesn’t say anything, but she doesn’t have to. Tonight was a memory, a moment.

And maybe, just maybe, it’s the start of something neither of us can ignore anymore.

Chapter nineteen

Emma

The sound of the waves is a soothing, familiar rhythm, a melody that has played in the background of my life for as long as I can remember. The sand is cool beneath my bare feet as I walk along the shore, my heart light, my chest warm. Bryan is ahead of me, his strong frame silhouetted against the evening sky, the last hints of the sun painting the horizon in hues of orange and deep blue.

The past few days really have been some of the best of my life. I meant it when I told him that. There’s no pretending anymore. I’m falling in love with Bryan Kingston all over again.

I watch as he stretches his arms above his head, his toned body catching the glow of the fading sunlight. He’s unfairly handsome. The swim trunks sit low on his hips, his broad chest on full display, tanned from the hours we’ve spent outside working on the house together.

And it’s dangerous how easy it is for me to admire him. Bryan catches me staring and smirks. “Like what you see?”

I roll my eyes, pretending I’m unaffected. “I was just thinking how slow you are. Are we swimming or not?”

He arches a brow, tilting his head. “Oh, it’s like that?”

---