Page 38 of Take Hold of Me

I turn my back on the man who has been shouldering my burdens—not to mention exploding my synapses with his kisses and challenging me to be more reflective about my own professional goals—and head to the passenger door of the Jeep. As I approach, a beep unlocks my door.

Before I touch the handle, his large one opens it for me, just like the perfect gentleman he is. I settle into the seat as he grabs the seat belt and crosses it over my body, clicking it into place. Our breaths mingle as I inhale his fresh, clean scent. The heat emanating from his body provides the strength I seem to be lacking.

Instead of closing my door, Wills grabs my hand. “I’m sure Rose will understand.”

I swallow over my hurt. “She should not have to understand. I missed her birthday party a few months back because of a shoot. Who knows? I may miss her wedding, too.” My hand forms a fist, which I drop to my thigh. “No. This is the last important event that I will miss.”

“I believe you.” He remains at my side. “I’ll go with you.”

“What?”

“I’ll be your bodyguard for this trip. You shouldn’t be alone for it. Or be assigned someone you don’t know.”

“But Complete? How can you get away again?”

“I’ll explain the situation to David. He’ll understand.”

Warmth infuses my cold limbs. “You would do that for me?”

The backs of his fingers rub my cheek. “I want to see you smile again. I know how much this party meant to you. Yes, I’ll go with you.”

I want to hug him, to thank him for doing something so selfless for me. But, I do not want Wills to be with me out of some sense of pity. My body temperature drops, and I rub my hands on my arms.

“You do not have to go. I am sure the Agency already has someone new lined up anyway.”

He reaches into his back pocket, pulls out his cell phone and presses a couple of buttons. “There. I just texted Price that I’ll accompany you as your bodyguard for this trip. It’s done.” His eyes lock with mine. “Got it?”

I like it when he gets so bossy. I shift my legs, a movement not lost on him. “Oui. Got it. You are my bodyguard again.”

He surprises me by bending down and giving me a gentle kiss on my lips. “Sealed with a kiss.”

His words make me both smile and tear up. “I do not deserve you.”

“Ha,” he says, closing my door. “You’ve got that backwards, Emilie.” He walks around the front of the Jeep and slides into the driver’s seat.

We begin the trek back to my house in silence, my mind a jumble. I mentally prioritize the tasks from repacking—my bags are ready for the shower—to calling McKenna and telling her the bad news.

Pulling into my driveway, my mind is a whirl of details. “Oh la la,” I exclaim. “My gift and the sand! I need to get them to McKenna. I was going to bring the gift to the shower…”

“Plug the nearest UPS Store into your GPS. We’ll send all of it now.”

Since the sand is still in the back of the Jeep, I run into the house for the gift and we get underway. I observe his driving on the freeway, only to confirm that I am not yet ready for such traffic. As if to prove my point, a car cuts in front of Wills and across two more lanes before taking an exit. My heart speeds up as I release my foot from the imaginary brake that is not on my passenger side. No. I am not ready to drive out on this raceway. I sigh. Just another thing I am not in control of.

“We’ll make it. Don’t worry.”

I swivel my head against the headrest and smile at him. Even though he is driving and should have his eyes glued to the road, he is confident enough to glance at me and return my smile. We soon pull into the UPS store and send my present and the containers of sand on their way.

Back in the Jeep, watching the cars pass, I note, “At least the sand will make it to Rose’s shower. And my gift.”

Wills drops his hand to my knee. Just then, his cell phone rings over the Bluetooth. “MOM” shows on the screen. When he does not make a move to answer, I prompt him, “It is yourmaman. You better answer it.”

He sighs. Lowering his chin to his chest, he touches the screen. “Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, honey.” She pauses. “Are you okay? Your voice sounds funny.”

“I’m good. I’m on the Bluetooth. What’s up?”

“I’m calling because I still haven’t gotten your response about attending our anniversary party next Saturday. Not tomorrow, a week from tomorrow.”

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