Page 10 of Dating Your Grumpy Neighbor
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EMMETT
I was bound to run into someone from my ex’s inner circle at some point, but I hoped it wouldn’t be so soon—especially with Felicity in my arms. I want to shield her from any of that drama.
She looked concerned when she asked if I wanted to talk to her. And it took everything in me not to go running and screaming for the hills when she suggested it.
I’m not in love with my ex. I haven’t been for a long time. When she severed the tie between us for herself, that separation went both ways. I’ve moved on, ready to start again, and I want to do that with Felicity. But there, despite the happiness, she projects to the world, I still see there is still doubt in her mind about us. I just need to find a way to prove that to her.
“Ugh,” a woman sighs and slumps down into Felicity’s vacant seat next to me at our empty table. “You don’t mind, do you?”
I turn and find the bride sitting next to me.
“Not at all,” I say, straightening up in my seat. I'm not sure what to say, so I blurt the first thing that comes to mind. “It was a beautiful ceremony.”
“Thank you.” She smiles, and I see the family resemblance between her and Felicity. “It's been crazy to plan, and I'm glad it turned out so well."
I almost agree with her, having done the work of planning but not the payoff, but I don’t want the inevitable follow-up questions that would come with it.
“Felicity said you weren’t much of a talker,” she says with a chuckle.
I shrug.
“That’s okay,” she stares out across the reception tent to where Felicity is standing and talking with some older women. "I came over here with something to say, and maybe it’s best if there aren’t any interruptions.”
This sounds ominous.
“Felicity had a bit of a health scare a couple of years ago—”
“What?”
She holds up her hand to stop me. “It’s not an issue anymore, but there was a moment we weren’t sure what might happen. Some people deal with situations like this in their lives one of two ways—glass half full and glass half empty. Felicity came out of it with a renewed sense of life. The light in her shined brighter.”
“I see that light,” I say.
“Good, I’m glad you do.” She nods. “But you’ve caused a bit of a stir on my new in-laws’ side of the family. And before you say anything, I’ve already learned to take this person’s opinion with a grain of salt. But I just needed to talk with you directly and make sure that you won’t do anything to snuff out that light in Felicity.”
“I can assure you that she is safe with me.”
FELICITY
After a long day, Emmett drives us home. But almost as soon as we pull into his driveway, I don’t want this night to end. Emmett is back to his usually stoically quiet self, and I’m not sure what happened.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
He looks over at me and nods. “I’m just thinking about a few things.”
“Are you worried about your ex finding out about today?”
“What?” He scoffs. “No, I honestly forgot about that. I was thinking about the conversation I had with your cousin.”
“Jane?”
“Yeah, she told me that you had a health scare a couple of years ago."
“I wish she didn’t.”
“I’m glad she did,” he says. “l know that I'm a hard guy to warm up to. I've been hurt before, and I didn't think I'd ever move on from it. But you've changed something in me. Without even realizing it, you’ve slowly removed each piece of armor I used to wear to protect myself from ever feeling anything again. But I want to feel again. I want to feel everything—the good, the bad, and everything in between—as long as it’s with you.”
