Page 16 of Attorney Privilege
"Yes," both Gideon and I respond at the same time.
"Did you need something?" Gideon says to Landon, his tone cool and professional.
"I was going to share the muffins,” he responds in the same tone.
"We are going to share," Piper corrects him. "I made them for everyone now that I finally got the recipe right." She beams, clearly proud of herself.
"They all tasted great to me,” Landon tells her.
"The first ones caught on fire," she laughs.
"I still ate them." He shrugs. Watching them together makes my chest ache. I'll never have this kind of sweet banter. It's so simple but also everything.
"I actually need to get going,” I say, stepping farther away from Gideon. "Thank you," I tell him. "For everything. It meant the world to me."
"Emerson." When he says my name, there’s a warning in his tone, but I keep moving.
"It was nice meeting you both," I tell Landon and Piper.
"I'm sure we'll see you at the wedding," Landon responds.
"Wait, your wedding?" Piper's eyes bounce between Gideon and then me.
I can't find the will to answer her, so I step to the side and move past them. "I'm sure the muffins are perfection."
"Emerson." Gideon says my name more forcefully this time, making me pause.
I want nothing more than to go back to him, but it's not an option. He didn't make any promises to me, nor did he ask me not to marry Conner. We’ve avoided the topic altogether, and that should probably tell me what I need to know. That's my final thought as I flee the building, wondering if I’ll ever see him again.
Chapter Ten
GIDEON
I should go after her. Why am I not running out of this office right now? My feet are concrete as I take a step in the direction she left, but then Landon moves in my way.
“Let her go,” he says with something like pity in his voice.
“What’s going on?” Piper looks between the two of us, still holding the tray of muffins. “Who is getting married?”
“The girl that ran out of here.” Landon looks at his wife. “And apparently Gideon is trying to get in the way of that.”
“Stay out of it,” I finally snap and turn to the window of my office. Flashes of Emerson pressed against it assault me, and I stumble back. I’m so fucked.
“You were fooling around with an engaged woman?” Piper’s eyes are wide with shock and disappointment.
“It wasn’t fooling around.” Okay, so that’s exactly what it was, but it was more than that. “She’s not supposed to marry him.”
“The wedding is this weekend,” Landon helpfully adds. “Not only that, but she’s engaged to our client.”
“Who is a piece of shit, and we both know it.” I can’t help it; my temper is on a tight leash, and cumming all over Emerson did nothing to calm it. In fact, it’s made it painfully worse.
“You’re one to talk,” Piper tells her husband. When we both look at her, she shrugs. “What? I mean technically I worked for your client, but still you were giving me advice.”
“That was different,” Landon tries to argue, but she ignores him.
“Do you love her?” Piper asks me, and I pause.
“I just met her. How could I love her?” The words tumble out of me easily because it’s what I’ve been telling myself since the moment I saw her. This is just an attraction, nothing more. Who falls in love with one look? It’s not like I touched her one time and saw our entire lives together flash before my eyes.
