Page 57 of One Night Only
I tell her that I went home with him. She waggles her eyebrows.
I tell her about my meltdown, and how I told him about my past. She gasps.
“Wait?” Her brows knit together as her gaze flits between mine. “You told him?”
I swallow hard, nodding once, nervously picking at my nails.
“Everything?” Her gaze dips to my chest.
I nod again.
Tess’s smile is watery. “Emmy, that’s huge!”
I rake my teeth over my bottom lip, shaking my head at the memory. “He was… amazing. With everything that I told him.”
Tess looks like she’s about to cry, but instead she reaches over and wraps her arms around me, pulling me in for a bone-crushing hug. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Two Veuves.” Bron walks into my bedroom carrying two glasses of champagne, complete with strawberries at the bottom of each one. She takes a seat next to Tess, joining us.
I almost down the entire glass of bubbly, careful not to choke on a strawberry, and Tess eyes me cautiously over her glass, sipping hers like a normal person.
“So… what’s the problem?” she prompts, raising her eyebrows.
I huff, throwing a hand up in the air. “Everything.”
She stares at me, waiting.
Placing the empty glass onto the bedside table, I push my hair back from my face. “I’m scared that it’s all a smoke screen. And that when he sees me… therealme—” I indicate my breasts. “He’s going to change his mind.”
Tess goes to say something, but I stop her, speaking again. “He’s a renowned playboy, Tess. Loud and proud about it. I’m scared that he’s going to realize he’s not ready to settle down, especially not with a mangled, middle-aged woman who might not even be able to have babies. And he’ll go back to sleeping with any and every woman who throws herself at him.”
Tess opens her mouth again, but I’m quick to continue. “I’m scared that I’m going to make a fool of myself and end up all alone,again, broken even more than I was after Luke, with no job because Andy was right, and this is exactly why he has a strict non-fraternization clause. I don’t know if my heart can handle that kind of hurt again.”
“Okay, you’re spiraling.” Tess grabs me by my shoulders, steadying me with a serious look. “Look at me.”
I take a few slow breaths, looking in her eyes.
“I can’t tell you how to feel, Emmy,” she begins. “And I’m not going to tell you that you’re being dramatic or silly because… I saw you at your worst. I know how bad it got for you—” Her voice breaks and tears fill her eyes.
“But you cannot live the rest of your life scared that the same thing is going to happen. It might happen.” She shrugs. “It might. And if it does, I will be right here to help you pick up the pieces again. I’m never going to let you face anything like that alone.”
I sniffle.
“Emmy…” Her gaze is imploring as she searches mine. “You can’t close yourself out to the possibility of amazing things happening just because you’re scared. Imagine what you could miss out on.”
I wipe my tears with the back of my hand, nodding because she’s right.
“I don’t know Dallas.” Tess shakes her head. “But let me tell you this, right now. When he was here earlier, I snuck a sideways glance at him while you were talking to Mom, and I caught him looking at you, and oh my God, Em.” She smiles despite her tears, shaking her head slowly. “The man was looking at you like you hung the fucking moon, sun, stars, fucking Mars… I’ve never seen a person look at anyone the way he was looking at you.”
I manage a smile, my heart fluttering in my chest.
“And, no offense,” she continues with a wince, “but baby, you looked like a hot mess.”
I laugh out loud.
Tess smiles softly. “Just stop thinking so much. Get out of that pretty little head of yours and enjoy it. Whateveritis.”
I sniffle again. Glancing at Bron, she offers me a kind smile, reaching out to squeeze my arm in a show of support. “We’ve got your back.Bothof us.” She indicates herself and Tess. “As someone who grew up as an only child, you’re my sister now, Em. Not justin law, but in every way a girl can be a sister. I love you.”
