Page 48 of Inevitable
I found it interesting that Wyatt had said the same when I’d talked to him this morning. He’d suspected the same thing but hadn’t wanted to make any assumptions or step on Emma’s toes.
Hell, even Wyatt had met my daughter several times in the past.
“What about Emma?” Nate asked cautiously.
I lifted a brow. “What about her?”
“We think she still has feelings for you,” Seth clarified. “We’ve always thought so. Through the years, she’s clutched that pendant you gave her like it’s her lifeline, and she’s never shown any real interest in another guy. She’s never admitted it,but I think it broke her heart when you left her without saying goodbye.”
Okay, so these men obviously knew a lot about my short history with Emma.
That didn’t surprise me since Emma was my total opposite. She probably talked about things with the people she cared about.
She was open, genuine, and honest with people.
I…wasn’t.
“It was fourteen years ago,” I said gruffly.
Yeah, there had been that idiotic kiss the night before, but I was convinced that Emma had just needed some kind of comfort from me. She’d been one day out from her trauma of the kidnapping.
That kiss had been familiar to her.
For me, it had been too damn familiar.
It didn’t seem like it was even possible that I probably wanted her more today than I had fourteen years ago.
But…I did.
And I hated myself for not having enough control to back off Emma when she was vulnerable.
I’d made myself her damn advisor. I was supposed to be looking out for her best interests right now.
Kissing her had been a selfish, dick move on my part.
I should have had the self-discipline to do what was best forher.
“Does that really matter?” Nate asked. “Feelings are feelings. You must still care about her, Marshall. You risked your life for hers by surrendering yourself to find her.”
“I’m not the same man that I was fourteen years ago,” I said harshly. “Do you really think she’d want the man I am today? I’m older and my leg is a mess. You all put yourselves on theline regularly for Last Hope. It shouldn’t be surprising that I was willing to do the same thing.”
“It’s what we’ve always done,” Brock said nonchalantly. “No offense, but you were an officer in command of your missions. It’s been a long time since you were actually an operative. I know you were a commander that always insisted on being with your men, but you were in charge of operations. It was our job to carry out those missions.” He hesitated for a moment before he added, “I don’t think Emma gives a damn about your leg. You’re still the same guy she cared about years ago, and none of us wants to see her get her heart broken again. Emma’s been like an older sister to all of us for years. We care about her, Marshall.”
“I care about her, too, dammit!” I rasped before I could think about my words. “And I’m not capable of breaking her heart. I’m a fifty-three-year-old man who couldn’t run if my life depended on it. Emma is young and still just as beautiful as she was fourteen years ago. It’s ridiculous to think she’d want a guy like me.”
I looked around the living room to see a satisfied look on every one of the men’s faces.
Fuck!What in the hell was wrong with these guys?
My thoughts were interrupted as Emma opened the front door and swept into the living room carrying a large grocery bag.
I felt like I took a gigantic gut punch as her face lit up in a smile as she looked at Brock, Nate, Gage, and Seth.
“You’re here!” she said excitedly as she dropped the bag. “I saw your cars out front.”
The men all stood as Emma entered the room.
Something gnawed at my gut as she threw herself into Brock’s arms and then hugged every other man in the room…except me.
