Page 37 of Without a Doubt

“Prettier and comfy. My adjectives are starting to add up.”

This time, I laugh. “Oh, I can think of a few more now.” Before I can go down that road, I back away from him and slip out of bed. I want to brush my teeth first. I can feel his eyes on me as I walk out without covering up.

He surprises me by appearing next to me in the bathroom, grabbing his toothbrush from the holder. I shake my head at the sight of us. Naked and brushing our teeth, our hair wild from the night before, but our eyes are bright. Once we're done, Emerson leads the way for some morning fun.

By the time we leave his bedroom for good, I'm starving.

“What are you going to feed me?” I ask.

Emerson laughs, opening cabinets and searching for food. “Maybe you should be the one feeding me.”

“I think I already did,” I say before I can stop myself.

Emerson's laugh shakes his entire torso. “Good point.” He grabs a box, turns, and holds it up for me. “Pancakes sound good?” I nod and he goes about fixing them. “So, there's something I need to talk to you about.” He's facing away from me since he's working on the pancake batter. My muscles instantly tense, because no good comes from those words. “I'm not saying you have to leave; you're free to stay if you want. I won't mind having you here either.” Will he spit it out already? “But Glen and a few other guys are coming over later to watch the football game.”

He wanted to

tell me he has friends coming over to watch football? That's it? I glance over my shoulder into his living room. He has the couch and the TV. “Where's everyone going to sit?”

“We use the stools from the bar and they'll bring their own fold-up chairs too. They don't care if they have to sit on the floor as long as they can watch on my TV.”

I shake my head. “Boys and their TVs.”

Emerson moves to the stove to start cooking the pancakes. “I don't have you pegged as a sports fan, but if you want to stay, you can. That's what I was getting at.”

He's right. I'm not a sports fan. I don't care for any one team. However, I have spent many Sundays with my cousins watching football. I don't mind watching the game. I kind of enjoyed pulling a “girl move” and rooting for a team based on their colors or who had the hottest quarterback. Drove my cousins crazy, but it was fun. While spending time with Emerson is tempting, I doubt I'll stay. The thought makes me frown. Emerson chooses that moment to look over at me.

“What's wrong?”

“Would you seriously want me here during an obvious guy time? You could nicely kick me out instead of trying to be nice by inviting me.”

He stares at me for a moment before focusing on the pancakes. “You're upset because I invited you?” Emerson seems so confused.

“No, not really. I just—” I pause, trying to figure out my thoughts. “No one has ever invited me to their time with the guys, except for my cousins and they didn't always have a choice. You threw me off and I wasn't sure if you were sincere, which is why I asked. No one likes the clingy girlfriend who doesn't want to leave her boyfriend alone so he can hang with the guys.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I realize two things. I claimed myself as his girlfriend and I'm worried about being liked by his friends. Glen, I don't have to worry about. He's my family.

“Eva, I wouldn't have given you the option if I didn't want you here.” My lips quirk up as he chides me. “If you want to stay, it wouldn't be the first time a chick watched the game with us. In fact, one of the guys has a girlfriend who is more of a football fan than he is and she will come sometimes. No one will care unless you start complaining and stuff like that.” He plates the last pancake, turns off the stove, and walks over to me. A thrill runs through me as he gently takes my chin between his thumb and forefinger. It's blue to blue as he looks into my eyes. “No one will think you're my clingy girlfriend, Eva.” Emerson kisses me softly before walking away.

I'm quiet as I watch him finish fixing our plates and drinks. I drizzle syrup over my stack of pancakes. Emerson does the same once I'm done. We eat in silence. Is that odd? We often eat without speaking. Should we fill the void with words? I shouldn't be overthinking this. There's nothing wrong with not talking while we eat.

Emerson tugs on a curl. I look over at him. “Are you staying or what?”

My smile is wide because what he said reminded me of the day I met him. “No. The game doesn't start until late, right?” He nods. “You know me; I'll fall asleep on you and where would the fun in that be?” That's not the real reason I'm not staying, but it's a reason. Honestly, I need some time away from him. Between Emerson being Emerson and the sex, my head is so full and overwhelmed, I need some down time.

He leans closer. “The fun would be in having you spend the night again. But if you don't want to, that's cool.”

“Do y'all get together every Sunday?”

“Every Sunday I don't work pretty much.”

“Then I'll stay next time.” I smile.

He wanted me to stay to meet his friends, I think. The thought makes me happy, as if he wants to show me off and pull me further into his world. I want nothing more than to be included in his world completely even with the ex-girlfriend hanging over my head. She shouldn't because things are exactly the same as they were when I started seeing Emerson, but my knowledge and his failure to fill me in himself makes me feel as if she's a weight on my shoulders. Figures the one guy who makes me happy and eager to fall in love brings so many complications to the table.

At least I knew what I was getting into, even if he hasn't told me yet.

IT'S BEEN TWO days since I last saw Eva and I still can't wrap my head around what happened over the weekend. My mind keeps tripping over the sex. Until Eva, the last girl I was with was Kelly. All the girls I saw in the spring and summer either never lasted until that point or I was still too distracted by Kelly to be with another woman.

When Eva told me she was ready, that she had been thinking about it through the entire movie, all I could think about was how ready I was to take that step with her. For once, I didn't think about what it would mean to Kelly and me. For once, I didn't think of my past. I only thought of my present and my future. After Eva left Sunday, I was a little relieved. Eva, who she is, her personality, her heart, is like a tsunami. So large, mesmerizing, and powerful enough to wipe everything out and force you to rebuild and start anew.

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