Page 56 of Stolen Kiss

Emilia

I pulledup to a huge mansion three days later.

Today was Ensley’s second birthday, and I was sure it was nothing less than a zoo in the house. Evelyn would surely go all out.

It would also be the first time I was seeing Jensen again after our first date. We had been texting back and forth, but not as often as I would like, not with his busy work schedule and taking care of Elodie.

I still didn’t know what this was exactly between Jensen and me, and he never said. I wasn’t sure what it was exactly that I was hoping for, either.

Nothing had changed, not really. I was still so lost, and Jensen was still Elodie’s dad, but it felt like that kiss had changed everything, and I had been feeling so unbalanced since.

I climbed out of my car, Ensley’s birthday present in hand.

It was a little girl’s ballerina dress, and I knew Ensley had wanted one for a long time now. It only seemed right that I’d be the one to gift this to her.

I already noticed a few cars parked around the driveway. I was probably the last one to show up.

Ethan and Dad would be here. They had made the three-and-a-half-hour drive to see Ensley on her birthday and would be spending the night here before they went back home to Massachusetts. They arrived this morning and I hadn’t seen them yet, but I was excited. A few friends from Ensley’s daycare were attending, with either the kids’ moms or nannies in tow, and, of course, Jensen and Elodie.

My heart made a little pitter-patter at the thought, and I stumbled a bit. Before I could reach the first step of the porch, the front door opened and my brother stood there, looking as intimidating as ever, with two full-sleeves-of-tattoos arms crossed over his chest.

He took me in from head to toe without a single ounce of emotion on his face. I smiled brightly at him, and that seemed to relax his posture a bit.

“Why did you stumble just now?” he asked me gruffly. “Is your leg acting up again?”

I frowned. “Were you watching me walk up to the house? That’s just creepy.”

He rolled his eyes and opened his arms for me. With my smile back on my face, I moved quickly up the last step and flung myself into his arms.

“Hey, brat. How are you?”

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. “You know I’m doing just fine, don’t you?”

“With Evelyn telling me you barely visit? How would I know how you’re doing?”

“Well, I have this thing called life. You should think about getting one. It’s really nice.”

He eyed me skeptically. “I’ll get right on it,” he said drily. I grinned.

“Emilia,” a voice called from behind Ethan. I looked over his shoulder to see my dad standing at the threshold, and I pulled away from my brother and moved to my dad.

“Hi, Dad, how are you?”

He pulled me into a tight hug. “I’m doing fine, little darling. What about you?”

I smiled at him. Ever since we were little, Evelyn was his “treasure,” and I was his “little darling.” I hadn’t realized until now that I had adopted the nickname and gave it to Elodie.

My dad hadn’t changed one bit. He looked almost like Evelyn—that was to say, Evelyn took after our father—with thick brown hair that was now turning gray, mostly around the sides; kind brown eyes; and dark tan skin, showcasing his Mediterranean roots. He had a kind smile and walked with a cane.

He was in an accident when I was fourteen, at a construction site where he had been working as a project manager. The accident happened not long after my mother had passed. I didn’t remember much about that time of my life. I tried not to think about it too often, but Evelyn had been there, and I remembered her saying how everyone had thought he wouldn’t walk again.

He showed them, though, and now he walked with a cane.

Like me, the injury happened to his left leg.

“I’m doing good,” I said. “Just keeping busy.”

He pulled back and peered at me, as if trying to figure out if I was lying or not. After a moment, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I reveled in the comfort of being near my dad again. I had always been a daddy’s girl, ever since I was little. It might have been because I was the “baby” of the family, but my dad spoiled me more than he did my other siblings.

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