Page 76 of Strength

Charlie tugged on my arm. “Mom, can I give Samantha her present?”

“Of course, you can.”

I sat next to Emmett while we watched my son go over to Samantha.

“Happy birthday, Samantha. I hope you like them.” Charlie proudly presented her the wrapped box.

Samantha pressed her hands to her chest. “You got me a birthday present?”

“Yeah. It’s from Mom and Emmett, too.”

“Thank you. Will you help me unwrap it?”

“Yeah!” Charlie exclaimed.

Together, the pair tore the wrapping away from the box.

“Chocolates! I love chocolates. Thank you so much, Charlie,” Samantha gushed. She hugged Charlie and looked over at me and her brother and mouthed thanks.

With his chest puffed out, Charlie strutted his way back to us. “She liked the present.”

I smiled.

“Well done, buddy.” Emmett patted Charlie’s shoulder.

“Hello, Shepherds!” A slim, dirty blonde joined the group, greeting Emmett’s parents and wishing Samantha a happy birthday. When she glanced toward Emmett, her mouth dropped open. She slowly made her way toward my boyfriend. “Emmett. Hi.”

Her serious tone made me immediately suspicious of her.

“Courtney.” Emmett’s voice took on a similar tone.

“I didn’t know you were back in town.”

“I’m not. I’m visiting for Sammy’s birthday,” he said pointedly.

“Right. Of course. It’s nice to see you, anyhow.”

“You, too.”

I’d never seen Emmett so tense before. There was something here I was missing. Did I want to know what it was, or was I better off not knowing?

The woman turned her green eyes toward me. “I don’t believe we’ve met?”

“Hi, I’m Olivia.”

“Courtney. I’m Emmett’s fiancée.”

The floor fell out from under me.

A mix of anger, fear, confusion, and betrayal swirled inside of me. Was Emmett too good to be true after all?

“Tell her the truth, Courtney,” Emmett said through gritted teeth.

Courtney rolled her eyes. “Fine. Ex-fiancée, whatever. We would still be married by now, though. You’re the one who walked out on me.”

“What is she talking about, Emmett?” I hissed.

“We’ll talk about it later. Not at my sister’s birthday dinner.” His expression softened as he turned to me. “I promise I’ll tell you everything back at the house.”

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