Page 29 of Wish Me Home

“Can I take you to my aunt now?”

I laughed before we both climbed to our feet and I pulled him to my tiny bathroom to get us cleaned up. “Yeah, you can take me to meet your aunt.”

Thewomancouldhug.We’d barely made it through the door before Emmett was unceremoniously shoved aside and I found the smaller woman wrapped around me.

“It’s about time this one got you to come visit,” she sassed, releasing me. I awkwardly scratched at the back of my neck as I looked around their much larger apartment. The living room was spacious and opened into a large kitchen/dining area. There was a hallway that led to three separate doors I assumed were the bedrooms and maybe the bathroom.

“I’m sorry about that,” I attempted to apologize, but she waved me off.

“Nonsense. You’re here now. But I swear to God, if you hurt him…” The look she gave me was definitely the definition of threatening.

“Aunt Sadie, please.” Emmett grabbed for my hand and pulled me further into their home. We sat on one of the plush couches and I admired the large tree they had decorated. It was so drastically different from my sad excuse for a Christmas decoration.

Emmett turned on the TV and flipped it to the network that seemed to play A Christmas Story on repeat every year. I didn’t watch it much anymore, but I remembered the tradition from when I was a kid. His aunt messed around in the kitchen and then appeared a few moments later, handing us each a champagne flute.

“Hope you like mimosas, Cody.”

“I love mimosas.” I grabbed the glass from her hand and Emmett grabbed the other. She returned to the kitchen briefly to grab one for herself before plopping onto the couch next to her nephew.

This wasn’t how I imagined my Christmas going, but I wouldn’t complain. It was nice to be included with a family that was close. We sipped our drinks and watched the classic movie before they pulled me to help with dinner preparations. Aunt Sadie ended up loving the gift I’d help Emmett pick out for her in the airport.

That night as Aunt Sadie went to her room, Emmett and I sat on the couch with full stomachs from the amazing meal. I hadn’t expected a full roast with potatoes and carrots. It was a big meal for two people, and even with three of us, there were tons of leftovers. When we’d finished eating, Emmett and I had packaged everything up and stuck it all in the freezer, and I didn’t miss how he stared longingly at all the frozen food. I assumed some of it had been from the meal they’d had the night before as well.

“So have you thought about how we’re getting me to Portland?” His question cut me from my thoughts. The sooner we looked into it, the better it would be. I pulled out my phone and opened up the website for the airline that I worked for.

“Why don’t we look now.” I had originally planned to fly out early on New Year’s Eve and stay the night there with my parents before returning to work a couple of days later. I wasn’t completely sure what Emmett’s original travel plans had been.

“When do you need to be back in Chicago?” I asked as I entered the date of departure, leaving the return date open. Sometimes it was cheaper to buy a one-way ticket and worry about the return flight later.

He was silent for a few moments. When I turned to look at him, he had a hand over his eyes, rubbing at them. “Originally? I was going back the week after New Year, but I’m wondering if that’s what I want to do.”

I set my phone down on the table, no longer worried about the flight to Portland. He was thinking about something big and I wanted to be there for him. I pushed his shoulders so he turned and rested against the arm of the couch. Pulling his legs across my lap, I rubbed his shins. “What’s got you thinking like that?”

“I don’t know. I miss home. I thought the change of scenery would be nice, to get away from all the hurt here…” he pinched his eyes closed and took a deep breath. I squeezed his leg in what I hoped was a comforting motion, encouraging him to continue. “Coming back, seeing Aunt Sadie… seeing how alone she really is. That’s hard. Then there’s you.”

I laughed at that statement. “Please don’t make any wild decisions because of me.”

“Why not, Cody. You deserve happiness too. Your whole life people have chosen their own happiness over yours. What if I wanted to be here for you?”

He sat up and looked at me with gray eyes that shimmered from the dim lighting in the living room and the twinkling lights on the tree. His hands framed both sides of my face as he pulled me close. He rested his forehead against mine. It was hard to hold his gaze, being so close.

“Cody, It’s all fast. I can’t deny that I feel something for you. Maybe it’s too early to say love…”

I didn’t let him continue. I sealed my lips over his and kissed him with everything in my being. His hands tangled in my shirt and I wrapped my arms around him. I pulled him tight against me when we heard a throat clearing in the hall.

Emmett jumped back, cheeks turning pink as he bit his lip and looked to the source of the noise.

“You might be an adult, Emmett Michael Butler, but this is still my home.” The woman in the hall had her arms crossed and looked menacing.

“Sorry, Aunt Sadie.” He laughed and sank back against the couch as she marched back to her room and shut the door.

“Well, that wasn’t awkward,” I mumbled, reaching for my phone and pulling up the website I’d been looking at earlier.

“Cody?” The question in his voice pulled me from my thoughts again and I looked over at him.

“What is it, Emmett?”

“You feel it too, right? It’s not just me?”

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