Page 96 of Beautiful Crazy

Chapter 21

Emily

“I chose to be your friend but falling in love with you was out of my control.”

I refold the piece of red paper with Emmett’s handwriting on it that I pulled from the jar and pull out a purple one next. Taking a deep breath, I unfold the paper and read Emmett’s thoughts.

“I adore the way you look when you first wake up in the morning. The panda pajama pants and whatever shirt you match with it that night. Your hair a mess on the top of your head because you just want it up off your face. Your sleepy expression makes me want to carry you back to bed and snuggle with you for the whole day. Yeah, I adore your morning look.”

“Looks like someone really loves you,” the older woman next to me says. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to read it but…airplanes only give us so many places to look.”

“Oh, that’s alright.” I give her a small, friendly smile in return. “I don’t even know why I’m opening these right now.”

“You must miss someone very much?”

I turn my head to look at her. She’s a woman about the age of my mother, maybe a little older. Her skin is a dark honey brown, and her hair is short and peppered. She looks at me over her glasses.

“I just…” I turn back and bow my head, working the purple piece of paper through my fingers. “I needed a break…to think, I guess.”

“Ahhh, I see,” the woman says. “A little trouble in paradise? Are you married?”

I shake my head. “No. We’ve been roommates for years now and only just decided to, you know.”

“He loves you. I see.” She gestures to the jar on my lap. “Did he write on all those papers?”

“Mmm hmm.”

“Well, whatever it is you might need a break from, I hope you find what you’re looking for. Not every man in this world would take the time to do something like that for the woman he loves. You’re a very lucky girl.”

Am I?

I thought I was.

I wish I was positive.

“Can I ask you a question? I’m Emily by the way.”

“My name is Lynette, it’s a pleasure to meet you. This big sleepy head over here…” She pats the sleeping man next to her. “Is Raymond. My husband of fifty years.”

My smile widens. “Fifty years. That’s wonderful. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. We’ve worked very hard. Relationships take work, you know.”

“Yeah.” I nod. “Umm, so how did you know you could trust Raymond one hundred percent?”

“What do you mean? Does the man in your life give you reason not to trust him?”

I think about that question for a minute because I find it difficult to answer.

“Yes and no. He…dated a lot of women before me and I just wonder…”

Lynette folds in her lips, narrows her eyes, and nods. “Let me ask you something, Emily.”

“Okay.”

“While he dated all those other women,” she asks, gesturing to my jar again. “Did he ever do something like that for one of them?”

“No. At least not that I know of, and we’ve lived together over two years. In fact, in the time we’ve spent living together, I haven’t actually seen him go on a date.”

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