Page 145 of The Stolen Moments Trilogy

“She’s my lawyer.”

Emilia smiles at Chris and nods politely. She’s got bags underneath her eyes that betray how rough last night was for her. She woke up countless times, crying. It broke my heart to see her that way. The only other time I’ve ever experienced her crying while fast asleep was when Kate tore her apart. I hate that she’s going through this again. Even worse, yet again, there’s nothing I can do about it.

I can barely focus on what Chris is saying, even though his company is highly valuable, and highly coveted. I spent almost an entire year convincing him to sell to me, but now that I’m this close, I just want to go back home. I want to put Emilia on a plane and take her back to her dad. I feel horrible for taking her away from him in the first place.

Emilia places her hand on my upper arm and tilts her head in question, and I realize I must have missed a question. I smile at Chris in apology, but much to my surprise, he’s smiling at me. He’s always been incredibly short-tempered, but today he’s being very… pleasant.

“Emilia just reassured me that none of my staff will lose their jobs,” he tells me, and I glance at her, nodding.

“That’s right,” I tell him. “One of the things that makes your company so invaluable is the company culture, the bond and the vision everyone seems to share. I’d be a fool to take that away.”

Chris nods in agreement. “I never thought of you as a family man, Carter. For as long as I’ve known you, all I’ve seen is a ruthless business man. Tonight, I’m seeing a different side of you,” he says, glancing at Emilia. My eyes follow his, and Emilia looks into my eyes, her eyes twinkling. Every once in a while, she looks at me the way she used to, back when she was mine. I tear my gaze away and smile at Chris politely.

I refill Emilia’s wine glass and try my best to focus on what Chris is telling me about his company, but my eyes keep finding Emilia’s. By the time dessert comes around I’m antsy and ready to get out of here.

The waiter places our desserts in front of us, and I shake my head, stopping him. “I’m sorry,” I say, “but she doesn’t like anything that’s strawberry flavored,” I add, my head tipped towards the strawberry tart.

Emilia looks at me in surprise, as though she can’t believe I remember that about her — like I could ever forget anything about her. She smiles, and this time, it’s a real smile. It’s that type of intimate smile that we always used to share, the one I didn’t think I’d get to see again.

She puts her hand on my shoulder and shakes her head. “It’s fine,” she says, her voice soft. “I’ll have this.”

I shake my head and have the waiter replace her dessert. I lift my hand to her face and gently brush her hair out of the way. She smiles at me in thanks, and my heart skips a beat.

“I’ll sell to you, Carter,” Chris says, and I turn to him in surprise. I expected to have to go through far more groveling. He glances at Emilia and then smiles at me. “Family is at the heart of my company. Family, love, respect. Those are our core values. Until recently I didn’t think you’d be a good fit for us, but I was mistaken. I’m not getting any younger. It’s time for the next generation to take the lead, and I think you’ll achieve exceptional things without losing the values the company is built on.”

Relief rushes through me and Emilia grins at me. I smile back at her and nod at Chris. “Of course. Your legacy is safe in my hands, Chris,” I tell him, before glancing at Emilia. “Emilia will personally take care of all the paperwork.”

She nods and that’s that. I’m still in disbelief when we walk out of the restaurant. The second we walk around the corner, Emilia grabs my shoulders and throws herself in my arms. “Oh my gosh,” she says, squeezing tightly. “We actually did it!”

I laugh and lift her off her feet, twirling her around. She giggles, and I lift her higher, my arms on her upper thighs. She looks down at me, her eyes sparkling with joy and pride. It’s the happiest I’ve seen her in a while.

“I always knew you’d go far, Carter, but wow… you’ve surpassed every dream, every wish I’ve ever had for you. I’m so proud of you,” she says, her arms around my neck. I lower her to the floor slowly, her body still pressed against mine.

“Every dream?” I ask, my voice playful.

She narrows her eyes and giggles. “Carter,” she admonishes, grinning from ear to ear.

I reluctantly let go of her and grab her hand. She looks startled, and I smile. “It’s cold, Minx,” I murmur, putting both our hands in my pocket. I entwine our hands, and Emilia looks at me with such longing… this is exactly what I wanted. I want to be the only one on her mind. I want to fill her every thought, so that there’s no room left for sadness or heartache.

“Let’s go for a walk,” I murmur, and she nods, looking happy. She’s probably the only person I know that can set aside the things going on in her own life to be genuinely happy for me. I’m going to do whatever I can to keep that smile on her face, to keep her sadness at bay.

Chapter 22

Carter

I’ve got Emilia’s hand in mine as we slowly make our way back to the hotel, purposely going the long way around. Despite the terrible news she received, she seems so much happier here, where it’s just the two of us. Being so far away from everyone makes it easy to pretend like life didn’t tear her away from me.

She sighs happily and I turn to look at her. She’s staring up at the sky, and I’m staring at her. “You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on,” I tell her without thinking. Emilia looks at me, her eyes wide. She blushes, and I like that look on her. I like throwing her off, I always have.

Her eyes roam over my face, and her cheeks darken even further. Her eyes drop to my lips, and she looks away.

She tries to pull her hand out of mine, and I shake my head, tightening my grip on her. I tuck our hands back into my pocket, my thumb stroking over the back of her hand, my face tipped up at the sky. Stolen moments… that’s all I’ll ever have of her, but if that’s all I can have, I’ll take it.

Emilia’s cheeks are crimson and her eyes are sparkling in a way I haven’t seen in years. We both have smiles on our faces as we continue our walk.

Emilia flinches when a snowflake falls on her face and she looks around as snow comes pouring down around us. She giggles and looks up at me, and I wish I could just capture this moment.

My fingers brush past the edges of her coat, and I zip her all the way up, half her face hidden behind her collar. She looks up at me, her gaze intense. I can’t help but wonder if she’s feeling what I’m feeling. Does this moment feel precious to her too?

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