Page 70 of Make Me Love You

Was it the right decision to turn onto Emma’s driveway at precisely six p.m., and then sit there where the asphalt turned to gravel, his truck still running, until he was an hour past when she expected him? Possibly. Who was to say, really?

Murky.

She was standing on the front porch when he finally pulled up, her keys in her hand. He was aware of her eyes on him, watching him put the truck in park, unbuckle, and slowly unfold himself from the driver’s seat and approach.

He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Hey. Are you going somewhere?”

“To find you.” Her eyes searched his face. “I was starting to worry.”

“Sorry about that.”

Except he wasn’t sorry at all. Well, maybe a little bit. He hated to make her worry. She worried too much as it was, and he didn’t want to add to that. But at the same time, he liked that she cared enough about him to be concerned for his whereabouts. He liked it a lot. And the thought of her coming to find him...well, it made his dick get ideas. He wasn’t proud of that, but there it was. No one ever came to find him. People were more likely to hide from him, come to think of it.

It was disconcerting to realize that his deepest kink might just be a very dirty game of hide-and-seek.

She nodded as though his apology was enough, when he knew damn well it wasn’t. “I picked up a couple pizzas. It turns out my guests are super into this election and finding out if I’ll be mayor. It’s kind of sweet, really. They’re all inside, watching the news for the results.”

The words had barely left her lips when whoops and cheers erupted from inside the house.

They looked at each other.

“Congratulations, Mayor Andrews,” he said softly.

“We don’t know that.”

He laughed. “They’re not cheering for me.”

Their phones buzzed at the same time, and at the same time they saw the results.

“It’s official,” he said. “You won.”

She sat down on the step with a hard thunk. “I won.” She stared dazedly into space. “I won. I don’t believe it. How is that even possible?”

“The usual way, I’d imagine. More people voted for you than me.”

She looked at him. “Do you think they made a mistake? Maybe they should do a recount.”

He threw back his head with a roar of laughter. “Emma, you won. By a landslide. It wasn’t even close. You have to accept that, honey.”

Her jaw went slack. “A landslide? But...but why? People love you. You’re the one who puts criminals behind bars and I’m just a criminal’s daughter.”

“Hey, now.” He frowned. “You know I had nothing to do with that. But I have to admit, I think those posters actually helped you. People were furious that I would stoop so low. Old Mrs. Gaither hit me with her purse every time she saw me.” He smiled at the giggle-snort sound Emma made. “I’m not kidding. It was on sight with her. You have to understand, Emma, people love me, but they love you, too. They care. Your mom died. Your dad...well, he felt like his back was against a wall. He made a bad decision and that decision, yeah, it hurt people he didn’t mean to hurt. But people aren’t entirely unsympathetic to the situation that led him there.”

“I see.” She pressed her lips into a grim line. “They voted for me because they felt sorry for me.”

He rolled his eyes. “No, you doofus. They voted for you because for the past two months, you busted your ass for this town, and this whole week was a testament to that. Hart’s Ridge has never seen money pour in like this. Every business on Main Street made a killing, and it’s because of you. You’re the one who got Hart’s Ridge mentioned in the travel magazines. You’re the one who launched the social media campaign. You put this town on the map. People aren’t dumb. They voted for you because they knew Emma Andrews would be the best mayor Hart’s Ridge has ever seen.”

“Oh.” Her eyes looked suspiciously shiny. She blinked rapidly. “Oh my God.”

“You’re happy, right?” He knew she was, knew this was what she wanted, but he needed to hear her say it. Because it was ending now, and they had been here before. At the end of things. And that had been ugly. He didn’t want that. He wanted this time to be different. To end on a good note instead of broken hearts.

“I’m happy,” she said. “You know, my career choices have always been about survival. It’s not how it was for you, how you always knew you wanted to be a police officer. I wasn’t any good at waitressing. Delmy gave me that job out of pure pity. After that, I sort of fell into the food truck business because I had the truck and Cesar could make the food. Even now, with the B and B, it was just the best way to keep paying the mortgage. Everything I’ve done, it’s just because that’s what I could do with the resources at my disposal. I haven’t hated any of it. There’s been some good in every job I’ve had. But none of it was my passion. But being mayor felt right. You know?”

He nodded. “I know.”

She grimaced. “It’s just my luck that the career I’m passionate about is all work and no pay. But the B and B is booked up for rest of the summer. My dad will be out in a couple months, and he will help out a lot. I can make it work. I can do this. I want to do this.”

He leaned back, crossed his arms over his chest. “Then you will do this. I would never bet against you, not when you’re all in.”

---