Page 50 of Connected By Souls

“Holy shit! So she doesn’t remember anything or know who you are?”

“She feels the connection like I do and the intense emotions that come with it, but she doesn’t understand why she feels this way. It really scared her at first because it brought up all the fears of losing her parents. When you feel a love and connection this deep, it scares the hell out of you that you may lose it one day. And I get it. Some of our past lives haven’t been so easy, and we’ve lost each other too soon. But even in those past lives, I’d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant having her by my side for however long we’re given.”

“I wish you would have told me sooner. I’ve been throwing women at you and telling you to forget the dream girl because she wasn’t real. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you better when you told me about your dreams.” He shakes his head and looks sad.

“No, you’ve helped me more than you know. At first, I wasn’t sure I even believed it. I had to process it on my own and work through all my emotions. You kept me present and out of my head, keeping me feeling sane. Even if I believed she was real, I had no clue if and when I would find her again. I had to keep living no matter what.”

“Well, I’m glad I was able to distract you. I did set you up with some good distractions if I do say so myself. I am the best of the best friends around, aren’t I.” He grins at me.

“Yes, you are,” I laugh. “Seriously though, thanks for understanding and having my back. I have no clue how to go about telling Emma everything. I’m just so scared that it’ll be too much, and she’ll run in the opposite direction rather than deal with all the emotions. I thought it would be easier on her if she got to know the real me first before I dropped the bomb on her. It’s even more complicated because she reads my books and loves them. She connects deeply with the characters…”

“Because it’s her stories too, and part of her subconscious knows that,” he says, finishing my thoughts. “Man, this is a hard one to navigate. I see how she looks at you. Like I said, I can feel the sexual tension between you both, but I also know it’s much deeper. This is where you have to trust that she’s strong enough to handle the truth. If the past is any indication, you guys have been through worse and always come back to each other. This time will be no different.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I just can’t bear the thought of losing her. What if she doesn’t believe me and thinks I’m some crazy person?”

“She’ll believe you. She’ll know deep down that what you’re saying is true. She’s meeting the rest of the family tonight, right?”

“Yeah, she’s coming with me to our family dinner.”

“Perfect. She’ll see what a great family you have and love you even more. Maybe you could invite her back to your place for a drink and tell her then.”

“That sounds like a good idea. The sooner I tell her, the quicker we can start our lives together again.”

He slaps me on the back. “You’ve got this brother. Hearts are breaking all over Florida tonight because my boy Noah is officially off the market. I’m going to have a lot of consoling to do,” he says, winking.

Shaking my head, I laugh. “Go for it. There’s only one girl I want, and tonight I’m going to tell her just how much.” I just hope she runs towards me when I explain everything and not away.

* * *

Hours later,I arrive at her house at six. I notice the deck has a new coat of white paint and grin. She had texted me earlier that she worked on it this afternoon, wanting to get it painted and sealed before all the rain from hurricane season hits, and asked me to come to the back deck because it was still drying. My emotions are all over the place as I go around back, excited for her to meet the rest of my family but nervous about the conversation I want to have later. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I knock on the patio door and hear a “Come in,” yelled from inside. Stepping inside, I hear her running around in the bedroom.

“How do you know I’m not some serial killer coming here to murder you?” I yell out to her.

Laughing, she says, “I don’t think serial killers knock.” Coming into the kitchen, she’s dressed in a light blue skirt that hugs her curves before ending at her ankles. A long slit goes up the right side exposing her tanned leg. She’s wearing a crop, v-neck white tee that shows the barest glimpse of her toned abs. Her hair is in a loose bun at her neck, exposing her beautiful neck, and a crystal pendant hangs right in the crease of her breasts.

All my unease and nervousness are instantly replaced with something much more carnal. Looking up at me, she must sense what I’m thinking in my intense stare. “Oh no, you don’t. I just got my hair exactly how I want it, and I’m not going to your parents’ house withmake-out hairlike Mav saw.” Seeing me step closer to her, she backs up. “We’ll be late if I have to fix it, and I want to make a good impression,” she says quickly, putting her hand out to stop me from coming closer.

“I promise to behave and not touch your hair, but you can’t expect me not to have a taste of you when you look good enough to eat. You look…amazing.” I take her hand and put it on my chest. “Feel my heartbeat. This is what you do to me every time I see you.” I feel my heartbeat increase at her touch. “No one has ever had this effect on me, and no one ever will. It’s always only been you.”

I lower my head for the taste that only she makes me crave. Making sure I behave, I keep my hands at her waist and trace her bottom lip with my tongue before moving in to taste a piece of heaven. Our tongues explore each other’s mouths as we hungrily satisfy our cravings. I reluctantly pull away. “See, I’m the perfect gentleman.” I trace her swollen lip with my thumb before releasing her. I take in her lust-filled eyes before she blinks and returns to the present.

“Thank you.” Looking dazed, I wonder if she means the compliment or the kiss. “You look amazing as well.” Her eyes take me in and go lower before she licks her lips.

“Eyes up here, Emma, or your hairwillget messy. Maybe you should meet my parents another night because I’m suddenly not feeling well and may have to cancel.” I fake a cough.

She laughs and grins at me. “Nice try. We can’t cancel. Besides, I’m excited to meet your whole family, and I already bought your mom flowers and Bella her favorite wine.” She points to the kitchen counter where they sit.

“It was worth a try,” I sigh. Hopefully, tonight will go as planned, and we can continue that kiss after our talk. “Let’s get going then.” I grab the flowers and wine while Emma freshens up her lip gloss in the bathroom before grabbing her purse. We head out to the back deck, and she hands me her keys as we reach the driveway. “What’s this for?”

“A little birdie told me that you’re dying to drive my Bronco, so I thought we could take it tonight if you want to. We should probably wait to take the top down on the way home because I want to look good for your parents.” She points to her hair.

“Are you serious? I would love to. I’ve been dying to take it for a spin since I first saw it in your driveway. Do you mind if Nala rides in it? I left her in the truck with the a/c on while I went inside to get you. I didn’t want her running up your front porch and ruining your paint. It looks really good, by the way.” I look at the front porch and see all the hard work she did. “You did a great job.”

She beams at me. “Thank you. I had fun doing it. Painting is so meditative for me. Of course, I don’t mind Nala riding with us. I’m glad she’s coming with us again.”

Turning off my truck, I get Nala out. “Since my parents have her dad, Hurley, I bring her every Sunday so they can play together.”

“Oh, how nice that she gets to see her family. Most dogs never get that chance. Emma bends down to pet and baby talk to her. Nala rolls over and enjoys the belly rub. Smiling that my girls love each other so much, I open the Bronco and have Nala jump in the back before going around and opening Emma’s door.

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