She grew up far before her time, and now she's ready for the next phase of her life... just in time to meet the perfect guy. Can she keep him at a distance before she falls for him and he finds out the truth?
"You seem... cheerful," my lawyer noted with surprise when I walked back into the conference room in a decidedly better mood. "I take it your lunch went well?"
"Quite," I smirked to myself as I sat down with them, my thoughts still centered on Emma. "Now, I'd like to put this issue to rest and move on with my day. I've talked to Emma and she's confirmed his story, but I'd like to keep her out of this if at all possible. This is all still overwhelming for her, and we have... some new circumstances now, so I don't want her stressed."
"Alright," he said with a confused shake of his head as he shuffled some papers. "I guess I'll find out tonight when we all meet for drinks later."
"Drinks?" I questioned, the realization coming a moment later. "Oh, bloody hell, I forgot. Alright, well, I'll have to figure something out."
They all continued talking but I pulled out my phone, feeling like a teenager in school the way I hid it under the table. I texted Emma quickly to tell her we had a stop before dinner and all she sent me was a smiley face, making me chuckle to myself. She was in an infinitely better mood now and it made my heart swell.
*Emma's POV*
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I was just putting in my earrings when I heard the door open downstairs, smoothing my dress again before going down to meet him. Killian was at the bar making a drink, looking stressed but happy. I smiled to myself and went over to him, sliding my arms around his waist and tucking myself under his arm.
"Hello, love," he sighed, bringing me even closer as he downed his drink before looking down at me. "I take it by the fact that you look utterly ravishing that you're ready?"
"Just a second," I said simply before stretching up to kiss him. It was supposed to be light but he held me tighter when I tried to pull away, nipping at my bottom lip to coax my mouth open and deepen our kiss. By the time we pulled away I couldn't see straight, having to swallow hard to make words come out. "Well then... I missed you, too, in the six hours we've been apart."
"That was me saying I'm sorry," he answered, his voice husky and his breath hot on my lips. "I promised you celebration, but now we have to have drinks with a bunch of stuffy lawyers beforehand."
"But I still get to be with you," I reminded him, bumping my nose with his. "And that's all I want. I don't mind being shown off, so no harm done, okay?"
"But-"
"I tell you what," I stopped him from answering quickly. "You can make it up to me later. In exactly the way you're thinking of. Does that sound better?"
"Much," he smirked a bit, kissing me again lightly. "Did you get the doctor's appointment made?"
"I did," I confirmed with a nod. "First thing next week. Luke said that would work with your schedule."
"Luke was right," he agreed, his mood lighter than it had been in a long time. "What do you say we go get this over with, and then do some real celebrating?"
I just kissed his cheek and drug him towards the elevator, making him laugh. He grabbed me back to him in the elevator, holding me to his chest with his chin on my shoulder. He did the same thing the entire time we were standing around with the lawyers, like he knew how stupidly comforting it was for me to have him hold me.
"You ready?" He asked in a whisper and I gave a barley detectable nod, leading him to charm them out of making us stay. "Well that was torturous."
"It wasn't that bad," I laughed as we walked down the staircase to get in the back of the car. "Though I have no idea how they got women to marry them when all they do is drone on about laws and policies. If you ever hit that point, I'm leaving you."
"I see how it is," he laughed with me, tugging me across the seat so I was half on his lap. "I get boring and you're just going to take off on me?"
"Nah, I don't think you'll get boring," I smiled up at him, undoing his tie and a few of his buttons to slide my hand over his chest. His hold on me tightened when our skin brushed. "You're too perfect for that."
"I don't know about that, Swan," he sighed but the look of love in his eyes assured me he wasn't upset. "But since I met you I certainly try. Have you given any thought to my earlier suggestion?"
"About eloping?" I prompted and he nodded a bit. "I don't know, I mean, I never thought I'd get married, but if I did I just thought it'd be classic. You know, white dress, all my friends there, the whole big thing... you know, besides the dad giving me away thing."
"We can do all that," he promised. "Just get a dress and we'll get all our friends to go on a last minute vacation where we just happen to get married. We can go anywhere you like, I just want you to be happy."
"I really like that idea," I said as my smile returned, feeling tears swimming in my eyes. "I'll ask my friends about it this weekend when they come by, I promise. I'm sure they'll love it."
He simply smiled, lifting my chin to kiss me sweetly. We spent the night out on one of his boats just like we did the night we decided to start trying again, letting me drift off to the gentle rocking of the ocean, safe in his warm embrace.
It's a tad short, but I have my idea for the next chapter, and there's nothing else I can do with this. Hope you enjoyed it anyway, and I'll try to get you another chapter soon. Later, loves!
