WARNING: CHAPTER 23 IS PRIVATE
~*~*~
Leaning her head against the car door, Emma tracked the passing cornfields and dairy farms without really seeing them. The sky was shot with pastels from the early morning rays, and she'd been up most of the night. But lack of sleep did not stop a satisfied smile from playing at the corners of her mouth, which was still slightly swollen from the voracious kisses rained upon it the night before.
Ryan had tried to convince her to go to sleep, but she just couldn't. She had lain there, gazing at his face in the shadowy light, tracing every angle and contour. It was almost a physical touch. So much so, that as if he'd actually felt it, he had growled, rolling over her, tangling his long, roughened fingers into her curls, tilting her face up, and his mouth had descended hungrily onto hers.
He kissed and caressed her, literally for hours, in the most blood-boiling make-out session she had ever experienced. At the end of which, when the room had lightened, and the dawn chorus was beginning, she was left in a blissfully hazy euphoria. They hadn't even had sex, and she was more thoroughly sated than she'd ever been in her life. She'd very nearly said those three-little-words, but even in her love-drunk state, they still just wouldn't come, yet.
She smiled. He loved her, though. That he was giving her a chance to make up her mind, made her certain she would get there sooner, rather than later. And the sooner, the better. If last night showed her anything, it was that her body was starving for him, craving more of his touch. Just more of him.
She shivered and sighed contentedly.
"I don't even want to know what that look means." Evan's gruff tone suddenly cut through her musings, and she felt her face warm.
They had been driving in companionable silence for an hour and a half. Partly due to neither being particularly chatty in the morning, and partly due to each of their thoughts being occupied with other things.
"Screw you," she retorted, her lips twitching a little. "It's none of your business anyway." She stuck her tongue out at him petulantly.
"Yeah, well try to pull your head out of your ass so I don't have to unload everything by myself. I want to be unpacked and have the cabin ready so we can go fishing this evening." He jerked his head toward the road ahead of them, "We're almost there."
Emma sat up, and looked out the window, for the first time actually paying attention to the passing scenery. Sure enough, the farmland had turned to densely wooded forest, and they had pulled off the main highway some time ago.
She grinned, ignoring his surly attitude, and rolled down her window, reveling in the fresh, earthy air coming from the woods around them.
"It's been so long since we've been up here, Ev! I'm really glad we'll have some time before you have to go back to San Diego," she said, her expression a mix of wistfulness and nostalgia.
"Me too, sis," he replied with a small smile. "Plus, I have some things to talk to you about, and this will be the perfect time."
She raised an eyebrow, but when he didn't continue, she just shrugged and went back to staring out the window. Tight-lipped dumbass.
~*~*~
Several hours later, Emma was fidgeting impatiently. "Alright, Ev, it's been long enough," she declared, casting her line out the opposite side of the small fishing boat. "I want to know what you want to talk to me about."
They had spent the morning and afternoon getting the water running, flushing the pipes in the cabin, cleaning the dust and cobwebs from the corners, shaking out the bedding, putting groceries away, and unpacking.
The cabin itself, wasn't much to look at. It was sound, but simple, with a small porch that ran across the front, facing the lake. Inside, a small, open loft held two queen-sized beds, and downstairs was a small bedroom that fit one. When the kids were small, their grandparents had septic installed, and introduced running water from the well. There was a little bathroom, no bigger than a closet, with a shower stall, toilet, and sink.
The living area was open, with a small kitchen on the right, and a small breakfast table against the front wall. On the left-hand side, when you walked in the door, there were two comfortable old couches, a couple of chairs, and a wooden coffee table that had seen better days. It wasn't fancy, but it had the basic creature comforts, and Emma was just thankful they didn't have to use the old outhouse.
The surrounding landscape was what made it really special. It was pristine, untouched Minnesota wilderness. Densely wooded, with a crystal-clear lake, and no one else for miles around. Many years before, their grandparents had purchased the land with some of Grandma Edie's siblings. Evan and Emma had inherited it when she died, which included the private lake they were now fishing on.
By the time they were finished with all of their chores, the sun was sinking lower in the sky, and the air was starting to cool. It was the perfect time to fish.
Evan reeled his line in and re-cast it before responding. "I've been thinking."
"Good to know..." Emma retorted, somewhat snarkily.
"Watch it smartass, or I won't tell you anything."
"Fine," Emma's curiosity won out, and she snapped her mouth closed.
He was just about to continue, when Emma's line dipped below the calm surface of the water. "Ohhh! I got a bite!" She set the hook and started reeling in slowly. "It's putting up a good fight," she grinned, digging her heels into the bottom of the boat, straining to keep hold of her pole, as the fish on the other end dove down and veered off to the left in an attempt to escape its impending doom.
"I've decided to move back," her brother said, barely acknowledging the epic wrestling match taking place.
"What?" Emma gaped, loosening her grip on the pole and letting the line go slack. By the time she got her bearings, her catch had already absconded with her bait and her hook. "Dammit, Evan! That was a big one!" She glared at him while she reeled her line back in. Turning to him, she narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean, you're moving back? Back here?"
"Yup."
"To Minnesota," she clarified warily.
"Yup."
"Can you say anything else?" she asked exasperatedly.
"Yup." Now he grinned.
"Jerk!" Punching him in the arm hard, she smiled when he winced. "Explain yourself. What about the business? San Diego?"
"You sure know how to welcome a guy back home, Em," he teased. "Here I thought you'd be happy."
"I am happy... I'm thrilled," Emma bit her lower lip, "I just never thought you'd come back."
"Me either," Evan admitted. "But I think it's time." His gaze drifted toward the dense tree-line and then up to the clear blue sky, following a few puffy clouds marring the otherwise perfect expanse. "I miss it here. I miss you." He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, and examined his hands in minute detail. There was more to it, but he wasn't ready to acknowledge that out loud just yet. "It's just time, you know? Ever since Grandma died, I can't get it out of my head. I don't like you being alone here."
Emma sensed he wasn't telling her everything, but she couldn't help the little bubble of joy that welled up inside of her. "What about the business?" she asked cautiously. Knowing Evan, he probably worked out every single, possible detail before coming to his decision, but she was afraid that he'd missed something and would change his mind.
"I can work from anywhere, sis. That's actually why I was so busy the last couple of months," he admitted. "We've decided to keep the home office in San Diego, but the business has grown so much now, we want to open a satellite office here, dedicated to Quality Assurance and testing for the websites."
"I can't believe you're finally coming home," Emma whispered, blinking back the moisture blurring her vision, her voice uncharacteristically quiet. "Where will you live?"
"I was hoping I could move into Grandma and Grandpa's place with you?" He hurried on in case she protested, "I promise I'll stay out of your hair, and the place is still yours—I don't want it. I just want to be close to you. We're all we have left; you know?"
"You can have the house for all I care." She waved her hand dismissively. "You didn't have to sign it over to me in the first place. I just can't wait for you to come back. I hate living alone, and the old place feels so empty all by myself."
"I'm glad," her brother blew out a relieved sigh, "I've been worried about you. Everything that's happened with the break-ins, and Greta just made it clear, it's the right time."
They lapsed into silence while Emma reset her line, and then both re-cast again.
"I've been doing some thinking too," Emma finally said, receiving a questioning glance from her brother. "I was down to the bookshop a month ago and Jeannie told me she and Andy are retiring. They wanted to know if I wanted to buy the shop from them." She took a deep breath, "I think I'm going to do it. I love that old place, and they're giving me a really good deal. They want to hand it over to someone they know will take care of it."
"That's perfect for you, Emmy!"
"I know!" Her eyes shone bright with excitement, "I have so many ideas! I want to keep the quaint, cozy atmosphere, but I also want to put in a small internet café. They own the space right next door, too, so all I'd have to do is knock out the wall in between."
"It's good to see you smile again, little sis." For a brief moment, concern flashed through his eyes, "I was so worried about you after she died," he admitted.
"I know," Emma whispered, "I lost myself a little bit. I didn't even realize how depressed I was until the last couple of weeks. Looking back now, it's kind of scary, even for me." She stared blankly across the water, "I just... felt so alone—like everyone was abandoning me." Her expression cleared slightly, but not before Evan got his first, real glimpse of the toll everything had taken on her.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked gently. "I would have done anything if you just asked."
"I don't know," her brow furrowed. "I didn't want to be weak-make you drop everything for me. And I was a little scared you wouldn't come anyway," she added, before seeing a flash of hurt in his eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry, Ev!" she hurried on to apologize, "I know you would come if I needed you."
"No, I'm an ass," he shook his head. "I've been selfish for a long time. You had no reason to believe I'd drop everything and come running home. I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have waited; I should have come home when Grandma got sick. Probably even before that." Meeting her gaze, his big brown eyes teared up slightly, "Please forgive me, Emmy. I'm sorry I left you, and I'm even sorrier that I didn't come home when you needed me."
"I forgive you, Ev," she replied sincerely. "I know you had your reasons for staying away—maybe someday you can even tell me why."
Unexpectedly, tears welled in her eyes. A piece of her heart that had been rent from years of distance and selfishness began to heal, and with it, the connection she had missed so badly with her brother. It had been buried under layers of anger, resentment, and bitterness over superficial things. Disguised as just what happens when siblings grow up and apart. But it was more than that. He had been one more person she trusted who'd left her, abandoned her without an explanation or backward glance.
But now he was coming back, and her heart suddenly felt buoyant.
"Maybe someday, sis," he replied. "Not today though. This is about all I can handle for one day," he grinned weakly.
"You, dumbass," she laughed shakily, "I can't even hug you properly in this tiny boat."
"Not without tipping us, anyway," Evan chuckled, a split second before he saw mischief dancing in her eyes. "Emalina... Don't you dare!" he warned.
It was too late. She launched herself at him, nearly tipping the boat, and knocked them both into the chilly water.
"What the hell, Em!" he sputtered, trying to right himself and kick away from her advance. He was a good swimmer, but she was better—smaller and quicker. He was also fully dressed, with boots on, while she was barefoot in a tank top and shorts.
Shooting toward him, she launched herself up out of the water, shoving his shoulders down, and submerging his head.
"That's it!" he growled when he resurfaced. He swam toward her with strong, sure strokes, and then treaded water, waiting for her to strike again. When she did, he grabbed her legs and towed her under, before swimming away, and quickly turning back in her direction. She was giggling when she finally surfaced a few feet away.
"I give, I give!" she coughed, still laughing. Her happiness was contagious, and a wide grin spread across his face.
"Good thing we brought hot dogs," he nodded wryly toward their boat.
"Well, we would have had fish, if you had a better sense of timing," she pointed out, "I had a huge one on the line when you dropped that bomb."
"Sure, sure," he teased, "was probably just a log."
Giving him a mock dirty look, Emma kicked a wave of lake water at his face as she swam toward shore.
"Better get that boat towed in before it gets dark, Ev!" she called, laughing as his muttered curses drifted to her over the water.
"You're lucky I love you," he grumbled.
~*~*~
"Dammit!" Emma pushed herself back forcefully in her chair, making it scrape against the worn, wood floor of the cabin. She attempted to rake a hand through her hair for no less than the 200th time that night, cursing again when it got stuck, and she had to wrest it free. After two hours sitting in front of the safe, with files scattered around her, her frizzy mop resembled something a flock of birds might consider a homey place to roost.
"Still no luck?" Evan asked from the worn couch he was lounging on, with beer in hand.
"No!" she growled. "I've tried everything I can think of, and I've been through these files a million times." Waving her hand in a frustrated gesture, she indicated the mess strewn about her.
Evan slowly got up and wandered over to glance at some of the labels on the files. "You tried birthdays? Mixed them up, even? Grandma's, Grandpa's, Dad's?"
"Of course I did, I'm not stupid. The first thing I did was try birthdays..." her voice trailed off and she stared blankly at a spot behind Evan's head.
"What?" he twisted around, trying to see what she was looking at. "Is it a spider? You know I hate those fuckers!"
"What?" Emma asked blankly.
"Earth to Emma!" he snapped his fingers, "What are you looking at?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking though—Dad was a junior."
"Yeah... so?"
"A junior, Evan," she spoke slowly as if she were talking to a small child, "Dad was a junior—he has the same initials as Grandpa Franco." She turned away from him impatiently, not waiting for him to grasp the importance of her epiphany, and started rifling through files and muttering to herself.
"Okay," Evan responded slowly, trying to hold onto his temper, "so he was a junior. I assume that means you think it could be his safe," he concluded. "But that isn't any better—we know even less about him."
Emma was ignoring him, intent on her mission, "I know I saw it here somewhere..." she muttered to herself, her weariness completely forgotten.
Her brother shook his head, sighing exasperatedly, and crossed the room to the picture window by the door.
"Ryan made it," he announced a moment later.
"Hmm?" Emma responded distractedly.
"Ryan's here, he just pulled in," he repeated.
"I've got it!" She held up a folder triumphantly, and turned to face Evan. "What did you say?"
Before he could repeat himself for a third time, Ryan knocked on the door once, before stepping into the cabin, ducking his head, so he didn't hit it on the low door frame.
"Ryan!" Emma's face lit up, "Why didn't you tell me he was here, Ev?" she scolded.
Evan glared at her and growled. "It's late, I'm going to bed." He turned, stomping upstairs in irritation, while she tried to hold in a fit of giggles.
"What's his problem?" Ryan asked, shooting Emma a questioning glance.
"Nothing," she laughed. "He's tired."
Ryan had moved all the way into the room now and took in the scene before him. "Blizzard go through here?" he asked indicating the masses of paperwork strewn chaotically around the room.
"Just me," she grinned. "I think I figured it out! I mean, not the combination, exactly, but I think I'm on the right track." She pulled her phone out and glanced at the time, "Oh God, It is late." She looked helplessly at the gigantic mess she'd created, and then at the file in her hand. "I don't suppose you wanna help me clean this up?" she asked hopefully. "I don't think I can try one more combination tonight anyway."
"Sure thing, Em." He strode toward her, slipping his arms around her waist, and drew her into his arms, "But first..." he leant down and gently rubbed his lips against hers, reveling in the velvety texture of them. He felt the corners of her mouth turn up into a smile, and he pulled back after pressing a light kiss on them. "Come on, little girl—this won't take long if we both work on it, and I have plans for us, tonight," he murmured.
*A/N:
I really hope you love this chapter. It is one of my favorites so far. This book is all about relationships--all of them--and Emma & Evan's relationship is really important to both of their characters. They have a special bond, and I wanted to bring them some reconciliation.
The next book I write about Evan & Rosie will cover a lot more of what happened with Evan-why he left, etc. but this scene needed to happen here.
Please read, comment, vote!
Happy Reading!
Jessa xx