Exception (56 page)

It had been years since she’d last caught herself wanting to lean into a man’s lips to taste them. Years since she last thought about losing herself in a man’s arms, longing to love and be loved in the way she wanted to at that moment. And, as much as she feared those feelings, there was no denying them.

Without really thinking, she ran her fingers through prickly hair on his jaw and moved up until she found his eyebrows. She let her fingers feel the thick line of hair and arching her neck, she placed barely there kisses on his closed eye. Her fingers moved down his nose, rubbing a newfound bump on the otherwise perfect line, before continuing her descent. And then the tips of her fingers gently touched his lips. She marveled at how soft the skin was, and was startled when they suddenly pouted with a kiss to the tip of her index finger.

“I didn’t mean to wake you, I’m sorry,” she whispered, removing her hand from his face.

His arms flexed, holding her tighter. “I’m not. Actually, I can’t think of a better way to wake up.”

Emily smiled shyly. “What happened to your nose?” Taylor opened his eyes giving her a questioning look. “Here,” she continued, touching the bump she’d just found then removing her hand quickly. “There’s a tiny bump I’d never noticed before.”

He nuzzled her neck, chuckling at the memory. “I took a puck to the nose, goofing around with my friends two weeks before I defended my PhD thesis.”

“Ouch.” She giggled.

“Yeah, it was the worst pain I’d ever felt. I thought my head had been smashed in two. It was awful, I never knew I could bleed so much.” He smiled seeing Emily rub her nose.

“Weren’t you wearing a helmet and those protective thingies over the face?”

“No, I was beyond stressed with the thesis and everything else that was going on at the time, so I went back home for a few weeks to relax. I was being stupid with guys at the lake after having too many beers. Putting on a helmet never crossed my mind.” He chuckled. “Defending a thesis on how photography changed the scenery of modern art with a nose as bright and swollen as Rudolph’s was an experience.”

They laughed before she leaned and kissed the bump. “Is that why you don’t drink?”

“Yes. I had worked hard to get to that one day for years, and showing up in front of people I respected so much with a shiner was an awful image. To tell you the truth, it nearly cost me my degree. My luck was having an outstanding reputation during all the years I’d spent at the university. For that, they allowed me a chance to explain, but it was still embarrassing. That day I learned that there are some things that you just don’t play with.” He looked deep in her eyes and combed his fingers through her hair. “The things that really matter; the things you love above everything, have to be cherished and protected. You don’t risk losing them, not ever.”

They looked at each other for the longest time. Her hand cupped his neck and her thumb swept back and forward in a gentle caress, while he ran his fingers through her hair. As confusing it was for Emily, she knew at that moment that he was all that really mattered to her. As the thoughts of kissing him filled her mind again, the words he’d just spoken fought them. She couldn’t take that chance. She couldn’t risk it, not until she understood what was happening in her head and heart.

As if he could read her mind, Taylor moved his face closer to hers and delivered a soft, loving kiss to the juncture of her cheek and lips. Her eyes closed as his breath fanned over her mouth, heating every cell in her body.

“Excited about going home today?” she asked looking for a distraction.

“You’re my home,” he answered bluntly. With another kiss to her cheek, he continued. “But yes, I am excited
we
are going home. What time you girls going shopping?”

“After breakfast, I guess. We should get up, right?” After a few displeased sounds and a lot of mumbling about how he hated their collective family and couldn’t wait for them to be alone again, they finally went to get ready.

Shopping was great. Being alone with her sister was even better, which made Emily even more excited about her Charlotte’s upcoming move to NYC. Later that day, Charlotte and Chuck drove the Carter family to the airport and the two said their see-you-laters, while Gabriel and Penelope kissed their significant others who weren’t joining them on their trip. Soon, the six travelers were boarding their plane and heading to Toronto.

An unknown bonus to the trip was riding first class for the first time. She enjoyed the spacious chair and the legroom that was comfortable, even for Taylor. He explained that air travel comfort was the one unnecessary luxury his parents always made sure to get. Tina was extremely afraid of flying, and not having so many people around made her a little less anxious—that, and a couple of glasses of gin.

Waiting for them at the gate were two men, who Taylor introduced as Mr. Higgins and Jerry. Their similar facial features, green eyes and dark curly hair and the clear age gap between them, left no room to question that they were father and son. The warm and respectful way in which the family treated them was completely different to the way her father and his good-for-nothing business associates said rich people should treat their staff. It made Emily extremely proud to consider them family.

They all followed Mr. Higgins to the parking lot where they divided into two identical green Land Rover SUVs. Tina, Rick and Penelope rode with the father, while the other three made the two and a half hour trip to the lake house with Jerry. While the boys talked sports over some classic rock, Emily made a few calls, to let her loved ones back in the States know she’d arrived. With her calls done and a full hour still left of their journey, she leaned on Taylor’s shoulder and watched the beautiful scenery passing by her window.

From the moment the cars parked in front of the large iron gates she was overwhelmed and impressed. Once inside the property, they followed the narrow maple-lined drive to a beautiful brick house that was bigger than the one Emily grew up in. She pointed to it, asking if that was the famous lake house.

With a small smile on his lips, Taylor shook his head. “That’s Jerry’s place. Our house is a few minutes in that direction,” he informed her, pointing a finger to the left. He continued explaining the house where the Higgins now lived used to be their family home, up until a few years ago when his mother decided she was tired of renting venues for parties and events, and decided to build a house big enough to accommodate their various needs.

“The bottom line to my brother’s long-ass story is that Mom went bat-shit crazy when he went to Boston and decided to build a ridiculous palace,” Gabe said, making his brother and Jerry laugh at his bluntness.

Taylor was still laughing when the car turned to the right. His brother continued to mock his mother and the house, telling Emily to prepare to be wowed. That warning came a little too late as the massive, gorgeous building came into view.

Gabriel had been right; the place was a palace. Completely made of logs and stones, it was three times as big as the brick house. With three floors, a huge porch wrapping the front and sides and at least five chimneys, it was absolutely dreamlike and completely over the top for a family of five, especially considering three of them no longer lived there.

After their ride came to a halt and they exited the car, Emily’s eyes fixated on the expansive home while Taylor’s fixated on the beautiful woman in front of him. “What do you think?” he asked from behind her.

She looked at him, still completely speechless and dumbstruck. Having seen that look on her face once before, when she looked out the window in his apartment for the first time, he knew she was overwhelmed in a positive way. “Too much, right?”

“Yes, it’s huge,” she said between laughs, before returning her eyes to the building. “But it’s also breathtakingly beautiful. Like something out of a fairytale.”

“If there’s one thing Mrs. Tina Carter has plenty of, it’s good taste. And you haven’t even seen the best part yet. Wait until we get out the the back,” he told her playfully, raising one brow.

She giggled excitedly, but Taylor’s expression turned somber. “Now you see why we’re so afraid of talking about our family? Why Gabe and Poppy didn’t invite Tara and Jude to come home? And why shit happened?”

Emily’s heart constricted at his words. It was hard and incredibly sad to see how much his ex-wife had scarred, not only him, but his whole family. She wanted to make it up to him in any way she could, to let him know that there were some people who didn’t care about money, and that she was one of them.

Rising to her tippy-toes, she kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I do see it, but to me, the way you all treated Mr. Higgins and Jerry tells me more about who you are and what this family is made of than this big house. I’m darn proud to have you as family.”

Taylor touched his forehead to hers and, with his eyes closed, kissed the tip of her nose. “Thanks babe, now hop on,” he said, stepping in front of her and bending over so she could climb on his back.

“What about my bag?”

The only answer she got was a nod in the direction of the cars, where Mr. Higgins was unloading their luggage. With a smile on her lips, Emily wrapped her arms around Taylor’s neck and her legs around his waist.

“Thank you Mr. Higgins,” she yelled, giggling as Taylor ran towards the house.

Passing the double doors, they reached a massive foyer with a winding staircase leading to the second floor mezzanine from where it curved again, which then led to the third floor. Emily barely had time to take all of that beauty in before Taylor passed an arched passageway, leading to another room. The room they entered had a cathedral ceiling, two different sitting areas, a massive stone fireplace, a huge wooden bar, a back wall made entirely of glass panels and, Emily thought that her first apartment could easily fit inside.

Taylor walked to the far right of the room and stood in front of an intricate rough iron door. Placing Emily’s feet back on the ground, he led her inside the room that would become Emily’s favorite place in the house.

The round room was probably the size of Emily’s main room and entirely made of iron and glass, with various types of flowers and bushes and plants scattered between beautiful wooden furniture. She walked slowly, shifting her gaze from the frozen lake that glimmered on the other side of the glass walls to the stars shining brightly through the curved glass above her head.

“I knew you’d like it here.”

She turned her awed face back to him with a smile that stretched the length of her face. “Oh Tay, I don’t like it here. I want to live here. This is a dream.”

“It agrees with you then, and I’ll tell Mom we’re moving in. She’ll be thrilled.” He folded her in his arms once again.

They were all smiles, cuddles and giggles when an unrecognizable male voice sounded behind them. “Mom might be thrilled, but I won’t be. Finding a new curator for the gallery will be a bitch.”

“And you’ll obviously want a big fat raise to do it, right?” Taylor said in a serious tone, but Emily could see the smile on his lips as he turned around to look at the newcomer.

Standing by the door was a man about a head shorter than Taylor. His lean body was covered in dark slacks and an impeccably pressed baby-blue buttoned-down shirt that complimented his olive skin and perfectly gelled ink-black hair. He was handsome in a completely different way than Taylor. His face had interesting features, like gray eyes that seemed to have a silver glow and a somewhat large nose but, on the whole, he was undeniably beautiful.

“A big, fat raise on top of my big, fat year-end bonus, of course,” the man said with a too white smile.

“Sorry babe, but we’re staying back home. This asshole’s going to bankrupt me.” Laughing, Taylor let go of Emily’s hand to hug his friend. “Good to see you, Nate.”

Never having seen him with friends that were only his, Emily was almost entranced to see him with his best and oldest friend. The fun, carefree way he treated Nate was very similar to the way he behaved around their friends, which made Emily even happier to know he really had embraced her group.

“So this is the famous, best friend-stealing, Emily,” Nate joked, eyes on Emily. “Prettier than how you described her, T.”

Taylor looked at Emily with unsure eyes, searching for indications that she had taken offence to his friend’s comment, but found none. In fact, she looked incredibly amused.

“Oh really?” She turned her mocking eyes back to Taylor. Her brows were pulled together, faking an angry face.

“That might be true, but it was only to discourage him,” he explained, delivering an adoring kiss to her cheek before properly introducing the two, who shook hands and engaged in animate conversation. Seeing how well she was getting along with his one true friend made Taylor fall a little harder for her.

Despite knowing that the whole family saw Nate as one of them, Emily was impressed to find out the feeling was such that he even had his own room in the house. The tender way Taylor asked about his parents and Katie, Nate’s younger sister, proved everything he’d previously told her about them being like another family to him. Once the two friends were all caught up, the three of them made their way through the enormous house until they arrived at the kitchen.

“I was about to send Dad after you. Oh, Nate!” Tina exclaimed from the stove, just seeing him.