Her Way (16 page)

“Four brothers—three older and one younger.”

“The only girl? That had to be tough.” Susan lifted a brow.

Emma lifted a shoulder in a small shrug. “Sometimes, I guess. I have close girlfriends though, so I feel like I have sisters.”

“Nana!” A small blond boy came skidding into the room. “Papa wants to know if supper’s ready.”

“Tell him to come ask himself if he really wants to know,” she said sternly.

“Okay.” He gave a wide smile. “What’s for dessert?”

“Who said anything about dessert? Now, scoot on out of here.” She shook her head.

“Whoa!” Will dodged the blond bullet as he strolled into the room. He draped an arm around Emma’s shoulders and pressed his lips to his temple. “You holdin’ up all right?” he murmured.

She leaned into him slightly and nodded.

“Supper ready, Ma?”

“It’ll be done when it’s done. Now, you can set the table.” She gestured towards the cabinets. “Kids in here; adults in the dining room.”

Will snagged Emma’s glass and took a drink. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I’ll help.” Emma started to slide off the stool, but stopped when Susan shook her head.

“Oh no. You’re a guest today,” she insisted.

Will chuckled and ran his hand along her back as he walked behind her. “Enjoy, because all too soon you’ll lose your guest status, and she’ll put you to work.”

“Keep it up, and you’ll be on dish duty,” Susan warned.

Emma bit back a laugh when Will shot an exaggerated grimace her way as he carried plates out of the room.

“He always was a cheeky boy,” his mother said, shaking her head. “Pestering me in the kitchen, always under foot…”

Lifting her glass to her lips, Emma felt herself relax as the other woman continued to talk.

* * * *

Will leaned a hip on the deck railing and watched Emma with his nieces and nephews. After dinner, she’d let the kids drag her outside, where she kicked her shoes off and now ran barefoot in the grass. The squeals of laughter from his niece as Emma caught her by the waist and swung her around had Will chuckling.

“She’s a nice girl.” His mother came up beside him, holding a mug of coffee out.

He took it and sipped, glancing at her. “Mm hmmm.”

“And you don’t want to talk about it,” she teased.

“I didn’t bring her for approval.” He lifted a brow.

“Oh, I know that.” She nudged him with her elbow. “You have it, though, in case you’re wondering. She’s awfully sweet, and puts up with the chaos nicely.” She nodded toward where Emma and the kids ran around. Some of Will’s siblings had joined in and it looked like an impromptu game of football was in full swing.

“And,” she continued, “I can’t help but like a girl who obviously makes you so happy.”

He cringed at her tone—he
knew
that tone, had heard it enough when his sisters had brought their soon-to-be husbands home. “Ma…”

She held a hand up. “I’m not reading anything into your relationship, I promise. Though I see the way you look at her and—”

He burst out laughing. “Not reading anything, huh? And just how do I look at her?”

His mom pressed her lips together and shook her head.

“You might as well spill whatever you
think
you’re seeing.” He drained the rest of the coffee and set the mug on the railing. “You’ll let it slip eventually.”

“There’s love there,” she said with a small smile. “And it’s a joy to see.”

“Ma…” He rolled his eyes, though that particular word had been popping into his head with regularity, connected to Emma. “We haven’t been together that long.”

She scoffed. “Please, I knew after two days I was in love with your father. And, he’d say the same thing. The length of time doesn’t matter. What you feel does.”

“Uncle Will!” His ten-year-old nephew, David, waved wildly at him. “Come play. Emma’s cheating!”

Emma let out a large gasp and planted her hands on her hips. “Am not!”

“You
carried
Kiera to get a touchdown. That’s not allowed. She has to do it herself!” David countered.

“She’s littler than you, with shorter legs. It wasn’t a fair match.” She pointed a finger at him. “I’m on to you. I’ve got brothers, so I know how you think. You put all the little ones on the same team so you could beat them. I was just evening things up.”

“See?” David looked back at Will. “She’s cheating!”

“I guess I’d better come and make sure the rules are followed,” he called out, then gave his mom a peck on the cheek before heading down the stairs of the deck.

“Oh please,” Emma said with an exasperated look, though Will saw her lips twitch as she struggled not to smile.

“Yes!” David gave a little fist pump. “You’re on our team. Ha!” He smirked at Emma.

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes, then pinned Will with a narrow look when he jogged over to stand beside his brother Justin and David. “Sure, you go on and join your brothers and the big kids, ‘cause
that’s
fair.”

When he only grinned in response, she stalked up to him and jabbed him in the chest with a finger. “Prepare to lose,” she drawled, then dropping her voice into a whisper, she added, “We’re so going to kick your ass.” She spun around and headed back to the little ones that comprised her team.

He chuckled as they got in positions. When he caught the ball, he took off at a jog, grinning as he saw Emma running toward him. He didn’t dodge her, intending on taking the touch, just to make things a bit more evenly matched. His breath whooshed out as she hit him smack in the chest, and unprepared for an actual hit, he fell backwards. She landed fully atop him.

“Hey,” he protested weakly as she lifted her head to meet his gaze. “This is
touch
football.”

“Oooooh,” she drawled out and pressed her knee lightly against his crotch. “Whoopsie.” She patted his cheek, then jumped up. After grabbing the ball he’d dropped, she sashayed over to where the kids were giggling. Glancing over her shoulder, she grinned. “Our ball.”

Justin walked over and held a hand out. Will grasped it and rose to his feet.

“I like her,” his brother said brightly.

“Yeah.” Will watched as she knelt down amidst all the kids, discussing their next play, no doubt. She lifted her gaze, then blew him a kiss. “So do I.”

* * * *

“You let us win,” Emma murmured, exhaustion pressing down on her.

Will glanced at her quickly before turning his attention back to the road. “Nah.”

“Bull.” She laughed. “But you made the kids happy.”

“Well, I figured I’d better make
you
happy, otherwise you’d take me down again.” He reached over and squeezed above her knee.

“Poor David really thought he had it when you joined in. Little did he know that you’d throw a game to make the woman you’re canoodling happy.”

“Canoodling?” He laughed. “Seriously?”

“What? It’s a word,” she protested. “I bet it’s in the dictionary and everything.” As he turned, she straightened. “Hey, where we headed?”

“I want to show you something.” He smiled.

When he said nothing more, she tilted her head. What was he up to? “Gonna elaborate?”

“Nope.” He patted her leg.

He continued to drive in silence towards the edge of town. When he pulled into a driveway, Emma gasped as she looked up at an old mansion. The place was huge…and absolutely stunning. A grand porch spanned the front and wrapped around one side of the home. She could almost picture people milling around or sitting on rockers sipping cool drinks in the heat. The building and grounds had certainly seen better days and needed some tender loving care. As he parked, she noticed the “For Sale” sign near the road.

“What’s this?” she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

He winked at her and got out. Her mind raced as he walked around the front of the truck to come and open her door. She unhooked her seatbelt and met his gaze as he helped her down.

“This,” he said, gesturing widely, “is, for lack of a better word, my dream.”

Emma didn’t say anything as she took in the scene before her. The old house, the overgrown grounds surrounding it.

“I don’t plan on working at the restaurant forever. Don’t get me wrong,” he rushed to say. “I enjoy what I do and helping the family out is a plus, but I want to buy this place and open a bed and breakfast.”

“Really? That’s awesome.” She grasped his hand and squeezed. “Have you put an offer on it?”

“No.” He sighed, then started pulling her toward the house. “If I offered what the bank has approved for me and what I have in savings, I’d be laughed out of there. I’m putting money away. I’m lucky enough not have a rent payment every month—it’s one of the perks of living above the family business—so the bulk of my paycheck gets funneled into savings. I’m hoping either the price comes down into my price range or it’s still on the market when I save enough.” He shot her a grin. “Until then, I keep dreaming.”

“It’s an amazing house,” she said as they walked around the building.

“There were extensive gardens in back. They’re all overgrown and a mess now, but it’s easy to see what used to be. The carriage house has been converted into living quarters. The current owners sank a lot of money into renovating that and the ground floor of the main house. It has a state of the art kitchen, restored flooring throughout. The second and third stories need a lot of work, meaning a lot of money,” he said dryly.

She gasped as they rounded the rear of the house. He hadn’t been kidding. Even in its current state, the large patio area and surrounding garden were breathtaking. She released his hand and walked quickly to a large stone fountain. She brushed some dead leaves aside and peered inside.

“Wonder if this still works,” she murmured, then glanced around. “Can you imagine what this was like, what it
could
be like? It’s a perfect place for an evening party or even a wedding reception. There’s room for several tables and a small dance area out here. More than enough room, actually. Fairy lights strung around…” She turned in a circle, gesturing with her hands. “And the photo opportunities once the grounds were cleaned up and cared for—a bride would kill for such a beautiful setting for her wedding pictures.” She stopped abruptly when she saw the grin on his face. Her cheeks heated. “Sorry.”

“For what?” He came over and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“I don’t know. Getting carried away.” She pressed a kiss to his jaw and laid her head on his shoulder. “This is a magical place, Will. Definitely a good dream.”

“Don’t be sorry.” He chuckled. “I’m glad someone else can see it. That
you
can see it. The whole thing is more than a bed and breakfast, really. To be able to put on events—like weddings—is a big part of my plans. If I manage to get this place.” He released her and, stepping back, grasped her arm. “It’s getting dark, we should head home.”

“I’d love to see inside some time,” she said as they returned to the car.

“Maybe we can set up something with the realtor,” he said absently, opening her door.

Before climbing in, she wound her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. When their lips met, she moaned. His tongue dipped inside her mouth, danced with hers. Will ran his hands down her sides to her hips and tugged her close.

After a moment, he lifted his head. “Home,” he said harshly.

She smiled, then slid her hand around to trace his mouth with her index finger. “Thanks for sharing your dream with me, Will.”

He caught her finger gently between his teeth then curved his tongue around it. Emma’s pussy clenched and her clit twitched at the wet caress.

After a quick suck, he released the digit and stared at her. “Who else would I share it with, my sweet Emma?”

Chapter Ten

Emma wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand and glanced at the clock. She cursed softly and kept walking.

“I don’t know what you’re complaining about. You’re the one who dragged my ass here to work out,” Ana accused from the treadmill beside her.

Emma laughed. “Your ass will thank me when it continues to fit into the outfits you love so much.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ana huffed. “Whatev. So how are things going?”

“What things?” As if Emma didn’t know. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Everything’s great, though we’ll see how poor Will feels after dinner with
my
family tonight.”

“Couldn’t avoid it any longer?” Ana asked.

“Well, Matt let it slip around Dad that I’d gone to Will’s parents for dinner a couple of weeks ago.” She gave a weak shrug. “So, of course, Dad decided it was time to meet ‘the young man in my life’. I pointed out that he’d already met him at the housewarming, but that made no difference.”

It wasn’t that she was dreading it, exactly. She just hoped Will wasn’t expecting the kind of family gathering he was used to, because dinner with the Lawrences was a bit more…stale than that with the Calonens. And that was the understatement of the year.