She could say the same about him. “I’m glad it’s me.”
“So am I,” he whispered against her hair. He could smell the fresh cut scent of flowers. How he was going to get any sleep beside her was inconceivable, but sleep was a willing sacrifice he would do without just to be near her.
He listened to the even sound of her breathing and the adorable way she snuggled up to him while she dreamed. “I love you,” he muttered against her neck with a tender kiss.
Chapter 14
The next morning she woke up alone, the spot beside her still warm. She felt like she had been hit by a freight train, every muscle was screaming in agony, but she had never been happier.
Hugging the pillow beside, she inhaled the scent of him that clung to the material. A single white snowdrop flower lay on the nightstand beside her bed. She put the sheen petal to her cheek and smiled.
It all felt like a dream, a fairytale dream. If not for the small flower of winter she might have thought that was exactly what it was. Her imagination gone wild.
Downstairs she could hear her mom rattling in the kitchen. Pulling on a pair of fuzzy socks she pattered down the stairs. The sounds of sizzling bacon and Abigail’s nonsense chatter greeted her before she rounded into the kitchen. It smelled like Sunday breakfast, another Deen tradition.
Her dad was at the table with the newspaper spread out and a cup of freshly brewed coffee. She headed to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup, which her parents weren’t very fond of this habit. Coffee stunned your growth.
As if.
At five-five she wasn’t exactly worried about her height. “Morning,” she said brightly, sitting across from her dad. She hand combed her strawberry blonde hair out of her face.
“Mornin,” Abi chimed in mimicking her, a game she loved to play. Copycat, especially with big words.
Her dad smiled over the paper. “Did you sleep well?”
Emma choked on the scalding sip of coffee she’d just taken.
Crap.
He couldn’t possible know, could he? Truthfully she wouldn’t put it past him. The overbearing drill sergeant had eyes everywhere.
“You okay?” he asked after she finally stopped coughing up a lung.
“Yeah. Just went down wrong,” she replied with a blistered tongue.
Her mom sat a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of her, and in response Emma’s stomach growled with sudden hunger. She couldn’t remember her last meal.
Waiting until her mom was seated and her dad with a partial full belly before approaching the subject, luckily her dad gave her the opening she needed.
“So how is school going Emma bean? You like your classes?” he asked between bites of syrup drenched pancakes.
She internally rolled her eyes at the nickname that had Abi giggling and reciting Emmy bean over and over. Her fingers were sticky with maple.
“I really like school here. The teachers are great and everyone has been really nice.” Well mostly everyone. She was still convinced that Chase wasn’t her biggest fan.
“Your mom said you’ve made a few friends,” he inquired.
She nodded her head. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.”
He lifted a brow in question.
Emma swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, her appetite vanishing.
Here goes nothing.
“There is this boy…”
“A boy?” his voice perked up, gaining his full attention.
She didn’t know why he made her so nervous. “Yes, Travis. He is a senior and we’ve become friends.” Better to just barrel through the whole thing as fast as possible. “I know we’ve sort of talked about dating, but I was hoping that you would take the time to meet him before shooting it down.”
Her dad rolled her words around in his head thinking it over. The whole kitchen was silent. Even Abi didn’t make a peep, picking up on the evident tension.
“Your grades are good?” his voice breaking the dead air.
She nodded enthusiastically. “All A’s.”
“And it won’t intervene with your dancing?”
“No. Not at all. I promise.” She could feel a smile of hope breaking across her lips. At this point she would have agreed to anything, any condition to be able to see Travis.
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to meet him,” he decided to her utter surprise.
She got up and gave him a hug. “Thank you daddy.”
*
The following week at school flew by uneventful. Her parents were slowly warming up to the idea of her dating and even agreed to let him come over this weekend. Not exactly the ideal date, but it was progress.
Walking down the hall, she had her earbuds in and stepped in time with the beat. She had been so busy with school and dancing the only time she had with Travis was during school. The weekend couldn’t come soon enough.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist behind her, lifting her off her feet. She let out a surprised gasp as she was spun in circles. Her laughter bounced off the concrete walls. Tucked away in an abandon hallway, Travis set her on her feet, but he kept her close.