Ember quirks an eyebrow. “Really?” I shake my head yes.
“He’s really into you, Tatum. Blaise doesn’t invite anyone to his place, ever.” Her voice is serious.
Again, I nod my head. “Yeah, he told me that as well.”
“So, what happened? Don’t worry about it being my brother; I can see you’re dying to talk about it. I like the idea of the two of you together. Spill it,” she says, shaking her finger at me.
I release the breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. “So, Blaise basically said that after holding me in his arms Saturday, he couldn’t sleep last night. He said he was exhausted and asked if I would come home with him and lay with him until he fell asleep,” I say in a rush, staring down at my hands. Relieved it’s out there, but still nervous of Ember’s reaction.
Ember doesn’t say anything. I look up to see her sitting there with a dumfounded look on her face. She opens and closes her mouth a couple of times to reply, but nothing comes out.
“Ember?”
“Tatum, my brother’s in love with you,” she says pointedly.
“What? That’s crazy talk. He just had a hard time sleeping, that’s all,” I try to reason.
She’s shaking her head no before I even finish. “Blaise doesn’t do stuff like that. This is a side of my brother I have never seen before. Well, I have, but only from Asher.” She sits up and pats the couch beside her.
I take the invitation and join her on the couch. “Tatum, Blaise is different with you. He touches you every chance he gets. He follows you with his eyes, like you’re his last meal. I’ve never see him this way. Asher used to be the same way; no outward displays of affection, until he met Grace.”
“Okay, I can see that, but saying he’s in love with me, that’s a little farfetched, don’t ya think?” I ask her.
She chuckles, “When the Richards men know, they just know. Our dad swears he fell in love with my mom the moment he met her. Asher has a similar story with Grace.”
“He can’t…I’m not…”
Ember places her hand on my shoulder. “Take your time; you’ll get there,” she says with a knowing smile.
My phone vibrates and I quickly swipe the screen. It’s Leah letting me know she’s going to e-mail me a few websites for destination weddings to look at.
“Is there something else going on?” Ember asks. “You jumped when your phone went off, and you seem disappointed at whatever it is.”
I can feel my face heat with embarrassment. “Blaise was called out on a run. He said he would call if it wasn’t too late. I also left him a note telling him to call if he wasn’t too tired. I just…How do you and your mom handle it? How do you not drive yourselves crazy over worrying about their safety?” I ask her. I know I pretty much just laid my cards out on the table, too late to take them back.
She pulls her leg up on the couch and rests her head on her knees. “It’s hard, but at the same time, I’m so f*cking proud of all three of them. They save lives. What they do is dangerous and heroic, but I thank God every day there are men and women just like them. You just have to remember they are trained professionals.”
She raises her eyes to meet mine. “Life inevitably throws us curve balls blazing with unexpected circumstances. Living life, taking risks.” She shrugs. “It’s something we all have to do in order to understand the miracle of it all; only then do true miracles happen. The best things in life are truly unexpected.”
“Not always,” I whisper. “Losing my parents was unexpected,” I reply.
Ember’s eyes mist with emotion. “I’m so sorry you lost them. I’m here if you ever want to talk. We don’t know what the greater plan is, and yes, some things, tragedy and death, are unexpected and cause pain. However, that pain brought you here, to my family. You are quickly becoming my closest friend and my brother’s in love with you.”
I scoff at that. She laughs.
“Okay, my brother is falling in love with you. That pain brought you to us, and you bring so much happiness into our lives.” She reaches over and wraps her arms around me. “I’m glad you’re here,” she tells me.
As she releases me, my phone vibrates.
Blaise: On my way back to you.
A grin spreads across my face at his words. I hear Ember sigh. I look up to see she’s looking at my phone. “I told you so,” she says with a cocky smile that reminds me so much of Blaise.
Me: I’m back at the apartment.
Blaise: Dinner?
Me: When and where?
Blaise: My place. I’ll pick you up in ten.
I scramble off the couch, running to my room to change. I drop my phone in the process. Ember must have read the messages from Blaise because she starts singing, “Blaise and Tatum sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g.” That’s as far as she gets before she stops to yell, “I told you so,” at the top of her lungs.
I told Tatum ten minutes when really I was only a couple minutes from pulling into her building. She said it wouldn’t feel right staying at my place without me there, so I headed here instead.
I reach the apartment door and hear Ember bust out in song. I smile at my little sister. She has a great personality. The song she’s singing is one we used to taunt our friends with on the playground; it’s obvious Ember is a kindergarten teacher.
I knock on the door, but they evidently don’t hear. I reach into my pocket and pull out my keys. Asher and I both have a spare, as Ember does for our place. I slide the key in the lock and walk in just in time to hear Ember yell, “I told you so.”
“Who did you tell what?” I ask, startling her.
She flips her head around and a huge grin lights up her face. “Well hello there, big brother. I thought your ETA was ten minutes,” she chides me.
I chuckle. “I might have already been enroute and didn’t want to sound too eager,” I tell her. It’s not like she hasn’t already figured out I want Tatum to be mine.
“Did you not think showing up two minutes later would be a dead giveaway?” she asks.
“Honestly, I didn’t think about it, and I don’t care. I just didn’t want to scare her into changing her mind about having dinner at my place,” I tell her. “Who did you tell what?” I repeat my earlier question.
“I told Tatum you were falling hard for her. The last ten minutes proves I’m right,” she says smirking.
I give her my “duh” look. “It’s not like I’m trying to hide it,” I say.
Before Ember can respond, Tatum walks in the room pulling her hair up into a mop of messy sexiness on top of her head. “Em, I need my…” she trails off once she looks up and her eyes find mine.
I’m at her side in two long steps. I place my hand on her hip and pull her against me, kissing her temple. “Hey you,” I say softly.
“Hey, you got here fast,” she says, green eyes sparkling.
“I may have already been just around the corner,” I tell her. “You ready to head out?”
“Yes, I just need my phone,” she says, holding her hand out to my sister.
Ember throws her head back and laughs as she places Tatum’s phone in her hand.
Tatum slides the phone in her back pocket. “Wait, we’re just hanging out at your place, right?” she asks me as she looks down at her outfit. She’s wearing short blue jean shorts, a white tank top, and white flip-flops. Her hair is pulled up in bundled mess on top of her head and she looks sexy as hell.