out, okay?”
She shook her head and half-laughed. “This is ridiculous. I can’t go to Paris with you.”
I frowned. “Why not?”
Her brow lifted in an incredulous expression. “Well, for starters, what about school? And my parents? Where would I live? How would I make money?”
“As for school, well, obviously you’re going to have to drop out—”
Her shrill voice interrupted me. “ You want me to drop out of school? ”
My jaw tightened. “From that particular one, yes . You can pick a new one later on.”
She relaxed her offensive stance. “What about my parents? They’re gonna shit a brick when I tell them I’ve dropped out of school and moved to France.”
I’m sure they would if they knew the truth. But that’s not gonna happen.
I sighed and stood, suddenly aware how little my black boxer briefs left to the imagination. Oh, well. Insecurity was reserved for men who were not well-endowed. “Emily…this thing with your parents—” I paused, trying to find the right words. Eloquence was never my thing. Brash, dickheadedness was my thing.
Emily stared up at me expectantly, making my words catch in my throat. Shit, how long have I been thinking this through?
Screw the “right” words, words would do it at this point. I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, and said, “You can’t keep them. You know that, right?”
Shit.
I grimaced and hung my head. I’d just made it sound like her parents were stray cats or something.
“I know.”
My head whipped up. “You do?”
“I’ve already had this conversation with—” Her mouth snapped shut before his name escaped her lips. “I know,” she finished.
I scratched the back of my neck, feeling awkward as hell. “I’m sorry,” I said lamely.
She steeled herself and shrugged. “Never should’ve been with them in the first place.”
No, you shouldn’t have.
I cleared my throat, wrongly assuming that things couldn’t have gotten more awkward. Boy, was I wrong. “So it’s settled, then? You’ll come to Paris with me?”
She flopped back against the couch. “ How? I have no wallet, no phone, no clothes, no passport.”
I rolled my eyes and disappeared down the hallway, into the office. Michael made sure Em would have proper documentation, in case she didn’t. We wouldn’t want a little thing like not having a passport to get in the way, now would we?
I came back into the living room and held out the big brown envelope. Her brows pulled together as she took it from me. “What’s this?” she asked as she pulled out its contents.
I sat on the ottoman in front of her. “Your driver’s license, birth certificate, and passport.”
Her brow arched as she looked up at me. “It says my name is Emily Northam.”
I shrugged. “So? The picture’s of you, and that’s all that matters. The name change was simply for security reasons. We don’t want to leave a trail, right?”
“I guess not.” She held the driver’s license up to the light, inspecting the hologram. “It looks real.”
“It is. We’ve got people in the DMV.” At her questioning look, I stood. “Let me get packed and we’ll leave in thirty.”
Chapter Thirteen
EMILY
I’m such a coward.
The realization hit me as we pulled out of Gabriel’s driveway. Instead of trying to face my problems, I ran. I ran from school, from the life I’d built in Potomac Ridge, and from… him .
Thomas.
My chest ached at the thought of him. God, I didn’t even have the decency to end it face-to-face. I left him a shitty note on my pillow. How fucking weak was that? All because I wouldn’t have been able to bear the look on his face as I ripped out his heart. Not only was it cowardly, it was selfish. He deserved to have that conversation in person, and I deserved to see the look on his face. I deserved to see how much I’d hurt him. I should have to live with the sight of his heartbroken face for the rest of my life.
I curled up in the
She shook her head and half-laughed. “This is ridiculous. I can’t go to Paris with you.”
I frowned. “Why not?”
Her brow lifted in an incredulous expression. “Well, for starters, what about school? And my parents? Where would I live? How would I make money?”
“As for school, well, obviously you’re going to have to drop out—”
Her shrill voice interrupted me. “ You want me to drop out of school? ”
My jaw tightened. “From that particular one, yes . You can pick a new one later on.”
She relaxed her offensive stance. “What about my parents? They’re gonna shit a brick when I tell them I’ve dropped out of school and moved to France.”
I’m sure they would if they knew the truth. But that’s not gonna happen.
I sighed and stood, suddenly aware how little my black boxer briefs left to the imagination. Oh, well. Insecurity was reserved for men who were not well-endowed. “Emily…this thing with your parents—” I paused, trying to find the right words. Eloquence was never my thing. Brash, dickheadedness was my thing.
Emily stared up at me expectantly, making my words catch in my throat. Shit, how long have I been thinking this through?
Screw the “right” words, words would do it at this point. I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, and said, “You can’t keep them. You know that, right?”
Shit.
I grimaced and hung my head. I’d just made it sound like her parents were stray cats or something.
“I know.”
My head whipped up. “You do?”
“I’ve already had this conversation with—” Her mouth snapped shut before his name escaped her lips. “I know,” she finished.
I scratched the back of my neck, feeling awkward as hell. “I’m sorry,” I said lamely.
She steeled herself and shrugged. “Never should’ve been with them in the first place.”
No, you shouldn’t have.
I cleared my throat, wrongly assuming that things couldn’t have gotten more awkward. Boy, was I wrong. “So it’s settled, then? You’ll come to Paris with me?”
She flopped back against the couch. “ How? I have no wallet, no phone, no clothes, no passport.”
I rolled my eyes and disappeared down the hallway, into the office. Michael made sure Em would have proper documentation, in case she didn’t. We wouldn’t want a little thing like not having a passport to get in the way, now would we?
I came back into the living room and held out the big brown envelope. Her brows pulled together as she took it from me. “What’s this?” she asked as she pulled out its contents.
I sat on the ottoman in front of her. “Your driver’s license, birth certificate, and passport.”
Her brow arched as she looked up at me. “It says my name is Emily Northam.”
I shrugged. “So? The picture’s of you, and that’s all that matters. The name change was simply for security reasons. We don’t want to leave a trail, right?”
“I guess not.” She held the driver’s license up to the light, inspecting the hologram. “It looks real.”
“It is. We’ve got people in the DMV.” At her questioning look, I stood. “Let me get packed and we’ll leave in thirty.”
Chapter Thirteen
EMILY
I’m such a coward.
The realization hit me as we pulled out of Gabriel’s driveway. Instead of trying to face my problems, I ran. I ran from school, from the life I’d built in Potomac Ridge, and from… him .
Thomas.
My chest ached at the thought of him. God, I didn’t even have the decency to end it face-to-face. I left him a shitty note on my pillow. How fucking weak was that? All because I wouldn’t have been able to bear the look on his face as I ripped out his heart. Not only was it cowardly, it was selfish. He deserved to have that conversation in person, and I deserved to see the look on his face. I deserved to see how much I’d hurt him. I should have to live with the sight of his heartbroken face for the rest of my life.
I curled up in the
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