****

Emerson

The memories that resided in this house were just as strong today as when I was younger. Walking out of my bedroom, I headed down the hallway and ran my finger along the slight crack in the molding outside Adam’s bedroom door. I laughed.

“I can’t believe it’s still here.”

“What?” Alex asked.

“See this small crack?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s from Adam’s head. When he was sixteen, he went to a friend’s party and came home drunk. He missed the door and cracked his head on the molding. My dad took him to the ER and he got four stitches that night. My mom stayed back with us because she was so angry with him.”

Alex laughed. “I bet she was.”

Taking Alex’s hand, we walked downstairs to the living room. “My mom and dad both loved lighthouses.” I walked over to the corner where a curio cabinet used to sit. “They collected them and we had a cabinet that sat right here filled with different ones. Some of them lit up and, at night, my mom would turn them on and turn off all the other lights in the room so the only thing we saw were the glowing lights of the lighthouses. They were beautiful and so peaceful. Next to the cabinet hung a painting of the Bass Harbor Lighthouse in Bass Harbor, Maine. My mom talked about this cute little cottage they stayed at while they were there. My dad proposed to her in front of that very lighthouse. She was sitting on the rocks, staring out into the water, while my dad took pictures of her. She said it was the most beautiful place she’d ever been to. My dad got down on one knee on the rock in front of her and asked her to marry him. She said he totally surprised her because they hadn’t even talked about marriage. They bought the painting before they left to remind them of how special of a place it was. She said it symbolized their start of a new life together.”

“What happened to the painting?” he asked.

“Adam has it in storage somewhere.”

Walking to the kitchen, I looked around and could see my mom standing by the stove. It was her favorite room in the house. “My mom cooked here every single night. She was a great cook. Sometimes, I would help her while Emily went to swim in the pool. Speaking of which.” I turned to the realtor. “What happened to the pool?”

“The previous owners took it out because they didn’t want it.” She gave me an odd look. “Do you know this house?”

“Yes. I grew up here.”

“Oh,” she spoke with surprise.

Alex walked over to where I was standing and put his arm around me.

“We’re looking to possibly start our own family in this house. Isn’t that right, baby?”

“Umm. Yes. Yes, we are.”

“Excellent!” The realtor smiled.

Her phone rang and she looked at it. “Excuse me. I need to take this call,” she spoke as she walked out of the room.

I looked out the window at the spot where the pool used to be. “Who the hell lives in California and doesn’t want a pool?”

“Obviously fools.” Alex chuckled.

I turned and looked at Alex with a smile on my face. “I have to see if it’s still there. Come on.” I grabbed his hand and led him through kitchen, through the foyer, out the front door, and onto the porch. I looked in the corner and knelt down, placing my hand on the small handprint that my dad made the three of us do when he built the new porch.

“This is my handprint. This one is Emily’s and this is Adam’s.”

“How old were you?”

“We were six and Adam was ten. I remember the day we did this. My dad said that we’d always be a permanent part of this house now that our handprints were here. He said no matter what life threw at us, we’d always have this house and the memories we made here. Oh my God, Alex. I just remembered all that.”

He put his arm around me and pulled me into him. “That’s good, Emerson. Your dad sounds like he was a wise man.”

“He was.”

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the sky opened up and let the rain fall down.

“What the fuck?” Alex said as he stood up.

A smile splayed across my face as I ran out onto the grass and held my arms up. When I threw my head back, the rain fell upon my face. “They’re here with us.” I smiled as I turned in a circle.

“What the heck is going on?” the realtor spoke. “They weren’t calling for rain today.”

“It’s only temporary,” I heard Alex speak. “Thank you for showing us the house. I’ll be in touch.”

“I have a couple who is highly interested in it, so if I were you, I wouldn’t wait too long to make a decision.”

We climbed in the car and a feeling of peace flowed through me.

“Thank you, Parker.”

He grabbed my hand and brought it up to his lips. “You’re welcome. We better get home and change out of these wet clothes.”

Chapter 31

Emerson

Seeing my childhood home brought back so many memories. Memories of the happiness that once resided there. After changing out of my wet clothes, Alex knocked on my bedroom door.

“Come in.”

He walked in and over to me as I was putting on my shirt.

“Emerson,” he spoke.

“What’s up, Parker?” I smiled.

“We need to talk,” he spoke with a serious tone.

“Okay. Shoot, big guy.”

He took hold of both my hands. Staring into my eyes, he inhaled deeply.

“Em, I—” He paused.

“What is it, Alex? Is something wrong?”

He gave me a small smile. “No. I just wanted to tell you that I’m happy I took you to the house.”

“Thank you. I’m happy that you did too. I’m sorry I gave you shit about it when we first got there and, again, I’m sorry for threatening your balls.”

He laughed. “Apology accepted.” He kissed my forehead. “I’m going to head to the office. I’ll be home later tonight.”

“Okay.”

He walked out and I stared at the door. I was hoping he’d come to tell me something else. But he didn’t. I was so scared of what was happening because things were changing for me. Feelings for Alex were stronger than ever. Was this real? Could this be real? I should tell him how I feel. But then if the feelings weren’t returned, I would be left standing like a fool. Alex Parker didn’t do relationships because of frizzy, curly-haired girl. I didn’t do relationships because the thought of attaching myself to someone and then losing them scared the living hell out of me. Never stay in one place long enough to become attached.

****

Alex

As I was sitting in my office, I stared out the window and thought of Emerson. I should have told her how I felt. I should have told her that I loved her right then and there, like I had planned to. But when I looked into her eyes, I couldn’t. She was strong and she was determined and she was going to leave. What if she didn’t love me back? I thought maybe she did, but I wasn’t sure. For the first time in my life, I was scared. Scared of being rejected by the first woman I had ever truly loved. Was I just another broken heart in her eyes? Another guy she’d leave behind while she traveled off on her next adventure? This was killing me. She was killing me. I spent the night at the office.

The next morning, when I returned home to change and shower, I found Emerson in the kitchen.

“Hey. You didn’t come home last night,” she spoke.

“I had so much work to do and I fell asleep.”

“Oh. I hope you slept okay. I sent you a couple of text messages but you didn’t reply.”

I shrugged. “I’m just home to shower and change.”

She looked down and I looked away.

“Okay. I hope your day goes better.”

“Thanks.” I went upstairs and sat on the edge of my bed, placing my face in my hands for a moment before showering and leaving again.

After spending the day thinking about Emerson and looking up the definition of love once again, I had no choice but to tell her how much I loved her. I wasn’t letting her go anywhere. She belonged here with me. We belonged together whether she believed it or not. I had stopped by the florist and picked up a dozen red roses for her. I was going to make her see that staying in California was the best thing for her. That I was the best thing for her.