“Of course, Dad. I don’t need you to be perfect. I just need you to be my dad.”
Her father squeezed her hand. “I’m really glad we had this talk, Emma. I think it’s put us on the right track. And tomorrow we’ll all go out for a big Christmas dinner so you can finally get to know Tara a little better.”
“Actually, I’ve been thinking, I’d really like to have our Christmas dinner at home, like we used to.”
Her father smiled. “I think that’s an excellent idea. We can order in and—”
“No, Dad. I want to cook dinner. It was always our family tradition and it would be nice to share it with Tara and Colin.”
Her father’s face filled with so much emotion his eyes sparkled. “Tara would absolutely love that. She’s been dying to make her family’s lasagna recipe. I guess it’s what her grandparents used to do for Christmas, but I didn’t think you’d be up for that.”
“I don’t care what we eat, Dad. I just want to spend time together.”
“Me too, sweetheart.” He squeezed her hand. “Is there anything else that would make your Christmas day special?”
“Do you think it would be okay if Will joined us? His parents aren’t home and I don’t want him to be alone on Christmas.”
Her father tried to school his expression, which had quirked into a smile at the mention of Will. “This might be a shot in the dark, but is Will the boy from your story?”
Emma bit her lip but nodded.
“I know you don’t need it, but you have my blessing when it comes to him. He’s a good kid. And I know he cares about you deeply. I don’t know what he may have done in the past. But sometimes you have to be willing to let it go if you want to have a future.”
Emma smiled. “Ya know, you’re pretty good at boy talk, Dad.”
He laughed. “Well that’s a relief. But I’m still praying Tara’s having a boy. I don’t think my hairline could survive another daughter,” he said running a finger through his thinning silver hair.
“Hey!” Emma swatted him and they both laughed.
“I may have one more piece of advice for you,” he offered.
“Oh yeah, what’s that?”
“Why don’t you invite Will to the Christmas Eve party on the rooftop tonight?”
“I told Tara I’d watch Colin while you both went.”
“I think it would do us good to go as a family, don’t you?”
Emma smiled. “Actually, yeah. I think that’s a perfect idea.”
Will
Will was practically giddy as he unwrapped the corsage. He was confident with his selection. It was a simple white gardenia with a few pine sprigs. Understated and elegant, just like Emma.
The corsage was much simpler than the holiday themed arrangements the florist had suggested. He’d shivered when the woman tried to hand him one made of pale pink roses and iridescent icicles. It was nearly identical to the one he’d held for hours on the night Emma stood him up. That’s not gonna happen again, Will told himself. Not this time.
Will placed the delicate corsage in his refrigerator and checked his phone again. Still no messages from Emma. He’d sent her one after talking to Tara, saying to text him when she got home. But that had been hours ago. He didn’t want to text her again. It seemed too desperate. But he wanted to give her enough time to get ready for the rooftop party. It was a formal affair and he knew she’d need time to get ready. That is, if she agreed to go with him.
Emma
When Emma got home she glanced at her phone again. The message from Will was taunting her. Text me when you get home. She had every intention of doing so, but first there was something she needed to take care of.
Emma knocked on Colin’s door, peeking her head in. He was lying on his bed with Hodor, reading a thick book that looked beyond his years. The scene made her smile.
Colin’s face lit up when he saw her. “Hi Emma!”
“Hey buddy, do you have time to help me with a secret mission?”
He sat up. “What kinda mission?”
“One for Will.”
“Is it another Christmas gift?”
“No, it’s more like an I’m sorry gift.”
Colin scrunched up his face. “What are you sorry for?”
“Lots of things, but mostly for not being able to see the future sooner.”
“What does that mean?”
Emma sighed. She hadn’t expected so many questions. “He’ll know what I mean.”
“But how?”
“It’s a girl thing, just trust me, okay?”
Colin rolled his eyes. “Girls are weird.” But then he shrugged. “Okay. I’m in. What do you need me to do?”
Emma grinned. “Do you have any paper?”
36
Will
There was a knock at Will’s front door and he leapt off the couch. Finally! He was beginning to think Emma was ignoring him again. But disappointment flooded Will when it wasn’t Emma at his door.
“Hey, Colin. What’s up?” Will asked trying not to sound dejected.
“This is for you,” the little boy replied, thrusting an oddly folded bundle of paper at him.
Will took it and examined the folds as nostalgia flooded him. It was a piece of lined notebook paper folded to look like a small envelope. But in the center there was a tab that read, ‘pull me’. Beneath it a tiny arrow was drawn to indicate the direction. He and Emma used to write notes to each other and fold them that way when they were kids. Emma learned how to do it at summer camp one year and when she’d come home she taught Will. They spent an entire year exchanging them in their lockers.
He was about to open the note when he realized Colin was still standing there, staring at him expectantly. “Do you need anything else?” Will asked.
“Emma said I need to wait for your response.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Will pulled the tab. The note unfolded and a silver ticket fell out. He picked it up and read the information printed on it.
Rooftop Garden Gala
To benefit the Manhattan Garden Club
Christmas Eve
The Strathmore Terrace
9 o’clock
Formal attire required
Will grinned. This couldn’t be more perfect. He’d been planning to ask Emma to the rooftop party and she was already a step ahead of him. His eyes slid to the note she’d written.
Will, You were right. I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner. But I’m all out of doubts. I know what I want. If your offer still stands, meet me at the rooftop party tonight. – Emma
Below her message were three hand drawn boxes, each with a word next to them. Yes. No. Maybe. Beneath the boxes was a question.
Do you still believe in mistletoe and miracles?
Will blinked at the paper in disbelief. Emma was quoting him. That was the exact phrase he’d used to ask her to the winter formal last year. That had to be a good sign. Maybe they could finally put that awful night behind them. Flush with hope, Will took the pen from Colin’s outstretched hand without hesitation. His answer was yes. It had always been yes. Will drew a bold checkmark in the box before refolding the paper and handing it back to Colin.
The little boy giggled and gave Will a salute before turning to march down the hall.
“Wait!” Will called after him. “Can you give Emma something for me?” He darted inside to grab the corsage. When he placed it into Colin’s little hand he said. “Tell Emma, she’s a mind reader, and I’ll always believe in mistletoe and miracles.”
Emma
Emma had barely managed to rein in her excitement when Colin returned the note from Will, delivering a stunning corsage with it. He’d been planning to ask her to the rooftop party, too! It made her heart flutter when they were in sync like this. At times it was like they could read each other’s minds. It was something she’d never experienced with anyone other than Will.
Now for the final part of the plan—the dress. Emma needed something fabulous and nothing
she’d shoved into her Louis Vuitton carry-on was up to par. But judging by the wardrobe she’d seen thus far, Emma knew just the person to turn to. She steeled herself as she prepared to knock on Tara’s door.
“Come in,” Tara replied after Emma knocked.
Emma poked her head into the lavish bedroom Tara shared with her father, surprised it was the only room in the apartment with a pop of color. Tara was sitting in a large wing-backed chair, her feet up on the hot pink satin bedspread. The image made Emma want to giggle. Never in a million years would she have thought her father would sleep in a pink bed.
Tara looked up from the baby book she was reading and greeted Emma with a warm smile. “Hello, honey. Is Colin driving you crazy?”
“No, actually I wanted to ask if I might be able to borrow a dress for the rooftop party tonight now that we’re all going? I didn’t really bring anything that formal.”
Tara sprang to her feet, clapping her hands together. “Of course, honey. My closet is your closet.”
Emma was surprise by the genuine kindness in Tara’s voice as she pulled Emma into the walk-in closet, chattering excitedly. “I’m sure you didn’t know this about me, but I’m an only child and I always wished I had a sister to play dress up and do girly things with. Now I’m not going to be presumptuous and think we’d ever be that close, but I just want you to know that I’m so excited to have a beautiful girl like you in my life, Emma. And I’m really looking forward to getting to know you.”
“Um, thanks Tara. That means a lot.”
Tara’s smile made her already beautiful face glow. “So, dresses,” she exclaimed as if she’d forgotten why they were in her closet for a moment. “All my formal attire is over here. And please, help yourself to anything you like. And not just for tonight. You can borrow anything anytime.”
“Really?” Emma asked running a finger over the soft leather of a black Hermés handbag.
“Of course! And what size shoe do you wear?” Tara asked opening a mirrored panel to reveal a backlit shoe wall that would’ve made Carrie Bradshaw swoon.
“I wear size seven,” Emma replied, praying for the first time ever that she and Tara had something in common.
“Me too!” Tara squealed. “Oh this is gonna be so much fun! You pick out some dresses, I’ll be in charge of shoes!”
37
Will
Will took a deep breath as he rode the elevator to the roof. He was dressed in his Armani tux, the same one he’d worn to the winter formal last year. It gave him an eerie feeling of déjà vu. There was so much riding on tonight and no matter how many calming breaths he took, he couldn’t stop his heart from thundering in his chest.
The elevator finally reached its destination and as the doors dinged open, Will blew out the last of his nerves and stepped off with confidence. Tonight would end in mistletoe and miracles. He’d accept no other alternative.
Emma
Emma stepped off the elevator on her father’s arm. Tara was on his other and Colin trailed behind them, excitedly rattling off all the plants he hoped to see at the garden party. Emma couldn’t help smiling as she watched her father and Tara make their entrance into the party. Her father looked dashing in his tuxedo and Tara was a vision in red by his side. It was definitely her color, and her flowing Versace gown made her pregnancy glow even more prominent. Colin followed them in a tuxedo that matched her father’s right down to the plaid red and green bowtie. The sight was so adorable Emma found herself mirroring her father’s hopes that Tara was carrying a baby boy as well.
Colin had grown on Emma over the past few days, and the idea of having another little towhead looking up to her was more than appealing. Will was right—having a little brother was amazing. But it shouldn’t have surprised her. Will was right about a lot of things.
Speaking of Will . . . Emma’s breath hitched when she caught sight of him leaning against the bar across the room. He looked like an old Hollywood film star—devastatingly handsome in his midnight blue tuxedo, fitted to perfection. The blue undertones made his sapphire eyes glow and when he winked at Emma she nearly forgot how to walk in the Prada heels she’d borrowed from Tara.
Emma lifted a hand in greeting and Will wasted no time crossing the room to get to her.
“Hey,” he said pulling her into a hug, his husky voice close enough that it rumbled through her. “You look stunning.”
“You too,” she replied breathily.
Will stepped back hitting her with a bemused smirk. “I was going for dashing, but I guess I can work with stunning.”
Emma laughed, glad he’d taken the edge off her nerves with a joke.
“Really, Em . . . that dress . . . you look . . .” He shook his head appraisingly while his eyes devoured her.
She blushed. “Most of the credit goes to Monique Lhuillier.”
Emma had settled on an emerald green silk ball gown by one of her favorite designers. She was over the moon when she found it in Tara’s closet. The floor length gown fit Emma like a glove and the narrow plunging neckline showed off her best assets. The thin mesh screen over the deep V that nearly reached her navel made it acceptably revealing. And the fully tufted skirt made Emma’s slim waist appear even tinier.
Will’s eyes roved over the peaks and valleys of the gown. “Remind me to thank Miss Lhuillier for that neckline,” he remarked looking at Emma in a way that raised the temperature in the room about a hundred degrees.
Emma’s cheeks flushed at Will’s comment. Seeming to realize he’d let an unfiltered thought slip, Will cleared his throat and changed the subject. “So, do you want to dance?”
“I’d love to.”
Will offered Emma his arm and she took it, letting his intoxicating cologne wash over her as she followed him to the dance floor. He wrapped his strong arms around her, letting his hands settle on her lower back. His thumb slowly grazed circles on her skin thanks to the open back of her gown and Emma grinned at him. They were nearly eye-level, thanks to Tara’s killer heels. The perfect kissing height.
“I’m really glad we’re doing this,” Will murmured, pulling Emma closer as the jazz trio began to play ‘Silver Bells’.
“Me too.”
“Part of me was afraid you wouldn’t show,” Will admitted.
Emma ducked her head in shame, but Will’s gentle fingers found her jaw, tilting her head back up until they were eye-to-eye. “Will, I’m really sorry about everything last year. I just . . . I want to put it behind us. All of it.”
“Me too, Em. More than anything.” He pulled her corsage-clad hand to his lips and kissed it, sending fire through her veins. “I was really hoping tonight would be a chance to recreate the winter formal we didn’t get to have.”
“We don’t need to recreate anything, Will. Let’s just focus on the future.”
“Am I in that future?” he asked softly.
Emma pinned him with a look. “I’d like you to be.”
He exhaled, pulling her closer. When they were cheek-to-cheek Will pressed his lips to her ear. “You have no idea how much I like the sound of that.”
Emma pulled back, her hands sliding from Will’s broad shoulders to his chest. She could feel his heart pounding beneath her touch as she gazed into his brilliant blue eyes.
“Em, I’ve been wanting to tell you how I feel for a long time.”
“And how do you feel?” she asked, aware that she was barely breathing as she waited for his response.
“I—”
“There you are, Will,” a shrill voice interrupted.
Emma glanced over, locking eyes with none other than Liz Vanderveer. You’ve got to be kidding!
Liz turned her attention to Emma. “Hello, Emmy. Do you mind?” she asked, snaking her claws around Will’s arm. “I need to borrow him for family photos.”
Emma was already taking a step back in defeat, when Will’s grip on her waist tightened, halting her. “Not now, Liz.”
“But—”
“I said, not now,”
Will growled.
Liz took a surprised step backward, her perfectly painted red lips agape. Emma’s chest swelled with pride. Take that Liz. He’s picking me!
Liz regained her composure and gave Will an icy glare. “Fine. I’ll let you explain to my mother why you suddenly refuse to take a family portrait.” Then she spun on her heel and stalked away.
“I’m sorry about that,” Will said, trying to sound calm, but the muscles feathering in his jaw said he was anything but.
Emma blinked at Will in disbelief. She’d never seen him lash out at anyone. It was strangely invigorating. “It’s okay,” Emma replied, stroking a soothing hand down the strong column of Will’s neck.
He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes for a moment. “No, it’s not. I know you don’t like Liz, but unfortunately my brother saddled us with her forever.”
Emma sighed. And there it was. Liz was going to be in Will’s life forever. Could Emma really handle that? She heard her father’s words echo in her mind. ‘Sometimes you have to be willing to let it go if you want to have a future.’ And she desperately wanted a future with Will. Emma had allowed herself to glimpse slivers of it over the past few days and now even the thought of letting that go was devastating.
She took a steadying breath. “Will, it’s not easy for me knowing you’ve been with her, but as long as it’s in the past—”
Will’s posture stiffened. “What did you just say?”
“That I’m willing to move past it as long as whatever was going on with you and Liz is over.”
“Me and Liz?” Will raked his hands through is hair looking like he wanted to scream. Instead, he took Emma’s hand and silently led her off the dance floor to a quiet corner of the garden rooftop.
He exhaled and regained his composure. “Emma, I don’t now how many ways I can say this. There is no me and Liz and there never has been. If you think something otherwise, you need to tell me so we can clear it up right now.”
The Boyfriend Series Box Set (Books 1-6): YA Contemporary Romance Novels Page 77
