“Emmett, this is breathtaking. I love it,” she replied.
“There’s an interesting story behind this gift.” I took a deep breath. “Six months after Alec died, I felt ready to go through his personal things from the hospital. I found a velvet jewelry box in his jacket pocket.”
She looked up at me, her beautiful brown eyes wide with shock.
“It was a diamond engagement ring.”
She gasped as she placed a hand over her mouth. I lightly rubbed my hand up and down her back while giving her a moment to process what I’d just said.
“I wanted to give it to you right away, but I knew you weren’t in a place to see it yet. So after we got back from our trip, and Marchello brought over Alec’s letters, I took it to a jeweler. I just picked it up yesterday.”
Her breath hitched as she held the velvet box in her hand and stared at the pendant inside.
“I had Alec’s diamond set inside this infinity pendant so you could always keep his token of love close to your heart. I thought you would like a memento to represent the importance of him in your life.”
She looked up at me and smiled one of the sweetest smiles I’d ever seen. The way it met her eyes, and the slight quiver to her upturned lips, showed me just how happy she was.
“That’s amazing, Emmett. It’s absolutely beautiful, and I love what it means, and that you thought of this. It makes me feel so special, like I have a piece of his heart with me. Thank you, I love you so much, Emmett.”
“I love you too, Peach.”
It was exactly what I had hoped for and more. She would now have this with her to remember him, and hopefully look toward a happy life in the future. She could feel good about those memories, and not sad for all the misunderstandings.
After breakfast, Emmett sat on the counter, flipping through the newspaper and drinking his coffee. I was sitting on the couch reading when a paper airplane flew over and landed in my lap. I jumped then laughed and looked up at his adorable smirk.
“Unfold it, Peach.”
I did as he asked and saw his message inside, four little words . . .
I smiled up at him and nodded. It was such a sweet gesture, and I couldn’t help but appreciate his creativity. The last time he asked me to move in with him, resulted in the loneliest two weeks of my life.
We drove back to Auburn and spent the day going from apartment to apartment until we found the right one. It was a large, ground level unit near a dog park where we could walk Gage. It was also much closer to campus than Riley and Quinn’s. Thankfully, I’d signed a month-to-month lease on my condo in Atlanta, so we could move into our new apartment soon.
There wasn’t a lot to pack since my condo came fully furnished, and Emmett had all of his stuff ready to go from his Aunt’s house. We planned to pack up his room at the frat house, as well as see the girls, Riley, and Quinn. We would also have to shop for more furniture. The first purchase would be a bed and some bar stools. Everything else we could take a little longer to decide on.
I occasionally found myself touching Emmett’s infinity pendant with Alec’s diamond. It made me smile and feel whole. I couldn’t think of what I had done to deserve Emmett in my life, but I thanked God for him every day. He always knew exactly what I needed.
As we pulled up to Riley and Quinn’s house, the street was vacant of cars. Emmett parked his Camaro in the driveway, and we went inside. They were already up and sitting in their gaming chairs, playing some combat game on the big screen TV. They waved us inside with quick hellos.
Emmett and I each grabbed a cup of coffee in the kitchen before heading upstairs to his old bedroom. When we walked in, I flashbacked to my first time there, and I giggled as I sat on the end of his bed. He walked over and stood between my legs, running his hands through my hair.
“Penny for your thoughts, Peach.”
“I was just remembering the first time I followed you in here,” I replied, looking up at him.
“Really?” he smirked. “Well, maybe we should do a replay,” he replied then pushed me back onto his bed.
“Yes, we should,” I said, pulling his head down for a kiss.
He lay down beside me and gathered my body into his. Reaching down, he twined his fingers with mine and lifted my arm up above our heads.
“I love you, Peach,” he said, kissing me lightly on the inside of my elbow.
I giggled at the soft touch. “I love you, too.”
He trailed kisses from my neck to my cheek before capturing my mouth with his and slowly entangling his tongue with mine. I let out a whimper as he lifted himself up and sat back on his knees, looking down at me with a glint in his eyes.
“What’re you doing?” I whispered.
A sexy smile spread wide across his face as he lifted my foot to his chest. “Trust me?”
“Of course,” I whispered.
He ran his fingers up to my knee, and back down the top of my leg. Then he started massaging my foot.
“Oh my God, Emmett, that feels so . . . good.” I sighed, leaning my head back into the mattress and closing my eyes.
“Does this feel good, too?” he asked, placing warm kisses on the top of my ankle before setting it down on the bed.
“Yes, it does.”
He lifted my other foot up against his chest and massaged it, gently lowering it to the bed, and trailed kisses up my leg. I arched my back as he ran his fingers up under the hem of my shirt and lifted it over my head, tossing it on the floor.
I needed to feel his skin against mine. I reached up and ran my hands over his strong muscles, feeling them move as he pulled his shirt off. He hovered over me, and I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his body down to mine, reveling in every touch of his body as we made love. Afterwards, I snuggled into his chest, his heartbeat a steady rhythm in my ear.
“That was amazing, Peach,” he said, kissing the top of my head.
“Mmmm, yes it was, babe. We should forget packing and do that again,” I said.
“The sooner we pack and get through the barbeque, the sooner we can drive home and make love in our own bed.”
I laughed. He was so matter-of-fact about it, like all that really mattered was us getting home, when I knew he damn well he was as excited about the barbeque as I was.
I heard the doorbell ring and hoped it was the girls. I really missed Tamron and Alison. I ran downstairs, past the guys still gaming in the living room with their headsets on. They probably hadn’t even heard the doorbell.
When I opened the door, I was surprised to see John standing there. Usually he only came down from Alaska in the winter months.
John had gone to college with the guys and graduated last year. He and Emmett were best friends from their days back in Georgia right after Emmett and Alec moved up from Florida. I think Emmett chose Auburn in part because John had chosen to go there. I couldn’t blame him. John was a nice guy, and who wouldn’t want to go to a college where you already had a best friend?
After giving him a hug, I invited him in. This would be a real surprise for Emmett. As we walked back to the living room, Emmett came down the stairs. The look on his face was adorable. He was surprised, all right.
“John?” Emmett called.
“Hey, Emmett, what’s up, man?” He looked at me with a devilish glint in his eye. “Hi Peachy,” he added, earning himself a smack on the back of his head from Emmett at the use of his version of Emmett’s pet name for me.
“When did you get in?” Emmett asked.
John shook his head. “About five minutes ago. I drove straight here from the car rental place at the airport.”
“Holy shit, man! I had no idea you were coming. Great to see ya. Damn . . . it’s been too long,” Emmett said, pulling him into one of those back-slapping guy hugs.
“Yeah, long-ass flight, too, but it’s all good man, I got to sit by a hottie. For the first time, I was happy to be by a chatty person. Even got her number. She lives here in Auburn. Girl like that could tempt me f
rom Alaska. Tempt, not convince,” John added after seeing Emmett’s and my surprised expressions.
We laughed, both of us knowing there was absolutely no way John would ever move away from Alaska.
We sat out back and caught up with him over a few beers while I waited anxiously for the girls to get there. Wondering where they were, I sent a quick group text.
Me: Where the hell are y’all?
T: A bit snarky aren’t ya?
A: We’re coming . . . soon.
T: Don’t tell her. Make her wait.
Me: What the hell is that supposed to mean?
A: Don’t worry about Tamron. She’s just pissy because, in order to see you, she has to see Quinn, and they had a fight.
T: Great. I didn’t want to get Sam involved too, Alison.
Me: A fight? No way. I’m here, and Quinn isn’t acting like there’s a problem. He’s playing some video game with Riley like he always does.
T: Fucker.
A: Relax, Tamron.
Me: Wow, I really need to get caught up on this.
T: We’ll be there in a few.
A: We’re leaving the apartment now.
Me: Awesome. See y’all soon.
It was rapid-fire texting at its best and we had perfected it. We had an entire conversation in less than three minutes. When the doorbell rang again, I excused myself and rushed inside to intervene between Tamron and Quinn. I wondered what their fight was about, because they always seemed so happy together.
I opened the door and threw my arms around my best friends, each of us squealing our hellos. It wasn’t until I let them inside that I felt the air thicken, and knew it had to be the fight between Tamron and Quinn. I would talk to Tamron about that, and soon. Alison walked over to Riley and gave him a kiss, but let out a shriek when he grabbed her ass as she spun back toward me. On our way to the kitchen, Tamron walked by Quinn without saying a word or even glancing in his direction.
I grabbed us glasses of lemonade then set chips and salsa on the counter for an afternoon snack.
“So, umm, what exactly was this fight about, Tamron? Why are you being so cold toward him?” I asked her in a hushed tone.
“Sam, I really don’t want to talk about it. Okay? I just want to hang with you. We’ve missed you so much,” she replied.
“Tamron. You can’t expect her to accept that answer. First of all, and you know this is true, we wouldn’t let her get away with shrugging us off like that if she and Emmett were fighting.”
“All right. Fine. Damn it. He wants us to move in together,” she explained.
I gasped and brought my hand up to my mouth. She shook her head and continued.
“See, this is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you. I can hear it already. First of all, you’re gonna be just like Alison and get all excited, and want us to move in together. I can see it already starting in your composure, you’re all happy and bouncy. I am not in the mood for it. Second of all, you aren’t one to talk about who should move in with who, since you have had your own issues with whether or not to move in with Emmett.”
I gasped. “But Tamron, that’s diff . . .”
“Yeah, it’s different. I realize that, but it doesn’t change the significance on my situation. I’ll tell you like I told him; I’m not ready to move in with him,” she sighed. “Why the ever-loving fuck did he have to ask me? He’s got a good thing here with Riley. I have a good thing at home with Alison. I don’t want to rock that relationship boat. I mean I love him, which is why I can’t move in with him.”
“Okay, but that’s really the best reason to move in with him.” I said softly.
She shook her head. “We’ve been dating for almost two years, and I do miss him when he’s not with me, but what if it doesn’t work out? I’ll lose him! I can’t take that chance. So, I told him no, that it was ridiculous for him to even ask.” She breathed a huge sigh, and laid her head in her hands.”
“Wow, Tamron. Quinn didn’t understand that?” I asked.
Alison huffed. “He would if she’d have just told him that. But no. All she told him was that last part about it being ridiculous. So to be honest, I can’t blame him, and that pisses Tamron off even more.”
I smiled at Tamron. She looked up at me between her fingers, like hiding from a scene in a movie you don’t want to see but can’t keep from looking.
“Tamron, it’ll be all right. I’m sure it’ll all work out in the end, as long as you keep your heart open to Quinn. And you know Alison and I are always here for you.”
I walked around the counter to give her a hug, noticing the tears in her eyes. She wiped them away and hugged me back. I hoped she might be ready to talk to Quinn, but as we pulled apart, he walked through the kitchen to get a beer and didn’t even look at her.
He made a point to say hi to Alison and me though, and I could tell some real damage had been done. I felt the chasm between them as stark as if I were standing in one for real. Quinn grabbed two beers then made his way back into the living room.
Tamron leaned back against the counter with a sigh. “It’s probably too late to fix it now. I can’t tell him all of that anyway. He won’t understand. It’s just . . . God, I can’t lose him.”
“You’re going to lose him, if you don’t explain it to him, Tamron. You have to at least try,” I told her with Alison nodding in agreement.
She closed her eyes and shook her head. I knew she probably wasn’t ready to talk to Quinn, but she looked like she was getting there, and I hoped she would be soon.
We spent the afternoon talking about all we had missed while away from each other. I told the girls about my trip to Hawaii with Emmett. They listened intently as I told them about Alec’s memorial. I grabbed my phone and showed them pictures of Alec’s lantern. Neither one asked me what I had written on my panels. They knew it was something just between Alec and me. But they each squeezed my hands as I spoke about Emmett and I drawing strength from each other, as we set his lantern afloat in the ocean. I’m sure they were relieved we’d been able to finally say goodbye and get some closure.
Emmett walked into the kitchen and grabbed two more beers then went back outside. I wanted to join him so I could catch up with John, too.
“So, guess who’s here.” I said, smiling.
“Well, don’t keep us waiting. Who?” Tamron asked.
But Alison was already up and walking to the back doors. “It’s John!” she squealed.
“Here? Now? Really?” Tamron asked as she followed Alison outside.
Emmett and John were sitting on the brick wall surrounding the back yard. I walked up to Emmett and nestled between his legs, while the girls ambled up to John. He had enough time to jump down before they threw their arms around him and hugged him tight.
“Tamron, Alison . . .” he said, laughing. “It’s good to see you.”
They started into twenty questions—when did he get there, why didn’t he say he was coming? Did he have a girlfriend up there in Alaska, and if so, they wanted all the details about her, and they would need to make sure she knew the consequences of hurting him.
I smiled up at Emmett as he looked down at me with a glint in his eye.
“Those girls never change,” he said and we both chuckled.
“Hey Emmett,” Alison and Tamron said in unison, still standing with John’s arms around them.
“No, there’s no girlfriend,” he finally answered. “But there are girls,” he continued at their surprised expressions. “I do date, for fuck’s sake. I just haven’t found one that I want to have around on a regular basis. That’s all.”
Emmett cleared his throat. “There’re lots of fine, southern girls down here in Alabama and Georgia, you know.”
I motioned around at all of us. “Plus, we’re all here. If you’d just stay down here permanently.” I added.
“Never gonna happen, my friends,” John answered. “I love Alaska. I’ll keep coming down here for the heavy winter months, but Alaska is my home, and
if I were to find a fine, southern girl, she would have to travel with me between here and Alaska.”
We all laughed as Riley and Quinn walked through the back door. Riley walked up to Alison, and Quinn fired up the grill. I could sense Tamron’s tension from across the yard. Man, I understood her hesitation, but I knew first hand it was better to be honest about your feelings, rather than keep it in, no matter what happened.
I went inside to grab a couple sodas. Tamron followed me in with a look of panic I’d never seen before. She shook her head when I started to ask what was wrong, and I realized she likely just needed a breather.
As the afternoon crept on, Quinn had slowly inched his way closer and closer to Tamron. I had a feeling he wasn’t going to let things stay the way they were between them for long. Tamron was going to have to talk to him, and soon. Trouble was, she was nowhere near ready. I handed her the tray of hamburgers and hot dogs, and she grew more panicked than ever.
“Tamron, this is the best way to break the ice between you two. He has the grill ready. Just hand this to him and say ‘hi’ or ‘here ya go.’ You don’t have to engage in real conversation yet. He still has to cook. But you’ll at least have something other than silence to step you two closer to actually hashing out your problems. Remember, this all started because he wanted y’all to move in together. He loves you. It’ll all work out.”
She nodded and, in normal Tamron fashion, stood tall and walked out the back door, looking confident and ready. I smiled, hoping they’d be okay. Their relationship was one of the most rock-solid that I knew, and it made me feel very uneasy, for them to be in turmoil.
I gathered more drinks into a cooler and carried it outside. Emmett watched me with that same look he had upstairs in his old room. A chill ran through me as I thought of his arms wrapped around my body and his mouth kissing mine, softly at first, then turning hungry and greedy. With a shake of my head, I snapped myself from the sexy daydream. Man, just a look from him had me all hot and bothered. If it hadn’t been for the company we were in, I would have rushed that barbeque along, too.
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