hand. “In that case, I wish you luck in fixing things. I hope she listens to you.”
“Me too,” Connor said, shaking and then releasing his father’s hand.
Because he couldn’t imagine another hour without her in his life.
Chapter Sixteen
Emerson pulled up outside Connor’s building and stared upward in the direction of his apartment. She’d sat alone with her thoughts in her office for a little while after her meeting with Jake and Liv.
Words hadn’t come when she opened her phone to find messages from Connor about wanting to meet up with her. He’d thoughtfully stayed away from the distillery but had offered to meet her wherever she wanted.
His place was close by. It was private. No more spying from Connor’s dubious uncle.
While she’d be safer in her home, she needed somewhere to retreat to if the meeting didn’t go as she hoped.
She stepped out of her car and locked it, straightened her jacket, and walked into the building. As she entered the elevator, she thought of the night they’d spent together just last weekend, of the way he’d kissed her in the very spot she now stood. She’d never look at the mirrored walls the same way again.
Nerves fluttered in her stomach like trapped butterflies trying to escape, and goddamn if her palms weren’t a little bit sweaty.
The door to his apartment loomed down the corridor, and the walk down the gray carpet felt like the length of a mile. As she approached, she took a deep breath to steady herself, then knocked firmly.
Footsteps grew louder as he walked toward the door, and Emerson’s butterflies grew proportionately with the sound.
“Hey,” Connor said, pulling the door wide open so she could pass by. He reached for her but then pulled back. “Sorry. Habit. We should talk first.”
He looked as unhappy as she felt, and her first thought was how wonderful it would have felt to be wrapped in those strong arms of his, to rest her face against his chest while he held her.
“I agree.” She placed her purse on a hook by the door as she had gotten into the habit of doing.
Emerson walked to the living room and sat down on the leather sofa.
“Can I get you a drink? Wine or coffee or something?” Connor asked, rubbing his palms down the front of his jeans. Perhaps he was as nervous as she felt.
“No, I’m good, thanks.”
Connor joined her on the sofa, sitting close enough that she could feel the warmth that always emanated from him, but not close enough that they touched. The vibration was still there. The one she always felt when they were in each other’s orbit, the thing that had made everything feel so goddamn magical.
“How are you?” Connor asked earnestly. He studied her eyes and bit his lip as if concerned.
It wasn’t glib small talk; Emerson could tell the difference. “Not the greatest twenty-four hours of my life, not the absolute worst, but close.”
Connor put his arm along the back of the sofa. If she leaned into the cushion, his fingertips would be able to reach the ends of her hair. She loved when he played with it while they watched TV together.
“I’m sorry. For all of it. I confronted my dad this morning.”
While she hadn’t had any expectations of how their conversation would go, she hadn’t expected that. “What did he say?”
“He confirmed what you found out. It was never really about the distillery, it was always about your mom. He loved her, even though it was unrequited. More than he loved my mom. I think that’s why their marriage failed. My mom is an incredible woman, but she wasn’t the person my dad wanted to be with. My father was desperately unhappy.”
Emerson’s stomach flipped. “That’s so sad, for everyone involved.”
Connor shrugged. “Perhaps. Your mom married who she was meant to. Mom’s happy with Derek, and he’s the right guy for her. It’s just Dad.”
He reached for her hand, laid his fingers on hers, and the buzz of connection was just as strong as ever. “Fuck, I’m sorry.” He pulled his fingers away again. “It’s just…you’re here, which I am so fucking relieved about. And the last time you were here, it was the night we went to dinner, and we came back here, and…well. It’s like memory and habit and…I just want to hold you, and I want you to hold me back. And I wish I could go back to the beginning, to the airplane, and start this all off differently.” Connor leaned