Nerdy (Unexpected Lovers, #2) - J.B. Heller Page 0,19

into their seats, I double-check that I’ve packed everything I could possibly need, then I slide into the driver’s seat. “Ready to roll, ladies?”

Hazel claps her hands excitedly, and Ever hoots, “Yessssss, Bash, let’s dow!”

By the time I find a parking garage close to Emory’s building, it’s ten minutes to ten. I assemble the double stroller, secure the girls inside it, then hot-foot it to Emory’s building. She’s sitting at a table in a small coffee shop in the lobby when we walk in, and her eyes sparkle with humor when they land on me.

My heart pounds against my ribs at the sight of her. She’s so wildly beautiful. “Hey,” I say as we approach.

“Hi.” She smiles at me then shifts her focus to the girls in the stroller. “Nice to see you again, Everly. And you too, Hazel.”

Ever beams at her. “Hey, Emwee, we dowing shopping!”

Emory’s smile widens at my niece, and she feigns surprise. “Really? Can I come?”

“Otay!” Ever chirps. “Bash, Emwee is dowing shopping wit us!”

“Cool,” I say. “Should we take Emory in the car then?”

Ever nods. “Yep. Wet’s dow!”

Walking back to the parking garage, Emory asks, “You have a car?”

“Yeah, Storm and Jacob aren’t fans of the subway,” I explain. “Not for the girls, anyway—not at this age. Maybe when they’re older.”

“Hmm, fair enough, I guess. I don’t think I took public transport until I was twelve or thirteen. And even then, my parents preferred we used our driver.”

I arch a brow. “Your driver?”

“Yeah, Harrison was assigned to me and my closest brother since we had a lot of the same extracurricular activities. The older three boys shared one too, as did my parents,” she says.

Three drivers for one family? I side-eye her as we wait for my car to be brought up. “And you accused us of being the Kennedys,” I joke.

A pretty blush tints her cheeks as she averts her gaze. “We’re not Kennedy level,” she mumbles then licks her lips and glances at me from beneath her lashes. “I thought you knew who I was?”

“I do,” I say. “You’re Emory Moss, book blogger extraordinaire.”

She nods, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip for a brief moment before she says, “I am, but I’m also Emory Moss of Moss Publications Incorporated.”

My jaw drops. How did I not make that connection myself? What a fucking moron.

“My brothers all work for the company, but I couldn’t. I love words. They’re in my blood, but...” She pauses, seemingly thinking over how to explain herself.

Placing my hand on her arm, I tell her, “You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Emory.”

She looks down at what she’s wearing: a pair of fitted, dark-blue jeans, a long-sleeved gray shirt that says Bookish, and a scarf that matches her jeans. “Thanks,” she says just as my car pulls up at our side.

I help Ever into the back seat and secure her belt, then I turn to retrieve Hazel, but Emory already has. She’s smiling as Hazel clutches fists full of her vibrant red hair, examining it.

“Careful,” I warn. “She’s liable to give it a good yank when you’re least expecting it.”

Untangling Emory’s hair from my niece’s tiny fist, I take her then transfer her into her car seat. But not before I hear Emory mutter something along the lines of, “I might like a little hair pulling.”

I’m glad I have a few minutes to myself as I collapse the stroller to get the semi that her comment spurred to life under control. Then, we’re on the road. The companionable silence lasts only a moment before Ever breaks it, singing at the top of her little lungs.

“God, she’s adorable.” Emory chuckles.

“Shh,” I hiss. “You’ll give her a big head.”

“Whatever you do, don’t let her lose that confidence,” Emory says, her expression belying the seriousness of her words.

Since I’m paused at a stop light, I can meet her gaze. “I won’t,” I assure her, and when she smiles softly, I get the distinct impression she was talking from experience. “You don’t strike me as a woman with confidence issues.”

“Not me. One of my girlfriends. She’s the most beautiful person on the planet—inside and out—but her family?” She takes a breath, shakes her head, and looks out the window. “They’re demeaning assholes.”

I like the way she’s so protective of her friend. It speaks volumes about her. Not that I needed any more convincing of Emory Moss’s character. The way she instantly understood my breakup with Jayla and getting that family has and always