Red Hot Reunion - Bella Andre Page 0,90

in the center of the quad, oblivious to students whizzing around her on their bikes, professors carrying armloads of files and books back to their offices, freshmen girls giggling as they gossiped about which boys in their dorms they currently had crushes on.

Ten years receded and she was standing in this exact spot. Watching her world break into a million pieces.

Looks like you’re having a big happy family Easter, aren’t you?

The memory of his words hit her as squarely in the gut as they had a decade ago. She should have run to him, made him understand that she didn’t want any part of the life she’d been groomed for. She should have said, “No, we’re the opposite of a big happy family. You’re my family, Jason. Just you.”

But when she was twenty-one she hadn’t said that, had she? All she’d wanted was for him to go away, she’d begged him to go away so that she could keep her safe, tidy life. God, what a little coward she was.

And when Jason had said,“Walter, it looks like you’ve found a much better candidate for your daughter,”

she hadn’t denied it, all she’d done was cry.

It was no wonder Jason had walked out of her life for ten long years. The question that had been tugging at her subconscious all week returned with a vengeance: Why had he come to the reunion? Had he been looking for her? And had he been simply looking for revenge? Or, possibly, a way to rekindle their love?

Emma desperately wanted to see him. To talk to him. Right now. She wanted to steel up that brand-spanking-new backbone of hers and ask him everything she’d been too afraid to ask. Lest he leave her.

“Tell me this is what you want and I’ll leave you alone,”he’d said. Ten years later, Emma desperately hoped for the chance to tell him the truth.

Because this time, she knew exactly whatshe wanted.

Jason Roberts. For life.

Twenty-Six

Jason took the steps two at a time. And then he saw her. He stopped cold, his heart taking off like a rocket inside his chest. One beam of sunlight shone through the clouds, lighting her hair up like a halo.

Jason grinned. Emma was definitely not a saint. Not even close, judging by the things she’d done with him this week.

Everything was going to be all right. He didn’t know why he knew it, how he knew it, he just did. The pressure was still on, but at the very least Jason knew his love for Emma wasn’t going anywhere, even if she justifiably stomped away at the first sight of him.

He moved away from the steps, and as his long legs ate up the distance between them she reached for her cell phone. He grinned again, knowing exactly who she was calling even before his phone buzzed in his pocket.

Waiting until he was standing directly behind her, he flipped open his phone and said, “Hello, Emma. I was hoping you’d call.”

She spun around so fast, her phone slipped out of her grasp and clattered on the cobblestones beneath their feet. Her face lit up and he wanted nothing more than to reach for her, to pull her against him, to soak up her warmth, her essence. But what was between them couldn’t be resolved with a kiss.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she said, softly, and his smile matched hers.

“I’ve been looking for you,” he said and she looked adorably confused.

“But no one knew where I was going.”

“I knew. Where else could you go?”

She bit her lip. “I need to apologize to you, Jason, for so many things.”

“No, I’m the one who needs to apologize.” He hated himself for what he’d almost done to her. She needed to know that.

It was the strangest thing, but in this moment that should have been so tense, so awful, she actually giggled. “Okay then, should we do rock-paper-scissors to decide who goes first?”

He couldn’t help it, he laughed too. And started counting. “One, two, three.” He made a fist and she held two fingers straight and open. “Rock to your scissors.”

“I guess that means round one goes to you, doesn’t it?”

There wasn’t anything hard in her words, but they were far too close to Jason’s inner thoughts during a week in which he’d wanted nothing but to crush Emma’s spirit. Instantly he sobered.

“We don’t need to do this,” he said, but she had sensed his abrupt mood change and she was already counting. “One, two, three.”

This time her hand was flat like