A Second Chance in the Show Me State - Jessie Gussman Page 0,15

faced me shoulder to shoulder.”

Tears sprang to Emerson’s eyes, and her heart clenched. She’d never seen her boys stand shoulder to shoulder, but she loved the sound of that. It was the way brothers were supposed to stand.

“I think...” Reid blew a breath out. “I think they deserve the chance to grow up with each other, even if that’s less convenient for you and me.” Reid’s voice, too, had no arrogance at all in it. Just a humble recognition that what he thought had been the best maybe wasn’t.

She admired that. He was stubborn, and the man had more pride than a porcupine had stickers, but he’d also been able to admit that he was wrong.

Most of the time.

She could too.

“Well, we’ve always agreed that we wanted the best for our children. I’d love to figure something out. But it doesn’t need to involve me coming to St. Louis.”

“I think it does. No one is hurt, but I think you need to be here.”

“What are you not telling me?” Her fingers twisted in the bedsheets. Was there something else? Something he didn’t want to say over the phone?

“I’ve never lied to you, and I’ve never been dramatic. And I’m not doing that now. I just think you need to come. You don’t have to, and I’m not telling you to, I’m just...asking. Emerson, please come home.” There was a slight pause before he added quickly, “Just for a month.”

Emerson’s head came off the wall, and she stared straight ahead at the gaping opening that led to the master bath without really seeing it.

Was Reid begging?

It sure sounded like it. He hadn’t mentioned the boys in those last few lines. He just asked, begged, for her to come home.

She thought about the project she was working on. She liked to think she was invaluable in her work.

But Sherman was just as involved in it as she was. Maybe not because of interest, but because he had ulterior motives, with his designs on her. She wasn’t blind about that. But she hadn’t flattered herself that it was really because of her.

After all, whoever married her would be inheriting the vast fortune that her dad had amassed, since he’d gotten lucky with stocks and futures shortly after she and Reid had gotten married.

He’d turned it into a business, a profitable one and a large one with a lot of money now.

She was good at what she did. Even if it wasn’t what she’d originally wanted to do with her life, she didn’t want to walk away from it or give it up. Even for a month.

In her mind, she pictured her boys standing shoulder to shoulder. They looked just like Reid did at that age.

Reid’s tone rang in her head—the pleading when he’d asked her to come.

She wanted to see her boys together. But more than anything, she wanted to see Reid.

He’d asked. She could give a little too.

Sherman could take her place for a while.

For a month.

“I’ll need to make some arrangements.” With the fuel shortage, she wasn’t entirely sure she would get a flight anyway. “I’ll do what I can. And I’ll let you know if I’m able to make it.” She thought about telling him to book a flight for Dallas in case she couldn’t, but she’d get on it and see what she could do first.

After Dallas got off the airplane by himself, she wasn’t sure how she felt about him flying alone anyway. They were blessed nothing had happened to him. Kids disappeared every day.

“Fair enough. I’m gonna drive home, and I’ll watch for an email.”

“Okay.”

She hung up without saying anything more. Maybe she should’ve asked to talk to the boys, but...maybe she’d be seeing them both. How long had it been since she’d seen them together? Years.

And she could see Reid. She closed her eyes and dropped her head back against the wall again, fingering her phone and wondering if what she just agreed to was the stupidest thing she’d ever done.

Chapter 5

Reid stood in the airport hall. Familiar, especially since it had been just three weeks ago that he’d been waiting on Houston to come down the hall.

He fingered his cowboy hat, running the brim through his hand unconsciously.

Emerson’s plane had landed. She would come around the corner any minute. It had been years since he’d seen her.

His stomach tightened and curled.

It had been years since she’d seen him.

Once they’d been best friends, soulmates, and lovers.

Now, what would she see when she looked at him?

The question