the quick movement. He was definitely drunk, but probably not over the legal limit. He was a big guy, which meant he could drink more than the average Joe. “Don’t wait up.”
* * *
Emma could hear her automatic coffee maker brewing a pot for her down the hall. She stared at the empty side of her bed. No Jack. At least she’d watched him go this time. He’d kissed her forehead and then her lips, telling her that he would let himself out.
Wouldn’t it have been nice to wake up with him this morning though? It’d been so long since she’d woken with a man in her bed that she might not have known what to do.
After several long moments, she got up, went to the bathroom, and then made her way toward the coffee as Barnaby trotted leisurely behind her. As she reached the kitchen, she flipped on the lights and jumped when there was a knock on her front door.
Who would be knocking at four a.m.? She stood frozen in her kitchen for a moment, only moving when the knock came again. She looked down at Barnaby, who obviously wasn’t fully awake yet either. “Now’s the time to be that guard dog you think you are,” she said quietly. Then she headed over to stare out the peephole, sucking in a breath when she saw Jack.
“What are you doing here?” she asked after she opened the door.
“This.” He stepped toward her and kissed her until she melted against him.
“No, really. What’s going on?” she asked once they came up for air. She stepped back, allowing him to come inside, and then closed the door behind him.
“Sam is taking your place at the café this morning. I wanted to wake up with you.”
Emma felt her heart skip a happy beat.
“I waited to knock until I saw your light come on. I wanted to catch you before you brushed your hair.”
Or her teeth. Emma slid a tongue over her teeth to do her own sort of cleaning.
“I thought if we can’t have the real thing, we could pretend…It worked before,” he said, charming every bone in her body.
She was still in her cotton shorts and T-shirt. Her hair was probably a sight to behold. She looked at Jack, who looked like he’d just rolled out of bed as well. “Now what?”
“Now we go back to bed and wake up together. We can take as long as we want. You don’t have anywhere to be, and neither do I.”
Emma smiled. “That sounds heavenly.”
Jack stepped toward her, locking his arms around her, engulfing her in his embrace. Then they headed down the hall and climbed into bed, disappearing under the sheets with tangling limbs. Emma wouldn’t mind waking up this way every morning. Forever.
* * *
At noon, Emma did the walk of shame into her café. Nina lifted a brow at her as Emma headed into the back room to put her bag away. She slipped an apron over her clothes and headed back out front.
“How was the morning?” Emma asked.
“I should ask you that,” Nina said.
“Thanks for opening.”
“Not a problem. Jack texted me last night before bed and said Sam would help.”
Emma shook her head and smiled. Had he planned this before they’d even made it to the bedroom last night?
“I wouldn’t have pegged Jack as such a romantic,” Nina said.
Emma grabbed a cloth and started wiping down the front counter. “Oh, he’s very romantic.”
When Nina didn’t come back with a witty comment, Emma looked over and met her dumbfounded expression. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were falling for him. Like, really falling for him.”
Emma paused. She’d resisted any feelings for Jack since he’d stood her up at her prom. They’d stepped safely back into the friend zone. But things had changed between them now.
She wanted a relationship. She wanted to fall in love and get married and have kids. There was nothing standing in the way.
Emma straightened. “I guess I am.”
Nina clapped a hand over her mouth. Then she flung open her arms and wrapped Emma in a huge hug. “I’m so happy for you. This is the best news.”
“Yeah.” Emma laughed as she pulled back.
“Does Jack feel the same way?” Nina asked.
“I…I don’t know. It’s too soon. I mean…” Emma shook her head. “We haven’t talked about our feelings really.”
“Well, actions speak louder than words. That’s what my mom always said, and it’s true. And his actions last night and this morning are of a man