wine?” Jack shook his head. “No. I never liked wine that much. I liked beer and hard alcohol, but I’m never indulging in either of those again.” He poured wine into the empty glass and handed it to her. “I thought we should make a toast.”
Emma took the glass and then he reached for his glass of juice. “To what?” she asked.
“To a lot of things. But mostly to how amazing you are. The event is tomorrow, and it’s going to touch a lot of lives. You decided to do something, and you did it, whereas a lot of people just talk about doing things.”
“Thank you, Jack.” She looked away shyly.
It was hard to stay mad at her. He didn’t blame her for her assumption. That was the downside to telling people about his struggle with alcohol. If he’d never told her, she wouldn’t have thought anything about him pouring wine into a glass. But then he would’ve had to make an excuse not to drink the wine himself. The old DD excuse could only work so long.
“To you,” he said, lifting his glass and waiting for her to tap hers against it.
She did, and then she added. “To you as well.”
Jack gave her a questioning eyebrow lift. “Me?”
“You’re equally amazing. You stepped up for your sister and took your nephew in this summer. You helped me. You’re like a small town superhero.”
He grinned. “Except I can’t fly. Superheroes should fly.”
She tapped her glass to his, and they both took a sip of their drinks to complete the toast.
Jack set his glass down and took Emma’s from her hand to put it safely on the counter. Then he pulled her close, looping his arms around her waist. “Correction. Maybe I can’t fly like Superman, but I feel like I’m flying when I’m with you.”
She tilted her head. “Aww.”
Jack contained his grin. “Not trying to get mushy on you. Just trying to tell you how I feel.”
“And how is that?” she asked.
“Flying and falling at the same time.” He watched her pupils grow large. “Or the falling feels like flying. I guess I’m trying to tell you that I’m falling for you, Emma. I’ve been falling for a long time, and I don’t ever want to hit bottom.”
She blinked up at him, her lips slightly parted. Judging by her expression, he’d done a miserable job of telling her he was falling in love with her. Maybe she hadn’t even gotten the message.
“And I’m going to win your dad’s trust. He’ll be there tomorrow, and I’m going to be his running partner.”
Emma went wide-eyed. “You told me you don’t run.”
“Correction. I don’t like to run but I can.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Emma argued. “I’m not even sure how that would prove anything to my dad.”
“We’re men, Emma. This is how we prove ourselves.”
She leaned into him some more. “Well, you don’t need to prove yourself to me. I already know how wonderful you are.” She went up on her tiptoes and kissed him, driving him crazy with just this simple touch. He’d never liked wine, but he loved the bittersweet taste on her tongue.
“I’ve changed my mind about going to see the music. No one will miss us if we stay here,” he said.
“Great minds think alike,” she said in a soft voice. Then she kissed him again, and this time their hands explored each other’s bodies. They kissed and touched all the way to her bedroom, closing the door and barring one nosy dog.
Jack was once again flying and falling, hard and fast, slow and easy. Three little words hung on his lips. But his timing with Emma had always been off, and if he was going to tell her he loved her, he wanted the timing to be perfect.
* * *
Somewhere around eleven p.m., Jack woke in Emma’s bed. Emma stirred beside him. He really didn’t want to leave, but tomorrow was only a few hours away, and he had responsibilities at home.
He kissed her forehead and then her mouth. “Sorry to wake you, but I should head home just in case Amanda or Sam need me. I plan to get to the event early and make sure everything is in order for your big day.”
She smiled sleepily. “Thank you. You’re amazing.”
“No, that’s you. See you tomorrow, Em.” He stared at her face for a moment, wanting to say more. Then he peeled himself away and headed out, locking her door behind him.