Page 38 of Therefore
His lips brushed mine, sealing a promise I fully trusted him to keep.
“Thank you. But how are you doing with the Harris stuff?” He raised an eyebrow at me. “Sorry, I just mean you worked with him for a while, right?”
Emerson nodded solemnly. “Years. We started at the firm as interns together, fresh out of university. He never mentioned being in any relationship, let alone with someone like Fisher…”
“It’s possible he was hiding it as long as he knew you.”
“Exactly.” He sighed against me. “I don’t know if or when he changed, or whether he was always like that and I just didn’t care enough to see it.”
I curled into him, gently rubbing my cheek against the skin exposed by his open collar. Scenting him this way made my omega purr, and I hoped it soothed his alpha, too. It was a strange way to comfort someone, but it felt right instinctually.
“You couldn’t have changed his mind, Emerson. He was dedicated to her, no matter what.”
Eventually, the rhythmic sounds of Emerson’s breathing, along with the stress of the past day, sent me back to sleep. Turns out, I really did sleep better with him around, even in a hospital. It was like my body had finally come out of fight or flight after so many years, and I could simply exist.
By the time I came round again, someone else was in the room talking to Emerson. He wasn’t being unnecessarily hostile, so not a doctor here for more “just in case” tests. That left…
“Hey, Trys. Good to see you awake.” Bee grinned at me. “But damn, you look like shit.”
“Aww, that means we finally match.”
“Oh, so witty.” They rolled their eyes, then leaned down to grab a tote bag and held it up like Simba at Pride Rock. “Guess that means you’re not interested in a bag of clean clothes to go home in?”
“I take it all back, oh gracious bringer of pants.”
Bee’s arrival apparently made Emerson comfortable enough to go check in on Pearl and fetch us some decent coffees from across the street. It warmed my heart to see him so accepting of my best friend.
While we had a few minutes alone, I had something I needed to say to them. “I forgot to say it yesterday, but thanks for finding me, Bumble. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”
Bee scratched the back of their neck, a crooked smile across their face. “Eh, alpha-man gets most of the credit. But he wouldn’t have known you were gone so quickly without me, so I’ll take that instead. I’m your unintentional number one stalker.”
A laugh burst out of me. Emerson would definitely have something to say about not being ranked first. “Ooh, there’re ranks amongst my stalkers now. How exciting. I should make you all t-shirts now that I’m out of a job.”
“Or you could shut up and get some rest, idiot,” Bee said, oddly seriously. “I need you out of here and ready to work so we can start that P.I. thing for real.”
I did a double take. “Wait, you really wanna do that?”
They shrugged their shoulders non-committedly, but their smile betrayed their excitement. “I kinda like the sound of legitimate income. Plus, with some of our new contacts, getting clients should be a breeze.”
They had a point. I’d initially dismissed the idea a few days ago as a manipulation from Emerson to get me out of thievery. Now that I understood his motivations, and my favourite partner seemed up for it, could it really be worth a shot?
Emerson came back in before I could give an answer. Bee just waved it off with, “Have a think about it.”
A doctor came by to discharge me not long after. It was a relief to change into some clean clothes and be heading somewhere familiar. Pearl had to stay another night, but the nightmare was over.
Emerson opened the passenger door for me, ever the gentleman. “Ready to go home?”
“Definitely. But we’re going to my home, right?”
“I just thought since the last time you were there…and, you know, because my place is bigger—”
“I really want to be back in my own bed for a bit,” I admitted. “Pretty sure if we went to yours, I’d never leave, and I can’t say I’m ready to move in just yet. But I’d really appreciate it if you stayed with me tonight.”
It would be tough going back to a flat where I was drugged and kidnapped, but it was also the place where my alpha had claimed me. It had as many good memories as it did terrible ones, and I knew which I wanted to focus on for a change.
Emerson’s hands circled my waist, his patchouli scent flaring as he caught my lips in a toe-curling kiss in the car park. I fistedthe lapels of his jacket as I returned the kiss, half-tempted to ask if we could use the back seat before we left.
Instead, I let him pull away enough to speak against my lips. “Anything you want, love.”
