And it was the first time in a long time she was feeling hopeful.
The thought of a future with her family didn’t seem so impossible anymore.
“You can catch up later,” Marie added from her spot in the doorway. She was pulling on her gloves and glanced over her shoulder. “Jack is welcome to join, of course.”
Henry stepped out and pulled the door shut behind him. He clapped his hands together and smiled. “Enjoy the ride, sweetheart. Don’t worry about us.”
She glanced between the four of them, her eyes lingering on Kyle, who had come around the back of the house, red-faced and smiling. Then, she turned back to Jack, who was still holding his hand out. Emma slipped a gloved hand into his, and he drew her closer. Wordlessly, he helped her climb onto the carriage and draped a blanket over her legs. After exchanging a few hushed words with Derek, he climbed in next to her, and they sat with their knees pressed against each other.
Emma tucked the blanket around both of their legs. “So, where are we going?”
“Just relax and enjoy the ride.”
Jack draped an arm over her shoulders and made a low whistling sound. A moment later, the carriage jostled beneath their feet, the sound of horses trotting reverberating inside her head. Emma twisted to look at her family, who all stood next to the front gate, waving at her.
Smiling, Emma turned back around and folded her hands in her lap. “When did you turn into such a cheesy romantic?”
Jack snorted, and a puff of air formed in front of him. “I’vealwaysbeen a cheesy romantic. I just hid it better when we were teenagers. I wanted you to think I was cool.”
Emma leaned into his side and inhaled. “I never thought you were cool.”
Jack’s chest vibrated with laughter. “Ouch. Way to make a man feel better about himself.”
Emma laughed. “I didn’t know you needed an ego boost.”
Slowly, she glanced up, pressed a kiss to his cheek, and lingered, enjoying the feel of his smooth skin beneath her mouth.
When she drew back, her face was a bright red, and she tried to hide it by coughing. “I’m sorry we haven’t had the chance to talk.”
Jack squeezed her shoulders. “I figured now was a good time. Since you had the afternoon and night to sort things out with your family.”
“We talked,” Emma admitted in a small voice. “I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do next.”
Jack twisted to look at her and took both of her hands in his. “I know we tried long distance before, and it wasn’t exactly a success.”
“That’s an understatement,” Emma teased breathlessly. “Look, Jack, I—”
“Let me just get this out before I lose my nerve,” Jack interrupted, pressing a finger to her lips. “I know a lot of things got in the way last time, including my pride, but I want you to know that if we give this another shot, it won’t happen again.”
Emma could’ve sworn she stopped breathing.
For years, she’d imagined what it would be like to have a second chance with Jack, to hear him say those words to her.
It felt different than she imagined, less rushed.
“Over the past few weeks, I tried to tell myself that it was just nostalgia at seeing you again, but the more time we’ve spent together, the more I realized how much I was lying to myself.”
Emma’s heart was pounding in her ears, and she was tempted to hide behind her fingers.
Or jump up and down in glee.
Was she in some kind of dream?
She didn’t want to wake up alone in her bed again.
Jack inched closer, and she could count every individual eyelash and see the sparkle in his eyes. “I want to give us another chance. Whether you decide to stay in Rockport or if you move back to the city. Whatever you decide, we’ll make it work.”
“You have a business to run.”
