I don’t know how long we sit like this, me crying and him offering comfort. Eventually, my tears dry up, and I lean back to look him in the eyes.
“I missed you,” I admit. “There were so many times I wanted to call, so many things I ached to tell you.”
Ghost cups my cheeks and presses a soft kiss to my lips. “I missed you too. So goddamn much.”
Resting my forehead against his, I ask, “Can we be friends? Can we move past all the hurt and be more than employer slash employee?”
He hesitates, and for a split second, I worry that he’ll say no, but when he replies, all my worry is chased away and replaced by warmth and relief.
“I’d love that, Em. More than you know.”
CHAPTER 21
GHOST
My girl. My Em.
“We’ll be fine, I promise.”
Ember stands near the front door, a concerned expression etched on her face while I talk to Anna, the clinic nurse Jackyl suggested we get to stay with Mom so we could have a night off. Anna is more than capable of handling things here at the house, I know that, but I’m not the one who needs convincing.
“I know,” I say, glancing at Em. “If you need anything, though, you know how to get a hold of me, right?”
“Oh, would the two of you just go,” Mom says from her perch on the couch. “Anna and I will be just fine, won’t we dear?”
“Yes, Mrs. West,” Anna agrees.
“See?” Mom says. “Go have fun. You deserve it.”
It’s been almost a week since the note arrived at the house, and I moved back in. Six days have come and gone since Ember and I talked about our past and agreed we’d be friends. We’ve settled into a comfortable routine, one I imagine we would’ve settled into years ago had we not parted ways, but I refuse todwell on that anymore. The past is just that, the past. It needs to stay where it belongs if there’s any hope for a future.
I fucking want a future with Ember. But friends first.
“Unless you want me to change my mind,” Ember begins. “I suggest we go.”
Not too long ago, the edge in her tone would’ve set me off, but not now. She’s worried about my mom, and that’s just one of the things I love about her.
Love?
Fuck, yes, love. Now that I’ve had time to process what went down, how we both felt afterward, I’ve realized that I never stopped loving her. Accepting that has made things so much clearer. Like why I’ve never found another woman to settle down with or why I gravitated to undercover work as a cop. It required no attachments, demanded it. It was easy.
“Okay, we’re going. Anna, call if you need anything,” I say again.
“I will.”
Ember and I walk outside, and anticipation fills me as we near my Harley. She’s the only girl to ever ride on the back of my bike, and I can’t wait to feel her thighs squeezing me, her arms wrapped around my waist.
“I haven’t been on a bike in forever,” she says, smiling wistfully at the machine.
“Good to know,” I say with a smirk. “C’mon.” I grab her hand and help her onto the seat before settling in front of her.
“Don’t wreck,” she teases.
“With you on the back? Never.”
The ride to the clubhouse is heaven and Hell all at the same time. Having her pressed so close, her breasts smashed against my back, was the best torture. What I wouldn’t give to have her naked, squirming beneath me, writhing in pleasure.
After parking in front of the clubhouse, I help her off the Harley, and she wobbles a little. “Ithasbeen a while, hasn’t it?”
