I hoped that we could sit down and talk calmly like adults. I hoped that we could find our way through this in a way that left us both able to face the future.
I met Peter out in the parking lot. My cousin had already gone inside but Peter, catching sight of me, stopped and hung back. I walked up with my gift in hand. “Hey! How’s the happy groom-to-be?”
Peter clapped his hand on my shoulder. “Nervous as hell.”
“Ah. What’s there to be nervous about? You’ve found yourself an amazing woman.”
He grinned and nodded. “It’s not her I’m nervous about. It’s living up to deserving her that makes me think twice. It’s a tall order.”
I hesitated, smiled and congratulated him, a sudden inexplicable knot of emotion in my throat. Why had that simple statement of anxiety choked me up?
I followed my uncle in and glanced over his shoulder at the party that was already partially seated at the table at the private room they had rented to us. When we arrived, everyone stood up. My eyes were sifting through the group of people—Britt, Rik and their kids, Heath, Liam—when a hand grasped my arm and I turned.
“Adam,” Kim said, smiling up at me, and then taking me in a tight hug.
I hugged her back. “Congratulations to the lovely bride.”
“Thank you. And…there’s someone here who I think you might like to see?”
I smiled to cover the nervous jitters inside, pulling back from the hug. “I think you’re absolutely right.”
Kim gave me an encouraging smile. “She just went to the bathroom. She’ll be right back.”
I let out a tight breath and turned around to watch the entryway. She was standing there, frozen in her spot, staring at me. I stood still, taking her in.
She wore dark colors, black jeans and a dark grey shirt. But nothing on her head because it was covered with a thick layer of her own hair. It was short, but it looked almost as if she’d cut it that way. And her natural eyebrows, although thinner, were back. And her skin…it glowed with healthy color.
She took a hesitant step toward me, a shy smile on her mouth.
I stepped toward her at the same time she stepped toward me and we met in the middle distance between us. “Hey,” she said, and she leaned forward as if to hug me, but when I didn’t reach out to hug her, she swayed back, a question in her eyes.
“Hey,” I said, throwing a glance at the table and the eight pairs of eyes all fixed on us.
Emilia’s gaze followed mine and she laughed. “Wow, it’s like we are a reality show or something.”
With her thus distracted, I leaned down and gave her a peck on the cheek before turning to sit at the table. Without a word, she sat across from me. We spent most of that meal engaged in a full table conversation about the upcoming nuptials, teasing the bride and groom, discussing various memories. Kim told some stories from Emilia’s childhood and I found out some new things about her. My cousins got revenge on me for some of the things I said by sharing some embarrassing facts about me.
We laughed. It was fun.
But Emilia and I never had a chance to talk like I’m sure we were both hoping to. When it was time to get up and leave, it was after ten o’clock and there were things to do in the morning. Emilia had to help her mom. I stood beside her in front of the restaurant and people filed past us, giving us a wide berth to afford privacy.
Emilia looked up at me a little nervously. “I hope you’re doing okay. But I hope it wasn’t too okay without me.”
“I’m okay. But not too okay. And you?”
“Somewhat okay,” she said with a short nod. Then she came forward and, pulling herself up on her tiptoes, slipped her arms around my shoulders and kissed me on the cheek. “I missed you like crazy,” she whispered before pulling back. Then she reached into her bag and pulled out what looked like a gift, wrapped in tissue paper. “Open this when you get home tonight, please?”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out something I had for her. “You brought your laptop with you?” At her nod, I placed the flash drive in her hand. “Use this when you get back to your room tonight.” She looked down at it, frowning, and then nodded.
I leaned down and kissed her, this time on the mouth, but it was short, sweet. “Good night.”
Emilia stepped back and slowly made it to the car, looking down at her hand and then back at me before stumbling once again.
I went to my car and immediately tore the tissue off her gift. Holding it up to the dim light in the parking lot, I saw that it was a journal with a beautiful gold-embossed cover made to resemble an illuminated book from the middle ages.