Back to December (Ward Sisters Book 1) (35 page)

Em still felt guilty.

With extra hands, it was a quick effort. Furniture would wait until Josh moved out or until Em got a new place. Nonetheless, even though they only took a short sandwich break for lunch, they were still at the apartment when Josh came home from work.

“Em? You in here?” Josh yelled as he walked up the stairs.

“Up here, Josh,” she replied.

“Did you need help moving the boxes...” Josh began as he stepped into the room. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Liam. “This your boyfriend?” he asked, strain and a slight tinge of annoyance in his voice.

Liam looked at Em funny. He wasn't used to anyone not knowing who Rob was. Emily knew Josh paid very little attention to the who of the guy in the video. He just knew that Rob was an actor and that he had brown hair. The fact that Liam was a good five or six inches shorter than Rob wasn't something Josh would have bothered to register.

“No, Josh. Rob is in California. This is Liam. He's my friend and my bodyguard.”

Liam stuck out his hand and said hello and Josh responded in kind.

“You have a bodyguard?” He sounded concerned, just as her mother had.

“The photographers can be pretty aggressive.”

“Have they bothered you that much?”

“Sometimes. You get used to it to some extent, but Liam is around to keep them from bothering me if I don't want anything to do with them. Which I never do. Today was uneventful, thankfully.”

Josh shook his head. “Just doesn't sound like you, Em.”

“Having a bodyguard? I didn't ask for one. No offense, Liam. You know I adore you.”

“None taken,” Liam replied.

“No, I meant saying that you get used to that crap. I wouldn't have guessed you'd be all about the celebrity,” Josh said.

“I'm not. That's why Liam is here. Because I don't want to talk to them. I meant that you get used to the new white noise, not that I liked them stalking me. It's like the difference between being in the city and being in the country. Both have sounds that are weird if you don't hear them all the time, but once you're used to them, you don't really notice anymore. The photographers are sort of like that, like the sound of firetrucks or a woodpecker. Although,” Em looked at Liam, “we had such a good week, I'd hate it if they showed up here in droves. It was nice to walk down the street again.”

“You can't even walk down the street?” Josh asked.

“It's complicated, Josh.”

“Seems pretty simple to me. Ditch the new boyfriend and all his drama and go back to your old, normal life.”

Liam twitched. “It's okay, Liam. Look, Josh, we're just here to pack up my stuff. If you want, we can come back tomorrow while you're at work again. I shouldn't need more than another day or so. Then I'll be out of your hair.”

“No, it's fine. I've got plans to go out, anyway. Just lock up when you leave. It was nice to meet you, Liam. Bye, Em.”

And with that, he turned and left to go to their old bedroom, presumably to get changed for his night out. That in and of itself was a surprise; he'd never gone out with Em unless he had little choice.

“What do you want to do?” Liam asked.

“Let's just seal these two boxes, load the car and then head back to the hotel. I'll take you to my favorite sushi place for dinner. They have cooked food, too.”

Liam nodded and in a few minutes, they were carrying boxes to Emily's car. Everything but the necessities were headed to storage and she didn't plan to rent a truck.

When they brought the last packed boxes downstairs, Em heard Josh call her name. Liam hesitated. Em told him it was fine, she'd meet him in the car. He reluctantly complied. She went to the kitchen, where Josh leaned against the counter, dressed in jeans and a nice shirt she had bought him two years ago, one he'd never worn.

“Did you need something?” she asked.

“Emily, what are you doing?”

She sighed. “What do you want, Josh?”

“I'm concerned about you. This isn't like you.”

“Breaking up with you and not wanting to live with you afterward?”

“No, this whole thing. Crisscrossing the country to be with your boyfriend, attending high-profile parties and events, riding in limos instead of walking or driving your own car. And what's going on with your hair?”

That did it. “Look, Josh, this isn't about you. This isn't even about Rob. This is about
me
. I was ready to move on a long, long time ago but I had no idea how to do that. Meeting Rob isn't what sent me over the edge. I was already there, hanging on by my fingers. Rob just helped me see that I'm more than what my mother wants me to be. I knew that once. He just reminded me. So stop passing judgment.”

“It's just not like you.”

“How the hell would
you
know? You never knew me! Not the real me. You just knew the me my mother showed you. Somehow, you liked her enough to stick around. God knows why, I sure as hell am glad to see her leave.”

“So, what, your whole life before loverboy was crap?”

“No! But there were so many parts of it that were not me. I've got a lot of sorting to do before I figure out which ones were me and which ones were my mother's creation. And that has nothing to do with Rob. Meeting him was a happy coincidence.”

Josh winced. “Thanks.”

“I didn't mean it like that, Josh. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad or to tell you that you meant nothing to me. But the truth is, you and I were probably a big mistake from the beginning.”

“You honestly think that?”

“Yes. I do. What did we ever really have in common?”

“I don't know, I thought at least between the sheets we had it good.”

Emily didn't say anything. Before she met Rob, she would have agreed with him. It had been good. Relatively speaking, it had been great. Until she knew that it could be better. She couldn't look at Josh, Em knew that he'd know.

“Em. Look at me.” She reluctantly looked at him. “You're telling me we had a bad sex life? That you were, what, faking it for five years?”

“No.” What more could she say that wouldn't hurt his feelings?

Josh shook his head. “Right. Once you've slept with a movie star, everything else is second rate.”

“It has nothing to do with his job, Josh.”

“Keep telling yourself that. Keep telling yourself that how you've changed has nothing to do with him and his fame.”

Emily sighed. “I don't know why you can't all just try to see him the way I do, that he's more than his job! How I feel about him, how he makes me feel, it has nothing to do with his profession! You know what, I don't need to justify any of it to you. Stop asking it of me! I'm going to go before I start saying things I can't take back. I care about you. I want you to be happy. But I don't love you anymore. You and my family just need to get over it, sooner rather than later. I'll be back tomorrow. I'm taking the morning off to finish packing. And if you want me to get my furniture out, too, I will. Just send me an email. Goodbye.”

Em turned on her heel and was nearly out the door when Josh's voice stopped her.

“He'll break your heart.”

Without turning, she said, “It's a chance I'm willing to take.”

They avoided Josh the next day and finished packing. Josh emailed Emily to let her know that the furniture could stay there until the lease was out or she got a new place. They'd deal with divvying up the furniture whenever one of them was ready to move big items again.

The rest of the week was quiet. If there were ever photographers around, Em didn't see them. She talked to Rob occasionally during the day and they Skyped every night. A couple of times, they made sure to have complete privacy so their time could be a little more intimate. It wasn't a good substitute for being together, but it was better than nothing.

A couple of days in, Em received a midday text from Rob that said:

Miss you terribly. Now I know why people are dumb enough to send racy texts and pix. Hope this gets you through the week...

She was afraid to look at the photo, in case it was something that shouldn't be seen by anyone but her. Curiosity won and she closed her office door before she opened the photo. What she saw was a beautiful picture of the two of them on the beach in Malibu. Their foreheads touched and Rob had his arms around her. She replied:

Who took the picture? I love it. I miss you, too.

Rob responded immediately:

Not sure. Either Liam or Rick. Found it on my phone. At least I have a pic of you in a bikini...

That made Em smile. She desperately missed him and needed that boost.

:) And now I have one of you shirtless. I can imagine the rest. ;)

His reply was instantaneous:

I'll promise to show you the rest tonight if you show me...

Emily laughed and got a little heated at the same time. She texted:

It's a deal. Now I can't concentrate. Too busy imagining...

Right back at you. I'll count the hours... I love you.

Ditto. <3 Back to work.

How did anyone endure this kind of separation in the days before instant messages and video calls? Even that wasn't enough, but it was something to get through the days.

Park City, Utah, three weeks after New Year's...

Emily had hoped to see Meg while she was home, but she was at a conference that week. Em had spoken to Meg and Charlie numerous times in recent weeks, so she didn't feel
that
out of touch. But her parents had only called intermittently. Charlie said her mother was still annoyed about the whole situation, particularly Emily's argument with Annie. Em hadn't spoken to Annie once since then. Her sister had called a couple of times, but Emily refused to answer and Annie didn't leave a message. She could only assume it wasn't critical.

Before Em knew it, her time back in Maine came to a close. She and Liam made their way to the Jetport at the crack of dawn on Monday to catch an early flight to Salt Lake City. They had one layover in Chicago. Rob had a car take them to the house in Park City when they arrived in Utah.

Fortunately, they got a flight that landed in Utah just after lunch local time. It meant they had plenty of time to get settled before Em had to prep for her interview with the avant-garde filmmaker, Ronin Edgars. His film screening was scheduled for that evening and she'd interview him afterward. While in Maine, Em polished the gallery profile material and sent it for publication, then prepped for the interview with Ronin Edgars. She utilized her flight time and went over her interview questions, though she assumed there might be others once she saw the film.

As the car traveled through the Wasatch Mountains, Emily sighed in appreciation. It had been beautiful in summer, but the snow added a whole other layer. It was like driving through the White Mountains in New Hampshire, but the scenery was on steroids: mountains towered and loomed as you got closer; roads wound at highway speeds; emergency lanes had inclines for when trucks couldn't stop. She felt so tiny and it was both scary and exhilarating.

When they arrived in Park City, they passed the Olympic center and Em recalled how, in July, it seemed funny that it was located there. Now, it looked like the perfect place. Though she had been there before, things only appeared vaguely familiar. Winter changed the face of the area. She supposed it was like that where she lived, too, she had just never noticed.

They pulled into a house near downtown and Em was surprised that Rob wanted to stay somewhere with less privacy than she would have expected. But given the proximity to town and the ski slopes, she imagined that was the motivation. After all, it would be easier to get to the film festival events and skiing would be more accessible. Besides, he wasn't the only famous face in town this week.

Emily and Liam had barely stepped out of the car and Rob ran toward her, scooped her into his arms and spun her around.

“Hey! Don't spin me too fast! I'm not sure I've adjusted to the altitude, yet!”

Rob put her down and kissed her. “I missed you so much. I can't believe it's been less than a week. It felt like a century.”

She hugged him and kissed him back. “I know what you mean. Let's get inside. I'm wearing travel clothes and it's cold out here!” The three of them grabbed the bags and they made their way into the rental.

The place was bigger than it looked and it had a great view of the mountains from its deck. Rob promised that he would show her around the house, but first, before they could get further than the door, she was engulfed by the Deacons.

Kelly and Amy both ran up to her for big hugs and told her how excited they were that she'd be with them for a few days. They made sure to give Liam some love, too. Raoul shyly hugged her and kissed her cheek, saying it was great to see her again. Rick, who had patiently waited for his turn, hugged Emily and picked her up off her feet like his father had when she met Pat.

“It's a good thing you're here,” he said when he put her down. “Brian said he was a big baby all week.”

“Oh shut up, Rick. You said you didn't realize that you missed her until after you were home a couple days,” Rob teased.

Kelly looked at him. “Something I should know?”

Rick blushed. “No. I got used to her being around every day. It was weird not to put up with those two. And I said I didn't realize I missed
you guys
, not just Emily.”

Kelly kissed his cheek. “It's okay. I missed her, too.” She winked at Emily, who smiled. “Let's get you and Liam settled and you can join us for lunch. I'm sure you're starving. Plane food stinks these days and you're far past lunch time, right?”

Em nodded. “Is there a plan for dinner tonight? Because I've got that premiere for Ronin Edgars' movie this evening.”

“Rob mentioned that, so instead of trying to eat out tonight, which will be a zoo, we're making dinner here. Amy and I went to the grocery store earlier. Which means you and Rob have plenty of time to get reacquainted in between.” Kelly winked and Emily blushed. “Oh don't tell me that you weren't both thinking it as soon as you saw one another.”

Rob laughed. “Let's get you settled.” She followed as he carried her bags to a huge master bedroom with a king-sized bed.

“We didn't get the only king, did we?”

Rob grinned. “Should I be jealous that you're thinking of my brother and his needs in bed?”

“Ha-ha. I was just thinking that he's taller than you and he probably can't sleep in a queen.”

“I know what you were thinking. I was asking if I should be jealous.”

Emily took off her coat and snaked her arms around his neck. She kissed him, slow and deep and sensual. When she pulled away, she said, “What do you think?”

Rob shook his head, backed her toward the bed, shed layers of their clothes as he went and kissed her again.

“There are three king beds in this house.” His lips nipped her neck. “Only Liam is stuck with a queen.” He pulled her shirt over her head. “Now stop worrying about the rest of them, and show me how much you missed me.” Emily fell back on the bed when Rob lightly pushed her.

“What makes you think I missed you?” she asked.

Rob slid his body over Em's and pressed himself into her center, his mouth hovered just over hers. She moaned.

“That.”

Neither of them said anything else for a long time.

When they finally returned to the kitchen, everyone laughed. Emily blushed and Rob put his arms around her.

“Ignore them. They're just jealous.”

Kelly was wistful. “Yeah. Missed you sex is only second to makeup sex.” Rick picked up his wife and threw her over his shoulder. “What are you doing?” she squeaked.

“Showing you that 'no kids for a week' sex is the best of all.” She giggled and the two of them disappeared.

Amy looked at Raoul and said, “I'll gladly go with you to the bedroom, but don't you
dare
put me over your shoulder like a caveman. My brother is a Neanderthal.”

Everyone else laughed, but Raoul blushed. Amy grabbed his hand. “Oh, come on, you big baby.” And the two of them wandered off, as well.

Em looked over at Liam. “You're stuck with us again and without a woman.”

“Don't worry, Liam. Reggie will be here in a few days,” Rob said.

“Again with the whoring. I don't need your help.” He looked down. “I already talked to her.”

Rob and Emily both chuckled. Em said, “We'll keep you company for a little while, until they're all done.”

Liam looked at her. “You think they'll be done anytime soon? The four of them have kids at home. Rick has five. Today isn't a ski day. That means it's a sex day.”

Em laughed. “Like you'd know what that's all about?”

“Trust me, I hear enough complaints from Rick about how little time they get in the bedroom. It's a sex day.”

Rob nodded. “He's right. We might not see them until dinner.”

Liam shook his head. “You know what, I'm headed into town. You don't need me and I'll just be a third wheel. I've heard enough of you two having sex. I think I'll pass this time. Especially since I won't be able to escape other people getting laid when I'm sitting here with three couples who all really want to be having sex instead of hanging out with me. I'm going to get in some ski runs while I have a chance to see the harder trails. I'll be back in time for dinner so I can go with Em to that screening. Later.” And with that, he put on his parka and walked out the door.

Rob looked at Em. “Much as I want to take you back to bed, I think our stomachs will be happier if we eat lunch first. We can reacquaint ourselves for a while after.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Em smiled.

Ronin Edgars' film was...interesting. He had started as a cinematographer, so he also did the camera work. Em didn't know that much about cinema, so she couldn't say for sure if he was actually a gifted filmmaker. But many of the shots were creative, taken from odd perspectives and interesting angles.

So, she reviewed her list of questions, ditched a couple generic ones and added in a few that addressed why he chose those shots. It was outside her usual box to make changes last-minute and she liked this new edge to her work.

By the time her turn came to interview him, Ronin seemed ready to be done and tired of the same questions over and over. Instead of leading with the pre-planned questions, Em decided to ask about the camera work and the shot choices, particularly a few that had struck her as notably modern and, therefore, of relevance to
Art Wurks
' readers. His attitude immediately did a 180. The conversation was going so well, his people had to remind him that he still had a couple of interviews left.

He stood to walk her out, which she found unusual.

“Hey, what are you doing after this?” Ronin asked.

“I'm headed back to our rental. Why?”

“Who are you staying with?”

“My boyfriend and his family.”

“Oh. You've got a boyfriend? Sure you don't want to ditch him and come hang with me instead?” he asked with a wiggle of his brows.

Em smiled. “Thanks for the offer, really, but I'll have to decline. I take it you don't know who my boyfriend is?”

“Nope, sorry. I don't make it a habit to get bios on all my interviewers. Why, should I?”

“Do you know Rob Deacon?”

“Yeah. Actor. Has some silly stage name. Why, he your boyfriend?” Em nodded. “Ah. I see. So you're the one they keep talking about. Saw a picture of you from the Globes. You're even hotter in person.”

Em laughed. “Thanks. I think.” They were at the door. “Good luck on the festival circuit. I'm sure I'll see you around sometime.”