Emma wanted to tell him. She wanted to unload on him and rail about the many ways that life simply wasn’t fair sometimes. But again, what would be the point? There wasn’t anything he could do to fix the situation, and hearing that his uncle had offered her a job in Vermont would only get his hopes up for no good reason.

“I’d much rather enjoy this evening with you than dwell on things that upset me, if that’s all right with you.”

He studied her in that intent way of his, seeing her more clearly than anyone ever had before. “That’s all right with me. For now. But if something makes you sad, I want to know what it is.”

Emma took his outstretched hand and let him draw her onto his lap.

He wrapped his arms around her. “I can’t bear to see you sad.”

She closed her eyes against the rush of emotion. Wouldn’t it be nice to have him, to have this, every day for the rest of her life? Wouldn’t it be nice if he could be an actual father to Simone rather than “like a father” for a day? Wouldn’t it be so very, very nice to have it all?

She couldn’t have it all, but she had right now, and that was going to have to be good enough.

Chapter 27

I am in you and you in me, mutual in divine love.

—William Blake

From the second she came home with Simone, Grayson had sensed a change in Emma. Something was wrong. They’d shared their deepest secrets, so why wouldn’t she tell him what was bothering her? Had she changed her mind about him during the day they spent apart? Was she wishing she hadn’t allowed him to invade their home and their life in the city?

He wanted to relax and enjoy this evening he had planned for them, but how could he do that when she was obviously upset about something? Though he told himself to leave it alone the way she’d asked him to, he couldn’t do it.

“Em,” he said, running his fingers through her long hair, “I can’t stand that something’s upset you and I don’t know what it is.”

“I… It’s nothing to do with you. Not really.”

“Not really? Come on. Talk to me the way you have from that first night. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

She took a deep breath and looked up at him with those blue eyes that gave away her every emotion. “Lincoln offered me a job in Vermont.”

Grayson felt like he’d been sucker punched. “He did? When?”

“Today. He called and told me their admin, Mary, is leaving the company and asked if I might be interested in her job.”

“That cagey bastard,” Grayson said, smiling.

“Did you know about this?”