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Back The Companion Project Save as PDF
Chapters (89)
  1. Dedication
  2. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  3. ONE
  4. HENRY
  5. TWO
  6. EMMA
  7. THREE
  8. HENRY
  9. FOUR
  10. EMMA
  11. FIVE
  12. EMMA
  13. SIX
  14. SEVEN
  15. HENRY
  16. EIGHT
  17. NINE
  18. TEN
  19. HENRY
  20. ELEVEN
  21. TWELVE
  22. EMMA
  23. THIRTEEN
  24. HENRY
  25. FOURTEEN
  26. HENRY
  27. FIFTEEN
  28. SIXTEEN
  29. EMMA
  30. SEVENTEEN
  31. HENRY
  32. EIGHTEEN
  33. HENRY
  34. NINETEEN
  35. HENRY
  36. TWENTY
  37. TWENTY-ONE
  38. EMMA
  39. TWENTY-TWO
  40. EMMA
  41. TWENTY-THREE
  42. HENRY
  43. TWENTY-FOUR
  44. EMMA
  45. TWENTY-FIVE
  46. EMMA
  47. TWENTY-SIX
  48. EMMA
  49. TWENTY-SEVEN
  50. HENRY
  51. TWENTY-EIGHT
  52. EMMA
  53. TWENTY-NINE
  54. HENRY
  55. THIRTY
  56. HENRY
  57. THIRTY-ONE
  58. HENRY
  59. THIRTY-TWO
  60. EMMA
  61. THIRTY-THREE
  62. HENRY
  63. THIRTY-FOUR
  64. EMMA
  65. THIRTY-FIVE
  66. EMMA
  67. THIRTY-SIX
  68. HENRY
  69. THIRTY-SEVEN
  70. EMMA
  71. THIRTY-EIGHT
  72. HENRY
  73. THIRTY-NINE
  74. HENRY
  75. FORTY
  76. EMMA
  77. FORTY-ONE
  78. HENRY
  79. FORTY-TWO
  80. FORTY-THREE
  81. EMMA
  82. FORTY-FOUR
  83. EMMA
  84. FORTY-FIVE
  85. HENRY
  86. EPILOGUE
  87. ALSO BY CHELSEA CURTO
  88. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  89. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“Overjoyed, Emma. I’m still overjoyed, and not because you’re helping me out. Yeah, it’s a nice perk, but it was so freeing to be authentically me. And to be accepted. And to fucking laugh with a woman who wasn’t trying to… to get me to pay all this attention to her. We have a complex, twisty history. We’ve existed in each other’s world for almost two decades, yet we know next to nothing about each other. We’re here now. Together. I’m not asking you to fall in love with me or guarantee a life beyond this weekend. I’m just excited to spend the next few days as us. And whatever happens, happens. I’m so glad it was you on the phone, Emma, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Something deep in my chest cracks, a fissure beginning between my breasts that spiderwebs out of control. I’m fighting back tears, the swell of raw emotion almost knocking me unconscious. I’ve never heard a man speak so openly or be so vulnerable.

Every second I’m with Henry, all of my attempt at keeping this casual and professional are close to snapping in half, giving way to what I truly want.

More.

More with this man.

More words. More touches. More glances and smiles. More learning and more guidance. More whispered sweet nothings followed by more dirty talk. More taking and giving.

More Henry.

I switch our positions, putting my hand on his cheek, the pinprick of his stubble grazing my palm. He inhales sharply, staring at me, and I stare right back, unafraid. This is the moment where I decide I’m going to get what I want, and savor every second.

What I want is him. Wholly and completely. In any and every way.

“I’m so glad it was you on the phone too, Henry.”

TWENTY-FIVE

EMMA

“So,” George, Henry’s father, says as we settle into a booth at the Mexican restaurant later that evening. “Tell us the story about how you two kids met.”

I’m sitting next to my doting fake boyfriend, who lets me slide across the wood first, scooting beside me and offering an encouraging smile. The bench we’re occupying isn’t very large, and, thanks to Henry’s stature, it barely accommodates both our bodies. Our shoulders brush, a glide of fabric against fabric. I jolt at the contact, still not used to this shared proximity, and how nice it is, in no hurry to pull away.

“Believe it or not, we work together. This is the same Emma…” Clearing his throat, he pauses, tugging at the collar around his neck. “The same Emma I’ve mentioned before.” He finishes the sentence in a rush, the words blended and garbled together. Even in the darkened room, I notice his cheeks changing from tan to light pink from embarrassment.