Chapters (89)
- Dedication
- AUTHOR’S NOTE
- ONE
- HENRY
- TWO
- EMMA
- THREE
- HENRY
- FOUR
- EMMA
- FIVE
- EMMA
- SIX
- SEVEN
- HENRY
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- HENRY
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- EMMA
- THIRTEEN
- HENRY
- FOURTEEN
- HENRY
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- EMMA
- SEVENTEEN
- HENRY
- EIGHTEEN
- HENRY
- NINETEEN
- HENRY
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- EMMA
- TWENTY-TWO
- EMMA
- TWENTY-THREE
- HENRY
- TWENTY-FOUR
- EMMA
- TWENTY-FIVE
- EMMA
- TWENTY-SIX
- EMMA
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- HENRY
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- EMMA
- TWENTY-NINE
- HENRY
- THIRTY
- HENRY
- THIRTY-ONE
- HENRY
- THIRTY-TWO
- EMMA
- THIRTY-THREE
- HENRY
- THIRTY-FOUR
- EMMA
- THIRTY-FIVE
- EMMA
- THIRTY-SIX
- HENRY
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- EMMA
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- HENRY
- THIRTY-NINE
- HENRY
- FORTY
- EMMA
- FORTY-ONE
- HENRY
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- EMMA
- FORTY-FOUR
- EMMA
- FORTY-FIVE
- HENRY
- EPILOGUE
- ALSO BY CHELSEA CURTO
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
VRG: I know it’s been a few days.
HD: How was the rest of your week?
HD: Are you feeling better? Wallace said you were out sick.
VRG: Yeah, I’m feeling better.
VRG: My week was okay. Happy it’s Saturday, though.
HD: What can I do to help make it better?
VRG: Can we talk?
HD: Of course we can talk. I’m kind of tied up with something right now. Is later this evening okay?
VRG: Yeah, sure. I guess that works.
VRG: Where should we meet?
HD: I have an idea.
HD: Jack’s going to be waiting for you at Beans and Brews in thirty minutes.
VRG: Jack? I want to talk to you.
VRG: It’s important, and I’d rather not do it over the phone or through text messages.
VRG: It’s about what happened this weekend.
HD: I know, sweetheart. I want to talk to you, too.
HD: I value and respect whatever you have to say.
HD: Can you give me two hours, though?
HD: Two hours of your time, then we can talk.
HD: I promise.
VRG: Where am I supposed to find you?
HD: You won’t miss me. Have a good afternoon, baby.
HD: See you soon.
FORTY-THREE
EMMA
I’m nervous as I approach Beans and Brews. As much as I like Henry’s friends, I’m not interested in talking to them. I need to talk to him.
I’m going to ask him for more time. More space. More room to think and process. It might be drastic or overreacting; other women would probably brush off what happened and move on with their lives.
But I haven’t. I’m still waiting, frantically searching for the nudge I need to know Henry is all in with me. And no one else.
I’m not sure why I pulled on my old Columbia Law hoodie and a pair of jeans that definitely have a hole in the crotch and boarded the train for the short ride into the city like he asked in his cryptic texts. At this point, I don’t have anything left to lose. I don’t know what game Henry’s playing, but in two hours, I’m going to figure it out.
It’s not like the universe is going to send me a blatant and obvious sign about what to do while I’m getting a drink with his friend.
“Hey, Emma,” Jack says, offering me a polite smile in greeting when I arrive outside the coffee shop.
“Hey,” I answer, awkwardly putting my hands in my back pocket.
“Want to grab a drink?”
“Sure.”
He holds the door open for me, and I walk inside, thankful for the warmth of the interior. When we approach the register, the two baristas grin at each other, then us.