Page 79 of Family Bonds- Emma & Warren

“I understand,” she said. “But I’ve sat here trying to write and my mind kept going back to what they’d said and why. I should have asked more, but didn’t want to be rude.”

He moved over and sat next to her. Lucky came running out from behind a chair and jumped on his lap.

“I see he’s still hiding?”

“It’s new for him. I understand. He’s staying in the same room as me. He was next to me until he heard a noise. If he were a guard dog, I’d be screwed,” she said, laughing.

“I’ll protect you,” he said seriously. She turned and noticed he didn’t have any of the lightness to him he’d had this morning.

She snuggled under his arm. “I’ve never needed anyone to do that for me.”

“Even as a Bond?” he asked.

“I think because I come from the Bond family, I’m always careful, but I’m still myself. Honestly, I’m on better behavior because of my father’s career than I am being from the Bond family. We’ve weathered a lot of storms, and bad press is still good press for businesses.”

Though her Uncle Charlie had never felt that way too much when she was younger. He’d loosened up significantly in his semi-retirement when he handed over The Retreat to Hunter and focused more on other businesses and traveling.

“I’ve been on the negative side of attention for years,” he said. “I wanted to do whatever I could to make sure my mother never had to deal with it again.”

“I think it’s admirable that you put your mother and sisters first. It’s a trait every hero should have.”

He closed one eye at her. She always picked on him for being a hero, but he’d said he never felt like much of one.

“You’ve said that many times,” he said. “I’m no one’s hero, Emma.”

“You are whether or not you see it. But you need to put yourself first too.”

“I am,” he said. “With you. You’re the first person I’ve brought in to any team I’ve played for. The first one I’m giving access to and letting you into my world.”

Her jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me? We’ve only been dating for two months.”

“Does time matter when you feel it’s right?”

This was what her mother had been on her case about. That she had to just feel and not analyze and pick it apart.

“No,” she said. “But it’s new to me.”

“We can figure it out together,” he said. “Right?”

“We can,” she said. “Can I ask what they meant about me being a breath of fresh air and the other WAGs not being happy? And I think it’s cool to have that title. It’s petty of me, I know, but I’ve never had a title that silly before.”

She wasn’t knocking it, but most of her life she was just known as the rich girl.

The girl fromthatfamily.

She always had to wonder who was her friend and what they wanted from her.

She brushed it off and learned to not let it get to her.

That could be why she was happier being on her own.

She interacted with people on her terms and never got too close.

Now she was getting close to someone and it was like waking limbs. Pins and needles covered her body as she frantically pieced everything together as if writing one of her books.

But in life, she couldn’t write the ending as much as she wanted to and had to remind herself when comments like today came about.

“You’re the girl next door,” he said. “In looks and attitude. Take out your background and you’re funny, sweet, and polite.”