Page 95 of Royal Icing

Red-and-blue lights glanced off the windows of the rowhouses across the street. The police pulled up, and he took a deep breath.

It wasimpossible to tell if it had been minutes or hours since the police had arrived. They had taken statements, photographed the door, and provided Lisa and Emma with an incident number for their insurance.

The ambulance door slammed with finality, and the paramedics sped off in the direction of the hospital with Emma’s father in tow.

Unfortunately, the blow hadn’t killed him.

Leo watched until the ambulance was out of sight, then jogged up the ramp and nudged the mangled door open.

Emma was still in the hall, pressed against the wall like it was the only thing keeping her on her feet. Her eyes were shrunken,hollow. Her knuckles were white around the baseball bat. He tugged it gently from her and set it on the ground.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

What a stupid question. Of course she wasn’t. She’d just been intimidated and threatened by her own father, and Leo had a sneaking suspicion it was his fault.

“Come here, sweetheart. You’re safe.” He opened his arms, and she hesitated for a moment before rushing into them.

All at once, he felt at home. It didn’t matter that he was on a different continent, or that his entire life had gone up in flames. With Emma in his arms, there was an overwhelming sense of peace. Maybe they could make a new beginning from the ashes of their old lives. Together.

“What are you doing here?” she finally asked in a shaky voice. She pulled back from his embrace to look at him, but she didn’t put distance between them. Maybe there was hope.

“I came to apologize. I wasn’t at my best in our last interaction. I was…frustrated that you didn’t let me try to help. But I understand why you did it, and you’re right. She wouldn’t have listened. And she deserved it. She needed a wake-up call, no matter what it cost.”

She snuggled back into him. “What did it cost?” Her voice was muffled against the lapel of his jacket.

Leo bit his lip. “Everything, I guess. But it wasn’t your fault. The project’s dead in the water. The land’s going to another ski resort company. And then they cut me off.”

“What?” She jerked away like she was going to storm over there and set them straight.

He smiled humorlessly.

“It’s not your fault. This has been a long time coming. I’ve been disobeying her for years, slowly and increasingly pissing her off. Even if you’d never come to Lynoria, the outcome would’ve been the same. The worst part is that my people arethe ones who are going to suffer the most. I used my salary for community needs. Try to do something concrete and meaningful with my privilege. But now, I don’t…I don’t know where to go from here,” he said. “When everything fell apart, all I knew was that I wanted to be with you.”

Emma bit her lip, then pulled him into another hug.

“This is not the end,” she said in a low voice. “We’re going to figure this out.”

A glimmer of hope stirred in his chest. He nudged her chin up so he could look her in the eyes. Her hand was small in his.

“I also wanted to say I’m sorry for the part I played in what happened to you. I was incredibly selfish. If I had simply left you alone, you would have the second half of the money.”

She shook her head. “It’s not your fault. I told myself time and again that I was going to stay away, and I just…couldn’t.”

“I know the feeling,” he said softly.

A shiver ripped through her, and he tightened his grip. He ducked his head, aching to kiss her and take her in his arms again.

They were a centimeter apart when a voice came from down the hallway.

“Can someone let me out?”

“Oh, shit. Sorry,” Emma called. She had re-barricaded the door after the police had taken her mother’s statement.

Leo pushed the couch away, and Emma opened the door.

“Are you okay?” she asked in a low voice.

“I’m fine, sweetheart. Thanks to you two.”