Chapter 142

As much as he hated it, Will had to go back to the city. After everything that happened, Stewart Industries was in chaos. He needed to go and begin to put his company back together again. But before then, he had to go check what was in that safety deposit box.
“I can go with you,” Emma offered. Her arms were wrapped around him, and her face was pressed into his chest.
“I’d love that,” he said as held her. “But I have to do this alone. And I’ll be going to the office right after. I won’t be around at all. I’ll come back and spend the weekend with you, though.”
“Promise?” she looked up at him. Will lowered his head toward placing a long kiss on her lips. Ever since they’d admitted their love for each other, he’d been so affectionate. It was as though he’d been trapped, and the admission of his feelings set him free. He caressed and kissed her at every opportunity. As he said, he couldn’t get enough of her.
“I promise,” he whispered as he came up for air.
“That’s not fair,” Emma said. “You’re going to kiss me like that and then leave?”
“Give you a little something to look forward to,” he smirked. “I’ve got to go. Before Lizzie wakes up.”
“Okay.”
Neither one made a move.
“You have to let go,” Emma giggled.
“I don’t want to.”
“Oh my God,” Emma huffed. “We’re one of those couples now.”
“I don’t care,” Will smiled, his golden eyes bright with happiness. There was a touch of melancholy in his gaze as he unwrapped himself from Emma. “But I do have to go.”
“Okay. I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Emma watched as Will walked down the hallway, marveling at how far they’d come. He was a different man, but that dangerous alpha male he had been was still within him. And it came forth at just the right times. A shiver ran up Emma’s spine at the memory. Goosebumps rose on her skin where his hands had touched.
She turned around, alone in her apartment. There was an emptiness there that she hadn’t felt before. A pinch of fear crept into her heart. But she pushed it away. There was no way she would make the same mistakes again. The only people who would show up were Will, Sabrina, and Spencer. And each of them had a key to the apartment. She was safe.
But being alone with her thoughts was not a good place to be. In fact, she hadn’t been alone since her kidnapping. Her mind raced with memories she’d fought hard to keep at bay. They flashed through her mind like lightning strikes through a barren field. Anyone one of those strikes had the strength to set the field a light. What’ll set me off? She wondered.
She began to go through the discharge paperwork. The prescriptions had been filled and sent along with her at Will’s insistence. They hadn’t included sleeping medications, also at Will’s insistence. But what interested her most was the referral to a therapist. She knew she’d have to see someone to help her reconcile the events. She also knew it would take a lot more to convince Will to go as well.
She’s dead… She shot herself in the head. So, she’s no one’s problem anymore. She’ll never hurt you again.
It was the hollow way the words had escaped him that alerted her to something being wrong. Then Emma had found out why. Will had witnessed Grace’s suicide. She’d planned for him too. That was bound to affect him in some way, whether he chose to admit it or not. Perhaps they could have sessions and sort of their demons together. She was certain Will had a lot of demons.
Her phone chiming snapped her out of her reverie. It was a message from Spencer.
Can I come up?
Emma was glad for the company. Being alone wasn’t something she was looking forward to.
Sure. Use your key, Emma messaged back. After a few minutes, the lock clicked, and Spencer let himself in.
“Hi,” he greeted, helping himself to a cup of coffee. He moved comfortably through the apartment. It had become a second home to him for a while. Emma sat at the table, and Spencer sat across from her.
“Hi. What brings you around?”
Spencer smiled while looking into his cup.
“Things really are different. Not that long ago, you never would have asked me that.”
“Oh,” Emma flushed with realization. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. You and Will are together officially. And I can tell just by looking at you that you’re happy. It’s all I ever wanted for you.”
“Spencer—”
“Please let me say this,” he put his hand up to stop her. “It’s true that I did once have feelings for you. But I always knew that you and I would never be together. I knew you still loved Will, and so you could never love me. I came to accept that fully after you were kidnapped, and I found out that Will actually loved you. I want you to know that I’m happy things worked out the way they did. I think things are going to be much better for you both this time. He and I may very well be friends now. He’s… a better man than I thought he was.”
“That means a lot,” Emma smiled. “You’ve been such a good friend to me. I was afraid I would lose you as part of my life.”
“You won’t. I’m still your boss, you know,” he smirked. “There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about,” Spencer continued. He became shy and rubbed the back of his neck. His face was tinged with pink.
“Spencer Lucas, are you blushing?” Emma gasped. Her hands theatrically flew to her mouth as she stifled a giggle.
“Yeah, I guess. Um… it’s about your friend, Jess.”
“Oh Lord,” Emma laughed. “She was very forward with you.”
“Forward is a nice way to put it. She was very direct.”
“I am so sorry about her,” Emma shook her head, not sounding sorry at all. “But I did warn you. I told she’d get worse as she got better.”

“It was refreshing, to meet a woman who is upfront about her feelings that way. It was a bit intense though. I do have to admit that.”
“Did she put you off?” Emma was mildly horrified.
“No! Not at all,” Spencer shook his head for emphasis. “I find her to be very interesting. I um… I want to ask her out… officially.”
Emma’s eyes lit up, and a giant grin spread across her face.
“Oh my God!” she squealed. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Spencer blushed. “Is that okay?”
“Is that okay?” Emma parroted. “That’s more than okay! That’s amazing! I’ve got to warn you though. Jess is crazy. She’ll turn you inside out if you’re not careful.”
“Hmm,” Spencer mused. “Sounds like a good time.”
“Spencer!”
He laughed.
“The thing is, Emma, I’m not such a stuffy, quiet guy. At least, I wasn’t. I’m hoping Jess can help me find that wild side of me that I’ve lost.”
“I could never imagine you had a wild side.”
“It was um… reserved for… specific situations,” his blush became more intense.
“I see,” Emma smirked. “I’ll get the details from Jess when that time comes. And she’s a descriptive one.”
“Oh my God,” he hid his face in his hands. “I don’t even know why I said that.”
“We’re friends, Spencer. And now you’re going to be dating one of my very best friends. You’re going to have to deal with knowing that Jess, Sabrina, and I will be talking about you. And when you make her mad, we’ll talk shit about you.”
“Making Jess mad is very low on my list of priorities.”
“Good. Make sure it stays there. So, when are planning to formally ask her out?” Emma leaned on her hand, enthralled with the idea of Spencer and Jess dating. She was tickled by the prospect and was already planning a triple date.
“She gets out of the hospital tomorrow night. I was planning on asking her then.”
“It’ll be great! I know it! Her and I talked about you actually,” Emma wiggled her eyebrows. “She likes you. You two will be great together!”
“I hope so.”
Spencer left Emma’s apartment with her blessing to pursue Jess. To his surprise, it was easier to let go of his feelings for Emma than he thought. Once he accepted that she was happy with Will, he could accept that he truly never had a chance. He couldn’t mourn the loss of something that would never be his. The possibility of a relationship with Jess excited him. She was bold, fun, intelligent, and beautiful. She would challenge him in ways that no one ever had. For the first time in a long time, he felt light.