Destined (The Rangers of Ridge County #1)

Chapter Thirty

CHAPTER THIRTY

MILLIE

I awoke to overwhelming silence.

There were no cat calls or paws playfully swiping at my face—two things I’d grown to expect each morning.

Recalling the events of the previous evening with clarity, I rolled over onto my stomach before burying my face in the pillow and groaning loudly. I didn’t want to think about what happened at Rowdy’s, but that left me to dwell on the fact I was in far too deep with Emmett. I was scared to admit it, but I was slightly disappointed he wasn’t still lying here next to me.

Or did I dream he’d stormed into my room last night demanding to sleep in this bed with me?

I turned my head, staring at the other pillow that was wrinkled and had a very obvious indention in the middle of it.

Definitely wasn’t a dream.

He wasn’t here now. Though, that shouldn’t have been surprising.

Climbing out of bed, I paused in front of the dresser, cringing at my reflection in the mirror above it…and the fact I was actually wearing a negligee. Too bad that hadn’t been a dream.

I contemplated putting on the clothes I’d worn last night but opted for my old college sweatshirt I’d tossed to the foot of the bed instead. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and ventured into the hallway. Maybe Emmett would be hungry because I definitely wouldn’t turn down breakfast.

I entered the kitchen only to find it empty as well. No coffee had been made, and Emmett’s keys weren’t on the counter where he dropped them last night. Peeking out the window, I noticed his cruiser was missing from the driveway. It was then I remembered my car was still parked downtown.

Shit .

I considered walking home, but I didn’t have any shoes that would be suitable for the trek. I could wait for Emmett to come back, but who knew when that would be.

Deciding my best option was to ask Rory to come get me, I disabled the do not disturb function on my phone. It chimed with two text notifications before I’d even navigated from the home screen. One was from Rory, and the other was from Emmett. The time stamp on his was from six-thirty this morning, but the message itself was fairly vague.

Yet, I found it oddly endearing given the fact he obviously took the time to message me despite being in a hurry to get to wherever he was needed.

It was ten now, though, and he hadn’t sent any other updates.

Pulling up my text thread with Rory, I skimmed her message.

Rory:

Just checking in! How are you this morning?

I typed out a quick response.

Millie:

I’m feeling better! Could you come pick me up?

I set my phone down and anxiously drummed my fingers against the countertop. Knowing Rory, I had caught her on her way to the store. Since my car was parked close to Sips, hopefully this wouldn’t put her too behind.

Rory:

Of course! I can be at your house in 15 minutes.

Millie:

Great, but I’m not at my house…

I watched as the three little dots appeared indicating she was typing, but they disappeared seconds later. That happened a few more times before a reply finally popped up in the thread.

Rory:

Where are you?

Millie:

Your brother’s house.

Rory hadn’t replied, and I was starting to freak out. After sending that last text, I sprinted to the guest bedroom and threw on the pants I had worn last night. I kept my ratty sweatshirt on, though, considering I was going to have plenty of explaining to do without answering the door in a lace negligee.

I grabbed my phone and paced from the kitchen to the living room. Rory would be here any minute. Opening my text thread with Emmett, I debated warning him, but I ultimately decided Rory wouldn’t give him too much grief.

That didn’t take away my desire to message him, though. Dropping to the couch, I propped my elbows on my knees and placed my head in my hands. Was I ready for this? A part of me was, and that part had been growing since the night he made me homemade lasagna. Yet another small part was clinging onto the fear of what if.

What if he only wanted to be friends?

What if he wasn’t as honorable as he seemed?

What if I fell in love with him but it didn’t work out?

I rolled my eyes at the nosedive my thoughts had taken. I was being dramatic and projecting another man’s shortcomings onto Emmett. I knew it wasn’t fair. Even after our rocky start, Emmett and I were in a good, albeit confusing, place now. Before I could get lost down that rabbit hole, I heard a knock at the back door .

Taking a deep breath, I listened as Rory called my name then continued to persistently pound on the door. I didn’t actually think she would be mad. I was more nervous about her having questions I didn’t even have the answers to.

Flinging the door open, I smiled at my friend as she stormed past me and into the house. Maybe I’d been wrong, and she was mad. Shutting the door, I followed her into the kitchen where she’d made herself at home and started a pot of coffee.

“We don’t have a lot of time,” she said as she turned to face me, “First things first—why are you here?” She crossed her arms and cocked her hip, tapping her foot. She didn’t look upset, but her body language was telling a different story.

“Well,” I started before clearing my throat, “after we got back to my house last night, Emmett decided he didn’t like the idea of me staying alone after all.” Her stance relaxed at my explanation, and she grinned.

“That’s not surprising. He’s a protector—always worried about keeping his people safe,” she commented. Before I could agree, she asked, “You didn’t feel pressured to come here because of that, though. Right? Because he might not have liked it, but if you’d really wanted to be alone, he would have honored your wishes.”

“When he asked me to stay with him last night, I was so relieved,” I answered honestly. Startling me, Rory rushed around the center island and threw her arms around me.

“Oh Millie!” she exclaimed, squeezing me tightly before letting go.

I knew the next words out of her mouth were going to be some form of an apology. I didn’t blame her for anything that happened last night because none of it was her fault, and I needed to make sure she knew that. So I cut her off with, “I think I like your brother!”

After getting over the initial shock, Rory was elated by my confession. She made me repeat everything to Greer when we got to Sips, but Greer didn’t seem nearly as surprised as her sister.

Strangely, we’d all gotten the same cryptic text from Emmett asking to meet at the store this afternoon. Thankfully, that had given me enough time to grab my car, go home, feed Jet, and get ready for the day before coming back. I changed my outfit twice before saying “fuck it.” If Emmett didn’t like me, my clothes weren’t going to magically change that.

We were all sitting around one of the small bistro tables with our drinks in hand speculating what this meeting could be about when Emmett ambled through the door. My mouth watered at the sight of him in his uniform. The sleeves of his shirt were stretched over his biceps and pushed up his forearms exposing the corded muscles there. He had on dark wash jeans instead of khakis today, but they were just as tight on his thighs.

His dirty blonde hair was windblown and unruly, like he had been running his large hands through it. I was taking in the sharp features of his face when he slid his sunglasses off. Then the only thing I could focus on was how tired he looked.

Pulling out the chair between Greer and me, he dropped into it and sighed an exhausted, “Hey, ladies.”

His sisters both replied with a casual greeting, evidently picking up on his somber tone.

Whatever he had to tell us wasn’t good news.

Instinctively, I reached out and gently brushed my fingers along his wrist before asking, “What’s wrong?”

Rotating his entire body toward me, he widened his knees before resting his arms on them. This change in his position brought him eye level with me. Nervously, I licked my lips causing him to glance down at my mouth. His gaze lingered there until he closed his eyes. When he opened them, his green gaze held mine captive. I heard a throat clear but was too lost in the moment to give my attention to anyone but Emmett.

Greer spoke up, finally breaking whatever spell we’d been under, “What’s going on, Emmett?” I looked to her, but I could feel Emmett’s eyes still on me.

“I’ve spent the morning investigating a crash site,” he said, and my eyes shot back to him. He looked almost pained but continued, “ There were multiple fatalities, and they were the group of men you all were with last night.”

I heard Rory gasp and quickly turned my attention to her, watching as her eyes filled with tears.

“I’m so sorry,” Emmett and I said at the same time. Except I was offering my condolences to Rory, and he was offering his to me. Though, I wasn’t sure why since I’d only met those guys last night.

And while our evening had a rather unfortunate ending, I saw no point in holding a grudge against a dead man.

The silence around the table was heavy. I reached to grab Rory’s hand that was resting on the arm of her chair. Squeezing hard, I hoped she could sense the support I offered.

No wonder Emmett seemed so weighed down.

Greer was the first to speak. “Can you tell us what happened?” she asked softly. I noticed she had grabbed Rory’s other hand as we all turned our focus to Emmett, hoping he could explain how this happened. A lot of last night was a blur, but I could have sworn Chance mentioned being their designated driver.

Emmett shook his head before replying, “You know I can’t with it being an active investigation, but I felt this was something you all should hear from me and not the gossips around town.”

Rory sniffed before questioning, “Investigation? Why would you be investigating a car accident?”

Emmett hesitated, and I could tell he was conflicted about sharing anymore with us. “I’m sorry, Rory. I really am, but I’ve said too much already. As soon as I can share more, I will.”

As I watched Rory nodding her head, it occurred to me she might be in shock. She had mentioned a few days ago she didn’t see anything long-term developing between her and Jeremy, but they were still having fun getting to know each other.

“Jeremy was sweet,” Rory whispered, removing her hand from under mine to wipe at the tears gathered in her lashes. She patted my hand before continuing, “My heart breaks for his loved ones.”

We all nodded our heads in agreement. While I hadn’t liked Paul, Chance and Jeremy had seemed nice enough.

Nonetheless, I wouldn’t have wished anything like this on any of them.

After that, Greer and Rory decided to close the store early. We’d agreed to go back to Rory’s for a girls’ night, so I stepped outside to give them space to do their closing routines—wanting a moment to myself anyway. The crisp air was refreshing.

I was about to walk over to Vincent’s General Store and grab some snacks and face masks when the door opened behind me. From the fresh pine scent to his heavy foot falls, I didn’t have to turn around to know it was Emmett. I felt his hand grip my shoulder then slide down my arm as he positioned himself in front of me. His touch was a balm I didn’t realize I needed, and I nuzzled into his affection.

“Are you okay?” he asked. His hand finally came to rest on top of mine as he added, “I’ve been dreading telling you three all damn day. You most of all, after what happened at Rowdy’s last night.” His concern hit me straight in the chest, making my heart flutter.

Surprising us both, I turned my palm up and laced our fingers together.

“I’m all right,” I replied, taking a small step closer. He looked at me with a skeptical expression. So I added, “Honestly, I’m fine. Just worried about Rory. Thank you for asking, though.” I squeezed then went to release his hand, but he tightened his grip.

“This is one of the worst parts of my job,” Emmett admitted quietly.

I couldn’t even begin to imagine how hard today had been for him. So I did what felt right and closed the distance between us—wrapping my arms around his middle and holding him tight. One of his hands came to rest at the base of my neck, near my hairline, while the other hugged my middle. He turned his nose into my hair and sighed. To anyone passing us on the street, I imagined we looked like a couple sharing an affectionate embrace. And in a way…I guess we were.

I was so caught up in the moment, I startled when he whispered, “I woke up with an angel in my arms this morning, and not even this devilish day could take that away from me. ”

I would like to say I replied back with something equally as eloquent, but I didn’t. Because this man had rendered me speechless…again, and he took my silence as an opportunity to continue because he nonchalantly added, “I wish I could have been there when you woke up.”

I grew hot as his words washed over me.

What was he implying?

He chuckled, and it was then I realized I was clawing at his back.

I decided to be brave again and angled my face toward his before saying, “I wish you had been, too.”