Runaway Bride’s Guide to Love (Guide to Love #1)

19. Stella

19

stella

“Stella? Wake up, sunshine.”

I slowly blink my eyes open, which is hard because at some point my sunglasses fell off my head and the bright mid-afternoon sun is reflecting straight into my eyes off the windshield of Emmett’s truck.

“Where are we?” I say groggily.

“At a rest stop. We’re just about to cross into Tennessee,” he says as he shuts off the truck. “I didn’t know if you needed to use the restroom or get any snacks. This will probably be the last stop.”

My heart sinks as those words hit me. “Thanks. No to the snacks. I’ll head in and splash some water on my face.”

Emmett leans in and kisses the top of my forehead before exiting out of the truck. I tilt my head back and forth as I walk into the rest stop, trying to get it to crack since I apparently fell asleep in the worst possible position in Emmett’s passenger seat.

I hate that I fell asleep. The whole reason I decided to cancel my flight back to Nashville and ride home with him was to spend our last few hours together. Instead, I passed out somewhere between Birmingham and wherever we are.

Then again, the sleep can’t all be blamed on me. There was an outlet mall in Alabama I wanted to stop at real quick. Emmett said no, citing that there was no such thing as a quick trip when it came to me and shopping. I begged and even offered a quickie in the cab of his truck in exchange for just three stores. He countered by fingering me in the passenger seat, which not only put on a show for the semi-truck next to us, but also put me into a slumber so I slept as he drove past said outlets.

I really can’t be mad, though. Who needs new shoes when you can have an orgasm on I-65?

As I exit the restroom and find the map for “you are here,” I realize that we’re not far from Nashville. About two hours.

Then it hits me like a freight train—reality.

Back to work.

Seeing Duncan.

The fallout of the wedding that wasn’t.

Figuring out where I’m going to live.

Figuring out if Duncan is really suing me.

Not seeing Emmett.

That last one might hit the hardest.

I’ve known since the first night that we were on a clock. It seemed so far away then.

It wasn’t. In fact, it wasn’t nearly long enough.

“Two more hours.” I say to myself. As much as it’s a countdown until I go back to the real world, it’s also one for how much longer I can let myself pretend that Emmett and I are more than what we are.

I know this needs to end. We’ve both made this very clear that this was a Florida-only thing. It was a win-win. That’s what we said.

What we said fucking sucks.

I take my time walking back to the truck and stretch a little while I wait for Emmett. When I see him walking toward me, I don’t try and hide my stare. He’s carrying two plastic bags and looking so good I might ask him if we can have engine problems that need us to find a hotel for the night while it gets fixed .

I wonder if I can cut a wire? I saw it in a movie once. I bet I could. I’m pretty handy.

“Hello? Earth to Stella?”

I blink my way back to reality and out of the delusion of being stranded at a cheap hotel with Emmett for the night. “Sorry. Still asleep. What’s in the bags?”

I can tell from the glint in his eye he knows I’m full of crap, but he doesn’t call me on it. “Waters because I’m pretty sure you haven’t had actual water yet today. Diet Dr Pepper so you didn’t yell at me for only getting you water. Cookie dough bites for you. Skittles for me.”

I feel my mouth drop open in shock and awe. “You got me snacks?”

“Of course.” He walks around to unlock the truck and open my door. “I saw how much Diet Dr Pepper you went through in the last two weeks, so that was an easy one. And you ordered cookie dough ice cream enough that I figured that was a safe bet.”

“But I said I didn’t want any snacks.”

“You were half-asleep. I knew that wasn’t the answer. Plus, it’s always smart to get snacks. Get in, Tiger. It’s time to go home.”

I do as he says, and I’m surprised that I’m not dwelling on the words “time to go home.” Instead I’m marveling at the thoughtfulness of this man. And it’s not just the snacks. It’s everything over the past two weeks.

Saving me on the wedding day.

Going to the beach when I know he hated it.

The smash room.

Holding me while I cried.

Letting me scream when I needed to.

Reminding me of who I am and who I want to be.

Kissing me as if he was bringing me back to life.

Making me feel things I didn’t know were real.

Being a friend .

Becoming so much more than that.

“Thank you.”

He quickly glances at me before turning his eyes back to the highway.

“For what? The snacks? Stella, you really don’t need to?—”

“It’s not just the snacks,” I quickly say. “It’s everything.”

“Everything?”

I turn to face him, though his eyes stay focused on the road as we enter back onto the highway. “Do you know how thoughtful and considerate you are?”

“It’s just good manners.”

I shake my head as I turn in my seat to face him—and do my best not to stare at the veins in his forearms that are slightly more prominent than usual as he grips the steering wheel.

“It’s more than manners,” I continue. “There’s polite, then there’s thoughtful. And you’re both. You’re without a doubt the most considerate man I’ve ever met in my life. Not many men would do what you did for me.”

“Are we talking about the orgasms or carrying your suitcases?”

I playfully smack his arm. “You know what I mean. You’re a good man, Emmett Collins. Probably the best I’ve ever met. And you don’t give yourself enough credit for it, so I’m going to be the one to do it. Especially if…”

I trail off, not wanting to finish that sentence. I close my eyes, willing myself to not get emotional, but when I feel his hand on my thigh that quickly becomes a losing battle.

“We’re going to see each other,” he says, somehow reading my mind and finishing the sentence. “You’ll just have to be a better actress so no one knows I’ve fucked you six ways from Sunday.”

That makes me laugh. “I’m an amazing actress.”

“Whatever you say, Tiger,” he says. “But seriously…we’ll see each other. It’ll be a little awkward at first. But pretty soon it’ll ju st become a memory we look back at fondly. Hell, maybe someday we’ll tell Simon.”

We exchange a look before cracking up laughing. No way in hell will my brother ever find out about this.

Our laughter dies down and we fall back into a silence, the only sound in the cab is the low hum of the country music station Emmett has on his satellite radio, playing a fitting song about wanting to stay a little longer.

The lyrics hit even harder when I see the “Welcome to Tennessee” sign on the highway.

One hour and forty minutes…

“When do you have to go back to work?”

One thing I want to talk about less than Emmett and my time together ending is going back to the office.

“Monday morning,” I say. “I have no idea what I’m walking into, or what’s been said. I’m sure Duncan has told them a million outlandish lies about what happened, so I’ll be putting out a ton of those fires. It won’t be the first time I’ve had to battle office gossip. I just never thought I’d have to do it again.”

“When did you have to do that?”

I lean into him so I can wrap my arms around his bicep, my head resting on his shoulder. “When I graduated from college, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I had a degree in marketing, but nothing felt right. I was a bit lost, but I needed a job. If there’s one thing my parents instilled in us, it was a work ethic. So, until I figured out what I really wanted, my dad got me a job at the law firm as the office administrator.”

“I’m guessing you had to fight off talk that Stella Banks was only there because her dad was on the nameplate?”

“Exactly. It didn’t matter that I was really good at it. No—I am really good at it. And I love it. I really do love my job. But unfortunately, none of that mattered. To some I was just a nepo baby hire who had her daddy buy her the red bottom shoes she was wearing.”

“They really said that? ”

“Right? How dare they? I bought those shoes for myself, thank you very much.”

My joke earns me a smile from Emmett before giving me leg a reassuring squeeze. “Has it gotten better?”

“It has. I’ve made friends. My best friend in the world works down the hall from me. I’ve shown my worth. It’s barely a blip on the radar anymore. Though I have a feeling whatever rumors Duncan is spreading are going to be ten times worse than anything I dealt with back then.”

“Could you get a new job?”

“I don’t want to,” I say. And that’s the truth. I love my job. I have friends there. I’m proud of the fact that I help run that place. “Can that be future Stella’s problem?”

“Sure.” I feel Emmett’s lips kiss the top of my head. God I’m going to miss that. I don’t even know if he realizes he does things like that. Little kisses or touches. Small gestures. Few words. He’s the king of the little things. The small gestures that mean more than any grand gesture ever could.

“How about you?”

“What about me?”

“What’s life for Cap when he returns to the land of being Emmett Collins?”

“Back to normal I’d assume,” he begins. “I’ll go pick up Winnie from Maddie’s house. Probably spend the day with her and little man before heading home. Grocery shop. Get ready for the week. Back to business.”

Out of all the words, thoughts, and feelings I’ve had today knowing our time was up, “back to business” somehow stings the worse. He’s going back to normal. I’m going back to chaos. He has a life he’s happy with. He’s going back to his days of work and his dog and his sister and nephew and bachelorhood. I’m going back to…fuck if I know.

We fall into a silence for the rest of the drive back. Which I’m glad for. Gives me a chance to get my mind right as we approach the Nashville city limits. Because I need to remind myself of about ten thousand things before I step out of this truck. Yes, this stings right now. Yes, the bubble is three seconds away from popping. Yes, you are walking back into a shit show. But remember that this vacation, the time with Emmett, was always temporary. It was what you needed at the time. It was time you needed for yourself. Now it’s time to turn the page. Face the music. Find the old Stella, and with it, become a new and improved version. Just remember, even though this is going to suck for a few days, the alternative is being Duncan’s wife, washing his tighty whities, and having pictures of your wedding day in that fucking dress.

Before I know it, we’re exiting the highway toward Ainsley‘s apartment—or I guess I should say my apartment. It’s where I lived before moving in with Duncan. And before I left for Florida she told me I was more than welcome to come back until I could figure out what was next. Little does she know that I have no clue what’s next.

I don’t text her to let her know I’m here. If I did, she’d come down and see Emmett, and I don’t want our final minutes together spent answering a million questions. For all she knows, I’m taking a Lyft here from the airport.

When he turns off the ignition, the sudden sound of silence is deafening.

This is it. When I step out of this truck, Emmett will go from the man who made me whole again to my brother’s best friend. He won’t be my Cap anymore. I won’t be his Tiger. I’ll just be Simon’s little sister.

It’s for the best. And soon I’ll realize it.

But not now.

Now, for just a few more minutes, I can be sad.

I reach to open my door when I feel his hand grip my arm. When I turn to look at him, the smirk he’s giving me is the one I want to remember when I think of my two weeks with Emmett Collins.

“I know we’re back in Tennessee, and the new rules are about to start, but that doesn’t mean you now open your door. ”

I chuckle through the threatening tears as he walks around the truck to open the door, giving me his hand as I step out. He lets go so he can grab my mountain of bags out of the bed of the truck, and it gives me the chance to take one final look at the man who saved me in more ways than I can count.

When the last bag is out, Emmett looks over to me just as I lose the battle with the tears. He doesn’t say anything as he pulls me into him, bringing me against his hard, yet comforting, chest that I already miss.

“Best vacation ever,” he whispers as he buries his face into my hair.

“Best vacation ever.”

He pulls back, but just enough so now our foreheads are resting against each other. We’ve shared countless kisses and touches over the past two weeks. Yet none of them have conveyed more emotions and feelings than this one right here.

“See you around, Tiger.” Emmett takes a step back, giving my hand one final squeeze before stepping toward his truck.

“Thanks, Cap. For everything.”

We share one more knowing look before he gets in his car and drives away into the summer sunset. I feel myself crying, but I don’t do anything to push away the tears. I don’t even know how long I’m standing here, because eventually I feel two hands on my shoulders, giving me a familiar and comforting hug.

“Hey,” Ainsley whispers. “You okay?”

I wipe away the tears and throw on an invisible coat of armor.

Back to reality…

“Yeah…I will be.”