Never Say Never by Rachael Sommers (books to get back into reading TXT) 📕

softly, and when it had no effect, tried again a little louder. Emily still didn’t stir, so she crouched down, reaching out to gently shake her shoulder, trying to ignore the sparks that shot through her fingertips whenever she touched her. “Emily, wake up.”

Emily’s eyes flew open, and she blinked sleepily, her face so close, too close, the closest they had been since the kiss, and she could have drowned in those eyes, those shimmering pools of blue, until she lost the will to surface for air. She sat upright, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Oh, shoot, sorry—I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s all right. It’s late.”

Emily glanced at the clock as if checking to see if Camila was telling the truth, and Camila wondered how long she had been asleep.

“Did everything go okay tonight?”

“He was in bed by eight. He escaped a couple of times wanting to watch some more cartoons, but he fell asleep by nine.” Emily’s voice was lower than usual, rough with sleep, and Camila’s stomach flipped.

“Good.”

“My evening was probably better than yours.”

“You could say that. I’m…I’m sorry about all of the unpleasantness earlier. I had no idea my mother would show up, let alone that she would attack you.”

“It sounded more like an attack on you.”

Camila realized she was still crouching and shifted to sit on the edge of the coffee table.

“Your mom is…a lot. I can see why you keep her away from Jaime.”

“Was he okay after she left?”

“Yeah, he was fine. He hid in my hair the whole time. I think he forgot about it about three seconds after she left.”

“Good.” Camila really didn’t want to explain to him why her mother thought Emily was her girlfriend, considering his curiosity lately. “And…and you’re okay?” Camila asked with some hesitation. Emily eyed her warily.

“What, with your mother’s opinion of me?” Emily raised her eyebrows. “Well, since I’m not actually your girlfriend, it doesn’t matter what she thinks, does it?” Emily met her gaze directly with steel that only Camila seemed to elicit. “Not that I care anyway.”

Camila wished she could be so quick to brush off her mother’s opinion, wished she hadn’t wasted so many years trying to get approval.

“My car is waiting for you downstairs.” Camila decided to change the subject before she got lost in Emily’s eyes. “My driver will take you home.”

“You didn’t have—”

“—to do that,” Camila finished. They had had this argument many times before. “I know, but I did it anyway, and if you don’t use it, my driver will have waited an extra ten minutes when he could’ve been at home.” Guilt was the best way to get Emily to comply.

“All right, all right.” Emily got to her feet, running a hand through her hair as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

“Thanks for staying so late.” She would have asked her to stay the night, seeing as she would be back in less than nine hours, but Emily never would have agreed.

“It’s all good.” She stepped into her boots and shrugged on her coat at the front door, waving at Camila before shutting the door behind her. Camila padded to her room and wondered how different her night would have been if Emily had been by her side.

Chapter 17

“Jesus Christ, Emily, are you leaving for a month or five days?” Cassie said when she arrived at Emily’s apartment to take her to the airport.

“I don’t know what I’ll need,” Emily said defensively.

“So you thought you’d take everything you owned?”

“Yep.”

Cassie shook her head but lugged the suitcase down the stairs anyway.

“How are you feeling?” Cassie asked when they were on the road. Emily shrugged, not really sure.

She had never been out of the country before, never been anywhere without her sister, and it was strange to know that she was going to be flying across the Atlantic without her.

But she was excited too, because she was going somewhere new, and she would be spending time with Jaime, exploring a new city and seeing it through his eyes. And she’d be with Camila. Things were still strained between them, but they had improved somewhat since the night of Charlotte’s visit.

“It’ll be…an experience, if nothing else,” she said, and Cassie smiled. When Emily told her she was still planning on going, Cassie had said she was worried that it wouldn’t be good for her, that she should stay away from Camila, not jet across the ocean with her, but Emily had assured her sister that she would be fine.

“And you’ll call me if you need anything?”

“Yes, Mom.”

Cassie reached across the console to poke her in the ribs, and Emily squirmed away.

“Will you survive a few days without me?”

“Somehow I think I’ll manage,” Cassie replied dryly.

“You won’t miss me?”

“You know I will.” Cassie pulled up in the departure lane and turned to face her. “Have the best time, and take a lot of photos for me.”

“I will, I promise.” She hugged her sister in the best bear hug she could manage in the car. “I’ll let you know when I get there.”

She retrieved her bag from the trunk and headed to the terminal, turning to wave at Cassie one last time. Her stomach fluttered as she approached the check-in desk—she always got nervous when she had to fly somewhere.

She wasn’t exactly scared of flying, but she didn’t really enjoy it either, and the thought of eight hours on a plane set her on edge.

She got through security and reached the gate, feeling disappointed when Camila was nowhere to be seen.

She still didn’t see Camila when it was time to board. Emily sat in the roomy first-class seat flicking through a magazine from the seat pocket, feeling more relaxed than she had ever felt on a plane before. A few minutes before takeoff, she heard Camila’s voice rattling off a list of instructions to whoever was on the other end of the phone. Jessica followed a half step behind.

“Emily!” Jaime wriggled free from Camila’s hand and scrambled into Emily’s lap. “Hi.”

“Hey,