Emily forced an obviously fake smile on her face and nodded. “Just a long day at work.” She gestured toward the stage. “It’s only a few minutes before her class goes on. At least they are the first to go.” A more natural grin appeared on her face. “I sat in the back, so I can leave as soon as Juniper’s done. I’ve heard that the kids will be in the back hall, so I should be able to grab her. The other kids are good, bless their hearts, but I’m not exactly a connoisseur of children’s singing.” She ran a hand through her brown hair. Her cheeks turned pink. “That must seem awful to you.” She let out a nervous laugh.
“Seems like a good plan to me,” I said with a shrug. “Not like I know any of the other kids here.” Leaning over, I whispered to her, “And they could all be terrible.”
Emily let out a quiet laugh. “Be careful. Lots of parents here,” she whispered back.
The sight of the genuine smile on her face warmed my heart. I don’t know what had been bothering her, but I was glad to see she was already recovering.
Her smile faltered as she looked off into the distance. I followed her line of sight and discovered the man I assumed was responsible for her earlier trouble.
He ex-husband Lionel sat on the other side of the auditorium, his arm draped over some busty redhead who couldn’t have been more than twenty. Thinking about it, I remembered he’d also had some other jailbait woman on his arm at the fundraiser dinner.
I glanced over at Emily. She was glaring in Lionel’s direction. I couldn’t blame her.
It must have been hard for her. If she just could have divorced the guy and never had to see him again, it’d be one thing, but being the father of her child meant she was constantly forced to deal with him.
I didn’t understand Lionel. He’d had a beautiful, intelligent woman like Emily, and he still slept around? Given how he liked his young girls, maybe the problem was just that he couldn’t handle a real, actual woman.
“What an idiot,” I said, shaking my head.
Emily glanced over at me. “What?”
I nodded toward her ex. “Lionel. He’s an idiot. He had you, and he wasn’t satisfied? Sounds like an idiot to me. Maybe dumbass would be more appropriate?”
“I—” Emily blinked several times and averted her gaze, her cheeks reddening. “Not like I’m going to say he’s a smart man for cheating on me.”
I reached over and took her hand in mine, running my thumb over it. She didn’t pull away. Instead, she looked at the ground. Glancing up, I spotted Lionel smirking her way. The ass thought he had the upper-hand in all of this, but that was only because he thought Emily didn’t have options and that somehow, she was pining for him. I could see it in his smug face.
He needed to understand that her being angry with him wasn’t about her wanting him. She had options. She had me, and I was sure I had a lot more to offer this world and city than the ungrateful ass sitting across the room. It was time to show him that and put in my own claim.
I leaned over. Emily blinked and looked up at me. Before she could protest, I placed my lips on hers.
It was a quick and sweet move. I wasn’t about to stick my tongue down her throat in the middle of an elementary school auditorium, even if my stirring lower-half liked the idea.
I pulled away with a smile. She stared at me, her eyes wide, gently brushing her lips with her fingers.
She stared at me, those beautiful hazel eyes wide and filled with doubt. She probably didn’t believe what I’d said. It was the truth, but she wasn’t prepared to believe it.
Heat filled me, this time from anger. I could understand everything now. That bastard Lionel had scarred her, made her doubt herself. She didn’t see me as a man interested in her but as another guy who might betray her.
Offering her a smile, I said, “I just thought he should know you’re in the game, too, and you’ve moved on to someone better than an idiot who would cheat on you
.”
“Thank you,” she whispered under her breath. She didn’t bother to look back toward Lionel, but her mouth quirked up in a smile.
I grinned, delighted to see her smiling again.
A quick check of Lionel revealed he was glaring daggers at me. I couldn’t help it. I offered him a little wave. Petty, I know, but I was still a man in the end, and Lionel screwing with the woman I was interested in was a slight on me.
I leaned back in my chair, still holding Emily’s hand. She was ignoring Lionel now, focusing on the auditorium and waiting for Juniper. She didn’t pull her hand away.
This was already turning into a great date.
Chapter Thirteen
EMILY
I shouldn’t have cared about Lionel and his date. My head told me that. My heart just didn’t want to hear it.