Page 38 of The Love Chase
I parked Emma’s mom at one of the tables beneath the white tent Bridget had rented for the event and planted a kiss on her cheek. She grabbed onto my hand before I could get away.
I knelt so I was at eye level with her. “Yes, Miss Maggie?” I’d always called her that, ever since Emma and I were kids, even though she had always felt like more of a mom to me than my own.
I had a special place in my heart for Mrs. Beck.
She gripped my hands in hers. “Be good to her, Liam.”
I forced a smile onto my face, hoping she couldn’t see the anxiety swirling behind my eyes. “I will,” I promised. “Your daughter is very important to me. I’d do anything for her.”
She gave me a gentle pat on my cheek. “I know, dear. It’s clear how much you love her. Just don’t let your career get in the way of what you two have.”
It’s clear that I love her? Sure, I love Emma as a friend, but I don’t think that’s what she means.
At a loss for words and wanting to respect Emma’s wishes of keeping her mom out of this sham, I could only smile and nod again. “I’ll grab you some food, Maggie.”
Her hand squeezed mine, stopping me. “You can call me Mom,” she offered. “If you want to.”
A swell of affection filled me to the brim. Maggie knew that my family situation was strained, though I wasn’t sure to what extent Emma had told her about how I was treated by them. The fact that she would offer…it had me biting my cheek to keep away the tears.
I didn’t know if I was ready to call her Mom, but I appreciated the offer more than she knew.
“Thank you,” I whispered before kissing the top of her head. “I’ll be back.”
I made my way toward the food and had just spotted Emma coming out of the house when my manager’s voice rang out.
“Bride and groom get to go first!” Bridget called, and everyone simultaneously froze midstep.
Emma also stopped, staring at me with those big hazel eyes that for some reason made my stomach give a strange squeeze. What was my problem? I’d never had these types of reactions to her before.
Swallowing down the odd feeling, I grabbed her hand and led her to the food table, gesturing for her to go first.
“Fill ’er up, Em.” I handed her a plate.
If there was one thing I knew about Emma, it was that she loved food. She would literally eat anything, and could pack away more food than most guys I knew, and no one would ever know. She was tall and thin, though she had a healthy dose of muscle. No one would ever guess she could inhale more food than an elephant and still look like a daisy.
Was that weird? Did I just inadvertently call Emma an elephant?
Giving my head a little shake, I forced my weird thoughts away.
I squeezed my own plate as I watched her add both chicken and a burger to hers, throwing every topping available onto the beef patty, before grabbing an ear of corn and not a handful but a pile of kettle chips that filled up the rest of the plate.
“Why are you staring at my plate?” Emma asked, arching a brow.
Crap. I hadn’t realized how intently I’d been watching her.
“Just admiring your appetite,” I said with a playful nudge to her shoulder. She rolled her eyes at me, though the corners of her lips twitched.
That was one thing I had always liked about Emma. She had never been self-conscious around me. While other girls would eat like birds and barely nibble on dainty lettuce leaves, Emma would happily eat the messiest of foods and not spare a second thought.
It wasn’t until now, after returning from California and seeing how other girls were, that I realized how much I missed the way Emma was.
She was a breath of fresh air.
Or more like, I felt like I could breathe again when I was with her.
What is happening to me?
Clearing my throat, I reached for the tongs and piled enough food on my plate to rival Emma’s, knowing full well that I wouldn’t be able to finish it all, and Emma would pick off my leftovers. Then I scooped a more appropriate portion of food for Maggie before we headed to the table.