A/N: It seems I can't keep chapters below 5000 words, hope this is okay for you. I've outlined a few more chapters, but I still don't know how many chapters it will be.
Yet again thanks to jonesfandomfanatic for beta reading for me.
NOTE: and yeah I still don't know anything about how horse jumping competitions are run in the US, where such large events are held, or even what they are called. So all regarding horse jumping is figments of my imagination. (If I one day do make something original out of this I'll have to do some research to make it more realistic)
Enjoy.
Chapter 3SEVERAL WEEKS LATER
Killian used a red bandana he'd pulled from his back pocket to wipe off the sweat from his forehead before he placed his cap over his hair again. The Florida heat was horrible. It was early May and with a temperature of 88 degrees, it was stiflingly hot. They'd been covering the regional championship jumping contest, where Emma currently was in the lead to pick up the gold. Tomorrow, if the weather behaved, the championship would end. If not then, they would have a few more days in Florida. Their downtimes had been spent on the beach. One afternoon they'd gone to the Everglades to spot alligators. The film crew was becoming close-knit and Killian seemed to fit right into the mix.
He closed the last metal crate holding their camera equipment and turned around to lean against the van. His phone pinged with a message and when he unlocked the screen, he saw that it was a message from his dog sitter who just wanted to share a picture of Jewel. She was sitting outside the sitter's house with a long stick between her paws. It made him smile when he was sent these photos and videos of Jewel doing all sorts of crazy antics, even though he missed her. Killian was amazed at how much this little dog had changed his life. He quickly replied to the dog sitter, then stuffed his phone back into his pocket and walked over to his brother and Will.
"All packed up," he declared and fiddled with the collar of his shirt. "This damn heat is going to kill me."
"We definitely need to cool down," Will agreed with a huff, then said a little louder so most of the crew around them could hear him, "who's joining us for a pint down at that pub we saw near our hotel?"
"Can't you think of anything else but drinking?" Liam asked with a laugh, before shrugging. "It's better than hanging out in this heat, I suppose." Liam looked around and when he realized most of the crew was onboard he announced, "Okay then, let's meet up at the pub in half an hour."
Everyone jumped into the rented cars and Killian moved to the passenger seat of the car he and Liam had arrived in. As he moved around the car, he spotted Emma sitting nearby under a tree along with her friend, Ruby. The two women were watching the crew take off and Killian gave a small wave that had Emma smile in return. He noticed that her friend nudged her shoulder and whispered something into Emma's ear, which had Emma push her friend away from her with a frown and shake of her head. Emma gave him a feeble smile in return, then rolled her eyes as she flipped her thumb toward her friend.
Killian nodded in understanding, he knew all about meddling friends. It was the same for him. Will had begun teasing him endlessly every time he spotted Killian speaking with Emma, even for the shortest amount of time.
"Get your ass in the car, or you're walking," Liam shouted and when Killian finally slipped into the seat he could see that his brother had a knowing smirk plastered over his face.
"What?"
"Don't do anything stupid," Liam huffed and maneuvered the car into the city traffic.
"Like what?" Killian crossed his arms over his chest, getting really annoyed with his brother right now.
"I've seen you speaking a lot with Emma Nolan."
"Yeah?"
"Be careful, don't do anything stupid." Liam glanced at him quickly, sending him a big brother look that Killian knew all too well.
"I won't," Killian said in a firm voice. "I just chat with her, that's all. I mean we follow her family around for days on end. Why should I not be able to talk with her ?"
"You just have that lost puppy dog look on your face whenever you speak with her," Liam said with a chuckle.
"I do not!" Killian denied, rubbing his face with his hands. His skin prickled in anxiety, worried about how much he might be showing his true interest in Emma to the world around him. "I just talk with her," he sighed and looked out the window, hoping that his brother would take the hint and drop the subject.
"Just be careful," Liam said gently. He stopped commenting any further.
It took fifteen minutes to drive to the hotel and Killian opted to go up to their room to change into a clean shirt. Five minutes later, he joined the rest of the crew and they headed for the pub.
The production team found the pub and entered the surprisingly large place. It was a bit dark but not overly crowded, as it was still early in the evening. They thought that the last day of filming would be the next day, so no one would go overboard on the drinking. If they did Liam would be pissed if anyone showed up with a hangover.
Killian found a quiet spot at the end of the bar and ordered a beer. He really wanted a rum but chose to not go in on the hard liquor, that would have to wait until another day. Once it arrived he turned his back to the bar and watched his crew mates goof around at the pool table, bets were already being made and a game started.
Half an hour later, he suddenly spotted a flash of blond hair by the entrance and when the person emerged from behind one of the pillars he saw that it was Emma and her friend. Why did they come here? He never imagined that Emma would frequent a place like this. He'd read somewhere in the information folder Liam had given him that in the rare moment when Emma Nolan would go out she chose to go club hopping.
Emma stopped in the middle of the room and scanned the crowd, and when her eyes landed on Killian her face split into a wide grin. Killian gulped when she walked towards him with purpose-filled strides. Her hips moved with a gentle sway to the rhythm of the music blaring from the speakers.
"Hi." Emma hopped up on the barstool next to him and waved for the bartender's attention.
"Hi." Killian rubbed behind his ear then grabbed his own beer and took a nervous sip. He was still trying to figure out why she was there. Looking behind her, he realized that her friend, Ruby, had placed herself a few seats away from them. Strange?
When his eyes returned to Emma she smiled, then focused on the bartender giving her own drink order. She went with a soda and when Killian raised a curious eyebrow she shrugged. "I need to be at my A-game tomorrow."
Killian nodded in understanding. He knew that this championship was another stepping-stone for her to be able to join the USA's olympic team. It was great to see her take her sport so seriously, and he knew from watching the older seasons of the Nolans that she'd had this dream for many years.
"Why are you here?" he blurted out and he averted her sparkling green eyes. His own focus now on the bottle in front of him. Killian's thumb flicked over a loose corner of the label, as his heart hammered in his chest. God, he was so daft around women.
"I wanted to hang out with you." Emma had leaned closer and spoken almost directly into his ear, her breath warm against the shell of his ear.
"Oh." He blinked, still not looking at her. "May I ask why?" He glanced at her while lifting the beer to his lips.
"I wanted to get to know you more." Her brazen statement shocked him, and he placed the beer down again and turned to her fully.
"Why?"
Emma shrugged, then looked down as she worried her lip between her teeth. The bartender chose that moment to bring her the soda, and she took it with a smile. She lifted the straw to her lips to take a drink. Killian had to look away when her luscious lips puckered around the straw, his heart slammed against his ribcage. This woman was clearly teasing him and he had so little experience of what all this meant. All he knew was that he also wanted to get to know Emma, but he also knew that getting involved with someone as famous and stunningly beautiful as her was so much out of his league. Why would she even be interested in him?
Once she finally finished drinking, she took a deep breath and turned her focus on him again making him swallow sharply. Her green eyes had captured his heart and soul and he literally didn't want to be anywhere else but right here.
"Why does it matter? I think you're a nice guy and I knew that it would be plain boring to just be cooped up in a hotel room tonight." She shrugged as her fingers trailed over the edge of the bar top.
"Eh, thanks, I guess. I do enjoy spending time with you." Killian tried and mentally kicked himself for the lame reply. He had dated before. Milah had been his last relationship and back then he believed she'd be the woman he'd grow old with. Fate was cruel and took Milah away from him far too soon. Since then he'd never ventured out into the dating field again.
"You're such a sweet and nice man," Emma mused as she shifted in her seat.
Killian wasn't sure but it seemed as if she had moved herself a little closer to him. Her knee brushed against his thigh as she moved the swirling barstool back and forth.
Emma took another drink of her soda, and then rested her head on her hand as she looked at him. "So why did you become a cameraman?"
"Eh, that's… I wanted to create something. I've always been very visual in my approach to life, and when Liam started at film school I sort of followed in his footsteps." He lowered his head shyly because he knew that it wasn't a great and spectacular story he had to share. His life so far had been straight forward. After losing both parents as a young teenager, he and Liam had survived on their own. Liam, being of age, took over as his guardian. He'd attended high school and later college, and after that, various smaller jobs doing filming for anything, big or small. Falling head over heels in love with an older woman might be one of his only real joys in life. But then losing her in a tragic accident destroyed something inside him. Ever since he'd lived his quiet life in his cabin, and he liked it that way.
"You followed your own dream too, I can see how proud you are of what you do," Emma proclaimed.
"Yeah?"
"Hmm, I've seen some of the footage you've taken of our land, those landscape sequences you cut in between all the action," Emma said, clearly impressed with his cinematography skills. She moved in her seat again so her knee was now pressed more firmly against his thigh.
"Thanks, aye, I do enjoy making those takes, showing the beauty of the land." He looked down and rubbed behind his ear. "Your ranch has some pretty spectacular scenery, it's been an absolute joy trying to capture it."
"I honestly don't think Walsh, the creep, ever managed to capture it the way you do."
Killian jumped at the mention of his predecessor and watched her closely as she spoke about the man. Her green eyes turned dull and lost a bit of their usual spark. He wanted to soothe her obvious painful memories of that man, but he dared not touch her in any way or form. Killian was aware that the crew was still nearby. They might be engaged in a pool match but someone had to be looking from time to time.
Emma took a deep breath and then waved her hand aimlessly in front of her. "Don't want to think about that guy," she murmured, before glancing at him, smirking "You're far more talented than he ever was, and much nicer too."
Killian scratched behind his ear as he felt heat rise to his neck at her praise. It had been far too long since he'd been in the company of a sweet and beautiful woman like Emma Nolan. "Thanks," he managed to croak out, taking a sip of his beer to clear his throat.
"May I ask you something personal?"
Killian nearly choked on his drink but managed to swallow without spraying the bartop with beer. Coughing a few times he finally nodded, "Sure." But his mind whirled with what she could possibly want to know about him.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" That was not what he'd expected her to ask.
"Eh." He swallowed. "No, I don't…" He took another fortifying drink, now more than ever regretting not having gone for the stronger liquor.
"I'm sorry… well I'm not sorry… I…" Emma mumbled then gave a small nervous chuckle. "Well that wasn't very smooth, sorry."
"Why are you not sorry?" Killian dared to ask as he turned to look at her. Her eyes sparkled in the dimmed light, her hair falling over her hand that she still rested her head on. The smile on her face had him swallowing nervously.
"As I said before, I want to get to know you." She bit her lower lip, and the movement had his eyes focus on her full lips. Flashes of him kissing her passed before his eyes, and he had to blink a few times to clear the images away. This was not a safe path to take.
"Oh?"
"Hmm, I'm sorry if you think I'm crazy or something," Emma blurted out, lifting her head to comb her fingers through her long wavy hair.
"I would never think such a thing, love." He paused and when she only smiled at his endearment he continued. "You're an amazing, talented young woman, who has the world watching your every step to the Olympics. I must admit I find it hard to understand how you would want to get to know me… I'm no one special." He looked down at the bartop, and pushed the beer bottle between his hands, back and forth, trying to ease up the tension he felt building inside him. He could honestly not understand what was so special about him.
"I think you're special." Emma leaned closer and he could feel her breath tickle over his neck when he looked at her again she looked at him from beneath her long lashes. Her green eyes twinkled in the bar light.
Killian pulled his lips between his teeth as he glanced over his shoulder. He could see his brother leaning against the wall near the pool table, and he knew that Liam had been observing his and Emma's interaction. "I can't risk losing my job," he mumbled and swallowed deeply, regret oozing from his words.
Emma turned her head towards the film crew, most of them still oblivious to who Killian was speaking with. "Oh, your brother's watching. Shit."
"Aye."
"I'm sorry, I don't want you to get into trouble, but could we just talk, and hang out?" Emma twisted in her seat, scanning the pub. "Are you any good at darts?"
"I might be," Killian dragged out and glanced at her trying to see what she could be plotting now.
"I'll make a bet with you. If I win, you dance with me." She flipped her thumb to the small dance floor at the other end of the pub. "And if you win, I'll buy you a drink."
Killian felt his head spin, then he grinned, "That sort of makes it a win-win situation for me either way." He jumped from his seat. "It's a deal."
Emma managed to get the attention of the bartender and got the darts from him, before walking ahead of Killian towards the dart board.
Killian tried hard to not focus on the sway of her hips, and pulled his gaze forward. He'd played a bit of dart in his past, but he wasn't an expert. He had to admit, it was tempting to let her win, as the thought of dancing with her didn't sound all that bad. But he knew that his brother might not think the same way, so he tried his best to win, while keeping a close eye on what Liam was up to.
Halfway into the game, Liam walked over and glanced between Killian and Emma. Killian knew that his brother had observed his conversations with Emma in the past few weeks.
It was Emma's turn to throw her dart, so Killian stepped up to his brother. "What's up?" Killian asked.
"We're heading back, are you coming?" Liam gave a pointed stare at Emma's back. "You shouldn't be alone with her." The last part was a low whisper that Killian knew Emma would never hear. But she did turn around once she made her shots and when her eyes landed on Liam she bit her lower lip.
"Mr. Jones?"
Liam explained that the crew was heading back to the hotel, and Killian could see how Emma's face fell. "Oh, I see." Then she glanced at Killian, "Could we perhaps finish this game?" she looked back at Liam.
Liam sighed and rubbed his face. "Alright, I know you need to be up early tomorrow, Miss Nolan, so I trust you to get back at a reasonable time. He then gave Killian one final silent warning look before he turned to join the rest of the crew. Killian laughed when it seemed as if Graham had caught the attention of Emma's friend. The couple was engaged in a heated debate over something, and when Liam approached them Graham held up his hand and shook his head. Liam rolled his eyes and joined the rest of the group, leaving Killian with Emma. Killian glanced back at Emma who had also seen who her friend was speaking with.
"Is he a decent enough guy?" Emma asked, and nodded towards her friend and Graham.
"Aye, he's okay," Killian shrugged. "Though he might be a bit older than her."
"Ah well then, Ruby won't mind that. She likes her men a bit older." Emma laughed before she returned to the board and pulled out her three darts, giving them to him so he could make his next shot.
Emma jumped with glee when her final dart hit bulls eye. The points she scored with that final shot made her the winner. She found her phone and waved Killian over. "Let's take a victory picture."
"Eh," Killian slowly walked over as he eyed her phone warily.
"Oh, come on." Emma tucked herself to his side, and turned them around so their score board showed in the background. She took a few photos, then on a whim she stole his red cap and placed it on her head and took a few more selfies of herself.
"Please don't post any of the pictures of me online," Killian rushed out, as she continued to flip through the photos she'd just taken trying to choose which one could go up on her social feed.
"Why?" She looked up and then it dawned on her. "Oh, yeah sorry, I didn't think." She grimaced and selected one of herself wearing his baseball cap, making a quick post she showed it to him and he smiled in thanks.
"I don't want the world to find out about…" he looked down and rubbed behind his ear.
"I'm sorry I didn't think. I understand, I know how fast social media can burn you if you post something that could be misunderstood." Emma soothed and put her phone back in her pocket. "I don't need the world to know about you." Not yet anyway. Her mind did wonder if this could ever become something that would be more than just friendship.
She turned to him and announced, "Now dance with me." She grabbed his hand and felt a small flash of warmth pass over her palm when they touched. For the whole evening she'd been trying to get closer to him, wanting to get to know him better. In the end, he had opened up a little. Though he was still quite hesitant about what his brother, and in the end his boss, Regina Mills, would think if they took things a step further. Emma knew what she wanted, but she just hoped that she could convince him that they would fit well together. From their frequent small chats before and after their filming on the ranch, she knew that he was a talented cameraman with a keen eye to the beauty around them.
"As you wish," Killian bowed his head as he kept his eyes on her face. He looked up at her from beneath his impossibly long eyelashes, his blue eyes sparkling with mirth. Killian had loosened up a bit while they'd played their game of darts, perhaps it had to do with the fact that his brother had left.
Emma knew that she needed sleep soon too, but right now she wanted to enjoy her victory dance with Killian. She dragged him over to the jukebox and inserted a coin before flipping through the list, and finding a song.
Once the music started to play, she walked with Killian to the small dance floor and a few other guests joined them.
Killian tentatively placed his hands on her hips, and she let her hands rest over his shoulders.
Emma's fingers itched to run to his neck and shift through the slightly long hair. She refrained from doing this as she could feel how tense he was right now. They'd talked a bit while playing dart and she got a little more back story of his life. He'd been vague when mentioning a past girlfriend who had died. She didn't want to prod too much but she could see that the experience had set some deep scars inside him. Knowing this, she settled for the somewhat slow dance that they'd both settled into. They moved to the music with ease and she marveled at how relaxed he seemed to become the longer they danced.
Somewhere around the middle of the song, she dared to look up at him and when she saw him smiling down at her she found the courage to move a little closer. Her fingers brushed through the long hairs at his neck. She was still wearing his ball cap so his long hair had flopped down over his forehead, and her fingers wanted to know how it would feel to run her hands through his hair.
When he tilted his head in a curious silent question, she took a deep breath trying to calm herself down. She was relieved that it was now only Ruby and Graham that was still in the pub, but she really wanted to do so much more than just dancing. She felt his fingers drawing slow circles over her hip and when one finger slipped between her shirt and waistband of her jeans, she gasped silently. Her eyes shifted to the bar where she'd last seen Ruby speak with Graham, but right now they where no were in sight.
It was him that tucked her a little closer and she went willingly, she might be the one initiating this dance but he clearly liked dancing with her. She quickly gave up on trying to keep her distance and moved even closer. She twisted the baseball cap backwards and rested her forehead against his shoulder. Strong wiry muscles moved under his shirt, his scent wrapping around her, making her slightly dizzy.
Once the dance was finished, he only moved back slightly giving her a way out but she kept her hands on his shoulder and looked up at him. "Walk me back to the hotel?"
Killian nodded and glanced over her shoulder. "What about your friend?"
"I honestly don't know where she is." Emma searched the bar again and saw no trace of Ruby.
"She was talking with Graham earlier, you don't think they would have… you know?" He waved his hand aimlessly in the air, his face heating up a little.
"She might," Emma mused, before pulling out her phone and realizing that Ruby had texted her not long ago: Don't wait for me, I'll see you at the stadium tomorrow. It's going to be a hot night ;) The text was followed with emojis of burning flames.
Emma rolled her eyes, Ruby was the complete opposite of how Emma approached the dating scene. In the past, Emma had only had one serious boyfriend who took life far less seriously than she. So in the end she split with Neal and hadn't been with anyone since.
"Is she okay?" Killian checked.
"Oh, I think she will be just fine, she went back with Graham." When Killian gasped at this, she eased his worry. "Don't worry she might be a bit of a vixen when it comes to men, but in the end she is pretty down to earth."
"Well they did seem to get along nicely." Killian grinned and rubbed his face, trying to hide the slight blush that showed on his cheeks. "I've only known Graham for a few months now, but he does seem like a level-headed guy."
"I'm glad tonight worked out this way, big succes." Emma smiled, knowing that her friend would have a great time with Graham as she'd had with Killian.
"Success?"
"I might have planned this."
"Planned?" Killian asked.
"Yeah, I wanted to go out and spend time with you. So when I heard you guys planning an evening out at this place, I dragged my friend along for the ride," Emma explained and smiled when she saw him trying to understand what her words meant.
"You planned this?" Killian asked again, as if in awe that someone like her would want to spend time with him.
"Hmm." She looked down. "Are you mad?"
"Gods, love. I could never be mad about having the chance to talk and dance with you," Killian blurted out. It was the sweetest thing he could have said, and possibly also the most romantic.
"So you want to dance with me again?"
"Now?" His eyebrows lifted in surprise.
"It's late but perhaps another time, back home?" Emma wondered.
"Miss Nolan, are you asking me out on a date?" His words came out slowly as if he didn't dare believe the meaning of her words.
"I might be." She grinned sheepishly up at him. "So is that a yes?"
"I would love nothing more." He took a deep breath, before saying, "I'll have to talk to my brother about this…" Killian lifted his hand when she was about to interrupt him. "I just want him to understand that this is something that we both agree on and that it won't cause any conflict of interest."
"Oh god, why does this have to be so complicated?" Emma groaned and sighed.
"I'm sorry, but this whole filming deal is also part of your life. It's what the public will see and what the TV network wants to make of this." Killian tried to explain.
Emma could see that it pained him with how difficult this might seem right now. "I know all this, I know how careful we must be if we want to go out on a date or something…" Emma bit her lip as she gauged how he reacted to the word date but all she saw was a big smile so she continued. "But I really want to get to know you, Killian."
"I want that too." He put his hands into his pockets and nodded towards the door. "How about we walk back to the hotel?"
"Yeah, it's getting late." Emma glanced at a wall clock nearby. It was past 10pm now and she should have been in bed already if her mother had anything to say about it. The hotel was a short walk away, so she hoped it would be okay.
Killian motioned for her to go ahead of him "Ladies first."
"Ah, you're a gentleman too." Emma laughed and headed for the door, fully knowing that he would be ogling her backside so she purposely swayed her hips a little more than usual as she walked out of the door. She might have heard a small groan coming from him, but the music began playing again so she wasn't sure.
Once out on the street, she tucked her arm into the crock of his and when he looked down at her in surprise she shrugged, "It's dark."
Killian chuckled at her attempt to explain why she wanted to hold his arm.
The walk only took ten minutes and they spoke about various things. The following day's schedule for filming, his new little puppy, who she learned was at a dog sitter for the first time.
Emma found it easy to talk to him, and even if they might have been living two very different lives she felt a connection to him. This was quite new and slightly daunting. She'd spent the past three years focusing on her college and horse jumping while building sky high walls around her heart. The gossip pages did try to connect her with a few fellow horse jumping contestants if they'd been spotted together at a competition. But it always blew away in the whirlwind of the next hot gossip topic online.
They entered the lobby of the hotel and she was about to say goodnight to Killian, when she spotted her parents. Her fingers curled into his arm and when he looked down at her in surprise she nodded towards her parents who by now had seen them too.
"Oh," Killian exclaimed.
"Yeah, crap," Emma mumbled, but squared her shoulders trying to prepare herself for the reprimand she might get from her parents.
"Emma?" Her mother came over with a worried look on her face. "We were about to call you when we couldn't find you in your room. Where have you been?"
"I, we… Ruby and I went to a nearby pub and we…" Emma mumbled while she slipped her hand from Killian's arm, her palm still burned warm from the heat of his body.
"Where's Ruby?" Her father asked, and looked around.
"She went home early," Emma replied.
"She's not in your room." Her mother crossed her arms and looked at her with that mother look Emma knew all too well. Emma might be a grown woman, but she also knew that her mother tried hard to teach her how the hard work and diligence to her sport would in the end pay off and she'd rise in the league.
"I don't know, perhaps she went down to the gym or something." Emma chuckled nervously. "You know she always tries to burn off something extra."
Her mother gave a small nod as if this explained Ruby's absence. "So what did you do?"
"I played darts with Killian." Emma nodded her head towards Killian who looked like he'd seen a ghost, his hands curled into his pockets as his jaw clenched in nervousness.
"Hmm." Her mother gave Killian a searching look and Emma could see him tense up at the scrutiny. Then her mother's eyes returned to Emma, "Why don't you go up and go to bed? It's getting late, sweetie."
Emma nodded reluctantly, she'd hoped she would have a few more moments alone with Killian. She gave him a small smile, hoping he would understand.
"Good night, Miss Nolan," Killian said and nodded. "It… it was fun."
"Good night, yeah it was fun. Raincheck?" She smiled when his eyes flashed to her parents nearby, but he gave her a small confirming nod, and she chuckled. "Perhaps you'll win next time."
"Perhaps," he replied, smiling at her.
Emma stepped away from him and as she was about to turn around when she heard him call out, "Em… Eh, Miss Nolan." She turned around and found him pointing to his hair, then nodded to her as he lifted an invisible hat from his head.
"Oh yeah, right." Emma realized that she still had his cap on her head, so she gave a quick glance to her parents who looked at the exchange with far too much interest for her liking. "Sorry." She removed the cap and stepped over to Killian "Almost forgot this."
"Thank you." He reached for the cap and when his fingers brushed against hers she felt a shiver run down her spine. God she hoped that her mother's usual keen observation skill was shut off tonight. But glancing over her shoulder and finding her mother's watchful eyes trained on her, she knew her mother might detect something going on between her and Killian. Well perhaps she should talk to them about this. She looked back at Killian and whispered, "I'll speak with my parents, okay?"
Killian blinked a few times, as his eyes flickered to her parents behind her. "Oh?"
"And you'll speak with your brother, right?"
"Aye, that might be best," Killian mumbled, scratching behind his ear, as his eyes darted to the floor.
"Goodnight." Emma turned around and began walking to her parents.
"Goodnight," Killian cleared his throat. "Goodnight, Miss Nolan." He said a little louder.
She looked over her shoulder and smiled when he gave her a small wave followed by his usual nervous gesture by rubbing behind his ear. He really was such a sweet man, she could tell that he was still trying to understand why she was even remotely interested in him. But in her heart she knew that she wanted to get to know him.
Her focus returned to her parents who were still waiting for her. Emma knew she should speak with them about how she felt about Killian, and she might as well get it over with right now. So, as she entered the elevator with them she turned to them and announced, "We need to talk."
