"So, I was thinkin'-"
"That's dangerous." Rachel cut him off before taking a bite of her omelet.
Emmett's face dropped in mock annoyance. The expression only made her giggle. "Watch yourself, Rae Rae."
"Or what?" She challenged, genuinely curious to know what the punishment was. Her expression was definitely one of curiosity rather than fear.
"I'll make you pay for breakfast."
Rachel laughed, lowering her fork, "I've offered to pay every time we've been out! I'll pay for breakfast."
"You're not paying for breakfast. Don't be ridiculous." Emmett quickly walked it back, only causing Rachel to laugh harder. "Alright, fine. I've got nothing on that front. But anyway, I was thinkin' I should come over and meet your parents."
Her nose immediately scrunched up in disgust at the thought. Not because she didn't like Emmett or because she thought he wasn't good enough. No, her hesitation was more on her parents' side. Introducing Emmett to Dennis and Theresa was no small feat. Her parents were…different. Introducing Emmett to them meant he'd see parts of her life that she really didn't care for anyone seeing. Especially if Dennis came home in a bad mood, and then Theresa would try to step in and that never went well. And Theresa would surely be overly affectionate and excited about Em coming over…. The whole thing was a disaster waiting to happen.
"What's with the face? You don't think so?"
Rachel shrugged, "Isn't that something people do when they're dating?"
Emmett gestured around him, "Isn't that what we're doing?"
"No. We've been on dates. We're not dating. It's different." That part was true. Rachel did very much consider them different.
"Well, will you be my girlfriend then?"
"No."
"Please." Emmett grinned hopefully, almost as if he had expected Rachel's sass. Maybe in the last three months they'd been talking, he had come to expect it.
Rachel shook her head at the display. "You know, for such a ladies man, you really aren't good at this. Although that might make sense if you never actually got this far before."
"Ouch, Rachel." Emmett put his hand over his heart, "ice cold, baby. Here I thought you weren't impressed by flashy gestures. Here I thought you liked me for me." The dramatic tone he used made Rachel giggle.
She continued their banter with a shrug, "Eh, you're alright." Most certainly a lie. Emmett was the best person she'd ever dated. Though she couldn't put into words exactly what was different between them, there was something different. Excited little jitters running through her chest, the thrill of the teasing and playfulness between them…the rare moment of softness in Emmett's expression the night of the party.
Yes, something was different.
"Hey, it's a start. I'll take it." Emmett grinned. "So, what do you say? I could come over tomorrow? Meet your folks?"
"Not a chance in hell." Rachel shook her head. She leaned back in the booth, face set in a smug smirk. Her tone was teasing, but she was serious. Emmett had to like her a little more before she'd allow it to be ruined by her parents.
He was more serious than she was in his actions. Leaning forward to press her physically and verbally, he said, "Promise I'll be on my best behavior. No funny business."
"No."
"Aw, come on." Emmett lightly whined, "Parents love me."
"Do they?" Somehow, given Emmett's reputation, Rachel doubted that. Her father already had reservations about her and Emmett hanging out, and Rachel was pretty sure Dennis had never met Emmett officially.
"No."
She laughed at his unexpected answer, quickly covering her mouth. Wrong moment to take a bite.
"I win them over quickly though! It'd be fine. Promise." Emmett looked hopeful, grin wide on his face as he tried to convince her.
Rachel stood firm though, shaking her head. "Sorry, Em. Maybe some other time."
He was good-natured about the letdown, thankfully. With nothing more than a shrug and a smile, he teased her. "Fine, fine. But you owe me another date then, yeah?"
That was far easier to agree too.
With Emmett pacified at the agreement of dinner the following Wednesday night, Rachel breathed a little easier knowing that things were going smoothly.
Well, at least in that aspect of her life. She had three closing shifts that week, not to mention school was starting soon, which meant that volleyball practice would be starting up again. School shopping had been the last thing on her mind with all the activity that summer (or all the McCarty activity) and she was in desperate need of the essentials. Between prepping for her car to die and paying for summer fun, it didn't really leave much for school. Queue another stressor in life.
Thankfully, her friends knew exactly how to keep things relaxed when it all got to be too much.
Lucy's house was always the go-to; Madison had too many siblings and Chloe and Rachel's dads could be…strict. Kelly and Steven really didn't mind the girls coming over, staying up late, or playing light music, which was a blessing. Rachel thought being confined to a car in a fast-food parking lot would get old fast.
Besides, the snacks were way better at Lucy's than at the fast-food joint. Kelly made a fantastic ranch dip that always paired well with pretzels. Rachel had asked for the recipe on many occasions, but her and Kelly always forgot about it by the time Rachel left.
"I heard he's going on Friday. I thought maybe we could go too?" Lucy's pause in the long-winded ramble about Jake pulled Rachel's focus from her pretzel heaven. She glanced up at the girl before sharing a look with Madison.
"How do you know he's going to the movies on Friday? Are you stalking him now?" Rachel teased, throwing a pretzel at Lucy, who was seated in the beanbag chair across the room.
Madison took a crop top out of Lucy's closet and held it up, "Okay, but she could totally wear this right? If I remember correctly, your boobs looked amazing in this. How could Jake say no?"
Rachel, trying not to laugh, rolled her eyes. "Don't give her an out! She didn't answer my question! And is not concerning to you that Emmett and his friends said Jake is into sketchy stuff? You shouldn't get involved in that, if it's true."
"If it's true." Lucy pointed out. "No offense, but Jonathan isn't the most reliable source."
"He literally was friends with Jake and Steven for years." Rachel argued back. To be fair, she never thought she'd be defending Jonathan's honor either. But she was worried about Lucy and didn't want her in danger because of some boy.
Madison, ever the mediator, offered a solution, "Okay, how about this? We go to the movie just as a girl's night and if we see Jake, we see Jake. If not, then no big deal. Besides, it's not like Lucy will actually talk to him. You know she's the master of loving from afar." Madison teased, pausing her closet reorganizing mission to wink at the girl.
Lucy rolled her eyes and changed the subject, "Speaking of loving from afar…how's the thing with Emmett going?"
"Yes!" Madison clapped her hands, "Josie said she saw you guys at dinner a couple weeks ago. So you're obviously still going on dates. Is it getting serious? Did you find out how he is yet?"
"Oh my God!" Rachel threw a pillow at Madison. She swore if she had to hear the girl ask that question one more time…. "You're horrible. It's just been meal dates. Nothing more. Nothing is happening."
Madison boo'd while Lucy rolled her eyes. Despite Lucy spending almost a full year not making a move on Jake, apparently it was a crime for Rachel and Emmett to only hang out once a week during the summer. "Lame! You guys haven't done anything – I'm not talking about physically! But girl, it's been like, three months. Are you guys official? Are you meeting his parents?"
"No. I mean, he did ask me to be his girlfriend, but I think he was kidding." Rachel played with a loose string on Lucy's comforter.
"He was kidding? Really? That's lamer than Lucy's 'he was looking at his phone' excuse. What do you mean he was kidding? How did he say it?" Madison abandoned her project and was fully focused on Rachel. It felt more like an interrogation session than a sleepover. Next thing she'd know, Madison would be breaking out the lie detector test.
"I dunno. He asked about meeting my parents and when I told him I thought that was something couples did, he said he thought we were a couple-"
Lucy gasped, "But he never actually asked you?" The disgusted expression on her face was enough to confirm what Rachel already knew: not flat-out asking and just assuming was a crime.
"Well, he asked me after I told him that going on dates and dating were not the same thing."
"Just at dinner?" Madison looked thoroughly unimpressed, "Like, just blurted it out? That's not romantic."
Rachel shrugged. She couldn't necessarily disagree, but she hadn't been focused on the romance of it all.
"So you're official now?" Lucy asked, waving Rachel forward.
"No. I told him no."
Madison picked the pillow back up and threw it at Rachel. Lucy let out a horrified gasp, and then they both began yelling at Rachel about how she couldn't pass up that opportunity, no matter how non-romantic it was.
"Seriously! Emmett. McCarty. Have you lost your mind? You don't reject him!" Madison snagged another pillow and hit Rachel over the head with it.
"He's way too hot." Lucy agreed, just letting the abuse in her house happen.
"I told you he was joking! We were teasing each other!" Rachel held her arms out to try and grab the pillow from her friend. "He wasn't seriously asking, I'm sure."
Madison huffed, "So then, you say 'yes' in a teasing way. That way, if he was kidding you can play it off like you were going along with the joke, but, if he wasn't, then you're official."
Rachel thought Madison spent far too much free time plotting such a thing. That hadn't even crossed Rachel's mind. That never would have crossed Rachel's mind. Ever.
"Well, if he's serious, then he can ask again."
That was not an acceptable answer.
"You better hope he asks again," Madison threatened, sounding eerily like Dennis. "If not, you're screwed and not in the way we want you to be."
"There will be other guys." Rachel waved them off, again to their absolute horror.
Though she'd never admit it, a sick little pit formed in Rachel's stomach at that thought as well. She couldn't picture Emmett holding hands or laughing at a diner table with someone else. It just felt…gross. Maybe she had made a mistake.
Rachel's emotions fell far too easily from her face. Madison picked up on them immediately and started in on her lecture about Rachel's sassy personality (as if Madison had any room to talk).
She really didn't need the lecture. She was feeling worse about it by the second, anxious thoughts about her messing up the relationship, just like she messed up so many other things, filled her head. Maybe Emmett wouldn't try again. Maybe she was too much, just like her family. Maybe she'd lost out on her chance.
"Hey, chill." Lucy cut Madison off with a sharp look, "If Emmett really likes her, then he's not going to take one 'maybe-I'm-kidding' no as a final answer. He knows how Rachel is – he's spent all summer with her. And if he does use it as an out to the relationship, then maybe that's all Rachel needed to know about him right there. Any guy who runs at that, wasn't worth it anyway."
Like wind through the fog, Lucy's words carved a crack in the pressure against Rachel's chest. The words she spoke were true, even if the little nagging voice in Rachel's head told her otherwise. If Emmett had a problem with her teasing, then he'd say something…or he'd end it. But he'd played along right with her. He'd been dramatic and funny after she'd rejected him. Maybe she had been right in her initial assessment that he had been kidding when he asked her.
Just to be on the safe side, she texted Emmett the next morning to strike up conversation between them. She really didn't know what to talk about or what to say, so she started off with just a 'good morning' and a question on how the rest of his weekend was. Innocent enough. Totally casual.
Rachel herself, was not casual. Minutes went by without a response and Rachel tossed her phone on her bed. She was being stupid. It was Monday, Emmett likely had to work, he probably didn't hate her. She probably didn't screw it up. Life was fine.
Instead of dwelling on it, she tried to busy herself instead. She got dressed and threw some laundry together, packed her lunch for her shift that night, even got out to the store to buy her school supplies.
Her tasks moved far faster than Emmett did.
An hour before her shift, she contemplated trying to text him again. Maybe an apology would work better instead. He hadn't seemed upset or hurt. She thought they had left on good terms. But maybe it was just a front that Emmett had put on.
Anxious fingers typed out her message, then deleted it…then retyped it again. None of her words seemed to come out quite right. Or in a way that wouldn't get her thoroughly teased later.
She sighed, dropping her phone in her lap, and swore she heard a beep. Her hands couldn't pick the device up fast enough and she was immediately met with relief as Emmett apologized for not responding right away, citing the situation that Rachel had thought was the reason before her anxiety had talked her out of it.
Work was much easier to get through knowing Emmett didn't hate her.
Though they hadn't agreed on it, part of her kept watching the door in hopes that Emmett would surprise her and show up for dinner. His random visits had gotten less frequent since the pair began dating, but every now and then Em and the boys would stop by for a meal.
Since it was August already, Rachel wondered if the boys would show up less. Were they going to college? Were they starting jobs of their own? She had never thought to ask. Normally they just made fun of each other when they were all together. They really hadn't had a lot of serious conversations about their lives or interests.
The rest of her shift was spent contemplating what each boy would do for work or school. Ethan seemed like the type to go to college. He was a bit more responsible, or responsible appearing, than the others. But then again, he did live on a farm too. Maybe Ethan had similar plans to Emmett. Travis often complained about school, so Rachel figured he would be starting work, if he didn't have a job already. Jonathan definitely wouldn't go on to school. He didn't seem to have the personality for it. Rachel could see him working construction or a trade. Welding maybe. But that would require some training, she thought.
Ben was a tough one. He was the one Rachel knew the least about. She thought he worked on a farm or did something outdoors. Cowboy boots were often worn, and they looked old and dirty. Was that from helping out on Ethan or Emmett's family farm instead?
Rachel's thoughts were rudely interrupted by a weird clicking from her car. She turned the key again, listening to it make the same noise, instead of the usual hum of her engine. The key was turned again…and then again. Shit.
She huffed and leaned her head back against the seat. Her dad was going to kill her.
Figuring he was not the one she wanted to inform of her predicament, she called her mother first. She listened to the phone ring and ring…and ring some more. Finally, Theresa's high voice announced that she was unavailable, and that Rachel would need to leave a message. Great.
"Hey mom, it's me. Call me when you get this, please." Rachel also sent her mother a text for good measure.
She waited five minutes and got no response. Typical. Her mother probably didn't even know where her phone was. Rachel found her father's contact and clicked call. Like Theresa's, the phone rang and rang before sending her to voicemail. She left a similar message, sent the same text, and waited.
The radio couldn't be played because that would kill the battery and then Rachel would really be in trouble, so she sat in silence as she waited for rescue. As the minutes ticked by, she tried calling her parents again…and then again…and then again. She knew it was late and that they had to work the next day, but she kind of needed them. Or needed someone.
Lucy didn't have a car, so she was out. Madison did, but she lived so far out of town. Knowing Rachel's luck, Madison would get halfway to the restaurant and Rachel's parents would call her back.
As she clicked through her contacts, one name stood out. But it was stupid. It was eleven at night. There was no way he'd be awake. He likely had to work too.
She would try her parents one more time. If they didn't answer, then she'd bite the bullet and call Emmett…or she'd walk the fifteen minutes home.
Walking seemed preferrable when they didn't answer. Emmett probably lived just as far as Madison did and Madison would be her first choice, so Rachel dialed her friend's number instead.
And she decided the universe hated her when Madison didn't answer.
"Fine, fine." She muttered, clicking the call button over Emmett's name. Her chest was tingling as the phone rang once. She felt a little sick, her hands clammy and trembling. He probably wouldn't answer. She'd just have to walk.
"Hey Rae Rae. What's up girl?" Emmett didn't sound tired. Good, she likely hadn't woken him at least.
Rachel took a breath, "Uh, hey."
"Are you okay?" Emmett's concerned voice carried through the receiver and Rachel cringed. She was so stupid.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Um, I was just…you wouldn't happen to be in town, would you?" Rachel bit her bottom lip, almost hoping Emmett would say no. Then she could get off the phone and try to forget the whole thing happened.
"I'm not, but I can be in 15." Emmett's tone turned a little teasing, "What do you have in mind, girl?"
She couldn't help the smile that fell on her lips. Late night excursions with Emmett hadn't been considered before, but maybe she should start…. No. Focus. "Uh, no, that's okay. I didn't…that's not why…." Great. Emmett was sure to be attracted to a girl who couldn't form proper sentences. She needed to get it together.
"Are you sure everything's ok? What's going on, Rachel?"
He went back to concerned and Rachel sighed. "My stupid car won't start, I can't get it going and-"
"Hey, it's ok. I'll be there in fifteen minutes, alright? Sit tight. I'll see you soon." He didn't give her an opportunity to protest. The click happened immediately afterwards, and Rachel slapped the phone against her leg. She felt so stupid. She should've just had her dad look at the car two weeks ago and asked for a payment plan or something. Now she was bothering Emmett and blowing up her parents' phones. Why was she such a fool?
That sentiment was carried with her when Emmett arrived as well. She sighed to herself as the bright headlights illuminated the space around her car, already planning on what she'd say to him and how she'd apologize.
He left his truck running, hopping out of the driver's seat with a cheerful smile on his face, despite the hour of the night. "Hey Rae Rae!"
She grabbed her bag and shut the door to her own car, slowly walking around to face her doom. "Hey. I am so sorry. I know it's late and you probably gotta work tomorrow and-"
"Hey." Emmett cut her off, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. He felt warm against her cool skin and she shivered. "It's ok. Don't apologize. This stuff happens. You want me to take a look at it?"
"You know cars?"
He shrugged, "Eh? Enough to be dangerous. Can't be that much different than a tractor, right?" Em shot her a wink but stayed put until she nodded.
He climbed in the driver's seat – in any other circumstance it would've been funny to see such a large man getting into the small space – and turned the key, listening to car tick. After fiddling around for the hood latch, he popped it open and had Rachel turn the key while he examined the engine. When he returned to her, he shrugged. "If I had to guess, it's just your starter. Not too bad to replace, honestly."
"Something I can do here quick?" She asked hopefully.
Emmett's grimace took away that hope, "Uh, probably not. You'd need parts and some tools, so you'd at least have to wait until morning. Can't your dad do it? He's a mechanic, right?"
"Yeah…I was just…" Rachel trailed off, not knowing what she'd say. How could she explain that she was hoping not to have to involve her dad or that she wanted to keep it from him? Emmett would ask questions, surely, and then she'd get herself into even more of a mess.
Her hesitation accidentally told Emmett enough, because he continued, "Or I could ask Henry to take a look at it. He's actually pretty good with that kinda stuff. I'm sure he could come do it tomorrow."
Rachel sighed and shook her head. The last thing she wanted to do was be more of a burden than she was. Besides, her father would notice if the car wasn't parked in its usual spot. "No, that's alright. My dad can do it tomorrow. Just thought maybe I wouldn't need a ride if I could do it tonight. Thanks though. I really do appreciate it."
"Sure thing. Well, just let me know if you change your mind. For now, let's get you home, yeah?" Emmett gestured back to his truck before holding out a hand for Rachel to take. The contrast in their temperatures was stark, enough to pull Emmett's focus. "You're freezing, girl. Come on, I got the heat running. I'd offer you a jacket, but the one I have in there isn't super clean. We were fixing fences today." He seemed sheepish at that, almost as if he needed to have a clean jacket for Rachel at all times.
"It's fine, Em. I'll be alright." She reassured him.
Once she climbed in the passenger side, she clicked the lock button on her key fob and shoved the stupid keys back into her pocket. Shaking her head at her car, she took a clearing breath. At least Emmett didn't seem angry at her. Though, it was hard to tell what he thought about her in the dark when she couldn't quite see his facial expression.
Apparently, he was more worried about what she thought of him, apologizing for the dust that covered the truck. "Hard to keep the dirt away, you know?" He'd tried to joke. Rachel couldn't tell in the light if he was smiling or sheepish again.
"Nothing to apologize for, seriously. I need to be apologizing. Sorry to bother you so late. Um, I'm just on fifth avenue. Second house on the left if you come from Colombia." She fiddled with her fingers, watching Emmett's expression carefully for any hint of anger.
"Oh cool, I know where that is." Emmett put the truck in drive and pulled out of the lot. "Seriously, though, don't apologize for car stuff. It happens to the best of us. Are your parents out of town or something?"
"Oh, no? Why?" It seemed like an odd, out-of-left-field question.
"No reason. Just surprised you called me instead of them." His tone was playful, but it sent Rachel into a small panic. She couldn't lie to him or go along with his story. He'd see her parent's cars in the drive. He'd know they were just at home, sleeping through Rachel's panicked phone calls. Maybe she could tell him they were out to dinner or having drinks…on a Monday night, that made sense.
Monday night. Shit! It was Monday night!
Rachel groaned and tipped her head back. Dennis was at dart league. She'd called during darts! God she really was stupid.
"You okay? What's wrong?" Her actions did nothing to comfort Emmett and she felt his eyes raking her body for some invisible illness or injury.
"Fine, I'm sorry. I just…I remembered it's Monday and Dennis has dart league and I was trying to ca-…I mean, that's probably why he didn't answer. He just didn't hear his phone." Ahh yes, emotionally dump on him Rachel. Great idea. "Sorry, anyway. My mom is just probably asleep." She mumbled as her face flamed with her social missteps.
"Fair enough! If they're shooting down at Shooter's then it makes sense he couldn't hear it. Place gets loud after hours…not that I'd know." He winked at her, and she was grateful that he was trying to keep things light despite the intensity in her chest. Sometimes she really did think Emmett was better at reading her than she often thought.
"Yeah." Rachel tried to smile but the pit in her chest wouldn't quite let her. It only grew deeper as her heart sunk down to her toes. Her phone was ringing, and it wasn't the parent she wanted to call her back.
She glanced at Emmett, who had looked over to see the light that now illuminated the cab. He smiled and gave her a nod.
Rachel took another breath, trying to prepare herself before answering the phone. "Uh, hey dad."
"Rachel, this better be an emergency. You know better."
Great. He was in a good mood. Rachel closed her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I forgot. I just…my car won't start and I needed a ride, but it's fine. I got it."
"Your car won't start? Are you serious Rachel? This is why I told you that you needed to bring it in and get it looked at. Before something like this happened. For fucks sake."
Rachel clicked the receiver volume down as low as it would go, glancing at Emmett and praying that he couldn't hear. "I know, Dad. I told you I didn't have…" Nope. Wasn't going to say that in front of Emmett. "Look, can we talk about this tomorrow? It's fine, I have a ride. I'll figure it out tomorrow, ok?"
"That's my fucking car, Rachel. Don't brush me off like you're the adult here. Let me talk to your mother." Of course, he would assume that Theresa was the one bringing her home.
"Dad…I think Mom's at home. I couldn't get ahold of her."
"Then who the hell is giving you a ride? You don't have money to fix your fucking car but you got money to be giving to others for rides. Makes sense."
"You just said that it wasn't-" No. Rachel paused, taking a breath. She couldn't do it in front of Emmett. "It doesn't matter-"
That went over as well as Rachel thought it would. "Don't get fucking lippy with me. And don't tell me it doesn't matter. You're my daughter and I deserve to know who the hell you're with."
"Emmett's taking me home, Dad."
The other end of the phone was quiet for a moment. With each millisecond that passed, Rachel's leg bounced faster and faster. When Dennis spoke again, it was just as loud and intense as Rachel imagined it would be. "Are you fucking serious? It's almost midnight Rachel. The hell are you bothering him for? Is he your parent? The one you call in an emergency?"
"I did call you!" Rachel exclaimed, losing herself for a moment, "You didn't answer! I called Mom, then I called you, and I waited thirty minutes in the car in the parking lot – alone – for one of you answer-"
"Don't blame this on me, Rachel! It's not my fault you're too stupid to get your car fixed when you should. You wanna act like this, then figure it out on your own."
The line really did go dead then.
Rachel closed her eyes, begging herself not to cry as she tipped her head back into the seat. She hated that it still bothered her; that she was still a baby and cried every time they fought. Dennis had been like that her entire life. When would she just get used to it?
"You okay?" Emmett's soft voice punctured through the hum of the engine.
She didn't know what to say. She didn't want Emmett to see that. He shouldn't have had to witness it or get involved. Was it better to ask him to let her walk the rest of the way? Was it worse?
Surely it would be better. He wouldn't want to get involved with the dysfunctional family that was the Kentens.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, swallowing her tears, "Things just…I dunno."
"Hey, it'll be alright. This stuff stresses people out sometimes."
It was nice of Emmett to offer her father an out. But Rachel knew the truth and she scoffed, "Yeah, no. He's always like that." She shook her head bitterly. "Hence why you can't meet him. No one else needs to be subject to that."
To her utter surprise, Emmett chuckled. She couldn't for the life of her figure out what was so funny. She tells him her father is always that angry and he laughs? Maybe he thought she was kidding. Maybe it was for the best that he did so she could still salvage his opinion of them.
Before she could get the words out, Emmett spoke, "So that's why I can't meet your parents. Well, in that case, you're not allowed to meet Jackson and his wife, Chelsea. Okay, well, you can meet Jackson, he's fine. But, just not Chelsea."
"She's angry all the time too?" Rachel asked skeptically. She hadn't heard that at all. Everyone had seemed excited that Jackson was getting married when she'd spoken to them. No one had heard any hints of family drama.
"Well, not angry – at least, not all the time. She's just…kind of…backhanded, I guess." Emmett sighed, "She's not very nice, especially to my mom. I thought we've tried to make her feel welcome, tried to talk to Jackson about what we can do different…but nothing seems to work. Makes family events a real great time."
"I didn't know." She said softly. Emmett had never mentioned anything, aside from the brief conversation about Jackson being unhappy at Ethan's party. She didn't know it was that bad.
Emmett just shrugged. "Eh, is what it is. I just meant, I get messy family stuff. You're not alone in it, Rachel. Everyone just has different stuff. We'll figure it out together."
She softly scoffed, a small smile on her lips. "If you don't run off first that is."
"I'm not going anywhere, Rae Rae. Messy family and all, you're mine, girl." Emmett grinned, holding a hand out to her. She easily slipped her hand into his, the warmth spreading from it to the rest of her body.
"So," Emmett continued, a mischievous gleam in his eye, "does this mean I get to call you my girlfriend now?"
Rachel giggled, her worries of home and her car washed away. "Yeah, Em. That sounds good."