Page 48 of Emma Jane's Guide to Matchmaking the Mayor
“All right, well. Go on, now. I’m sure your mother would love to hear the news, Knightley. She’s been pestering me to help push you two together over the past year.”
Emma Jane pops up, walks over to her father, and kisses his cheek. “You’ll always be my number one man, okay, Papa?”
He grunts, but a small smile tugs at the corner of his lips. As Emma Jane leaves the room, I pat Henry’s back. “I’ll take good care of her, Henry.”
He looks at me, still wearing a little grin. “I know you will. I wouldn’t have allowed itotherwise.”
“I’m so sorry, Knightley…” Emma Jane’s voice trails off, her gray eyes wide with panic.
And all I can do is laugh as I stare at the newspaper headline: KNIGHTLEY CAUGHT KISSING!
I toss the paper to the side and pull Emma Jane into my arms. “I’m not the least bit sorry to be caught kissing you.”
She pushes away from me, her face still showing her panic. “But there’s no way you can win this election now. People are going to start calling you a predator. They don’t know our story. Our history!”
“So we will tell them.” I step toward her, brushing a blonde lock from her face. “And I’m going to step down from the race.”
“Are you sure, Knightley? I mean, I agree. I don’t see a way around this now that it’s out, regardless of what we say to the people. They will go on believing what they want.”
“I’m positive. I only ran in the first place because no one of quality was running. Jay will be an amazing mayor, and I can focus on my law firm, help with your business transition with Books and Beans, and, well, love youwell.” I lower my voice on that last part, bending down to kiss her neck. She smells like coconut and flowers. Pleasant and enticing. “We have a wedding to plan, anyway.”
“You never actually proposed, Squire.”
Chuckling, I nibble on her ear. “Soon, Janie.”
I still can’t believe I now have free rein to think about her in this way. To touch her. Kiss her. Feel her body shiver against mine when I whisper in her ear.
She’s the only woman I’d choose to get married again for, and I’m thrilled to see what our future has in store.
“How are we going to go about this?” Her fingers run up and down my back while her other hand grips my arm.
I mumble against her neck. “I’ll release a video to my social media page.”
She giggles when I get to that spot behind her ear that tickles her. “Okay, okay. Enough. We need to talk about this.”
Sighing, I step back, taking her hands in mine.
I can’t seem to stop touching her now that I have permission to.
“What’s there to talk about?”
“I want to be in your video. I want people to hear from me. I’ve gotten messages on my social media from people asking if I’m okay.”
My eyes widen. “Do they think I’m forcing you?”
“Something like that.”
“I would never do such a thing! You are a consenting adult, and—” Heated indignation rises in my throat, cutting off my speech.
Now it’s Emma Jane’s turn to laugh. “I know, Squire. But they don’t. And that’s okay. Our relationship is for us.” She interlaces her fingers with mine, and that’s all it takes to ground me. “We will show them that with every year that passes where we remain happy, healthy, and completely in love. This is our story. No one else’s.”
I lean down to kiss her neck once more. “The story of how Emma Jane made a match for the mayor…”
She giggles, gently pulling away from me before taking my face in her soft hands. Pressing her lips against mine, she mumbles, “Rule number one: don’t fall for your client.”
