Free What If (Willowbrook Book 2) by Ashlyn Mathews Page A

.” He blew out a breath. “The key to your heart means everything to me, Em. If I could, I’d take back what I did.”
    “Aw, Drew.”
    It took guts for him to admit he’d been jealous and hurt. She grasped his hand and tugged him back, toward the cemetery. “Let’s go say hi to my dad.”
    “I’d love to, baby doll.” He released her hand and, grasping her waist, lifted her and claimed her mouth with his. Sighing, she opened up to him. Talking about the hard stuff wasn’t so bad after all.
     
     

Chapter Thirteen
    They stood in front of her father’s grave. Tulips covered the granite marker. Recalling the story of how Emma’s dad had proposed to her mom, Drew smiled and pulled her back against him. She pressed her tiny body into him, resting her head on his chest.
    He’d told her the truth earlier. About his fear, his hurt, his jealousy. Afterward, a weight lifted. It’d felt good and right to bare his soul to her rather than come off as the tough guy who would reassure her that things were okay when everything in their relationship hadn’t been fine.
    “Drew, there’s something I have to tell you.” She faced him. “You know the guy I lost my virginity to, the one from college, the guy you don’t know?” She fidgeted with the buttons of his jacket.
    He stopped her nervous movements with a hand over hers. “Go on.” He gently encouraged.
    Finally, she opened up to him, and no way would he miss the importance of her words with the stats in his head or by thinking of the places he needed to be, or of his lines for endorsement commercials. With Emma, football would have to be placed on the back burner.
    Drew wanted new experiences, new places, new . . . anything but only with Emma and their baby by his side. And he had a gut feeling he’d be getting that and more. In less than twenty-four hours, he understood so much about Emma—his girl, his love. The credit went to her. When she had dropped her guard, she let him in. That’s where he’d always wanted to be, closer to the beats of her heart.
    “Chris was the guy.”
    Her soft words pulled him out of his thoughts.
    “We met in math class and hit it off right away. I knew instantly we’d be best friends.” She looked at him through thick, smoky lashes. Recognizing that he was more curious than jealous, she continued. “I also knew he was confused about his . . . his sexuality.”
    She shivered. He tugged the edges of her jacket together and zipped it up. She rewarded him with a crooked smile. Adorable . He kissed the tip of her nose.
    “So you and he slept together to ease his confusion?” he offered. At the thought of Chris easing himself into Emma, Drew . . . Drew pushed down the jealousy threatening to undo Emma’s trust in him. “But you said you hadn’t loved him.”
    “I do love him but not in the same way I love you. A different kind of love. The love for a friend. Does that make sense?” She explained, barely taking a breath between her words.
    “Perfectly.” Chris might bat for the other team, but his sexuality didn’t explain why he and Emma looked ready to swap spit inside Chris’ truck. “What happened between you two the night I saw you in his truck.”
    She wrapped her arms tight around his waist and looked up. Tears glistened in her eyes. She hurt for a guy she loved like a friend. “His partner broke up with him. Said Chris wasn’t accepting of his own sexuality so how could he fully love another man? It broke Chris’ heart. I understood his hurt but couldn’t give him advice. How could I when I was also an imposter?”
    He must’ve looked confused. She explained. “If I wasn’t ready to accept all of you—a public figure in my private world—how could I trust and love you properly and completely?” She rubbed her nose on his shirt before meeting his gaze. “I could only give Chris my heart, my love. But not the piece of my heart and my love that had always been yours to keep. When I saw the lock . . .”