Chapter 112: Dr. Knight
"I'm just so glad you're awake," he whispered, his voice raw with honesty. "I... I've been so lost these past hours. I—" He shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment as if to gather himself. When they opened again, they were glossy with unshed emotion.
"Don't ever scare me like that again. Do you hear me? Don't leave the house without telling me or Claire or anyone. I can't— I'm not sure I would survive losing you, Emma. If I have to search the ends of the earth for you again... I don't think I'll make it."
Emma's breath hitched, her own heart aching at his words.
Forgetting the others in the room, she reached up with her trembling hand to cup his face, her thumb brushing the corner of his lips.
"I'm right here," she whispered. "I'm not going anywhere. And I won't make you find me again. That's my promise to you," she said looking deep into his gray eyes.
There was a collective "aww" from Claire, Ivy, and Chris, but Emma didn't care. She didn't even hear them.
This moment wasn't for them. It was for her... and her love for Alex. It was for the future she and Alex were going to be having.
The warmth in Alex's eyes, his comforting presence, his silent promises, and his reassurances, all seemed to make her inner fear about Vanessa still being out there, not feel so overwhelming anymore.
Claire, blinking back her own tears, cleared her throat with a teasing smile. "So, um... was that the confession you were avoiding earlier, Emma? The reason you were pretending to be asleep?"
Emma laughed softly, her cheeks blooming with warmth. She nodded, then looked back at Alex with renewed confidence.
"Yes... but I'm done hiding now. I love you, Alex. I've loved you for a while. And I'm not going to waste another second holding back."