The next day, Nick finally went to school, and Emily felt like she had more free time to spend on her projects instead of worrying about him. The website she had started to sell her hair ornaments was barely garnering any income, with just three sales in the last month. Luckily, she now had enough students to support herself, and she was gradually redecorating the downtown art studio.Another thing that was going to occupy her time was the event Sylvia planned for depression awareness. Sylvia insisted that Emily should be part of it in order to show a united front to anyone who doubted the strength of Byron's company, or his family.She smiled with amusement as her phone rang with yet another call from Byron's mother. Although Sylvia could be b*tchy at times, Emily was quickly warming up to her, and she was flattered to be included in the family's plans. "Hello?" Emily said."We need to get you a dress," Sylvia declared without preamble."Right... because you think I don't have a
Emily arrived early to the charity event and found Sylvia was already there with some company employees. Byron's mother looked flawless in a midnight blue spaghetti-strap dress, her hair in a glamorous updo. She was giving everyone last-minute instructions when she spotted Emily."Well done, you!" Sylvia said, "I'm pleasantly surprised."Emily decided to roll with it since this was as nice a compliment as she was going to get. She was pretty proud of the dress she had made with only a few days' notice. It was made of a glittering silvery-grey material, and the contours flowed around her figure with lightness and grace."I thought Byron was coming with you," Emily said nervously, "Where is he?""I don't know, he went to get a sandwich.""He's got dozens of people waiting on him hand and foot. Even his dog has got groomers and nutritionists and goodness knows what else, and he needed to go out to get a sandwich?""When you say it like that, it does seem suspicious," Sylvia muttered
His... what?! Emily couldn't be sure whether Byron said this for the sake of their fake relationship, which was probably a moot point now that she had told her story in the newspaper... but he had never called her 'his girlfriend' before. She nearly tuned out the rest of the speech as her mind whirled, trying to understand this sudden turn of events.To her surprise, she felt a blush of happiness infusing her face with fresh color. Meanwhile, Byron announced the opening of a new fund to help people suffering from depression. "I have lived with depression for most of my life," he said, "but I wanted to hide it from everyone, even from myself. Now, a very insistent young woman has asked me to come forward, and I'm here to tell you we will try to overcome this illness together."Many people gasped, not expecting such a revelation. The next moment, the hall was filled with deafening applause. Emily heard Byron's voice whispering in her ear as they turned to leave the stage, "I reall
Emily looked up into his eyes, and the night they first met came back so vividly. Byron had the same pained look when he talked about Nova Summers, just like when Emily first saw him standing alone on the bridge."I'm not going anywhere," she said, "The fact that you told me this already means you're trying to get better. You're not in denial anymore.""One tiny step," he admitted, the muscles in his jaw tight as he stared out into the ocean, "...which might not lead anywhere."Emily pulled his face closer as if it was going to convince him to listen to her. "I know in your mind you're already scheming for a way to get out of having to do therapy, but you're going to do it.""Good God, what have I gotten myself into?" Byron said with a grin, "Can I take back what I said about you being my girlfriend?""No, too late!" Emily said, laughing."I thought you were my cure," he said, looking deeply into her eyes, "I always feel good when I'm around you, but I know it's not fair to put t
In the pearly grey morning light, Emily realized she was alone in the middle of a large bed, snuggled between silky sheets. The clouds were spread in an almost transparent layer over the city outside the window. She went to the washroom and realized her hair was a mess, but a kind of sexy mess. Everything that happened the previous night felt so right. She got back into bed as she couldn't escape a pleasant drowsiness, and she didn't have anywhere to be yet. The feeling of Byron's caresses all over her body was still there, as if it just happened seconds ago. The man himself appeared in the room, wearing only his briefs and carrying a breakfast tray filled with coffee, pastries, and fruit."Hey, you're awake!" he said, "That's good because I brought you something."She gave him a smile that was partly shy but mostly excited. His eyes lit up."You don't regret getting involved with me?" he asked, setting down the tray in front of her."Not when you bring me coffee and breakfast!
Many people turned out for Emily's open house. Her downtown art studio sparkled with new paint, and several works of art were displayed throughout. People mingled, going in and out of the three different rooms and enjoying glasses of champagne.Emily was a little surprised that her brother showed up rather than staying at home as was his custom most of the time. She was even more surprised to see him talking at length to her student Katie. Katie came over to her later, saying, "Your brother is hot, like a skinny Italian Gucci model.""I'm surprised he stays skinny considering how much junk food he eats," Emily said."He actually gave me his number," Katie announced, "Would it be weird if I called him?""No," Emily said, "though I warn you, he is weird, so some weirdness is inevitable."It seemed a budding teenage romance was about to unfold. Her friend Pam arrived with Mike, who was now her fiancé. Emily took them on a tour of the displays."This is Katie's work. Isn't it amazi
The next morning, Emily got out of bed and went to the window to try and bask in what little sunlight there was streaming through a few clouds. She hoped Byron was feeling more calm.When she came into the living room in her robe, she found him sitting on the floor in a cross-legged pose. He was doing some kind of breathing technique with his eyes closed. His silk robe hinting at the outlines of his powerful body, he looked like the embodiment of disciplined and serene masculinity. Emily tiptoed away to find some breakfast, not wishing to disturb him. When Byron joined her in the kitchen, he seemed extremely relaxed."It's amazing what you can achieve by being mindful of your breathing," he said. "I feel so balanced. And how are you, my lady?""I'm fine." She was actually amazed at the quick progress he was making. "I'm just glad you're okay.""Sorry about yesterday," he said. "I won't let my emotions control me again.""Does that mean you've abandoned that plan to fire everyone i
Emily found lazing in bed was so much better with the man she adored than all alone. The next morning, they could take their time since it was Sunday. "Did you sleep well?" Byron asked. "Extremely well," Emily said. After making love to him, she always slept soundly, but there had not been very much time for sleep.Emily had lots of time to take in the handsome contours of his face as the conversation meandered at a leisurely pace around the latest happenings. They were both so exhausted from the previous night that there was no more "peace and love" action to be had for now.Byron sounded happy with the way his companies were doing. Since the Christine disaster and his announcement about helping people with depression, the stock had only gone steadily up. "You know, the way things are going, I could afford some time away from the office," Byron mused. "We could go on vacation."It sounded so appealing as they were heading into the coldest time of year. Emily could picture lyi