Chosen by Denise Grover Swank Page B

arms braced her as she leaned back, searching the clear starry sky. Her long dark hair blew in the soft breeze behind her back. She heard him approaching and twisted her head and smiled. The sincerity of her smile astounded him.
    He sat next to her on the edge of the tailgate, a foot away, careful not to touch. “What are you looking at?”
    “The stars. When I was a little girl I used to wish on the stars.” Her voice was wistful with memory.
    He copied her, leaning back braced on his arms. “And what did you wish for?”
    “A father.”
    Her answer surprised him. Will tried to remember what his little sister wished for. Dolls, ponies, Prince Charming. He studied her still upturned face. There was no self-pity on her face, only contemplation.
    “Did your life turn out how you expected it to, Will?” Her voice was soft against the rustle of the stalks in the cornfields.
    He didn’t expect that one either. “No.”
    She sighed, accepting his answer without explanation. “Me neither.” She looked into his face. Her eyes were like magnets, making him incapable of breaking contact. “But for some reason tonight, I can forget my life sucks. I can forget that my sleeping son has a miserable excuse for a mother. Tonight, I can sit here under the stars and just be.”
    “Why?” he asked softly.
    She turned back to the sky. “I don’t know. It’s really strange, something just feels different. I feel safe.”
    “You’re not a miserable excuse for a mother.”
    Emma’s head twisted back to him. Her eyes narrowed, as if she suspected a false motive, then she shook her head. “A good mother would protect her son. A good mother would provide a stable home. A father.” A small, bitter laugh escaped from her throat. “Ironic, isn’t it? The only thing I wanted as a child I failed to give to my own son, not that the sorry excuse of a man who fathered Jake has the right to call himself one.”
    “Where is Jake’s father?”
    “Where he belongs, no part of Jake’s life.”
    She laid down on the bed of the truck and sighed, closing her eyes, her hair pooling around her. Will watched her, entranced. What the fuck is wrong with me? He resisted the urge to shake his head to clear it. The need to be close to this exposed Emma stymied him. He definitely was not himself tonight and he had no idea why.
    “What did you want when you were a little boy?”
    Uncertain how to answer, he remained silent. Why were Jake and Emma constantly making him think about his past?
    Emma sat up and leaned close. “It couldn’t be a dog. I know you had one of those.” She put her hand on his shoulder. Her touch sent a jolt through him. Had she felt it too? He turned slightly and saw her eyes momentarily widen, confusion clouded her eyes before she continued. “What one thing did you think would make you happy?”
    “I wanted…” A snide remark stopped on his tongue as he stared into her eyes. Did she know what she was doing to him? The innocence on her face answered his question.
    Indecision nipped at his conscience. What he wanted most was to kiss her. She was so close. All he had to do was lean a little closer. She smiled, a sweet smile full of the promise her eyes held earlier. But the still-decent part of him knew she deserved better. Despite what Jake said, Will was not a good person and he had plenty of evidence to prove it.
    Will cleared his throat, disappointment clinging to him like the anchor that tethered him to his sins. “I’m tired. I’m going to sleep out here in the back of the truck. You can sleep inside on the backseat.”
    “I’d rather sleep out here under the stars.”
    “I don’t have a pillow. At least the seat is cushioned.”
    “And covered in glass.”
    “I’ll clean it up for you.”
    She studied him again. “A chivalrous Will, who would have thought?” she said with a silky laugh. “Thanks, but I’d rather stay out here.”
    The missing with you only confirmed she was off limits. If Emma gave