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He knew he had brought this all on hi the distance between thee while he hat did he do? He called her every night and talked for hours with her about stuff he had never told anyone Emma no more about him than his own family And he couldn’t deny that he had fallen ihtly phone calls They made unspoken promises to each other as they poured their souls out and then what? He came back into town and acted like it had never happened But he just didn’t know any other way to handle it So he had buried his seem busier than they actually were Add then the faked illness and here he o days later trying to figure a way out of the shitstorm called his life

Brant hadn’t realized that he had been pacing in front of his desk until Emma burst into his office and wrapped herself around hi back on his heels as the force of her momentum moved him Suddenly, his frustration, fueled by a healthy anite He pushed E, "Da ht now!"

She jerked back from him as if he had slapped her She even touched her face with a shaking hand, looking up at him in bewilderment He reached for her just as she turned and raced out the door A tendril of hair slipped through his fingers before she was gone, the outer door sla hand through his hair, cursing his lack of control None of this was her fault and he had done nothing but heap abuse on her He went back to his chair and sank doearily He would give her some time today because he kneas the last person she wanted to see right now He was tired of living in limbo Alexia had thrown him for a serious curve, but it was Eet to this point He’d talk to Alexia tonight He would offer to find her a hotel, but that was it He was ashanized as siia almost ruin his future with Emma He realized that his confusion wasin love with Eiven him the perfect excuse to step back before he risked his heart again The only problem was that it had been too late Emma already owned his heart and he hoped that she would still want it after he told her everything

By late afternoon, Brant had finished his last conference call of the day When he heard a sound outside his closed door, he looked up eagerly, hoping it was Emma She hadn’t returned to the office after his assholeand he orried about her He had already left her several ht to voice mail Instead of Emma, Mark and Ava stood in his doorway Privacy appeared to have taken a flying leap at Danvers lately He frowned at Mark, wanting to make his disapproval of any social association with his sister known "What’s up?" he asked

Ava cleared her throat to get his attention "We just wanted to see if you wanted to grab a drink?" Before he could answer, Jason and Claire stepped into his noded office Since office hours were officially over for the day, the head of Danvers and his ere holding hands Brant felt a pang that he was powerless to control He needed to find Emma

He started to clear his desk to do just that

Claire stepped forward "Brant, how is Ee for her All of us would like to be there for her"

Brant dropped the papers he was holding, looking at Claire in confusion "What are you talking about? Arrangements for what?"

Jason stepped forward and put his arm around his wife "Didn’t Emma talk to you when she left today?"

"Erwe talked soo" He didn’t feel the need to elaborate as to why "What’s going on?"

"Beth came to my office and said that she had run into Emma in the lobby and that she was hysterical Her sister"

When Claire stopped, Jason stepped in for her "I believe her sister has passed away Beth insisted on taking her to the airport and helping her get a flight hoo with her, but there was only one seat available We were all concerned and want to make sure that she arrived hoed to his feet "I didn’t know She cahtfucknonono! She needed ht, his heart was racing and there wasn’t enough air in the roo like this before The concerned and shocked faces before hiuely heard Ava’s voice before she was beside hi in his chair with his head between his legs "Easy, slow breaths Slow and steady" For what felt like hours, he focused on getting his breathing back under control The heart attack that he’d thought he was having was looking et himself under control This wasn’t about him; it was about Einable today It was tiot unsteadily to his feet "Mark, I need to go to Florida right now"

Without any questions, Mark pulled out his phone and they heard him instruct his pilot to fuel the jet "You’re all set He was already staying near the airport, since I was planning to head out later tonight He’ll change his flight plan and be ready when you arrive My car is downstairs Ava and I will drop you"

Brant assured Jason and Claire that he would be in touch and followed Mark and Ava out His head was reeling, but his usual sense of organization was kicking in If he could just stay focused on the task of getting to Emma and block out the emotion, he could make it If he stopped to think back on what he had done to her when she had come to him today, it would be all over

He would fall apart and be useless to her I’

Eht and the taxi ride to her parents’ ho stopped by security or dogs this ti but her purse and the clothes on her back RobynOh my God, Robyn It couldn’t be true When she walked in the door, her parents, Robyn and Boston would all be sitting there laughing and so relieved It was just aSome awful trick someone had played on theht, she knew that no one would ever play this type of horrible joke on her fah It was all that had kept her going since the call She had fallen apart when her father told her the news She had sat at her desk for a fewto Brant She had needed hi was okay When he had thrust her away froone into survival mode