Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 495: Just Crazy

Chapter

Callan’s car moved through the quiet streets.

The lights from the city passed across the windshield in slow flashes. Inside the car, soft music played from the speakers.

Emily sat in the passenger seat, looking out of the window.

Then she suddenly laughed.

Callan glanced at her. “What?”

“I still can’t believe that we won.”

Callan laughed. “Really?”

Emily turned to him. “Really. I honestly didn’t think we were going to.”

He raised a brow. “But you made me believe you thought we could win.”

“I hoped we could win. I wanted you to hope so too.”

Callan shook his head. “Hope? Seriously? You sounded confident.”

Emily laughed.

“You sat there saying we had known each other the longest. You made it sound like we had some secret advantage.”

“We did have an advantage.”

“What advantage?”

“We know each other and have lots of experience together.”

Callan smiled. “Hmm. So why didn’t you think we’d win?”

She shrugged. “Because the others seemed more organised than we are. I mean relationship-wise.”

Callan raised a brow. “In what way?”

Emily shrugged. “Their relationships are smooth sailing compared to ours.”

“So?”

“So, we are still finding our feet.”

Callan reached across the space between them and took her hand. “I don’t think we are doing badly.”

Emily looked down at their joined hands. “No. We’re not. That’s not what I mean.”

His thumb moved slowly over the back of her hand. “Then don’t compare what we have to theirs. I don’t think it’s healthy for what we are building.”

Emily smiled. “That is true. Sorry.”

Callan looked back at the road. “I’m glad we won. That should count for something.”

Emily giggled. “It does.”

He drove on for a few moments, then Callan lifted their joined hands slightly.

“I am glad I have you, Em. You’re the light of my life.”

Emily’s smile grew, and she looked at their hands for a moment before looking back at him.

“I can’t wait for when we get married.”

Callan’s eyes moved to her. “Why?”

Emily paused as she tried to find the words, then shook her head. “I don’t think I can explain it.”

“Try.”

Callan waited.

Emily looked out of the window. “I just feel like marriage would seal what we have.”

Callan frowned slightly. “Seal it in what way?”

She thought for a moment. “When we are married, I think I will be more at ease knowing that you are fully mine.”

Callan smiled. “I am fully yours.”

“I know.”

“Then?”

Emily looked at him. “I feel marriage will help me fully believe it.”

Callan was quiet for a moment. “So our parents knowing about us isn’t helping yet?”

Emily laughed softly. “It helps. A great deal.”

She turned towards him then squeezed his hand. “This isn’t really about you.”

Callan raised a brow. “I think it is very much about me.”

She shook her head. “No. It is about me. I think I’m the type that needs things to feel real before my heart accepts them completely. It’s like a woman crying when a man she has always known she’s going to get married to engages her. She knows, but that moment sorts of seals it. Do you understand?”

Callan nodded slowly. “I’m trying to.”

Emily smiled. “Good.”

They drove in silence for a little while.

Then Emily looked at him again. “Who do you think will get married next?”

Callan smiled. “Us.”

Emily laughed. “I’m serious.”

He looked at her. “So am I. We won the game, remember?”

“So?”

“Didn’t that mean nobody else was supposed to get married before us?”

Emily burst out laughing. “You’re actually taking Jamal’s silly game seriously?”

“Of course. It was a serious silly game.”

Emily laughed harder. “So if someone gets married before us, what are you going to do?”

Callan’s face became serious. “I will object.”

Emily raised a brow. “You will object?”

“Yes.”

She laughed. “What exactly will you say? On what grounds will you be objecting?”

Callan shrugged. “Violation of the rules. I will stand up in the middle of the wedding and say, ‘I object because we played a game and had an agreement that the winner gets married before everyone else. And we won.ʼ”

Emily covered her mouth as she laughed. “And what proof will you have?”

Callan thought about it. “Now I think that is the problem. We should have gotten the agreement in writing before we started playing.”

Emily laughed. “Exactly.”

They both laughed.

The sound soon faded, and the car became quiet again.

The road stretched ahead of them.

After a few minutes, Callan glanced at Emily. “What are you thinking about?”

Emily sighed softly. “Stefan and Genevieve.”

Callan smiled. “The wedding or the honeymoon? Don’t tell me you’re envying their honeymoon.”

She giggled. “I was just thinking about their relationship.”

“What about it?”

She shrugged. “Stefan is such a safe place for Genevieve.”

Callan listened.

“I love how he looks at her like nothing else matters.”

“That’s how I look at you,” Callan said, narrowing his eyes playfully.

Emily giggled. “And she trusts him so much. She calls him her safe place. I want to be that for you. I want to be able to talk to you about everything. And listen to you talk.”

“I believe you’re doing a great job already, babe.”

Emily looked at him. “I want you to feel safe with me, Cal.”

A small smile touched Callan’s lips. “Thanks. That means a lot to me.”

“I want us to have the kind of marriage where we can come home after a bad day and still feel like home to each other. I want us to be very happy and to grow old together.”

Callan smiled. “I want that too.”

For a few seconds, they said nothing.

Then Callan asked, “Do you want a big wedding or a small one?”

Emily laughed. “We both know we can’t have a small wedding.”

“Why not?”

She turned towards him. “Because our families would turn a small wedding into a big one. My second mum is an event planner after all.”

Callan chuckled. “That is true. I can’t argue with that.”

“And honestly…” Emily paused. “I doubt someone like you would want a small wedding.”

Callan laughed. “What do you mean by that?”

“You love to show off and you never do anything low-key.”

He chuckled. “I promise to go with whatever you decide. If you want a small wedding, we will do that.”

Emily smiled. “I want a big wedding.”

“How big?”

She looked at him with a playful smile. “Big enough for the whole world to know that Callan Quinn is all mine.”

Callan laughed. “The whole world?”

“The whole world.”

He grinned. “That’s not impossible. We can have international news outlets cover it.”

Emily threw back her head and laughed. “You never disappoint, Cal.”

“Now why would I want to disappoint the love of my life? I’ve disappointed you enough in one lifetime,” he said, making her laugh some more.

“Tell me, do you want a large engagement too?”

Emily giggled. “By large, do you mean something larger than the announcement you made at the hospital?”

“Way larger. I’m talking about having all the billboards in the country carrying the question, “Will You, Emily Williams, Marry me, Callan Quinn?” Everyone has to witness the proposal.”

She laughed. “Callan!”

He smiled. “I mean it.”

“You are crazy.”

“Of course I am. Crazy in love with you.”

Emily shook her head, still laughing. “No. This isn’t about crazy in love. You’re just crazy.”

“And you love it.”

She smiled. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?” He asked, wriggling his brows.

Emily laughed. “Maybe a little.”

Callan smiled. “I’ll live with that.”

They drove on.

This time, neither of them spoke for several minutes.

Emily rested her head against the seat and watched the lights outside.

Callan kept one hand on the steering wheel while the other remained around hers.

A few minutes later, he stopped in front of her house.

Emily looked through the windshield. “We’re here.”

Callan nodded.

Neither of them moved immediately.

The night had been long, but neither seemed ready to end it.

Finally, Emily released his hand. “I should go in.”

Callan nodded. “Yeah.”

She opened her door but paused. “You don’t have to pick me tomorrow. I will be at Mari’s and will leave with her for the exhibition.”

He nodded. “Okay. Can we go on a date after the exhibition?”

Her face softened. “A date?”

“Yes.” He smiled. “We haven’t really been able to go on a proper date in Husla. We should break the jinx in Ludus.”

Emily smiled. “We should do that.”

Callan smiled. “Good. See you tomorrow then.”

Emily leaned in and kissed him softly.

When she pulled away, she smiled. “Goodnight, baby.”

He smiled back. “Goodnight, babe,” he called after her as she got out of the car and walked away.

When Emily got to the door, she turned and waved once before going inside.

Callan waited until she was inside before driving away.