**Complete ** **Book 2 in a series involving the same group of friends**
Emma Jones doesn't do one night stands...usually. That all changes when she meets Leo Baker. She thinks she'll never see him again since he lives in a different state. And even...
She stops in her tracks but doesn't turn around. I walk up behind her. When she still doesn't turn I place my hand on her hip and talk in her ear.
"Emma, look at me." Her breathing has changed. God I love the effect I have on her. She has the same one on me. I start to move my mouth lightly on her neck because I can't help myself. She whips around and pushes my chest with both hands.
"Fuck you Leo! Don't touch me. You lost the right to touch me when you up and left in the middle of the night without so make as a goodbye."
"Emma-" I reach for her but she pushes me again.
"Jesus christ, its not like I was expecting a marriage proposal. I'm not that naive. But dammit I deserved better than that!" A tear runs down her cheek and she goes to walk away. I grab her arm and pull her against me.
"Emma, please let me explain." I reach up and wipe away the tear. "I know you deserve better than that. And I'm so-"
"Leo, we're getting ready to introduce you. You guys better come back in." I look over Emma's shoulder and Oliver's standing a few feet away. "Fuck. Emma, can we please talk later?" She just turns and walks back into the ballroom.
I just stand there a minute staring after her.
"Do you want to tell me what that was all about?"
I look Ollie in the eye. "No, I don't." I go to walk by him and he places a hand on my arm.
"Look man, you know I love you like a brother but Emma is also family. She has a boyfriend, man."
"I know." I walk into the ballroom then and head straight for the bar. I down my glass of bourbon and order another one as I watch Ollie go up to the stage and grab the microphone.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Thank you so much for coming. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Oliver Scott and I'm one of the organizers of tonight's event. I was born and raised here in Cincinnati but I left after college to work in Chicago. That's were I met Leo Baker and his beautiful wife,Cassie."
My eyes fly to Emma and I see the look of shock on her face as she looks around the room she finally finds me and I see the hurt in her eyes. I quietly shake my head no. Trying to put her mind at ease that I wasn't married when we slept together. She just looks back at Oliver.
"The two of them took me into their home and showed me all that Chicago had to offer. We instantly became like family. Later Cassie found out she was pregnant. They became the proud parents of a beautiful little boy named Eli. He was the happiest baby I have ever seen. All was going well until one day Eli hand a seizure."
I down the rest of my drink and put my hands in my pockets and just stare at the ground. This never gets any easier.
"It turns out Eli had terminal medulloblastoma. A type of brain tumor. Things had progressed quickly and while Eli, Leo, Cassie and all the amazing doctors fought very hard, Eli died just six short months after his diagnosis at the age of two. He was the spitting image of his father and he had the best laugh. He loved cars and all animals. He was pure joy. Watching what Eli and his parents had to go through was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do and that's why I became involved with The Children's Hospital of Chicago and now with Cincinnati Children's. Leo has also turned to helping others like his Eli and that's why he's here tonight. He started a foundation called Eli's Legacy and he goes around to different hospitals and donates not only his money but his time. He's here tonight to tell us all about the incredibly amazing donation he has for our hospital here in Cincinnati. Leo come on up."
I keep my head down as I walk to the stage. When I get up there Ollie gives me a handshake and a hug. He knows this is hard for me.
"I love you man. You got this."
"Thanks Oliver. Love you too."
"Good evening everyone. My names Leo Baker. There are no words to describe what its like to lose a child. Unless you yourself have experienced that loss I will never be able to make you understand that pain. So that brings me to why I'm here. Eli's Legacy will be making two separate donations tonight. The first is five million dollars to the research department the hospital already has established. If there is any way to find a cure or better treatment for these children I want to help make that happen. Then maybe some other parents won't have to experience the pain of losing a child." I take a deep breath. "The second part of the donation is for twenty-five million dollars towards a new facility that will focus solely on the mental health of the patients and their families. Not only while going through treatments but long after. See sometimes, for some people, the pain can become too much to bare. That was the case for my wife Cass. She lost a big part of herself the day Eli died. I tried to help her but I didn't know how. And eventually over the next couple of months she lost herself completely. She died by suicide four months, to the day, after we lost our son. So what I want is to help all the future Cass's. The people who feel like its just to much to bare. I want the new facility to show those struggling how to keep moving forward. So I would like to present to you Cassie's Hope."
Ollie and I pull the black cloth off of the 3D rendering of the new facility with Cassie's Hope over the front entrance.
"Thank you everyone for coming tonight and thank you for whatever help you can give. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening."
I walk off the stage and back to the bar. I need another drink.
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Cassie
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