Tethered

by L. D. Davis

  “Better?” he asked quietly a moment later. He gave my hands one last rub down and then released me.

  “Thank you,” I managed to say as I turned to face forward in my seat. I was startled to find that the windows had quickly fogged up. The things that could imply made me blush and made my stomach flutter. “Let’s get going before bridezilla comes storming out here and destroys the city.”

  Our first stop was the venue. By the time we arrived there, Emmy had already called to add to our list of things to do. We went inside and spoke to the event host and confirmed the final count of guests, discussed how the room for the ceremony should be set up, and then had to correct the way the reception hall was set up. Due to a mishap on the venue’s part, we had to choose different linens for the reception, too. We nailed down some other necessary details and after an hour we headed back out into the cold to run a couple of other errands that Emmy had given us.

  For a little while, I forgot that this was the first time in years that Emmet and I had spent any extensive time together. After those initial first few minutes in the car, our conversation came easily. We cracked jokes and Emmet talked about work. We talked about our kids, but we did not talk about our spouses. It seemed to be a mutual understanding that Casey and Jerry were off limits.

  After we paid for Emmy’s and Luke’s wedding cake, we each got a couple of pastries to go. As Emmet paid for it, I bit into my gourmet cupcake and moaned happily as the sweet buttercream hit my tongue. Emmet looked over at me, amused.

  “You’re worse than Owen,” he said.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, even though my mouth was full of cake.

  He looked me in the eyes, reached out and gently swiped his finger across the corner of my mouth. When he pulled his finger away, I saw a decent amount of frosting on his finger. I started to laugh at myself, but then Emmet put the finger in his mouth and slowly sucked the frosting off. There was nothing innocent in the move. It was sensual and made me feel hot under my layers of fabric. While I stood there stunned, Emmet took a hold of my wrist and brought the cupcake to his mouth. He took a bite, from the same exact spot that my teeth and mouth had been on moments before, and I was reminded of an ice-cream cone on the boardwalk when I was just a kid. He licked the frosting away from his lips, and if that wasn’t enough to make Donya, Sex Goddess and Lover stir in her deep, long slumber, Emmet very quietly said “You have frosting on your lips,” and then licked his own lips again. He looked at my mouth as if he wanted to take a bite out of it.

  “You are a beautiful couple,” the old man said jovially from behind the counter.

  Startled by our one man audience, his words, Emmet’s actions, and my inaction, I dropped the cupcake on the floor. It landed with a soft plopping sound.

  “Oh, shit,” I said and bent over to pick it up.

  That hot, confusing moment ended there and the rest of our time together that afternoon was quiet as each of us tended to our own thoughts.

  *~*~*

  He had driven Rosa and me to our hotel from Emmy’s after dinner. That had been almost two hours ago. He spent the first hour with Rosa, showering her with the kind of love she had never received from Jerry. Emmet was truly taken with my daughter and when he gazed at her, it was with love, sadness, and remorse. He didn’t have to say what I already knew. She should have been his all along.

  I once questioned whether or not I was capable of cheating on my husband. I didn’t judge Emmy for her stance in a wicked love triangle, but I didn’t think that could ever be me. As Emmet’s fingers grazed over my cheek, my jaw and down my neck, I realized that could be anyone, especially me.

  “You’re more beautiful every time I see you,” he whispered as his lips just barely touched the skin under my ear. He didn’t kiss me, but he wanted to. It would only take one small move from either of us to make it happen. I could move only a quarter of an inch in his direction and his mouth would devour my skin. One of his hands held my hip firmly. I was inches from feeling his hardness against me, but we both resisted the urge to move forward.

  I curled my fingers in the fabric of his shirt and deeply inhaled his scent. I wanted to rub my body all over his, capture that scent in my pores and make it a permanent part of me.

  “I love you,” Emmet breathed on my neck. “Do you still love me?”

  “You don’t even have to ask,” I whispered.

  “I want to hear you say it.”

  “I love you.”

  He sighed heavily with relief and his hand squeezed my hip as he resisted the urge to pull me closer.

  “You should go,” I said, even as my fingers curled tighter in his shirt.

  “I should,” he agreed, but made no move to do so.

  Tears suddenly stung my eyes. I inhaled a shuddering breath and simultaneously released Emmet’s shirt and took a large step back away from him. My body’s natural instinct was to go back to its home, but I resisted and wrapped my arms around myself for some comfort that didn’t quite hit the mark.

  Emmet looked disappointed, but resigned. He knew just as well as I did that we had crossed a line. We poked at it with our toes in the car earlier, and then stood squarely on the thing in the bakery, and before either of us could get our bearings, we had crossed it and had stood on dangerous territory.

  “Thank you for bringing us back,” I said to him.

  “You don’t have to thank me. I’ll do anything for either of you.”

  “We’re not your responsibility,” I whispered.

  Emmet stared at me for a long time. He was hurting and I was hurting, and we were both feeling rather guilty. I rubbed at my chest to try to alleviate some of the pressure.

  “I will always have a responsibility to you,” he finally said. “And now to Rosa, too.”

  He didn’t wait for me to respond. He picked his coat up off of the couch and headed to the door. He pulled open the door and turned around to look at me.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.

  I nodded as I continued to rub my chest. He didn’t want to leave. It was clear in the way he hesitated at the door, the way he looked at me, and the way he felt. I didn’t want him to leave either, but I knew he had to. Just when I thought that I would ask him to stay, he turned and left. I collapsed onto the couch and began to mentally and emotionally redraw the line.

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Early the next morning when I was still trying to see straight, one of the hotel employees knocked on the door and handed me a small manila envelope.

  “What is this?” I sleepily asked her.

  “It was just dropped for you at the front desk,” she said pleasantly. “The gentleman said you lost it and he was returning it and didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “What gentleman? And what is it?” I searched my mind, trying to recall if there was something I was missing.

  “I don’t know ma’am,” the woman said apologetically.

  She walked away and I let the door close. I weighed the envelope in my hand for a moment as I tried to guess what could possibly be in it. Finally, with a yawn and a shrug, I turned it over and proceeded to open it. I tipped it to expel the contents and gasped when it landed in my hand. It was the silver charm bracelet I had mailed to Emmet years ago after our biggest fight ever.

  “Oh my god,” I whispered as I stared at the bracelet.

  I thought for sure that Emmet had gotten rid of it long ago. Why did he hold on to it for so long?

  I looked inside the envelope and discovered a folded piece of paper. I pulled it out and unfolded it, careful not to drop the bracelet.

  This is yours, always, as is my soul.

  I dropped the note and envelope on the couch and eyed the bracelet in the palm of my hand. It was shiny and looked brand new. The heart and the kiss were polished and the diamonds twinkled in the light. As I examined the bracelet, I discovered yet another charm. It was a flower, covered in pink diamonds, with the exception of the middle, which was composed of the
letter R in Rosa’s birthstones. It was incredible and the most beautiful piece of jewelry I owned. A hand went to my mouth as I attempted to stifle the sudden sob that tried to push through my lips.

  “Emmet,” I whispered.

  Rosa started to stir in the other room. I brought the bracelet to my lips and then put it on my wrist. It wasn’t until it was latched securely that I realized how naked my wrist had been all of that time. I dropped my arm and felt the familiar cool metal slide into place and went to get the baby.

  *~*~*

  Emmy didn’t want a bachelorette party if she couldn’t drink. Instead, I treated her, Mayson, Tabitha, Lorraine, Lena, and Casey to a day at the spa. All of the men were forced to babysit their own kids, but Emmet had volunteered to watch Rosa, because Jerry wasn’t due in until the morning of the wedding.

  I couldn’t stop the smile that appeared on my face when I saw him that morning at Emmy’s. My hands and wrists were covered to block out the cold air, but I mouthed a thank you to him and he understood that I received and was wearing the bracelet. Casey appeared at his side as he took Rosa from my arms.

  “She really likes you,” she commented as she watched Rosa put a slobbery hand on Emmet’s cheek. I froze, waiting for him to freak out as Jerry did whenever Rosa got any bodily fluids on him, but he didn’t.

  “I really like her,” he answered with a big smile as he began to pull the zipper down on Rosa’s snowsuit, and I relaxed again.

  “I see that,” Casey said lightly, but there was some tension around her eyes. She turned to me and said “Are you sure I can’t help you with the spa bill?”

  I smiled at her. It was a genuine smile, but I still resented her.

  “No, it’s not a problem,” I said.

  “Mrs. Scrooge McDuck over here,” Emmet said with a grin as he tossed Rosa’s outerwear onto the couch.

  “What?” I asked with a serious expression. “Doesn’t everyone have a room full of gold to swim in?”

  Emmet chuckled, which made me smile, and said “I’m sure you have enough money by now to buy a small country.”

  “How do you know I didn’t?” I laughed.

  “Do all of your residents have to abide by the no white after Labor Day rule? Do you literally have Fashion Police?”

  “The Labor Day thing is just a myth,” I said with an air of superiority. “And if any of my deputies were here, they’d arrest you for that garish sweater you’re wearing.”

  “I…bought him this sweater,” Casey cut in softly. I had forgotten she was even standing there, and now that I looked at her, she looked like she knew that we had forgotten she was standing there.

  “Oh,” I said and looked at her apologetically. “I want to lie to you and tell you I didn’t mean it but…” I shrugged helplessly.

  “Miss Fashionista would explode into a million shreds of polyester before she’d lie to someone about their fashion mistakes,” Emmet said to Casey without taking his eyes off of me.

  “Really, Emmet,” I said with a huff. “Polyester?”

  We both laughed and I loved how it felt to laugh with Emmet again. We had some laughs the day before, but this time it felt more…free and real. Whatever pieces of our binding that was frayed had begun to mend. They always did, and always would.

  “Well, I can’t compete with a supermodel,” Casey said with a tight smile as she crossed her arms across her chest. I felt like she was saying more than what she was actually saying, like I had to read between the lines to understand her meaning.

  “I can’t compete with a wife,” I smiled tightly, too. “So, buy all of the sweaters you want. Excuse me, I’m going to go check on Emmy.”

  I leaned in and kissed Rosa’s cheek and hurried from the room.

  *~*~*

  “This spa visit is going to cost more than I make in a year,” Mayson said as we checked our coats in the foyer of the spa.

  She tapped a boot on the marble floor and spun in a small circle taking in the high ceilings, the beautiful art and the tropical looking plants that helped bring ambiance to the place.

  “Depends on which job you’re talking about,” I said as I handed over my coat. “The one at Sterling Corp or your night job on the street corners of Camden?”

  “Oh, you would know all about that, because I service your husband every night, sweetheart,” she retorted.

  “That explains the crabs.”

  “You two are disturbing,” Emmy said, even as she shook her head and laughed.

  “Come on preggo, let’s get those eyebrows tweezed,” I said with my hand on her shoulder.

  Her mouth flew open and her fingers flew to her brows. Before she could say anything, Casey cried out “Oh my god!” Her claw closed around my forearm and she held my hand to her face.

  “Where did you get this?” she asked in a high voice and there was no doubt her tone was rather accusatory. “I’ve seen this bracelet before,” she added sharply before meeting my eyes. Her eyes were full of questions and accusations.

  “Probably,” Emmy said, eyeing Casey with one eyebrow up. “She’s had it since she was what…seventeen? Eighteen?” Emmy asked me.

  “Sixteen,” I answered quickly and swallowed and tried to pull out of her grasp, but Casey held tight. Her eyes narrowed.

  “I saw this,” she said slowly, but forcefully. “But not on your arm, not on anyone’s arm.”

  “Casey,” I said her name quietly. “If you don’t let go of my arm…” I trailed off, but my tone and my death stare was enough to make her release me and murmur an apology.

  “Emmet gave Donya and me almost the same bracelet when we were kids,” Emmy said to Casey. “I lost mine, but Donya has always had hers. You probably saw it in pictures or something.”

  I could tell by her expression that she didn’t quite believe that, but she nodded anyway. “Yeah, I guess so,” she said. “Sorry, Donya.”

  “No problem,” I said, forcing a smile. “You just really need a good day at the spa. I’ll make sure you get the full package.”

  She forced a smile, too, and the rest of the girls that had watched the whole thing moved on. Casey followed after them, leaving me and Emmy to bring up the rear. Emmy looked at me with her mouth in a flat line and her eyebrow raised slightly.

  “What?” I whispered to her, irritated by her look.

  “I haven’t seen that bracelet on your wrist in a few years,” she whispered back. “What the hell was that about?”

  I looked away from her and said nothing.

  Soon we were all wrapped in fluffy towels and wearing comfortable slippers. The other girls went to go sit in a steam room while Emmy and I sat down so that some hunky guy could rub her feet. She couldn’t go into the steam rooms or hot tub or get a traditional massage, but fortunately the place I chose catered to pregnant women, and this was one of those perks.

  “Spill it,” Emmy said after her massage therapist found a rhythm she enjoyed.

  “Spill what?” I asked dumbly.

  “Where did the bracelet disappear to in the first place and why are you wearing it now?”

  I could have given her some bullshit response, but that wouldn’t have been fair. We had been hiding enough secrets from each other over the years.

  “The year before Jerry and I got married I took him to Louisiana to meet the parents. I didn’t know Emmet was going to be there. Long story short, when Fred took Jerry out for some night fishing, Emmet started this huge fight with me and after he took off I put the bracelet in an envelope and mailed it to him.”

  Emmy’s mouth was hanging open. “But…you and Emmet hadn’t been together in a long time when you met Jerry. Right? Or is there a whole chunk of shit you failed to tell me again?”

  “Don’t do that,” I said, sighing.

  “Don’t do what?”

  “Don’t try to make me feel guilty for not telling you every nuance of my life. Some things are just private and between me and Emmet, just like there are some things that are private and only
meant to be between you and Luke.”

  “There are no private things between you and Jerry?” she asked dryly.

  “There’s plenty,” I snorted.

  “Okay, I want to know about the bracelet. I’m not absolving you from the rest of it, but I want to know about the bracelet.”

  “This morning one of the girls from the front desk at my hotel brought me a little manila envelope that was left there for me. When I opened it up, it was the bracelet.”

  Emmy’s eyes narrowed. “You’re leaving a lot of shit out,” she snapped. “What happened to make him give that back to you today of all days?” She gasped. “Did you guys do something while you were out yesterday?”

  “No we didn’t ‘do something’,” I said, irritated. After a sigh, I recounted what happened in the car, the bakery, and reluctantly, I told her what happened after Rosa went to sleep in my hotel room.

  “Oh my god,” Emmy said in a whisper, and then snapped “But you’re still not telling me shit!”

  “Someday, eventually, I will tell you everything. I just don’t want that day to be today.”

  Emmy sighed and relaxed a little in her seat. “Fine, okay. So, do you think Casey saw the bracelet in Emmet’s possessions?”

  “Probably,” I admitted. “And now she’s freaking out because she knows it wasn’t meant for her.”

  “It’s like that part in Love Actually when Alan Rickman bought the bracelet for the slutty office chick and Emma Thompson’s character thought it was for her but then she never got it.”

  “Umm, yeah, kinda,” I answered slowly.

  “Can you imagine how she feels?”

  “Emma Thompson?”

  “No, asshole. Casey. She’s probably seen it over and over again and maybe she expected him to add more charms or something before giving it to her and then one day she finds it on your arm, the ex-fiancé.”

  “I don’t think she knows that we were once engaged.”

  “Oh, she knows,” Emmy nodded. “She’s mentioned it to me before. Why wouldn’t she know? She’s his wife and it’s not like you’re some random girl. You’re family. She was bound to find out. You really didn’t think she knew?”