“Sometimes,” Emmy shrugged, forcing a smile. “I mean, I was the one who wanted to stop at the store. She was protecting me. I guess, I just always wondered, what if?”
“Emmy,” Finn said as he reached out, taking her hand. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I understand. I don’t. And I know I didn’t know your mom, but I know my mom. I know she would walk through fire for my brother’s or me, and I am sure, given how your mom reacted to that guy holding a gun to you, she was exactly the same.”
“I guess so,” Emmy replied, giving Finn a grateful smile.
Before Finn could say another word, the sound of Emmy’s apartment door slamming echoed through the apartment.
“It’s only me!” A girl’s voice came from the hallway. Finn stared at Emmy, as a million thoughts ran through his mind. “I came home early from my mom’s, her boyfriend was there, and there is only so much I can take of his grabby hands. I came to see how your day with Harry…”
She stopped mid-sentence when she walked into the kitchen and saw Finn.
“Oh, hi,” she said as she looked from Finn to Emmy. “Sorry, I didn’t know you would have company.”
“It’s okay,” Emmy replied, but Finn could hear the concern in her voice, “Gabby, this is Finn. Finn, this is my best friend, Gabby.”
“It’s lovely to meet you,” Finn said as he stood up, knowing this was the girl that his brother had gone to when Emmy was at her most vulnerable, so he already liked her, even though he didn’t know her. He held out his hand to her. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“I can’t say the same thing,” Gabby replied as she took his hand and shook it firmly. Suddenly a look of realisation filtered across her face. “Wait, Finn? As in Professor Murphy?”
“Gabby, I know what you’re going to say,” Emmy said, and Finn was surprised to hear the panic instantly rise in her voice.
“I really doubt that!” She replied as she stared at Emmy in disbelief. “Because if you did, you wouldn’t be sitting here in a t-shirt and your panties with your English Professor.”
“If you would just let me explain!” Emmy quickly pleaded with her friend.
“I don’t think there is anything that needs explaining,” Gabby shot back. “He is your professor, Emmy, you are risking everything for what, to be his latest conquest! What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that I was a grown-up, Gabby,” Emmy snapped back, and Finn was surprised to hear the anger in her voice. It was a side he had never seen to Emmy before, not even when he had upset her at the beginning of the school year. “And this is still my home, and Finn is my guest, so don’t talk about him like he is not even here!”
“I’m just saying,” Gabby said, this time her tone of voice was a little less forceful. “You have been through so much, and you have come such a long way, just to throw it all away for what, a fling with someone you can’t even be with.”
“WHY THE HELL NOT?” Emmy yelled, surprising both Finn and Gabby. “Gabby, I love you, I really do, and I know that if it wasn’t’ for you, God only knows where I would be right now. But I have spent the last six years apologising for things that were not my fault, or hiding who I was because I was scared of what people would think. Okay, maybe this is not what you and I thought would happen when I got to college, and yes, maybe I’m back to hiding and keeping secrets once more. But this time it’s for something good. This time it’s for something that makes me happy.”
“How can you be happy if you have to be his dirty little secret,” Gabby replied, but Finn had heard enough.
“Emmy is not my dirty little secret,” Finn said, as he glared at the girl standing in front of him. “Yes, I get it. You’re worried about her, but maybe instead of talking to her like she is just some stupid teenager, you should listen to what she has to say.”
“Look, I don’t know you, Finn, Professor Murphy, whatever,” Gabby replied, this time talking to him directly. “And I am sure you are probably a nice man. But you don’t know what she has been through…”
“Some, not everything,” Finn cut her off. “But there is nothing you can tell me about Emmy that will change how I feel for her. And for the record, I will do whatever it takes to keep Emmy safe, even if that means walking away from the college myself.”
“If you really mean that,” Gabby said as she gave him a sad smile. “Then you will walk away from her, before it’s too late.”
“That’s the one thing I can’t do,” Finn replied with a sigh. “Believe me; I have tried. But nothing seems to make sense without her. I know you don’t understand that, but it’s the truth.”
“You’re…you’re in love with her,” Gabby said as if it suddenly became clearer.
“Yes,” Finn replied, holding Gabby’s eyes with his.
“I know you think I’m being stupid,” Emmy said as she moved closer to Finn. “But I promise you, for the first time, I’m doing what makes me happy. I am happy, Gabs.”
“I just don’t want you to throw everything away,” Gabby said, this time her voice was full of concern.
“I don’t want that either,” Emmy replied with a sad smile. “But if that’s what it comes to, I’ll be fine. I promise you.”
“I just don’t want you ever to think you have no way out again,” Gabby sighed as she walked towards Emmy, hugging her tightly. “Promise me. If things get to be too much, you will talk to me, or to someone...”
“I promise,” Emmy said as she returned her friends hug. “I give you my word.”
“So,” Gabby said, as she held her friend at arm’s length. “You’re shagging the professor.”
Finn almost choked at her blunt words, but Emmy just laughed. Then he remembered the night of the Halloween party, and he remembered Emmy’s costume, how she said that it was her friend’s idea. Gabby was clearly the wild one of the two, the polar opposite of Emmy.
“I think I’m going to head home, and leave you ladies alone,” Finn said as he kissed Emmy on the forehead. “I have some things to do anyway.”
“Okay,” Emmy said as she gave him a worried look.
“I’ll be back later,” Finn added, giving her a reassuring smile. “I promise.”
“Okay,” she said once more, but this time her smile was a genuine one.
Finn went back to the bedroom to get ready before he returned to the kitchen to say goodbye, then he headed for the door.
“So, I will see you later?” Emmy asked as she followed him to the door.
“You will,” Finn replied as he slipped his arm around her, drawing her closer to him. “You’re okay, right?”
“Yes,” she assured him with a smile. “Don’t worry about Gabby. Her bark is worse than her bite.”
“I just don’t want you to be afraid,” Finn said as he leaned his head down, pressing it against hers.
“I’m not,” Emmy whispered as she leaned up kissing him softly. “I promise.”
“Okay,” he said giving her a smile. “I really should go.”
He leaned down and kissed her once more.
“Bye,” he said with a smile.
“Bye,” Emmy replied before he turned and hurried down the stairs.
As he stepped out onto the street, he pulled his coat tighter around him. It was a little cool today, and Finn was tired, so he was feeling the cold even more. As he opened the car to climb inside, a shiver ran down his spine, he suddenly felt like he was being watched. He stopped and looked around, but there wasn’t a soul in sight.
He laughed to himself as he slipped into his car seat. He knew Gabby had gotten to him a little, and now he was just being stupid.
Suddenly his phone started to ring from somewhere in the car, making Finn jump with fright.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” He asked himself as he shoved a few books he had sitting on the back seat out of the way, to find his phone buried beneath them. When he did, he noticed that he had missed several calls from both his mother and Landen, and now his mother was
calling again.
“Hey, Mom,” Finn said as he answered the phone, bringing it to his ear. “I’m sorry I missed your calls.”
“You had me worried sick,” Nell’s voice came through the phone. “I had no idea what to think. You never ignore my calls…”
“I wasn’t ignoring you,” Finn assured her. “It must have fallen out of my coat when I threw it on the back seat last night. “So you can call off the search party.”
“Are you okay?” Nell asked, and Finn could hear the worry in her voice.
“Yes, Mom,” Finn replied with a smile. “I’m fine, I promise.”
“And Emmy?” Nell added, but Finn wasn’t sure if his mother was angry or not.
“Emmy is fine, too,” Finn assured her.
“You know you could have told me who she was,” Nell said, and Finn could almost hear the tiniest trace of hurt in her voice.
“I know I should have,” Finn sighed, angry with himself for upsetting his mother. “I’m sorry.”
“As long as you’re okay,” Nell replied, and Finn knew she was smiling. “I just want you happy.”
“I am happy, Mom,” Finn replied honestly. “I really am.”
Chapter 18
Emmy
“Tell me again why you agreed to this?” Emmy asked as she stared up at Finn’s parent’s house. “Because the last time I was here, it wasn’t exactly a raging success.”
“It will be okay, I promise,” Finn said as he gave her a warm smile. “Trust me.”
“I’m not even dressed right for this,” Emmy insisted with a pout, which only made Finn smile more. “I mean, look at me!”
“You look beautiful,” he assured her as he reached out at took hold of her hand, then gave is a gentle squeeze. “More than you even know.”
Emmy sighed as she stared at him. When he arrived at her apartment almost an hour earlier and told her that he had agreed to go to his parents for dinner once more, Emmy completely freaked out, telling him there was no way in hell she was going, but after spending fifteen minutes ranting, she turned and begrudgingly headed back to her bedroom to get ready.
Now as she sat there, looking down at the stupid dress she had decided to wear, she wished she had stuck to her guns when she first told him there was no way in hell she was going back to his parent’s house.
“You know,” Finn said pulling Emmy from her thoughts. “The longer you sit here, the more nervous you’re making yourself. It’s kind of like when you remove a band aid, it’s better if you do it quickly. Then it’s all over.”
“Fine!” She groaned as she checked her reflection in the mirror once more. “But for the record, this is nothing like a band aid. This is more a gaping wound, and now we are picking at the scab.”
“Nice analogy,” Finn laughed, as he reached for the car door. “Not at all disgusting.”
He hurried around the car and helped Emmy as she too climbed from the car.
“Just breathe,” he said as he looked down into her eyes. “I promise that there is nothing to worry about.”
Before Emmy could respond, the front door to the house opened, and Finn’s mother appeared into the doorway.
“Mom!” Finn exclaimed as he took hold of Emmy’s hand, leading her up the front steps, and for the first time since he had collected her an hour earlier, Finn sounded nervous too.
“Hi, Sweetheart,” Nell said as she held open her arms to her son, then greeted him with a warm hug. “I’m glad you could make it.”
Then she turned her attention to Emmy, as she gave her a smile that made Emmy instantly feel more relaxed.
“I’m glad you could come, Emmy,” Nell said as she hugged her too. Emmy could feel something when this woman hugged her that almost took her breath away. And right in that moment, Emmy wished that her mom was there too. “You’re very welcome to our home.”
“Thank you,” Emmy whispered as she hugged Nell a little harder than she probably should have, but she couldn’t help herself.
“You know, your mother and I were good friends,” Nell said as she held Emmy at arm’s length, giving her a smile that said she knew exactly what Emmy was thinking. “She was such a good person, and an amazing teacher. I miss her a great deal.”
“I do too,” Emmy replied, with a slight crack in her voice.
“You know,” Nell said as she looked at Emmy closely. “You look so like her, and I know she would be so proud of the beautiful young lady that you’ve grown into.”
“I hope she would,” Emmy replied as she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.
“Don’t mind me,” Nell exclaimed with a nervous laugh as she waved her hands, as if they were waving away the tears that were glistening in her eyes. “I’m just a sentimental old fool. Please, come in. Make yourself at home.”
Emmy glanced up at Finn and smiled before she followed his mother into the house, followed closely by him.
As he stepped into through the door behind her, he softly placed his hand on the small of her back. Emmy smiled at him once more. She knew he was telling her that he was there, and she had nothing to fear.
“Your father is in the living room,” Nell said as she led them across the white marbled floor, through the large mahogany door that led to the living room. Emmy had been so nervous when she arrived the day before, she had barely noticed how beautifully decorated the living room was, or even the hallways for that matter. But this time she did. She loved how warm and welcoming that this house was.
“You made it,” Sean said as he stood up to greet his son with a hand shake, before he turned to Emmy, and gave her a welcoming smile. “It’s lovely to see you again, my dear.”
“Thank you for having me,” Emmy replied, surprised by just how welcoming both his parents were. “And I would like to apologise for yesterday…”
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for,” Finn quickly assured her, and Emmy couldn’t help but smile.
“Finn’s right,” Nell cut in, smiling. “So how about we try this again. Please, take a seat, Emmy. We would love to get a chance to know you better.”
“There’s not much to know really,” Emmy shrugged with a smile as she sat down. “I’m a freshman in Stanford, I have a small apartment just outside campus. I moved into it a couple of years ago, after my dad…”
Emmy stopped mid-sentence. She had no idea why she had even brought her father up.
“Anyway, I moved in there when I started working in the bar with my friend Gabby,” Emmy continued with a nervous smile. “I felt pretty blessed, I liked my job, I had my own apartment, even if it’s no bigger than a postage stamp, and I had a best friend that would have taken on the world for me.”
“But then you went back to school,” Sean said, and he seemed genuinely interested in her story.
“Yes,” Emmy replied with a smile. “If I’m honest, I didn’t really want to go back, but Gabby, well she is a force of nature, and she told me that I was too good to be working in a bar. She told me to get my butt back to school, so I did.”
“Gabby sounds like she is a good friend,” Nell said with a smile.
“Yes, she really is,” Emmy replied.
A woman Emmy recognised from the night before, came into the living room, and told them that dinner was ready.
“Thanks, Stella,” Nell said as she and Sean stood up, before they headed for the door. Finn reached for Emmy’s hand, giving her a smile before he led her to the dining room too.
While they ate dinner, Nell and Sean chatted with Emmy, telling her about Finn as a child, and Emmy had to admit she liked them both a great deal. Still there was something in the back of her mind that was holding her back. Something that she knew they had to both be worrying about.
Finn was her professor, it was against the rules for him to be with her. She knew it and she was sure that they knew it too. She wondered if they would bring it up, or if she should be the first to do it?
“I guess you must be worried about Finn and me,” Emmy blurt
ed out suddenly. She could see by everyone else’s face that they were surprised by her remark. But she had started now, so there was no point in stopping now. “I mean, because I’m his student, and there are rules.”
“Yes,” Nell said honestly. Emmy was glad that the woman was being honest with her. “But I also know that you and Finn are grown-ups, you both know what you’re doing.”
“I never meant for this to happen,” Emmy said, feeling she needed to say what she was thinking. “I mean, I’m not one of those girls who must have the one person they shouldn’t. I just wanted you to know, I will never do anything to hurt Finn in anyway. I will do whatever it takes to protect him. I know that being a professor is important to him, and he is very good at what his does. I just wanted you to know that.”
“Thank you, Emmy,” Nell replied, and Emmy was please that her smile seemed genuine.
“Where is everyone?” A voice called from the hallway, moments later, Landen and Amelia appeared in the doorway. “Yes, we’re just in time for dessert.”
“What are you doing here?” Nell exclaimed as she stood up, greeting her eldest son, and his wife.
“Well, we heard that you were giving Thanksgiving another try,” Landen said as he gave his dad a wink, before pulling out a chair for Amelia, then sat down next to her once she was seated. “And we wanted to come too.”
Before Nell could reply, Liam, Dylan and Callum appeared in the doorway, too.
“Oh my, God!” Nell said, and Emmy could see just how happy she was. “How did you guys know?”
“Mother,” Liam said as he walked around the table to where his mother was sitting and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m a detective. It’s my job to know these things. Well, that and Dad called us and told us to get our butts over here.”
Then he kissed Amelia on the cheek before he made his way around the table to Emmy, kissing her on the cheek too.
“I never got to tell you yesterday,” Liam said with a broad smile. “But it really is lovely to see you again.”
“You too. Liam,” Emmy replied with a genuine smile. And before she knew it, Callum and Dylan had come to kiss her on the cheek too.
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