The Legacy series: The Love series, the Wrapped series, and the Burning Souls series.

by Mj Fields

  ���Brody, are you sure?��� Emma asked softly.

  He laid on the bed and pulled her over to him, ���I am Emma, are you?���

  ���I need to show you something,��� she said and slowly, nervously pulled up her shirt, ���Can you deal with this?���

  He bent over and kissed her gently and then kissed her breast, ���You���re going to kill me Emma,��� he said and sucked gently on her nipple, ���Of course, honestly Emma it���s not even that noticeable and they taste exactly the same. Trust me they have the same kind of effect on me as they did before,��� he smiled and looked down. ���Thank you Emma. So much. I love you and will forever.���

  ���You have no idea how much you mean to me.���

  ���I do Emma, because if it���s half as much as you mean to me we are good…so good,��� Brody said as he pulled her up, ���Thank you Emma, for saying yes and for trusting me with you and London, and allowing me to see what I already knew was perfect,��� Brody said and gently touched her breast.

  Emma stood looking at him, how could he love me? How could this beautiful man love me? She thought and stared at him.

  ���Emma we have to go love.���

  * * *

  They walked in the kitchen and her parents and London were standing there.

  ���So ��� let���s see the ring!��� Caroline yelled.

  Brody looked at Emma and laughed.

  ���Mommy you didn���t say yes?��� London asked and started to cry.

  ���Yes I did London, I just um,��� she started and looked at Brody for help.

  He gave her a look egging her on and laughed, ���She wanted to see you first, honestly, and I think she wanted to know that you had said yes as well.���

  London held up her hand, ���See Mom, of course I would say yes when he asked me if he could marry you!���

  ���Well then Emma, can I put it on you now, please?��� Brody asked and knelt, ���Marry me, Em?���

  ���Of course.��� She smiled as he put the ring on her finger. Her mouth dropped slightly when she finally looked at it, and tears flooded her eyes. The five carat princess cut emerald ring with baguettes wrapped around the platinum band was so shiny and beautiful.

  ���Brody,��� she whispered in shock.

  ���It matches your eyes Emma, the ones I get lost in every time I look at you,��� Brody said and swallowed hard, ���Look inside Emma.���

  Emma looked at the inscription WE ARE EACH OTHERS FOREVER 10 X 10.

  ���Brody, I can���t even put the words together,��� she said and let him put it back on her finger, ���I love you. Oh God, I love you so much.���

  They hugged, and they held each other, completely lost in the moment. Emma pulled back and looked at him, and laughed as she shook her head, ���I love you, Brody. Have I said yes enough, I mean after the stunt I pulled, have I said it enough?���

  ���It will never be enough,��� he laughed, ���Will you marry me?���

  ���Yes,��� she giggled.

  ���Okay now more serious this time: Emma, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?��� Brody said with a false seriousness.

  ���Yes,��� she jumped up and wrapped her arms and legs around him.

  ���Come now Emma, you can do better than that. Marry me, Emma?���

  ���Yes and any other question you have for me, yes!��� She said and bit his neck lightly, ���And Brody, don���t say that again unless you mean it,��� she laughed.

  ���Say what?��� he asked laughing.

  ���Come now Emma,��� she whispered in his ear and they both laughed.

  ���This is wonderful, and all, but dinner is going to get cold,��� Henry said dryly.

  ���Oh wow ��� sorry Dad, Mom, and London,��� Emma said, ���London, are you sure?���

  ���Mom seriously, I love him, check out my bling!��� She laughed.

  ���London, did you thank Brody?��� Emma asked in a motherly tone.

  ���She said yes, that is thanks enough,��� Brody smiled at London.

  ���Manners are very important,��� Emma said and shot him a look.

  ���I said ���thank you��� Mommy,��� London laughed.

  ���Did she?��� Emma asked Brody.

  ���Of course she did Emma���you���ve done a wonderful job raising her,��� Brody chuckled.

  ���Did you honestly have to buy such an expensive ring for a seven year old?��� Emma asked, and he laughed, ���What���s so funny?���

  ���London will be my stepdaughter, Emma,��� Brody smiled, ���If she wants something all she needs to do is ask.���

  ���And then you���ll ask me and we���ll discuss it, right Brody?��� Emma locked eyes with him.

  ���Yes love,��� Brody smirked.

  ���So when will the wedding be, Mom?��� London asked.

  ���We haven���t talked about it yet,��� Emma laughed.

  ���Well I think it should be soon,��� London said and looked at Brody.

  ���I think so as well, maybe this weekend?��� Brody said and smiled.

  ���That���s perfect!��� London smiled.

  ���London, you get to see your father Saturday, remember?��� Emma said and let out a big breath.

  ���Well then next weekend or Halloween. A sleepy hollow wedding in costume Brody!��� London cheered.

  ���Wow, that sounds like fun,��� Brody laughed.

  ���Where will we live?��� London took a bite of her soup.

  ���Well, I have a few homes I would like to look at, I thought we could go tomorrow and check them out,��� Brody told her.

  ���You know you can stay here right?��� Henry said his eyes fixed on Brody.

  ���Thank you Henry, that is very kind,��� Brody looked at Emma.

  She looked up at him, and he winked. She looked back down and tried not to smile.

  Brody and Emma got London to bed and sat on the couch.

  ���Can we talk about a few things?���

  ���Anything you want,��� Brody smiled.

  ���Do we need a house right now ��� I mean is it that important to you?���

  ���I thought it would be to you,��� Brody said confused.

  ���Well…��� she began.

  ���Okay Em we���ve talked about this before, please just say what���s on your mind, don���t over think or try to take care of me, just tell me what you want to say,��� Brody smiled gently as he took her hand.

  ���Okay, I don���t want to move London again, she just started school here,��� Emma quietly said avoiding eye contact, ���And my mom works at her school and I just feel like she���s safe there. This was a big move for her, and for me.���

  ���What else?��� he asked and lightly kissed her hand.

  ���Well I need to tell Troy, not to ask his permission, but tell him. God Brody ��� he doesn���t even know about the cancer,��� Emma said and sat back closing her eyes.

  ���And you feel he needs to know everything,��� Brody stated.

  ���He���s her father Brody, I can���t change that, ever,��� Emma spoke finally looking into his eyes.

  ���Alright I understand. I don���t like it, but I knew all that before I asked you to marry me,��� he said and pulled her closer to him.

  ��
���I want to go tell him with his therapist, and not with London. I want him to have a couple of days to process it before he sees her. I just think it���ll be better for both of them,��� Emma stopped and waited for him to respond and he didn���t, ���Please don���t shut down, please talk to me.���

  ���I���m just mulling it over in my head, I���m not shutting down,��� Brody thought out loud.

  ���If Troy���s aware before London goes he won���t be reactive when she���s there. She won���t see his anger or hurt or whatever it is he might feel at first. I just want him to have a heads up, you know?��� Emma hoped he would see her side.

  ���Alright, I understand. Why don���t you go Thursday after work?��� Brody suggested.

  Emma���s gut reaction was to tell him she didn���t need him to tell her how to do it. It was going to be difficult having someone around that was a true partner and not just part of the furniture. Emma loved the way Brody was with London, and she wanted to be sure to not hinder or weaken that relationship.

  ���Would you ride with me?��� Emma asked. ���I mean, if I set it up and you���re available, would you like to go?���

  ���Yes and I���ll make sure that I���m available,��� Brody said, ���Emma, are we finished, is there anything else pressing?���

  ���Yeah, I kind of what to know what homes you had wanted to look at,��� Emma asked quietly.

  ���To see if I had considered London in this decision?���

  ���Well, yes and I want you to know how perfect it was that you asked her before asking me to marry you. It was so amazing…you are absolutely amazing,��� Emma said trying to make up for doubting him.

  ���All the homes I want to see are a little bit closer to the city, by maybe ten miles, all still in the same school district. With one exception, I know that she could still attend school there I would just pay tuition, and I could take her to school every day,��� Brody smiled pleased with himself.

  ���I love you. I���m sorry I asked, I just have to think of her in every decision I make,��� Emma said looking at him.

  ���I know, just know I���m doing the same thing Em, okay?��� Brody asked.

  * * *

  Emma sat in the small office waiting for Troy and his therapist. Her stomach was in knots. Regardless of what he���d put them through over the last eight years of their marriage she still didn���t want him to be hurt. Troy was here getting help for his alcoholism and trying, and now she was about to set his recovery back.

  ���Emma,��� Troy smiled and hugged her when he walked through the door.

  ���Hello Troy,��� she smiled politely and returned his hug coldly, just like his hugs over the past several years.

  Joe Login smiled at Emma. He was about five foot ten and had very short black hair and kind brown eyes.

  ���Troy, have a seat. Emma, it���s truly nice to put a face to a name I���ve heard a lot over the past few weeks.���

  ���Thank you for taking the time to do this for me,��� Emma said returning his smile.

  ���Nice ring, Emma.��� Troy said.

  ���I guess we should just jump right into this,��� Joe gently acknowledged.

  ���Brody���s asked me to marry him Troy���and I accepted.��� Emma blurted out as her face reddened.

  ���Okay,��� Troy said trying to hide the anger or sadness in his voice.

  ���How do you really feel about that?��� Joe asked.

  ���I guess I knew it was coming but not this soon. I worry about what he���ll be like as a constant influence in London���s life, and Emma���s. I know I have no right to ask her to wait,��� Troy said looking at Joe.

  Wow, my ex-husband expressing feelings. Like he used to, like the man I married, this is not good, Emma thought.

  ���Emma, do you have anything to say?��� Joe asked.

  ���He is good to London and me. Troy has nothing to worry about,��� Emma said giving him a reassuring look.

  ���Okay Emma, why so soon?��� Troy calmly asked.

  ���It���s just right for us,��� Emma said wishing she could figure out how this all happened so quickly.

  ���Okay,��� Troy looked lost.

  ���There���s something else Emma needs to tell you,��� Joe said looking at Troy and then back to Emma.

  ���London���s coming for a family visit on Sunday, and I want you to know what���s been going on in our lives, everything. Troy you���re her father always and I want you and I to be friends. Maybe not best friends, but I don���t know ��� we have her, and she���s the most important thing in either of our lives. We���ll forever be bound by that,��� Emma said and let out a breath.

  ���I know that now Emma, I wish that I had before. But we can���t change the past, and I understand that now,��� he said looking emotionally drained.

  ���Been a rough few weeks?��� Emma said and squeezed his hand.

  ���You have no idea.��� Troy answered in a distracted tone.

  ���Emma, you have something else to tell Troy?��� Joe said redirecting the conversation.

  ���I���ve had a really horrible few weeks as well,��� Emma smiled and told him the whole story about the cancer.

  Emma finally looked up at Troy when she finished. Troy���s face was full of trepidation and his eyes full of tears.

  ���Oh…please don���t do that,��� Emma said.

  Emma remembered the only other time she had seen Troy cry. It was after the premature death of his father while they were at college. They were in his room studying when he received the call that his father had been in an accident and that he had died instantly. It was also the first night Troy and Emma had sex. She realized now that she had done it to try to ease his pain.

  Troy laughed as he wiped his tears away, ���Oh sorry. I forgot, crying does something to you huh, Emma?���

  ���It does, maybe, not in the same way you���re thinking but I don���t want you to hurt.���

  ���Alright then, are you sure you���re ok?��� Troy asked sincerely.

  ���Yes, but this made so many things become even more critical to me. If something happened to me, Troy,��� she stopped. ���You have to stay healthy for her, as healthy as you can anyway. Sober and strong Troy.���

  ���I will. I have one request Emma. I want to speak to Hines,��� Troy said, and Emma could tell there was no budging on this one.

  ���Okay, when?��� Emma took a deep breath.

  ���As soon as possible,��� Troy answered.

  ���Now?��� Emma asked, ���He���s waiting for me in the car.���

  ���No time like the present,��� Troy smiled and looked at Joe shaking his head.

  * * *

  ���Back so soon?��� Brody asked, and he stretched stepping out of the car and grabbed her hand, pulling her into him and kissed her.

  He���s so damn yummy, she thought lost in his kiss.

  Emma pulled away smiling shyly, ���Not really,��� she said stepping back and kicking the imaginary stones at her feet.

  ���What is it, Emma?��� Brody said cupping her face in his hands.

  ���Troy wants to talk to you,��� Emma said still looking down.

  ���Good,��� he grinned mischievously.

  ���Brody ��� can you be nice? He���s trying,��� Emma protested.

  ���I hate him Emma, the way he spoke to you, the way he
had absolutely no regard for London���s safety and well- being������ Brody said his eyes were dark and full of hate and disgust.

  ���He���s trying, and Brody, you look so far away right now,��� Emma said astonished.

  ���I���m full of anger right now. Let���s go get this over with,��� Brody said taking her hand and dragging her behind him.

  Everything had gone so well with Troy and now Brody���s pissed, actually pissed, what the hell just happened? How am I going to get him to fucking calm down? Why is it my job to make this better for everyone on the damned planet? Emma screamed in her head.

  Emma released his hand harshly and stopped dead in her tracks.

  ���STOP,��� she yelled and stood with her arms crossed in front of her.

  ���Are you alright Emma?��� Brody asked and walked back to her feeling her head.

  Emma let out a deep breath, ���I���m doing the best I can…��� she started and the dam broke, ���I can���t keep trying in vain to make this better for every person in my life, and you are scaring me right now!���

  Brody looked at her confused and tilted his head as he studied her, ���Emma?���

  ���I���ll meet you at the car, I���ll deal with this…this shit!��� Emma screamed.

  Brody jumped when she yelled, ���Emma, damn it talk to me. Tell me what you need from me right now because I thought I was doing exactly what you wanted ME TO!���

  ���Fuck you Brody,��� she said under her breath looking away.

  ���Excuse me?��� Brody asked in shock.

  Emma looked up at him and Brody���s eyes lit up in amusement, ���It���s not funny.���