by Amy Brent
It was going to be a long day for me, and I hoped that Emma got comfortable at the house. I felt bad for leaving her there the first day she arrived. I wanted her to feel at home in my home so she would start feeling out how it might be to live in New York. I looked out the window and smiled as we pulled up in front of the complex. The doorman came out and got our luggage from the car and brought it upstairs for us. When he was gone, I showed her around the apartment, pointing out that I would clear some space for her things that night.
“I have to go in for just a couple of hours,” I said, pulling Emma into my arms. “I promise I’ll hurry.”
“I understand.” She smiled. “I’ll probably curl up on your couch and take another nap.”
“Feel free to sleep anywhere you like.” I smiled.
She kissed me goodbye, and I headed out to the office, barely able to pull myself away from her. The meeting was just getting started when I arrived, and I sat there happily listening to all the progress they had been making in only a week’s time. I could feel Trevor’s eyes glaring over at me as I listened, and I knew I was going to have to talk to him before I left to go back. When the meeting was over, I went to my office and looked through the messages on my desk.
“Hey there. Welcome back,” Trevor said, walking in and sitting down. “We missed you around here.”
“I’m sure.” I chuckled.
“How did everything go? You look happy and relaxed,” he said.
“It went amazing,” I said. “She’s here in New York with me at the apartment.”
“Really? Already?”
“Well, some things were a surprise like the fact that she was pregnant with my child when I showed up,” I said, laughing. “And to be honest, I didn’t want to leave her behind. Things were even better than I imagined they would be.”
“That’s really great,” he said. “Man, congratulations on the baby. That must have been a shock to the system.”
“A little.” I chuckled. “But it’s okay. She and I, we just fit together, and I’m more than happy to start a life with her and the baby.”
“I’m really happy for you,” he said. “Just be more careful this time. She bolted once, and I don’t want you to get caught off guard.”
I stood and grabbed my suit jacket. “I appreciate the concern, but I don’t think it’ll be the same this time. She bolted last time because she thought I was married.”
“That makes sense then.”
We talked for a few more minutes, and then I left, wanting to get back before Sicily got home. When I arrived, I put the key in the lock and walked in, seeing Emma poke her head around the corner. She walked over, handed me a hot cup of coffee, and kissed me on the cheek.
“I’m glad you’re home,” she whispered. “I hope you don’t mind. I made some coffee.”
“Not at all,” I said, smiling. “I want you to make yourself at home.”
She smiled and walked back into the kitchen as I took off my jacket and tie and sat down on the couch. I couldn’t help noticing how nice it was to have Emma there, waiting for me when I got home from work. She fit in perfectly in the house, and it really felt like a home with her standing there in shorts and a T-shirt, barefoot, pretzels in her mouth, and her little round belly rubbing the counter. She was adorable and sexy and beautiful all at the same time. I was about to call her over to sit with me when the front door opened, and Sicily came running in, stopping wide-eyed when she saw me.
“Dad,” she yelled, throwing down her book bag and jumping on top of me. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I missed you too,” I said, looking up at my mom. “Both of you.”
Emma came out of the kitchen and smiled sweetly at my mom and watched as I hugged Sicily. She showed me the bracelet my mom had made her and started talking about the new robotics project she was working on. She hadn’t yet noticed Emma standing there smiling. Sicily looked at my eyes and followed them back behind her before sitting down next to me and smiling sweetly.
“Hi,” she said, looking down at Emma’s baby belly.
Her head jolted to me and then back to Emma several times. My mother laughed and so did Emma, watching Sicily freak out. I chuckled and grabbed her face, kissing her little forehead.
“Sicily, this is Emma, my girlfriend,” I said. “You’re going to be a big sister.”
“What?” she squealed in excitement. “That was fast!”
She got up off the couch as we all chuckled at her comment and walked up to Emma, wrapping her arms gently around her body and holding her face to Emma’s belly. Emma looked up at me with tears in her eyes and stroked the back of Sicily’s head. It was the best reaction I think Sicily could have ever had, and I was really proud of her. She pulled back and took Emma by the hand.
“I’m really glad you’re here,” Sicily said quietly. “Let me show you around properly.”
“I would love that,” Emma said, winking at me.
I sat watching as Emma and Sicily walked all over the apartment with Sicily giving commentary on everything in there. Emma listened carefully, talking, cracking jokes, and genuinely enjoying herself with Sicily. I couldn’t believe how fast the two of them bonded and how absolutely amazing Emma was with Sicily. My mom walked over and sat down next to me, watching them walk into Sicily’s room.
“Are you happy?” she asked.
“More than I ever have been my whole life,” I said, turning to her.
“Good,” she said. “She’s very beautiful, and it looks like you found her in the nick of time. It’s funny how the universe works, isn’t it? I think you had to get past all your fears before you saw her again because someone knew you would need to be strong and happy when you saw her again.”
“That baby is going to be perfect, just like Sicily,” I said. “And I’m really excited to be a dad again.”
“You are a hell of one, so it fits you.” Mom stood up. “I’ll get started on dinner.”
Sicily brought Emma back out to the living room, telling her she needed to knock out some homework before I got on her. I chuckled and nodded as Sicily grabbed her bag and disappeared into the back. Before I could even approach the kitchen, Emma had introduced herself and asked if she could help. My mother was so sweet and, of course, put her to work cutting up vegetables and talking to her about her life in Camden. She fit right in with us, her sarcastic humor and all, and there wasn’t a bit of shyness in her voice. I could have sat there forever that day, just watching the three most important people in my life cooking together, laughing, and talking about everything they could think of. Emma looked renewed, like all the stress in her life had been washed away when she stepped foot in the apartment.
I grabbed a beer and went out on the balcony, leaning on the railing and looking out over the city. I stood there for about an hour with the warming hum of giggles in the background. I sipped my beer and watched the sun start to dip below the skyscrapers, casting rays of light through the city streets.
“It’s beautiful out here,” Emma said, putting her arms around my waist and laying her head on my back. “A girl could get used to this really fast.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for.” I chuckled, squeezing her arm.
“Dinner is ready,” she said, leaning back as I turned around and kissed her.
“Great. I’m starving.”
Sicily insisted that Emma sit next to her at dinner, and we all listened intently as Sicily told us about her day, her school work, the school play that she got a part in, and her upcoming robotics competition. Emma asked questions and nodded her head at the answers, enthralled with the type of education Sicily was getting. My mother ate her dinner, watching the two and beaming over at me with happiness. I could tell she approved of Emma, and that was a really good feeling because she’d never really felt that way about Josie. They had always had a difficult relationship since Josie was snobbish and liked other people to wait on her.
When dinner was done, Mom served us some dessert, an
d I sat back in my chair watching and listening to everything going on. Emma and Sicily were talking about the ice-skaters she’d seen the last time she was in New York, which oddly sounded like the ones I had seen. My mother asked her about her parents, and they laughed, talking about the smell of a fisherman at the dinner table. My father loved to fish, and I could feel him there with us at that moment. My mother’s eyes twinkled, listening to the stories about small-town life, reminding her of where she’d grown up in upstate New York before all the big business moved in. It was a beautiful evening, and I really couldn’t have imagined it getting any better than it was right then.
Chapter 24
Emma
I yawned, rolling onto my back and pulling my arms over my head. I stretched long and hard, feeling the comfortable bed with blankets and pillows all around me. The sun was shining through the cracks in the blinds on the windows, and I could feel the warmth of it hitting my face. I breathed in the smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen, and my stomach rumbled, feeling hungry as usual. That was probably the best night’s sleep I had gotten in a really long time, and I hadn’t even remembered falling asleep the night before. I rolled over and looked at the clock, reading that it was a little after eight. Eight was sleeping in for me lately, with all the work that Greg and I had lined up. I felt better knowing I’d left him with a pro, and he was more than happy to accept the deal when I left. If the guy filling in for me wasn’t paid so well at Cogent, I’d be afraid of going back to Camden without a job to go home to. I knew Greg was loyal, though, and he loved working with me, even if he didn’t always show it.
Besides the sound of breakfast cooking, the house was quiet, and I assumed they had let me sleep while Sicily got ready and left for school. I had no idea what time she went in, but from the sound of the workload she had, she probably went before the sun came up. She really loved her school, but I couldn’t imagine having that kind of education when I was growing up. At the same time, Sicily was more intelligent than me when I’d graduated college, and she was only seven years old. I pulled myself up in the bed and leaned back against the headboard, looking around the room. I couldn’t believe I was there in New York City again, waking up in Brandt’s bed and staying at his beautiful top-floor penthouse home. If someone had told me I would be doing this three months before, I would have said it was crazy. I never thought that something like this could happen to me. I felt so comfortable there, too, like I was meant to live in his home, which was one of my biggest worries before I came.
Not only was his home comforting, but so was his family. They were the absolute best, and I was so happy that I was given such a warm welcome. Sicily was an incredibly amazing little girl with a spirit that I could barely even believe was real. She had laid her head on my belly, whispering to her new little brother or sister, and taking my heart right with her. I was attached right then and there in the first ten minutes of meeting her. It was amazing and beautiful, and I knew that it made Brandt super happy.
I pulled myself reluctantly out of the covers and went to my suitcase to find it empty. I turned and opened the drawers of his dresser, smiling down at all my things neatly folded in his drawers. He had made room for my things and put them all away. He was the sweetest. I pulled out a pair of leggings and a T-shirt and walked out into the kitchen, finding Brandt dressed for work in a very nice suit, plating eggs, bacon, and toast and turning toward me with a charming smile. I laughed, sitting down at the breakfast bar and taking a sip of the orange juice in front of me. I looked over and saw the juicer on the counter and realized he’d squeezed me fresh juice. Either he was the perfect man, or he was going miles out of his way to impress me. Whichever it was, I was not about to complain.
He set the plate in front of me and handed me a fork, leaning over and kissing me on the top of the head. I shivered, feeling butterflies float from my stomach up through my chest. He gave me butterflies every single time he touched me. It was something I had never felt before with a man.
“I have to go into the office for a couple of hours,” he said.
“No problem,” I replied with a smile. “I’m sure I can find things to do, naps to take.”
“I’m sure you can.” He laughed. “I was thinking, if you want, we could take a ride through the city when I get back. You can see the sights but not get that little pregnant body exhausted from all the walking. The car is available anytime, and we won’t have to drive, so it would be a nice stress-free ride.”
“I would love to,” I said excitedly. “I didn’t see the whole city last time I was here. I think I saw the inside of every store that Caroline dragged me in but none of the actual city.”
He laughed. “There definitely is a lot of shopping here. If you can’t find it in New York, you might as well give up on whatever you’re searching for. All right, I have to get going. I could stand here all day talking to you.”
“Have a wonderful couple of hours.” I kissed him tenderly on the lips.
I watched as he walked out of the house and shut the door behind him. I smiled to myself shaking my head and turning back to my breakfast. I ate it pretty fast, realizing how hungry I was when the eggs hit my lips. I stopped for a moment when it occurred to me that I didn’t wake up with any nausea, which was a first since I’d found out I was pregnant. Maybe it was another sign that all of this was meant to be. When I was done eating, I ate my breakfast, took a shower, and then went out on the balcony and texted with the girls until he got home. They had a million questions about the penthouse, so I sent them a view from the balcony. They were freaking out, and it made me laugh.
When he got back, Brandt came out on the balcony and kissed me, pulling his tie off. It was really nice being there to greet him when he got home. He was so handsome in his suits, and I could already imagine him in the boardroom being super serious. It was sexy in a way I had never thought about before. He changed his clothes, and we headed down to the town car out front. We started off by driving straight and then turning, making our way around the outskirts of the city. I watched as we passed through the different sections, or boroughs, as I was instructed by the driver. I could remember the night that I met Brandt, making my way through the crowded streets, trying not to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who were there. I could remember thinking about driving in that mess and how I would never be able to survive.
Brandt pointed out different architecture in the city, telling me all about the history behind the buildings. He showed me where the Italian Mafia from the forties used to hang out, where the twin towers used to sit, which was humbling, and where he worked. It was a huge mirrored building, and on the outside, there was a constant motion of roving armed guards. It was some serious stuff for sure. After that, he took me over into Jersey City to show me the city and the Statue of Liberty from a distance. I was overwhelmed at how beautiful the city was, both inside and from across the water. The buildings twinkled and sparked under the sunlight, and Lady Liberty was dwarfed by the enormity of the towering concrete jungle.
I couldn’t help thinking about my life and what it would be like if I moved there and called New York home. It was a huge place with enough to do that I would never get bored. The only thing I really worried about was feeling that small again, like I felt the last time I was there. I knew things were different then, though, and my experience with the city would be more positive. If I were to move there, I knew I would miss Camden and the small-town life. It was really all that I had ever known. At the same time, though, I didn’t feel whole without Brandt by my side, and I knew that wherever he was, I would feel like I was home. It was something that I had never felt before about anyone. Brandt and I were like magnets, and now that he was there in my life for good, I couldn’t imagine it any other way. I knew I would be miserable without him.
“I realized something today,” I said, looking over at Brandt in the back of the car with me.
“What’s that?”
“I realized how much I needed
you in my life, how much you’ve given me in such a short amount of time,” I said. “I didn’t even know I was missing something so important. I feel at home wherever you are, and that is such an amazing feeling. I know how my parents feel now. I think I could be happy in New York City.”
“Really?” he said, scooting forward and taking my hand. “That’s the most amazing news. You make me feel like I’m home as well. And I love Camden, I really do, and if it weren’t for the company, I would consider moving all of us, me, Sicily, and my mom, out there so Sicily could have a more normal childhood, but I can’t leave.”
“Sicily needs the school she goes to,” I added. “There’s nothing like that in Camden. She would be so bored in those schools. This is perfect for her. I think it’ll be perfect for our child too. Now, I’ll eventually have to go back to Camden. I have a lot of things I have to take care of there. My house, my friends, my family, my job are all important, and I don’t want to abandon it all. I have to make things right and set it all straight. But life never felt as right as it does here with you. In fact, it started feeling that way as soon as you walked up to me outside of the café. I just didn’t realize it because I was so shocked.”