As they reached the top of the stairs, Alex pushed her up against the wall and kissed her with every ounce of passion that he had inside of him as if trying to remove any doubts she had about his intentions towards her. Emily felt like she couldn’t breathe as her arms went around his neck and kissed him back. He pulled back just enough to say, “Emily, you are beautiful, you love the arts and you are an amazing artist. What do I need to do to make you realize that you are the one who is perfect for me?”
“I want to believe all of that, but you seem too wonderful to be true. You have to remember that I’m coming from a pretty stressful relationship where we never saw each other, I’ve been raising our little girl pretty much on my own and in the past four years, we have barely, well, you know.”
Eric grinned. “We could fix that.”
Emily laughed. “I’m not quite there, Alex. Remember, you are still trying to be a gentleman.”
“Yeah, well every time that I’m around you, that flies right out the window. So, what do I need to do, Emily?”
“Just be patient with me, ok? I will try to understand why you like me and get used to the idea of us being together.”
Alex and she shared a laugh as he took her hand again. They toured the upper rooms including his guest rooms and the master bedroom. His room was very large but warm and inviting. It was home to a fireplace, private bathroom and a balcony. His bed was definitely a king size covered in silk sheets and a beautiful dark comforter.
He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Penny for your thoughts?”
Emily smiled. “Honestly?”
“Of course.”
“Thinking about how comfortable your bed looks.”
Alex laughed. “You are welcome to try it, Baby. I promise that I will remain in the upright position.”
Emily turned to face him as she smiled. “No, I think that I will wait to try it out. It will be my treat one day.”
Alex leaned down and kissed her again. “You are trying to break my will power, aren’t you?”
“Oh Sweetheart, when I try to break you, I will succeed,” Emily said as she winked at him and walked back out into the hallway, hearing Alex groan and follow behind her. “I should probably head home. I want to spend some time with Emma.”
Alex nodded and walked her to the front door. “Yeah, I need to work on some information for the museum and for some reason I can’t focus when you are around me.”
Emily blushed and turned to face him at the front door. She reached up and lightly ran her fingers across his cheek as he leaned into her touch. Her lips moved to just barely touch his and whispered, “Call me later?”
“Of course, and thank you for coming into my life.”
Emily blushed as she kissed him, not wanting to end the kiss, but she knew she had to, so she pulled away and looked into his eyes before saying, “Goodbye Alex.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Emily went home and spent the rest of the evening with Emma. They played with her dolls, had a tea party and pulled out some of Emily’s old art supplies so Emma could paint and draw. Emily even allowed her to play dress up in her closet and seeing her little girl in a long dress and pearls was a sight to see.
After the exhausting day, she didn’t have any trouble putting Emma down to bed for the evening. Emily headed down the hall to her art room and looked around. She thought back over the past four years. She had a little girl who was turning three; her relationship with Eric was over but she knew she had to figure out a way for them to have a conversation without yelling at each other for Emma’s sake. She had loved him since high school and she wasn’t sure that she could ignore those feelings for him completely or accept that they would never have a future together.
Then there was the newest addition to her life, Alex; she liked him a lot and the attraction between them was undeniable; he was a man in every sense of the word. He was exactly what she was craving for at this point in her life. The way that she felt alive when they were together, was what she always wanted to feel. He loved the arts as much as she did and wanted to be a part of her life. He even liked spending time with her daughter.
As she sat down on the love seat, she glanced around the room and decided that she was going to take charge of her life and do something about her future. She grabbed her phone and called Alex.
“Emily?”
“Hey Alex, how was your day?”
“Good, but missing you. I did manage to get some of my work done though.”
“That’s good. Um, I have question for you,” Emily said.
“Of course, what’s on your mind?” He asked.
“I need a job. It’s time for me to take control of my life and in order to do that, I need a job. I want to move out of my mom’s house with Emma and find an apartment. Would you help me find employment?”
“Of course, I have a lot of friends around the area. What do you see yourself doing?”
“I would like to work in the art industry, if possible. You know get my foot in the door and learn more about what’s going on locally.”
“A museum, gallery or some other aspect?” Alex asked.
“I honestly don’t know, I never thought about it before. So much of the past four years was just about finishing college and raising Emma that I didn’t stop to think what I would do once I actually got here. What would you suggest?”
“Honestly? I would love to see you work at the museum. But, then I might not get much work done.”
Emily laughed. “We wouldn’t want that, would we?”
Alex went on, “But seriously, if you want to work at my place, I will have Kate, our human resources manager, call you this week. If you want to work in a gallery, I have many friends in the community as well, but I would start with Henry since you are building a relationship with him and will have your work showcased there soon anyway.”
“What would I do at the museum?” Emily asked with interest.
“I don’t know what we are hiring for right now but I can ask Sue.”
Emily was quiet. She was feeling that jealously brew inside of her again.
“Emily? Are you still there?”
“Yes, sorry.”
“Please don’t think twice about Sue. I assure you there is nothing there and never will be.”
“Ok. Thanks for the advice though. You’ve given me a few things to think about,” Emily said cheerfully. “If you hear of, or think of, anything else keep me posted and have a good night.”
“Sweet dreams, Baby,” Alex whispered as Emily headed back to her room and fell asleep dreaming of him.
Over the next couple of days, Emily went over her ideas with her mom. She explained that it was time to start the next chapter in her life, which meant moving out and getting a job. Her mom cried but agreed. She offered her help with anything that she could do. Emily hadn’t talk with Alex much due to his meeting schedule and her getting ready for graduation.
Emily felt she owned Eric’s parents a visit with Emma so early Wednesday afternoon they headed over to see them. Emily rang the front door bell before his mom answered. “Emily and my sweet Emma, come in.”
“I’m sorry that we haven’t come by earlier. Things have been a little hectic.”
“Honey, I don’t blame you. Eric acted like a real jackass and I don’t blame you for your decision. I just hope one day, you will give him another chance. In the meantime, I’m very glad to see you both.”
“She has already moved on, Mom. I told you that,” Eric said walking into the room.
“I will let you guys talk,” his mom said heading into the kitchen with Emma.
“I have not moved on, Eric. I haven’t officially done anything yet.”
“What is that supposed to mean? So, that wasn’t your boyfriend yelling at me on the phone the other day?”
“No, it was my friend yelling at you,” Emily sighed because she had only been there a minute and already they were fighting again. “When did you get home?”
/>
“Yesterday, I decided to stay in Syracuse for a couple of nights.”
“I didn’t know if you would be here or not, but I wanted to bring Emma by for a visit with your family.”
“Yeah, I noticed my mom didn’t waste a minute to take her off to play in the other room.”
“I’m getting my own apartment and starting to look for a job,” Emily offered.
“That’s good. What do you want to do?”
Emily laughed. “No clue, I’m thinking about it though and that’s a start.”
Eric cracked a smile. “See, we can have a civilized conversation.”
Emily looked at him and smiled. “I know that you think I made a bad decision, Eric, but we don’t know what our future will hold and we need this time to sort things out. This is our time to find ourselves and decide if we do belong together.”
Eric nodded. “I had a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“After your graduation tomorrow, can me and my parents take Emma for the weekend? It’s the last time I will see her for awhile and I know it would mean a lot to my mom.”
Emily nodded. “Of course, I will pack her bags and have them ready at graduation.”
“Thank you and I do want you to be happy, Emily. Even though it will kill me to see you with him, I understand that I messed up again. I think this is my punishment because I’m hurting on the inside.”
Emily reached out and hugged him. “You will always be in my heart, Eric. That could never change. We just need to do this.”
Eric pulled back and kissed her cheek. “If he hurts you, Emily, I swear to God.”
Emily laughed. “Where did that come from? Trust me. You have nothing to worry about with Alex. See you at graduation?”
Eric nodded as Emily found Emma and walked her back home.
That evening, Emily was sitting in her window seat, looking at the neighborhood when she received a text message.
Are you getting nervous about tomorrow? – Alex.
No, the nervous part is over, tomorrow will just be fun. – Emily.
I have a present for you. – Alex.
Before she could type him back, she saw his Audi pull into the driveway. She got up and headed downstairs. Her mom was sitting on the couch and saw him pull in too. “He does have a nice car.”
She smirked. “Yeah, that’s why I like him.” Her mom laughed as Emily headed out the door.
Alex got out of his car and greeted her with a single red rose. “Hey, Beautiful.”
Emily ran her fingers through her hair, feeling a little self conscious of her appearance. “Yeah, right.”
Alex shook his head. “I haven’t seen you in days. I thought that was unacceptable and since it’s my fault, I have this for you,” he said handing her the red rose.
“It’s beautiful, thank you,” Emily said holding it up to her nose. Alex pulled her into his embrace and kissed the top of her head.
“So you aren’t nervous about tomorrow, huh?” He asked.
“Nah, I’m fine. It will be fun and I do have some good news.”
“I like good news, what’s going on?”
“After graduation Eric and his family will be taking Emma for the long weekend, so I’m free to do whatever my little heart wants to do,” Emily said smiling at him.
Alex grinned. “And what does your little heart want to do?”
“I want to spend time with you, just us, no distractions. I want to get to know you better,” Emily said a little more seriously.
“Let me know if you have any thoughts about exactly what you want to do and we will plan something special to celebrate your big day, ok?”
Emily wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. “Kiss me, Alex.”
He moaned softly. “Anything for you.” He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. She parted her lips and felt his tongue play with hers, she moaned in response as her hand slipped underneath his suit coat and felt the smooth finish of his dress shirt.
Alex broke away first. “I need to go back to work. You are evil.”
Emily laughed. “No I’m not, I just want to be close to you,” she said looking up at him and finding his lips again before he turned to leave.
“I will call you tonight so I can figure out the plans for tomorrow. I would like to pick you up but I understand if you want to go with your parents.”
“I’m sure it doesn’t matter to them, I would love a ride there.”
Alex smiled. “Bye, Baby.”
Emily watched him leave as she walked back into the house. Her mom looked at her expecting a full report. “So, are you guys dating yet? Because from where I’m standing, it kind of looks like it.”
“Not officially. We’re still in that holding pattern but I’m hoping since this weekend Emma will be with Eric, that we can figure all of that out.” Emily headed back up to her room to finish packing Emma’s bags. She knew that she was going to miss her terribly and that this would be the longest that they had ever been apart. But, it was the right thing to do. Eric needed time with her also.
*********************
Her big day had finally arrived. Emily woke up and smiled. She finished her college education in four years, while juggling being a new mother. She was so proud of herself. She got out bed and walked over to see that Emma still sleeping. She kissed her forehead and felt her squirm. “Good Morning, Sweet Emma.”
“Mommy,” Emma mumbled still very tired.
“Time to get up and eat breakfast. Mommy has a big day ahead of her.”
“Ok.”
Emily smiled as she lifted her out of the bed and carried her downstairs. She gasped as she reached the living room. The room had a huge basket filled with red roses. Emily walked over to it as Emma reached out to feel the petals. Her mother walked in. “They just arrived.”
Emily smiled as she reached for the card and handed a still sleepy, Emma to her mother. She opened the tiny envelope, Congratulations, Emily. You have the world in the palm of hands now. Alex.
“I’m assuming the sender would be Alex?” Her mom asked.
Emily nodded. “Yes, he really is too good to be true.”
“Well, it’s your day, Emily. What do you want for breakfast?”
“I’m not hungry right now. I think I will grab something later.”
“I’m so proud of you. Looking back on the conversation we had in this living room at the beginning of your freshman year,” her mother said while nodding at Emma who was draped over her shoulder. “I really didn’t think we’d see this day any time soon. But you did your time in summer school to catch up, you studied hard and you managed to not only get your college degree but you raised a beautiful little girl. A mother couldn’t be more proud of her daughter.”
Emily smiled and hugged her mom. “I just hope that I’m a mother to Emma like you were to me, Mom. I’m going to miss you so much when I move out.”
“Any idea on where you are going yet?”
Emily shook her head. “I found some really cute complexes nearby so I will go take a look at those this weekend while Emma is with Eric. I also need to call Henry at the gallery about my paintings and find a job.”
“It will all happen, Emily. Don’t worry about it right now. Just enjoy your day.”
Emily sighed and ran upstairs to make sure that she had her clothes laid out and her cap and gown ready to go. She reached for her cell phone and called Alex.
“Congratulations, Beautiful,” he said as he picked up the phone.
“Thank you for the roses, they are beautiful. I love waking up that way.”
“You are very welcome. I wanted to let you know that I talked to Kate here at the museum. We do have a position open in our administrative department. I would have had Sue call you but I didn’t want to upset you.”
“Please don’t worry about my craziness. You just have to remember that I came from a relationship where my ex was surrounded by girls who loved to compete for his attention
all of the time and obviously, he didn’t control himself very well. Besides, I see the way she looks at you.”
“And I have told you, if she does like me, it’s not mutual. I only have eyes for you, Emily.”
“Well, I would love a job interview. Do you think you could pull some strings for me?” Emily laughed.
“Yes, I will see what I can do. Have you thought about apartments yet?”
“I found a couple of cute complexes in the city, but it will depend on what I can afford. There is a two bedroom that I really like but we will have to see.”
“It’s exciting to be starting out in the world, isn’t it?” Alex said.
“Exciting? I’m thinking more along the lines of terrifying.”
Alex laughed again. “So, I’m picking you up at one, correct? Graduation starts at three.”
“Yes, thank you for coming with me.”
“I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.”
“See you soon, Alex.”
As they hung up, Emily couldn’t help but smile. She hopped into the shower and started her day. As the morning raced by, she kept herself busy with dressing Emma and getting all her favorite toys together. She explained to her the best way she could that she would be spending a lot of time with Daddy over the next few days until she returned home. Emma seemed excited to hear that news, so that gave Emily more confidence.
Emily got dressed and even took the time to curl her hair. She finished up her makeup and grabbed her cap and gown. As she walked by the windows, she saw Alex pull into the driveway. She headed downstairs to find her mother crying. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
“You look beautiful, Emily. You are a stunning young lady, I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you, Mom, but stop crying. I just did my makeup, ok?”
Alex knocked on the door and Emily walked over to open it. “Hey there!”
“Wow Emily, you look beautiful,” Alex said as he handed her another red rose.
“You are spoiling me, you know that, right?” Emily laughed.
Everlasting Love (Now & Forever) Page 14