Chapter 22 #2
Love you, Emmy-bug!
Daddy
Emily read the card over and over again. Her father had given it to her when she was ten, but it wasn’t familiar. Had she
ever read it before? Maybe her dad had stuck it in her Christmas stocking, and she’d overlooked it in favor of her new art
supplies from Santa.
But the words, those precious words, swirled through her mind as if on repeat:
Your mom is hoping that you become a doctor or lawyer. But honestly? We’d be happy knowing that you chose to follow your heart,
whatever you decide to do. Just find something that brings you joy.
She read the lines again. And then she read them another time. She couldn’t remember one time when her parents had encouraged
her to follow her dreams, but her father had told her to do just that.
They wanted her to find joy, and she knew that art brought her joy. Creating something that came from her soul and brought happiness to others was what she’d always wanted to do.
Could she do that after losing her parents and then losing the love of her life?
Emily closed her eyes as another wave of grief crested in her heart.
She sucked in a breath and hoped that the ache working its way from her heart to her extremities would fade.
But then something unlocked deep inside her soul.
Her eyes flew open, and she studied the rainbow of colors as the sunset reflected on the lake, and an idea gripped her: a
drawing that she yearned to create. Something deep, personal, and inspiring overtook her mind, and her fingers began to tingle
with the need to draw it.
Now.
Her pulse began to pound. And she realized that her muse had finally reawakened after nearly four long years.
Emily flipped open her sketch pad to a fresh page and started drawing.
Jake was certain steam was spouting out of his ears. He was so furious that his entire body was shuddering. He followed Claire
into the kitchen. He was going to get her alone and give her a piece of his mind.
“Have you completely lost your mind?” he demanded. “I’ve made it crystal clear that it’s over between us.”
She smirked and waved him off. “Nah. You just needed a little push.”
“A little push?” His voice rose. “I told you I was done! What part of ‘done’ do you not understand? Do you think we can really build a life based on whatever sham this is? I will not go along with this.”
She pointed toward the doorway, where beyond it he heard their parents talking and laughing. “See how happy our parents are?
Isn’t that what you want for them after all your folks have been through?”
“No. This is not what I want, and you know that. I will not allow you to manipulate me or my parents. This stops now!”
She shook her head. “You know as well as I do that we’re meant to be together. The sooner you realize it, the better.” She
shoved a chocolate cake into his hands. “Take this out to the table, please.”
He slammed the cake down on the counter. “Are you completely delusional? I’m not going to marry you. I’ll admit, it’s the ultimate prank, Claire, but you’re going to be the one to tell our parents that you lied.”
“No, I won’t. Because they believe we’re getting married. You’re going to have to be the one to ruin their happiness.”
He stared after her. He’d always known that Claire craved attention and loved to pull pranks, but this was taking it too far—even
for her.
He couldn’t stop thinking about Emily. More than anything, he wanted to talk to her alone and tell her that this was all a
ruse—a cruel and painful one.
Just then, Sherry entered the kitchen and threw her arms around Jake. “I’m just so happy. I’m finally going to be able to
call you my son.” She clicked her tongue. “This is just so wonderful! We’ll have to start making plans right away. New Year’s
will be here before you know it.” Sherry picked up the cake and headed out of the kitchen. “Let’s have dessert.”
A hand latched onto his bicep. “Just go with it. You’ll be glad you did.” Claire kissed his cheek, and he shifted away from
her.
He followed Claire out to the dining room, where Sherry was serving pieces of chocolate cake.
“I always knew they’d get married,” Sherry said as she set a piece in front of his mother.
Mom dabbed her eyes with a paper napkin. “I’m just so thankful. A wedding is just what we need right now.”
Jake’s stomach twisted, and he was certain he was going to be sick. “Excuse me,” he grumbled before he slipped down the hallway
and into the half bath, where he locked the door. Then he slumped against the sink and dialed Emily’s number.
When it went directly to voicemail, he rested his free hand on his forehead and waited for her voicemail to pick up.
“Em,” he began, “please call me. Please. I had no idea Claire was going to pull this charade tonight. I had nothing to do
with it. You have to believe me. I never proposed to Claire. She made the whole thing up.” He closed his eyes. “I know this sounds crazy, but I’m telling you the
truth. You’re the only woman in my life and the only one I want in my life. Please call me. Let’s work this out.” His voice sounded tight. “I’ll be home soon, and we’ll talk, okay? Please. Call me back or
text me.”
He disconnected the call, sagged against the sink, and tried to think of a way out of this ridiculous mess.
“We only have three months to plan this wedding,” Mom announced during the ride home. “Claire and Sherry are going to reserve
the church and the reception hall, so we need to think about a rehearsal dinner, Leon.” She leaned forward in the back seat
and tapped Jake’s arm. “Are you going to ask Emily to be your best—uh—attendant, or do you think you’ll ask Seth? I noticed
you and Emily have been spending a lot of time with Andi and Seth.”
Jake only half listened to Mom while she continued babbling about the wedding that was never going to happen.
He’d spent the entire evening staring at the tabletop and trying to figure out the best way to break the news to his hopeful mother that this wedding was a farce.
The engagement was a farce. In fact, his entire relationship with Claire was a farce.
As much as he wanted to tell his mother the truth, the guilt of disappointing her was also weighing heavily on him. And then
there was the issue of Emily. He’d tried to call her repeatedly during the evening. He’d excused himself each time and retreated
to the bathroom or the hallway and dialed her over and over again. Each time he left her a voicemail, begging her to call
him. He’d also texted her to no avail, and his body vibrated with anxiety. He hoped she was waiting at his parents’ house,
but he feared she had left town.
He steered into his parents’ driveway and found only his father’s truck sitting there. Emily wasn’t home.
He rubbed his forehead. Hopefully she’d gone for a ride and would be back soon, but he had a feeling he was wrong. A pit expanded
in his stomach.
“Does that sound good, Jake?”
“What’s that?” he asked, turning to face his mother.
Mom harrumphed. “You’ve been quiet all evening, sweetheart. What’s wrong?”
“I have a lot on my mind.”
“Well, you’re going to be a married man soon.” She patted his shoulder. “I’m so happy for you, honey. I’ve prayed for this
day for so long.” She wagged a finger. “I had a feeling it would happen soon.”
He set his jaw. “Let’s get inside.”
Jake helped his father into the house, finding all of the lights off. Taking a chance, he jogged upstairs and knocked on her closed door. “Em, are you in there?” When he didn’t receive a response, he rapped again. “We need to talk.”
He waited a few moments before pushing the door open and finding her room empty. His stomach fell, but when he glimpsed her
enormous suitcase in the corner and a stack of art supplies stashed around the room, his mood lifted—slightly. She wasn’t
at his parents’ house, but she had to be close. Now he just had to find her.
Jake hurried down the stairs and pulled his truck keys from his pocket. Before he hit the front door, his mother called his
name.
He spun to face her concerned expression.
Oh no.
He didn’t have time for a heart-to-heart right now. If he told his mom that the wedding was off, she’d have a million questions,
and he needed to find his real girlfriend—if he still even had a girlfriend.
“Honey, what’s going on?” she asked.
He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “I need to find Emily.”
“Tell me why you’re upset.”
He held his hands up. “I promise I’ll explain everything soon, but right now I need to find her.” He wrenched open the door.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Be careful,” she called after him.
Jake sprinted back to his house. And as he climbed into his truck, he knew it was going to be a long night.