Chapter 40
forty
. . .
Emilia
My mom had asked me to meet her for lunch. Just the two of us. That had never happened before, but she’d extended an olive branch, and I’d taken it.
We were sitting in a booth at the Honey Biscuit Café, and we both set our menus down and placed our orders when Edith walked over.
Not only did my mother refrain from making a snide comment about me ordering a grilled cheese sandwich, but she surprised the hell out of me when she ordered the same thing.
Margaret Taylor was indulging in some carbs in the middle of the day.
What in the world is going on?
“So, I invited you here because I want to work on our relationship,” she said, clearing her throat and reaching for her iced tea before continuing.
“Dad and I had a long discussion about, well, about everything, I guess. Apparently I’ve been unfair to you for a very long time, and I don’t want to continue being that way. ”
“Okay, I’d like us to have a better relationship, Mom.” I shrugged, because it was the truth. Even after all the unkind things she’d said and done over the years, I wanted things to be different with her.
Better.
She blew out a breath. “Did you know that you were a colicky baby?”
Not exactly the start I was hoping for, but at least she was sharing something.
“I remember you and Dad mentioning that over the years.”
“Yep. I had a two-year-old at home, and I decided to stay home with you and Jacoby while you were young, and Dad went back to work. And then you cried a lot.” She shook her head as if she were back in that moment. “I hadn’t even wanted a second baby when I got pregnant with you.”
Shots fired.
My head tipped back in laughter, because this was supposed to be us mending our relationship, but so far it felt like I was taking all the hits.
“I didn’t know that.”
“I wasn’t a natural mother, Emilia. But it wasn’t for lack of effort. But Jacoby was a handful, and I actually missed going to the office and being out of the house, and then bam, baby number two shows up.” She had a playful smile on her face, one I’d never seen before. “That was you.”
“Yes. I’m aware that I’m baby number two,” I said with a chuckle. “I’m sure that was hard, Mom. I didn’t know all of that was going on back then.”
Edith set our plates down, and we started eating.
“Did you talk to Dad about it? I mean, the fact that you were struggling?” I asked, because now I was curious.
“No, but he tried. I shut down and just wanted nothing to do with him.” A sigh escaped her, and then she fisted her hand and pressed it against her lips as if she was trying not to get upset. Her eyes watered, startling me. I’d never seen so much emotion from my mother.
I reached for her free hand and squeezed it. “I’m sure that must have been a very difficult time, Mom.”
“It was,” she said, reaching for her grilled cheese sandwich and taking a bite and groaning as if it were the best thing she’d ever tasted. I arched a knowing brow, because she’d clearly been missing out.
We both ate in silence for a few minutes, and then she glanced up at me. “Did you know that Dad and I separated for six months shortly after you were born?”
My eyes bulged out of my head. “What? You were separated?”
“Yes. And I think maybe I’ve resented you for it, which isn’t fair.”
You think? I was a baby, for goodness’ sakes.
But she was here and she was trying to open up and make things better, and if I wanted to move forward, I needed to make an effort as well.
“Well, I’m sorry for that,” I said.
“No, I’m sorry. It’s not logical that I would blame a baby, but I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about me, and about our relationship, and I’m taking ownership, Emilia. I’ve been unfair to you, and I don’t want to do that anymore.”
“Thank you.” I blew out a breath because a thick lump had formed in my throat. “And thank you for sharing this with me. I hope we can leave the past where it belongs, and start something new. Something better.”
“I’d like that very much. But don’t expect me to eat carbs every time we get together,” she said, her tone serious, but her lips turned up in the corners.
I laughed, and so did she, and then she surprised the hell out of me when she grabbed my hand and moved closer, looking me directly in the eyes. “You are such an amazing woman, Emilia. I’m sorry I haven’t told you that enough. I love you.”
My bottom lip quivered as a tear rolled down my cheek. “I love you, too, Mom.”
She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me.
I couldn’t remember a time that my mother had ever hugged me like this.
I knew that we had a long way to go, but it felt like something had shifted between us.
We spent the next hour and a half just talking and laughing.
It was a start. It was progress.
And I was happy about it.
“Are you really going to make me sit and listen to this?” Bridger rolled his eyes as we cuddled up on the couch, but the playful smirk on his face told me he was looking forward to it.
“I am.”
“If it says anything bad about you, I will buy that newspaper and then close the doors,” he said.
“Must you be so dramatic?” I cleared my throat and started reading. “‘Hey there, Roses. I have got all the tea to spill today.’”
“Here we go again,” Bridger groaned.
I couldn’t help but laugh and then switched to my most serious tone as I continued reading.
“‘Looks like another bachelor bites the dust. And boy did he fall hard. Word on the street is he nearly lost his little flower (pun intended), but, he figured it out, and according to many locals, there was a whole lot of groveling.’” My head tipped back in laughter.
“‘A whole lot of groveling’? How the hell do they know? We were alone in that office.” He raised a brow at me. “Beatrice was there. Maybe it’s her?”
“It is not Beatrice.” I shook my head and laughed. “I wondered if it was Cami, because I saw her coming out of my parents’ office.”
“I wouldn’t put anything past that woman.”
“Same. But my dad finally told me that she’d come to them for a job, so I’m guessing it’s not her.”
“Yeah, she’s too much of a narcissist to actually take the time to write about other people. I wonder if it could be a dude, because most women are a bit nicer to me.”
“I don’t know. You seem to piss off women and men equally. You’re an equal opportunity asshole.” I smirked.
He laughed loudly. “I do try to be fair. Continue reading your trash, please. I’m getting hangry.”
I chuckled before clearing my throat and looking back down at my phone. “‘Apparently said bachelor was seen coming out of the office of our favorite therapist numerous times before he figured it out.’”
“That’s a damn invasion of privacy. They just accused me of seeing a therapist. That can’t be legal.”
“You do go to therapy. And good for Dr. Debbie. This will be good for business,” I said, leaning forward and kissing his cheek.
He and I had gone to see her together a couple of times, and I was proud of Bridger for continuing to go, even if he griped about it constantly.
I looked back down at my phone. “‘Needless to say, the two lovebirds have been seen walking hand in hand all over town. And, though I hate to out anybody, his little lady was seen picking up a certain test at the Green Basket, and we have yet to find out if it’s positive or negative. But our sweet flower might be sporting a little bump by summertime.’” My mouth fell open, and Bridger leaned forward and tapped it shut.
“Something you want to tell me, angel?”
“What? No. I bought a flu test. A flu test!” I shrieked. “They just insinuated that I bought a pregnancy test. No wonder the girls sent a text telling me to read this immediately.”
He moved forward, scooping me onto his lap and wrapping his arms around me. “You know, the idea of you with a baby bump does not scare me at all. I kind of like the thought of it. But damn, my sperm might only make assholes. Hopefully you would rub off on them.” He kissed his way up my neck.
“We’re not having a little asshole,” I said. “Nor are we having a baby, and for the record, it actually does scare the hell out of me. I am not ready to have children. I just started this new design job, and I like that we’re taking our time.”
It had been a constant discussion these last few months, since Bridger tended to go from zero to one hundred very quickly. Now that he’d told me that he loved me, and shared his fears, he was all in.
He wanted me to move in with him.
He’d asked me to let him know when he could propose because he was apparently ready for all of it.
“I hate taking our time,” he grumped.
I sat forward and placed one hand on each side of his face. “What if we get a dog?”
“Eww… a dog? They slobber and they’re hairy. I think a baby would be so much better. They’re way cuter. Look at Beefcake and Melody. You can’t compare them to a dog.”
I laughed hysterically because this man was so ridiculous sometimes.
And I couldn’t get enough of him. “I’m not the one who compared them to a dog.
And Beefcake and Melody are not babies. And yes, they’re perfect, and I want cute little humans with you someday, but I don’t think we need to rush it. ”
“Fine. I’ll wait. But I don’t want anything with four legs. Two is the max that I can tolerate,” he said, his voice laced with humor.
“Good to know,” I said, running my fingers through his hair. “I actually do have a little present for you.”
“I thought you hated gifts?”
“No. I hate extravagant gifts in lieu of telling someone how you feel. So if you owe them an apology, you can’t buy them a fancy toilet instead of saying ‘I’m sorry.
’ And if you try to move them across the country without asking if they want to, you can’t fill their home with pretty flowers instead of saying that you’re scared of being in love. ” I shrugged.
“There’s a life lesson in here for me, isn’t there?”
“Always.” I grinned as I climbed off his lap and walked to my purse. I grabbed the little velvet pouch and carried it back over to him. “But a gift just for the sake of gifting is always welcome. This one is just because I love you.”
“I can’t wait to see what a good gift for telling someone you love them is,” he said as he opened the pouch.
He pulled out the two key chains inside, one black and the other pink.
And then he read the words written on the front: “Proud member of the mile-high club.” He roared out a laugh and didn’t stop for a good fifteen seconds.
Bridger’s laugh was my favorite sound in the world. It was a full-bodied, genuine, real laugh, and he made you work for it, which made it all the better.
“There’s one for each of us,” he said.
“Well, that’s the second half of the gift. You can decide that. This is my way of telling you that, yes, I’m ready to live together, if that’s still what you want.”
His eyes widened. “It’s what I fucking want, angel. I want you with me all the time.”
“I am with you all the time when we aren’t working. You’re fairly needy, for a guy who didn’t even do relationships before me,” I said, trying to cover my smile. I loved giving him a hard time.
“Oh yeah? That’s because I can’t get enough of you, and I’m not afraid to say it.
So yes, move in with me today.” And then he narrowed his gaze, as if he’d caught himself, and he put his hand up to stop me from saying anything, his face growing somber.
“Or did you want us to live in your tiny home?”
“My home is not a tiny home,” I said over my laughter. “It’s just not a McMansion like yours. But obviously you just renovated your home and it’s spectacular, so we can live here. We can rent my place out.”
“Thank God. The showerhead in your bathroom is going to give me permanent spinal damage. It’s far too low. And I don’t need some Peeping Tom renting your guesthouse, snooping on us. Hell, I’ve already had to deal with this asshole writing ‘The Taylor Tea.’”
“Well, seeing as this person tried to out me for buying a pregnancy test, I feel like it might be Cami,” I said. “Or maybe it’s Josh Black. He’s not happy at all that we’re dating.”
“Have you tried just asking your parents who it is?” he finally asked as he tugged me back down on his lap.
“Of course I have. They said it’s a journalistic privacy thing, and they won’t out the person until they want to be outed.”
“I think it could be your mom,” he said, tracing his fingertips along the line of my jaw.
“You know, I wouldn’t put it past her. But she’s been a little better lately. Ever since I stood up to her, she’s been oddly nicer. Maybe I should have made demands years ago.” I chuckled.
“I’m proud of you for calling her out. For calling me out. For finding your voice and using it.” He studied me. “I love you, angel. Now let’s go pack your things.”
“I’m not moving in today. I still have to pack.” I let out a fit of giggles when he flipped me on my back and hovered above me.
“Can I hire someone to get you packed?”
“No, lover boy. I’ll be packing myself, and you can help me. It’s a good way to go through your things and see what you need and what you want to get rid of.”
He sighed. “Fine. Can we christen every room in the house to celebrate you moving in with me?”
“I can agree to those terms, but we’ll have to start later,” I said as his forehead fell against mine.
“Why?”
“Because it’s Sunday, and we’re supposed to be at your parents’ house in ten minutes for dinner.”
“Well, we could call and say that you’re knocked up with child and have morning sickness.” He waggled his brows.
“We’re not saying that. We’re going to dinner,” I said, and he pouted.
“Fine.”
“How about we go a little late? We’ll just call and tell them that we had to stop at the store to get some erectile dysfunction medication for you on the way there.” I smiled up at him, and he chuckled.
“I’m fine with that deal, if it means I get thirty minutes with you.”
“Well, I signed up for the lifetime membership, so you can have me anytime you want.” I tugged his head down.
“I want you right now, angel,” he whispered.
His lips crashed into mine, and he kissed me.
And let’s just say—it lasted a lot longer than thirty minutes.