48. Adam
Adam
I rritable asshole who? That was me. And I have some people to apologize to. But first I need to take Emily home. Seeing her in the passenger seat of my truck brings a sense of peace that I didn't know existed until she wasn’t there.
“What are you thinking?” Emily asks when we’re at a stop light.
I rest my head back on the headrest and angle my head towards her. “How I like having you back in my passenger seat.”
She grabs my hand that’s resting on the center console and links our fingers together. “I like it too,” she says shyly.
“Don’t get shy on me.” I tell her.
“You don’t like me shy?”
“I like you mine.” I admit and she turns her head towards the window, but I don’t miss her cheeks lifting with a smile.
The drive back to her place is comfortable. And one I missed these past two months. As much as I hate to admit it, this time apart was necessary. It hurt like hell to not be with Emily, but I needed it to get all of my ducks in a row regarding the custody case.
I flip the turn signal and turn into Emily’s neighborhood. I do love this area for her. But I still want her to move in with me. That’s not something that’ll stop niggling in the back of my mind. I pull into the parking lot and park next to her car. And I get deja vu all over again. This flashback specifically from the morning I made her pancakes.
“How’s everything going with custody?” Em asks from next to me. She takes off her seatbelt and rests against the door.
“About as good as can be expected. CPS came out last week which sent me into a freakout. Thankfully my parents came back into town.”
“That’s good,” Emily says but hesitates. “And Chelsea? Any word on her?”
“She’s petitioning to get her parental rights reinstated.” Saying it aloud makes me as angry as when Max told me she filed.
Emily huffs out a heavy exhale. “I’ll have no faith in the justice system if any judge reinstates her rights. Claiming you want to be a mother doesn’t erase the fact that she left. She willingly left you and Dylan.”
I turn to Emily. “I love that you’re so passionate about this.”
“I’m passionate about parents wanting their kids,” she claims.
“I know you are.”
“What does Dylan know?” Emily asks and moves forward to lean on the center console.
“Not much. I’m doing my best to shield him from the worst.”
“That’s what makes you an incredible father.”
“Thanks, baby,” I say and lean forward to kiss her on the forehead. My stomach droops with butterflies. Yes, men get butterflies. “So what do we do now?”
“Well, first I need to alert the school that I’m dating a student's father. And then we take it slow until your court date.”
I loop a tendril of her hair around my finger. The silky smooth fibers slip through my fingers. “And then what?”
“I’m putting the ball in your court,” Emily tells me with a smile.
“So if I ask you to move in again, are you going to say no?”
“Ask me again in two months,” she volleys back and leans forward, sealing our lips together. My hand slides into the hair at the nape of her neck and I hold her there as I claim her mouth for the second time tonight. Emily is putty in my hands as my tongue slides between her lips. The moan she lets out when our tongues dance is still one of my favorite sounds from her.
My other hand travels down her torso and my thumb finds her pointed nipple threatening to be touched through her shirt. I apply pressure with my thumb and swallow down Emily’s gasp. I almost come in my pants when she sucks my bottom lip between her teeth.
I fly back from her because this is not how I want our reunion to be. “Okay, that’s enough.”
“You started it,” she says. Her eyes are wild and her lips are swollen from my assault.
“I know. And now I’m stopping it.”
“Ever the gentleman,” she states as she bends and gets her purse.
“Stay the night this weekend.”
She leans forward and pecks my lips. “Yes.”
It’s been three days since Emily knocked me on my ass and came back into my life. When I got home from dropping her off, Jenny assumed something good happened based on the smile that wouldn’t leave my face.
Now I’m picking Dylan up from school which is rare as he chooses to ride the bus. I’m standing at the front of my truck waiting for him to appear. The bell ringing from the school sounds and my heart races. Is Emily on pick-up duty? This really is something we should discuss. Because getting even a small glimpse of her in her element is such a mind trip.
The school doors open and surprisingly, he's the first one out. His backpack flops against his back as he runs to my truck.
“Did you run out of class, buddy?” I ask him.
“No.”
“Okay,” I say and move to open his door for him. I take his backpack and let him climb up. Popping his bag in the middle seat, I close the door and round the truck. As soon as I open the door, I see Emily standing there with kids swarming around her as they walk to their parents' cars. She wears a long skirt with a cream sweater tucked into the front and what Jenny calls “booties” on her feet. If I could take her picture without looking like a creep I would, so I send her a wink instead and get a bashful smile out of her. Emily sends a small, last-minute wave as I pull away from the curb and head to the house.
“Hey, Dylan?” I ask when we’re almost home and look at him in the rearview mirror.
“Yeah, Daddy?”
I focus back on the road. “How would you feel about Ms. Emily coming over tonight?”
“Is she your girlfriend again?” His question floors me.
“What do you know about girlfriends?”
“Well,” he begins and this should be interesting. “A kid in my class has a girlfriend but she got mad at him until he brought her a piece of chocolate and said they’re boyfriend-girlfriend again.”
I cover my laugh with a snort. “Well, that’s not exactly how it worked for us. But, yes, Emily is my girlfriend again. Are you okay with that?”
“She makes you happy. And you haven’t been happy in a while.”
Well, damn. They say kids are intuitive, but they never say how intuitive until you have a kid of your own.
“When did you get so smart?” I ask, not expecting a response.
“Since I turned seven,” he responds with a toothless smile.
Shaking my head and trying not to laugh, I take the turn into our neighborhood. An unfamiliar car is parked by the mailbox. It’s not unusual, but with Chelsea sniffing around my senses are on overload. I continue on and pull into the driveway, checking the rearview mirror every other second until I’m parked.
“How about pizza tonight?” I ask Dylan.
“Can we watch the new Marvel movie too?”
I think about which one he hasn’t seen and figure it’s safe enough for him to watch. “Sure. But when I say plug your ears, you plug your ears. Got it?”
“Got it, Daddy.”
“Okay. Get your stuff and let’s head inside.” I park and turn the truck off, then wait for Dylan to meet me around the front of the truck. Footsteps that aren’t Dylan’s sound behind me and I turn to face Chelsea.
“Daddy, who is that?” Dylan asks when he’s next to me.
“No one buddy.” I tell him and hand him my keys. “Go inside and start your homework. I’ll be there in a minute.”
I watch Dylan walk up to the door and head inside the house. I subtly move so I’m blocking the front door. “What are you doing here, Chelsea?”
“He’s beautiful,” she claims.
“Again, what are you doing here?”
Emily picks the perfect time to pull into my driveway. I should’ve texted her to come at a later time.
Chelsea looks at Emily’s approaching car and turns back to me. “It seems I’ve been replaced.”
“Replacing means something was there to begin with. I won’t ask my question again.”
“I talked to my lawyer and I’m dropping my petition to reinstate my parental rights. Your lawyer already knows so you should be getting an email from him soon. It was a mistake to come here and threaten the world you’ve created. And to try and win you back.” She turns her head and looks at Emily still sitting in her car. “It seems you have everything you need here.”
“Not that I really care, but why change your mind? Do you know the hell I’ve been through?” To see she’s just giving up after the strain it put on my relationship.
“And I'm sorry for that. You’ve given him a life. You’ve loved him the way a parent should. As much as I wish I was, I’m not capable of that,” she admits what I knew from the beginning.
I look towards Emily and see she’s waiting for a sign that I need her. I’ll always need her. But this right here is what I need to do alone.
“Goodbye, Chelsea. Hope you have a nice life,” I tell her. I mean that and hope she never comes back.
“Goodbye, Adam,” she says and I see the finality in her expression.
Chelsea turns and walks back down to the driveway entrance. And a sense of relief has me breathing like I’m free. Free from the fear of Dylan being taken away from me. Free to finally live my life with two of the people I love most in the world.
Emily finally gets out of her car with her bags hanging off her shoulder. “Are you okay, baby?”
I pull her to me and wrap my arms around her as I look over the face I’ve memorized and could draw from memory. “Yeah, baby. I’m okay.” I kiss her on the forehead and take her bags from her. And really, I am okay. Chelsea eradicating herself for good means I can move forward and not stress wondering if she’ll return.
Emily and I walk up the front steps and into the house. The TV blaring greets us and I knew I should have stipulated that Dylan could watch TV after he does his homework. We take our shoes off and line them along the wall and I drop her bags off at the foot of the stairs.
“Dyl, did you start your homework?” I call out as we walk down the hall towards the living room.
“Stern, Daddy,” Emily whispers and I smack her on the butt as I pass her.
I see Dylan scramble off the couch and head to the kitchen table. “What did I tell you? Homework first and then TV.”
“Sorry, Daddy,” he says and attempts to throw his puppy dog eyes at me. I lift an eyebrow to show I’m unaffected. His expression lifts when Emily pops out from behind me. “Ms. Emily,” he gushes and runs to her.
She meets his enthusiasm and pulls him into her arms. “I missed you, buddy.”
“Are you and Daddy, boyfriend and girlfriend again?”
“We are,” she claims.
“Good. Because Daddy was grouchy without you here.”
“Way to sell me out, dude,” I feign offense and move to tickle him.
“Hey, no tickling him,” Emily scolds me. She puts Dylan down and kisses the top of his head. “Go do your homework and let me know if you need help.”
I stand and watch their interaction with a full heart. How much Dylan loves Emily is a thing of beauty and I’m hopeful to see more interactions like this in the future.
“Plug your ears, Dylan,” I tell him. Okay, this movie was a bad choice for little ears. I look over and see Emily plug his ears. Yes, the little snake stole my woman. The smirk Em threw my way when Dylan cuddled up next to her made me want to ground him.
But this is good. Their getting along is what I was nervous about the most. It helped that we all had a summer together.
The movie nears the end and I look over at Dylan asleep in Emily’s arms. I roll off the couch and move towards her, bending down to pick him up and carry him upstairs. My steps are sure and Dylan doesn’t wake once. Luckily, I had him take a bath before we turned on the movie so I lay him down in his bed and tuck him in. With a kiss on his forehead, I back out of his room and shut the door.
I walk down the hallway with the intention of heading back downstairs. But I see the light peek from under my closed bedroom door and know my girl is in there. I open the door to my room and see Emily with her feet up on the couch in front of the window, scrolling on her phone.
“Move in with us,” I say as I sit down on the couch.
“Baby, I told you to ask me again in two months.”
I take her hands in mine and pull her up onto my lap as her legs go on either side of my hips. “What difference does two months make? Besides, now that Chelsea has given up, neither of us have that added stress or fear hanging over our heads.”
Her hands trail up my chest and I can’t stop the shiver that works its way through me. “Why are you really asking me? I mean I know I expected this to pop up maybe next year. But why now?”
“Because I want to make a life together,” I start and clarify when her eyebrows raise. “Not in the baby sense, although that too,” I say as I lock my hands around her waist. “I want this life with you. I want movie nights, date nights, long days at the ballpark with Dylan, and lazy days in bed. I want to watch from the kitchen as you serenade the world with your violin. You told me to find yourself that you needed to make it without me for a little while. And I’m glad that time worked for us. But, baby, I can’t make it without you. I don’t want to. So move in with us and make us a family.”
Emily leans forward and presses her lips to mine. Her tongue licks at my lips and I willingly open, moaning into her mouth as our tongues collide. “If you ask me to move in, you’re also asking for Biscuit to break your no-pet rule.”
“You two are a packaged deal. Wait, are you saying yes?”
She nods her head in quick succession. “Yes, I’ll move in with you.”
I capture her lips in mine and carry us over to the bed where neither of us comes up for air for the rest of the night.