63. Emma
Chapter Sixty-Three
EMMA
E mma waited until the footsteps receded. Wide-eyed, she took up vigil by the window.
Garrett arrived just as Mariana went out the front door, parking their rental on the street to avoid blocking the sheriff’s vehicle.
Jesse Warner climbed out of his SUV, standing in front of the hood with his arms crossed.
She could picture Garrett’s expression without seeing his face. It was clear in his posture. He had not wanted this to happen.
The sheriff didn’t move to the house or make any other moves, friendly or otherwise. He was waiting for Garrett to go inside.
Her husband paused by her mother, inclining his head and saying something she couldn’t hear.
It better be an apology.
Her mother gave Garrett a curt nod. He was not forgiven. Mariana dismissed Emma’s billionaire husband like a queen banishing an unruly subject.
Emma caught his grimace before he came inside.
She waited on tenterhooks, torn between running down the stairs to meet him and staying at the window to watch the drama play out .
“Why does the sheriff look angry?” she asked the moment he entered the room.
Garrett made a rough noise in the back of his throat.
“My fault,” he grunted.
But he didn’t explain. He simply swept her into his arms, kissing her and squeezing her half to death.
Something about the tightness of his hold, the urgency of it, warned her that Garrett was going through something.
“What happened?”
“I met Jesse at the site of your accident,” he mumbled into her hair.
“ Oh .” Emma hugged him back. When he had said he was going out to meet the sheriff, she had assumed he’d be going to the man’s office.
A shudder passed through him. “The steepness of the slope, the closeness of the trees, and that fucking scar on the tree trunk where the car hit it brought it all home. I could have lost you that night. I did lose you that night.”
“Not forever,” she said into his chest, deciding not to tell him about her trip out to see the accident site.
She’d gone with her mother about a year after she’d gotten out of the hospital. But that wooded road had been as foreign to her as any other place.
He didn’t answer her, tightening his hold until it was almost painful. But Emma didn’t complain. She let him take what he needed.
The sound of raised voices made them turn their attention back to the window.
“What exactly did you say to the sheriff?”
Garrett wrapped himself around her as they gazed down at the strained tableau playing out on the driveway.
“I knew your mother dated him, but I didn’t realize he was still so invested. I think the announcement that she was moving caught him off guard.”
Emma frowned. “They’re not seeing each other. They haven’t in years as far as I know. And I think that was his decision.”
Her mother’s behavior during the sheriff’s earlier visits had been too guarded and brittle, so unlike her usual warm and flirty self around a handsome man.
Emma hadn’t needed a blow-by-blow to know that her mother had been badly hurt.
Garrett pulled the curtain wide, perhaps to make it obvious to the pair that they had an audience.
Not that either of them bothered to look up. They were too engrossed in their argument.
“He mentioned something about not being ready to settle down, but I think we can assume there was more to it. Jesse seemed surprised to hear that Mariana was renting this place from Teddy Bronson.”
Emma wrinkled her nose. “Why?”
Garrett paused, squeezing her shoulders. “Have you met Teddy?”
“In person?” Emma thought back. “Once or twice maybe. He came to collect the rent. But my mom usually mails it to him or drops it at his office.”
She knew her mother dated him sometimes too, but Mariana dated a lot of men, never getting serious about any. She flittered between them like a glittery bird, having fun, not letting any of them touch her too deeply.
The sheriff was the sole exception to that rule.
“If Teddy Bronson ever comes around, send him to me,” Garrett said. “Neither you nor Mariana needs to speak to him. In fact, I’d rather you didn’t.”
Emma tilted her head to study him. “Do you think he’s dangerous?”
“Not physically.” Garrett rubbed her shoulders reassuringly. “But he’s a smarmy asshole. There’s no need to expose yourself to that. Either of you.”
“Okay,” she agreed, wondering if their life would always feel this tangled.
“Hey.” Garrett cupped her cheeks in his hands. “I have an idea. I think we should hire a therapist.”
“Like couples therapy? ”
“No. All of us. You, me, Stella, and Mariana. Group sessions and separate ones too. In every combination possible.”
She laughed. “Because we’re so messed up?”
Garrett squeezed her to him. “Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t trade us for anything. But there’s a hell of a lot to unpack between each of us. I know in my gut that it’s been too easy with Stella. Her little life has been upended. And even though she seems to be taking it well, we’re going to have issues down the line. It’s inevitable. I just want to get us off on the best footing possible.”
Emma nodded but felt like she had to warn him about Mariana. “I’m not sure how my mother will react to the idea of therapy. She always said that’s what bartenders are for.”
Garrett lifted a shoulder. “Sometimes just talking about your issues is enough. But other times you need more than that. I’ve never been to therapy, but I know enough people who have benefited from going. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. Sometimes it’s just a safe space to decompress. I think we could all use that.”
Emma let her head fall on his chest, picturing the hurricane inside her mind all too clearly. “I think you might be right.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m glad you agree. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go hide from your mother.”
She laughed. “Because you lured the sheriff here?”
“It’s more like he was sideswiped by something I said and ran over here uninvited to confront her.” He sighed heavily. “She might be mad for a while.”
“She’ll forgive you when she sees her new place.”
Garrett had already shown her some pictures. The condo he was going to give her mother was spacious, with a great view of the city at night and a balcony facing the Pacific. In short, it was a miniature version of his penthouse.
“Well, until then, please excuse me for making myself scarce.”
“There aren’t many places to hide here,” she pointed out.
“Which is why I’m going to Stella’s room. Not only do I get to watch our baby sleep, but there’s also the bonus of Mariana not yelling at me in front of her.”
Emma put her hand over her heart as he left. The way he said he’d watch their baby sleep—like it was a privilege—just melted her heart. Also, they were going to give Stella a complex, hovering the way they did.
Yup, therapy was a really good idea.
It had gone quiet outside. Emma glanced out the window, surprised to see that the sheriff was still there. He and her mother were still arguing, but it was now being conducted in voices so low she couldn’t make out a word.
Mariana seemed very calm. It was Sheriff Warner who seemed emotional. And angry.
Then her mother said something that made the sheriff step back.
Mariana turned on her heel and went inside. When she didn’t return to her bedroom, Emma went to find her.
Mariana was in the upstairs bathroom, lying in the tub fully clothed.
Emma sat on the closed toilet. “That bad?” she asked.
Her mother stared straight ahead. “That man shouldn’t have stirred the pot.”
“Garrett is sorry.”
“I meant Jesse.”
Emma had a hard time thinking of that tall bearded man as Jesse.
The sheriff was built like a lumberjack, with pale-brown hair mixed with gold. He had a matching beard that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a Viking.
“How did he do that?”
Mariana shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
But Emma had already guessed what had set the sheriff off. “He’s mad because we didn’t tell him about Stella.”
“In part.”
Garrett had told her many people assumed her mother’s long-running affair with Teddy Bronson had led to Stella.
“I’m sorry if the rumors about her parentage stood in the way of your relationship.”
Emma hadn’t realized how sorry she was until this moment .
In her hurt, she’d thought mainly about herself and Stella, what they had missed out on not being able to be mother and daughter. She should have thought about the sacrifices Mariana had made to keep Stella with her.
The financial burden was the most obvious one. But Emma hadn’t considered the ramifications to her mother’s personal life. Why would she? Her mother had kept dating different men. Mariana treated them like interchangeable cogs.
She hated to think that this mess had cost Mariana someone she had genuinely cared for.
But when she said as much to her mother, Mariana laughed, the sound edged with glass.
“Never worry about that, Em,” she said, the look on her face heartbreakingly bleak. “He may be acting like a jackass now, but the fact is Jesse Warner was never a serious prospect. I’m eight years older than him. And even if he’d been ready for the things I wanted with him, he wasn’t about to go there. Not with me.”
She grabbed a small washcloth from the side of the tub. It was stiff, having dried in the shape it had been dropped in, but Mariana didn’t care. It absorbed tears just as well as a freshly laundered one.
“Jesse was always gunning for the spot of sheriff. That’s an elected position around these parts.” Marianna sniffed, wiping under her eyes. “And they would never elect someone who got serious about the town whore.”
“ Mom ,” Emma said sharply. “You aren’t a whore. Garrett is right. If you lived anywhere else but this small Podunk town, no one would even comment on your love life.”
“I had an affair with a married man,” her mother pointed out.
“That was a mistake,” Emma acknowledged with a wince. “But according to my husband, it’s one Teddy made with several women. Not just you. He was a serial cheater.”
“Maybe,” Mariana admitted. “But I should have tried harder to avoid him.”
How? Emma wanted to ask. Teddy owned this house. He’d been her boss. Mariana’s livelihood was still tied to him. The cleaning company she worked for depended on his business.
“As for Jesse,” Mariana continued. “He’s been dating Samantha Corning for almost half a year now. She teaches elementary over in Verdant Falls and is exactly the kind of woman the town wants their sheriff with. He must think so too, or he wouldn’t have gone to Denver to shop for rings last month.”
Emma’s sympathy for the sheriff dried up in a snap.
How dare that jerk fall for someone else? The temerity of him coming around, acting all butthurt as if he was the wronged party! No way. Screw that noise.
“You know what?” Emma said, standing and putting her hands on her hips. “We’re ditching this town tomorrow.”
Mariana frowned from the tub. “I thought we were going to stay through the weekend to pack.”
Emma slashed her hand through the air. “Not anymore. We already sorted everything important. Let the movers come and box up the rest. We’ll leave Post-it notes on everything that goes to charity or the dumpster.”
Reaching inside the tub, she tugged on her mother’s arms until Mariana climbed out.
“You have a whole new life waiting for you in San Diego, including a gorgeous new apartment to furnish. We’ll let the pros handle the rest of this mess. And if one of them tosses a match on what’s left after we blow this popsicle stand, all the better.”
Mariana stared at her for a moment before smiling weakly. “I wouldn’t go that far. But leaving tomorrow is sounding damn good to me.”
Emma wrapped her arm around her mother’s shoulders. It was easy. They were the same height.
“Then that’s what we’ll do.”