Chapter 42
BILLIE
ONE WEEK LATER
Idon’t think I’ll ever be over the sight of Emmett with Blake strapped to his chest in a baby sling. Or the way she gazes up at him like he holds the moon and stars in his addictive gray eyes.
Approaching Luna Park in Coney Island on a bright spring day, Emmett reaches out for my hand as we walk along Riegelmann Boardwalk and into the main park itself.
He wiggles his fingers when I hesitate for a second.
“We don’t have to hide anymore, Mama. Not now that the news is out.”
He stops alongside me when I grind to an abrupt halt, eyes still focused on his outstretched hand.
“Aren’t you worried about people taking photos and posting them to social media? Those close to us might know, but we haven’t gone public yet.”
He fixes the pink band around Blake’s head, making sure the bow is at the exact angle I like.
True to form, the second our week of “distance” was up, Emmett was sliding into my text messages, asking when he could see me and Blake.
The playoffs schedule is insane, and the Blades are going deep into the finals, which only allowed for us to do something this afternoon.
When I told Emmett that I needed time, I didn’t know where I would find answers about what to do next.
Whether they came from a conversation with Mom or Dad, I wasn’t sure, but since neither of them is ready to talk yet, I spent a lot of the week taking local walks with Blake and going over everything with Collins, Darcy, Kendra, and the rest of the girls.
Felicity advised me to sit in my feelings a while longer, and the others agreed.
Initially, I thought that was crazy thinking because how can doing nothing lead you forward?
Turned out, it was the best advice I could ever receive.
As the murky waters from last week’s storm settled, the way I missed Emmett confirmed that regardless of what other people might think, I’m falling in love with the man standing in front of me, and so is my daughter.
Blake needs him as much as I want him, and walking away to keep my parents happy would only break their daughter in return.
I’m still waiting for a chance to speak with Mom since I think she will come around before Dad, although the painful truth is, they might never be able to accept our relationship.
Turning to face me fully, Emmett takes both of my hands in his. I know we’re being watched by onlookers—my boyfriend’s face is famous in Brooklyn.
“How much longer do I need to go without claiming you as mine in front of everyone?”
His brows knit together, and I rise onto my tiptoes, still not close enough to his lips.
“Not much longer,” I softly whisper.
With a grin, Emmett leans down a little further, Blake sandwiched between the both of us. His attention drops to my mouth, and I smooth my tongue across my bottom lip, memories of how good he tastes urging me to kiss him for the first time in days.
He closes his eyes, savoring our close proximity as the wind whips my hair around us.
“I know there’s still so much we need to talk about,” he breathes.
“But for now, I’ll take you and Blake being here with me as the win I desperately needed.
” He casts his eyes around the park, glasses rising slightly on his nose when he grins.
“I hope you didn’t mind me bringing you here.
I thought we could spend a couple of hours on the rides and then eat on the beach.
I have a blanket and picnic basket in my trunk. ”
He casts his gaze down my body. The black ankle boots, skinny blue jeans, and green sweater I’m wearing were a practical and safe choice when Emmett only gave me a single clue that we’d be outdoors today.
Although the heat burning in his eyes tells me he appreciates the simple outfit way more than I predicted.
I reach up and smooth a hand down his black jacket. “You don’t look so bad yourself, Mr. Richards. And, no, I don’t mind at all; a fun afternoon sounds perfect.”
His grin grows even bigger, morphing into something more childlike. “I think Blake wants to try out the carousel first. Right, B?” He directs his question straight at my daughter, and I struggle to stay upright at the loving way she glows in response.
Leading us toward the carousel, Emmett brings my knuckles to his mouth as we walk, kissing across each one in turn. “Can I ask you for a favor?”
“Of course.”
We pull up by the ride, and he releases my hand, sliding his into the pocket of his black jeans.
“Can you take some photos and videos for me?” He hands me his cell and drops his attention to Blake. “I realized when I was scrolling through my phone this morning that I don’t have any good photos with her, and I need to change that, stat.”
An answer sticks in my throat, so instead, I just nod.
He thumbs over his shoulder, animated in a way I haven’t seen Emmett before. He looks genuinely happy in this moment, despite the shitshow we’ve both endured. He’s contagious in all the best ways, pulling my daughter’s first giggle from her tiny body.
He’s already halfway to the carousel when he turns on his heel. “Are you going to ride with us?”
I consider it for a second before shaking my head. “No. I’ll be able to get better shots from here.”
And as Emmett straddles a horse way too small for his huge frame, holding the leather reins between Blake’s tiny fingers, I snap away on his phone, trying hard to capture the best images I can through blurry eyes.
It’s the picnic of dreams, all laid out on a huge plaid blanket.
“Wait,” I say, picking up a container and pulling off the lid. “You packed pineapple pizza slices?”
Emmett grins at me like he has done all day. Blake is buried beneath a fluffy brown onesie and nestled between his parted thighs. She hasn’t taken her eyes off the ocean since we arrived on the beach.
“I woke early and made it. Figured you’d never forgive me if I showed up with a picnic basket, minus the pizza.”
Dipping my hand into the basket, I pull out a final container. “Cheese?”
Emmett points to a box on the opposite side of the blanket. “No picnic is complete without cheese and crackers.”
I bite down on my bottom lip to prevent it from shaking. “I think you just aged another decade.”
He deadpans at me, reaching across and taking the cheese from my grasp. Popping the lid, he talks me through every kind he’s wrapped individually before I switch off completely and just go ahead without him, loading up my plate with sandwiches, chips, and dessert.
He quirks a brow at me.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he replies, shaking his head at my lunch. “Did you think Blake would steal your brownie if you didn’t claim it right away?”
“Hey, I’m really sorry to ask, but could I get a photo with you?” A middle-aged guy wearing a Blades cap approaches Emmett from behind, pulling out his phone and handing it to a friend. “It’s just … I’m a really big fan, and I’d have kicked myself all year if I didn’t ask.”
When Emmett looks across at me, his eyes are seeking permission, but I’m already holding my arms out to take Blake.
“Are you sure it’s okay if I do this?” he asks, standing and lowering her into my arms.
I know that I look confused. Surely, photos with fans are an everyday occurrence. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
He hesitates for a beat, looking like he wants to say something, but then he leans down and sets a kiss on my cheek. “I’ll be right back.”
A few minutes and a sandwich later, Emmett takes a seat beside me and Blake on the blanket, all of us now facing the ocean.
Forearms balanced on drawn-up knees, he wears a thoughtful look.
“I think it’s time for me to reach out to Beau again.”
Emmett hasn’t mentioned his estranged younger brother to me since before I left for college. Sometimes, he came up in conversation around the dinner table when Mom asked after him during the holidays, although I never actually met a single member of Emmett’s biological family.
Holding Blake in one arm, I balance the plate in my lap and take a bite of his delicious homemade pizza. One of the best I’ve ever had.
“What happened with Beau? If you don’t mind me asking.”
Fingers sifting through the loose sand by his feet, he finds a smooth pebble and tosses it out into the ocean. It lands a good distance away with a plop.
“Honestly? I’m not sure. He started a family, and I let hockey and life get in the way.
Florida is only a plane ride away, but we’ve never found the time to see each other.
” He tosses another pebble. “We were never that close or really saw eye to eye as adults. When our parents died, we drifted even further apart.”
Sometimes, I wonder how different my life would look if I had siblings. Less lonely, that’s for sure. Being an only child is the last thing I want for Blake.
His deep exhale is blown away by the wind.
“Losing Scott has reminded me of how fragile relationships can be.” His shrugs, the smile I witnessed earlier completely gone.
I can definitely relate to what he’s saying.
If it wasn’t for her social media posts, it would be easy to believe that Clara never existed in my life.
“No one ever told me that when I signed the divorce papers, I wouldn’t know the meaning of pain until my best friend turned his back on me,” Emmett concludes.
I stay silent because none of this is really about me, and I know it. If Emmett didn’t want to be here, then he wouldn’t. What he needs right now is for someone to listen and understand the shit situation he was largely powerless to prevent. We both were.
Reaching up, I pull off his glasses and set them on my face.
He flicks a finger under my chin, smiling at me sweetly. “Have they blurred out my wrinkles?”
I run a hand through his messy brown hair. “I was actually checking something.”
He drops his forehead to mine, circling the pad of his thumb over Blake’s cheek. “And what did Mama conclude?”
Resting my head on his shoulder, I look up at him. “That you’re still the same amazing person whichever lens you look through. Reach out to Beau, but only because you want to, not because you’re chasing the relationship you think you should have.”
Deep in thought, he rests his pointer finger in Blake’s palm, and she wraps her tiny fingers around it.
“Do you think Scott will ever forgive me or accept the fact that I’m in love with his daughter?”
Delicious tingles fizz into each nerve ending. I’ll never grow tired of hearing those words.
“That one is more difficult to answer. My dad is a proud man, and he feels betrayed.”
“I was thinking of stopping by in a few days to see if he’s—”
“Don’t,” I quickly interject, hating that I have to burst his hopeful bubble. “Scott Quinn might be your long-term friend, but I know my father almost as well as his wife. If he’s going to move on, then it has to be when he’s good and ready.”
Crashing waves punctuate several beats of silence as a few teenagers tear past us down the beach.
“Mom will be the key to Dad. If anyone can bring him around, then it’ll be the woman he loves.”
Emmett chuckles low, planting a chaste kiss across my lips. “That sounds really fucking familiar,” he whispers so Blake doesn’t hear his profanity. Not that she’s even close to saying her first word.
I lift a playful shoulder, no doubt looking ridiculous in glasses way too big for my face. “What can I say? Us Quinn girls wield that kind of power.”
Emmett’s heavy breath fans my cheeks as he studies me for longer than usual. “With respect, I don’t think that your last name has anything to do with my obsession.” Another kiss lands on my lips. “Since I’m certain that you would call the same shots over me with Richards stamped across your back.”