Chapter 44
BILLIE
It’s wild how, in only a matter of weeks, a relationship you once had with someone very close can flip right on its head.
I never expected that to happen with my parents, least of all my mom, but as she stands in the center of my living space with Blake in her arms, it’s almost like she’s reacquainting herself with my life or perhaps viewing it through a different lens now that she knows about Emmett.
I know that this is hard for her. Hell, if Blake dropped the kind of news on me that I have with Mom, I’d be fully reeling for weeks.
But now that I’m a mom myself, I’d also be eager to ensure that Blake knew I’d never turn my back on her, no matter what decisions she made or who she fell in love with.
“Did you change the color in here?” Mom asks, squinting at the walls as she bounces Blake against her chest.
It’s typical that the first question she asks has an answer involving my boyfriend.
“Emmett spent a whole day refreshing the walls before the playoffs started,” I reply without any hesitation.
I point toward my bedroom and cringe at what she must think I’m about to say next.
“There was mold on the ceiling above my bed. It wasn’t dangerous, but Emmett wanted to make sure it was removed. ”
Yeah, that didn’t land the way you’d planned, Bill. Why don’t you go ahead and mention your bed and Emmett again?
Nodding once, Mom pushes past the conversation, moving into my kitchen and transferring Blake into a cradle hold so she can start emptying bottles from Blake’s overnight bag into the sterilizer.
The awkward atmosphere is bordering unbearable right now.
“How’s work?” I ask as brightly as I can.
Closing the lid on the machine, Mom spins on her heel and leans back against the counter.
She looks tired, and so does her work uniform. The wrinkles in her white blouse are a rare occurrence and a sure sign that she’s struggling with even the simplest tasks in everyday life.
“No change. Although your dad is now starting to pick up some hours, which is taking the pressure off a little.”
It’s not lost on me that in my parents discovering the truth about Emmett, their marriage has also been under immense strain.
Stepping toward her, I take Blake from Mom, although I don’t put any space between us, choosing to lean into the building tension.
We need to talk, and even if it’s the most uncomfortable exchange we’ve ever had, I’ll be damned if I let her drive to work when we have the perfect opportunity to voice our thoughts now that some time has passed for us to gather them.
“How are things between you both?” I tentatively ask.
Her eyes fall to the floor. “Quiet. There’s a huge elephant in the room whenever we’re sitting down for dinner or watching TV, and neither of us knows how to address it. I know he’s sorry about the shares, but he’s also closed off like I’ve never seen him before.”
“A bit like how things are between us,” I muse, the correlation painfully obvious.
Mom’s eyes snap to mine. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Teeth press into her bottom lip. “While I was shocked by everything that came out, I want you to know that Scott’s lies about money hasn’t been the only topic we’ve argued over.”
“No?”
“No,” she repeats. “I don’t agree with some of the comments and accusations Scott pointed at Emmett; neither do I think that he deserved to be punched.”
Blake wraps her hand around my finger, and I close my eyes to block the tears from falling.
When I reopen them, Mom is standing even closer.
“Are you in love with him, Billie?”
I croak out a, “Yes.”
It’s obvious that she already knew the answer; I can see it in the warm smile Mom offers.
“You know that you are always welcome to come over for dinner whenever you want. We have both missed you and Blake terribly.”
I nod an acknowledgment. “Does the invitation extend to Emmett?”
She winces. “If it were left up to me, then yes. I personally believe that we should rip the Band-Aid off and talk everything through.” Mom pauses. “Scott … he isn’t ready for that.”
“Do you think he will ever be ready?” I hate asking the question, but I force out the words because I know there’s a real chance that he won’t.
Reaching out, Mom smooths a hand down my shoulder. “I don’t know, honey.”
Tears prick in the corners of my eyes. I hate that—even though it was never my intention—I have effectively driven a wedge between a long-term friendship. Both men are hurting deeply.
“As for Maria …” Mom’s voice takes on a harsher edge, almost cutting. “Our friendship is definitely dead and buried.”
My eyes practically bust from their sockets.
Mom waves a hand in front of her, metaphorically dismissing my boyfriend’s ex-wife.
“Do you know how many hours I spent comforting that woman? In person, over the phone. Hell, I even got on a flight to Kansas once because she was inconsolable over their temporary split a couple of years ago. Vacations to Florida, where she cried nonstop over their divorce, and meanwhile, I was trying to get home to my pregnant daughter and injured husband, both of them heading for the hospital.” Her eyes narrow at the memories.
“And all along, she was screwing half of the cabin crew behind his back while simultaneously slinging accusations about how he was cheating.”
I lower my eyes to Blake and cover my baby girl’s ears.
Mom flashes me a grimace and then continues her rambling.
“When I confronted her about everything, she broke down, spouting more trash about you trying to steal her husband away from her.” She scoffs.
“Maria only has herself to blame for the demise of her marriage, and petty jealousy makes her look even more of a fool. Going behind my back to speak to my husband about my daughter …”
Without another word, I pull her into my body, one arm wrapping around her slender shoulders. It feels like she’s dropped weight since she was last in my arms, and that breaks my heart.
She gazes down at Blake and then at me.
“There was nothing going on between me and Emmett before I returned from Austin. I promise.”
Mom shakes her head. “I know, and you don’t need to go there. Even Scott knows that too. Maria is all kinds of paranoid, and I’ve seen a side to her that I just cannot hang in with. I’ll always choose my daughter. Over anyone or anything.”
Our embrace with Blake nestled between us is all that’s left to be said, and we stay like that for the longest time until Mom eventually pulls away, checking her watch on a sigh.
“I have to get to work.”
I’m not ready for her to leave, even though I need to jump in the shower and get ready myself.
“Do you have plans today?” she asks, strolling into my living area and collecting her purse from the couch.
“I’m meeting some friends for coffee at that bakery, Rise Up.”
She looks intrigued. “Which friends are these, and do I know them?”
I shake my head, a slow smile creeping onto my lips when I think about the amazing women I’ve met over the past three months. “Remember that biker girl with pink hair and a banging body?”
Mom twists her lips to one side, snapping her fingers when she recalls Collins. “Ah, yes! The queen.”
I chuckle. “Well, it turned out that she is the wife of one of Emmett’s former teammates.” I gaze around my apartment. “And this is actually the place she rented before she met him.”
Mom’s mouth pops open. “No kidding! Small world.”
“Well, through Collins, I met a few other incredible women, and two of them have invited me and Blake for coffee this morning.”
Beaming on my behalf, Mom hangs her purse over one shoulder and heads for the front door. “Well, in that case, I’d best not keep you.” She pauses halfway out the apartment. “Tell Emmett that Freya says hi.”
“Billie!” Kate pushes back her chair and moves another one out of the way so I can wheel Blake’s stroller directly up to the table she and Felicity reserved.
Kate plants a single kiss on each of my cheeks, and Felicity does the same before I take a seat between them. Then Kate slides a warm cappuccino toward me.
“I have one question.” I begin talking, attention shifting from Kate to Felicity.
“Shoot,” Felicity replies, stirring sweetener into a cup of Yorkshire Tea.
“How is it that y’all can both smell and look so insanely good this early in the morning?”
Felicity blows out a harsh laugh, flicking her chocolate waves over one shoulder. “I’ll let my business partner answer that one. Jon kept me up all night.”
Kate holds up a hand. “All right, babe. Enough with the overshare.”
Felicity snickers, and Kate turns to me.
“You’re probably wondering why we invited you here for breakfast and preordered your coffee?”
I shrug and suppress a yawn.
Kate wiggles her brows. “Or was your evening similar to Felicity’s?” Leaning forward, she smirks at me. “Don’t pretend like we didn’t all know what you and your boy were up to in that spare room last night.”
I flush, still feeling the aftereffects between my thighs. “Unfortunately, after we left Jack and Kendra’s, Emmett dropped me back at my place, and then we spent the night apart. It was the memories that kept me awake.”
Kate makes a face akin to pride. “Good for you, girl.”
Clearing her throat, Felicity gets the conversation back on track. “Anyway, the reason—other than three friends having a coffee—we invited you here today was because we have a proposition for you, and we didn’t want to wait too long to let you know our plans.” She flicks her eyes to Kate.
Rolling her lips together, Kate takes over speaking. “As you know, we recently established our own law firm with offices here in Brooklyn, and if all goes to plan, we’ll expand our offices into other states.”
Throat running dry, I try not to get ahead of myself, anticipation and excitement swirling in my stomach.
“It’s truly amazing,” I say, picking up my coffee and taking a sip.
Felicity and Kate share a silent moment between them.
“We would like to take you on as a legal intern,” Kate begins.
“We made some inquiries with local colleges, and you would be able to transfer the credits you already accumulated in Austin and finish out your bachelor’s degree with Morgan Jones LLP footing the remaining study costs.
Once you graduate, we would then pay to put you through law school and eventually the bar exam. ”
“Furthermore …”
Eyes wide, I dart my head to Felicity as she picks up Kate’s thread.
“We understand and appreciate that Blake has to come first. So, if you accept an internship with us, we would like to put you on the payroll with immediate effect. That way, we can pay you a salary while you spend time with Blake, without having to worry about money or finding another job, only to quit a couple of months later.”
I’m speechless, genuinely unable to form words.
Kate pulls me into her side when she notices the tears forming in my eyes, resting her beautiful-smelling head on mine.
“In terms of child care for Blake, we can also help with that. Darcy has recommended a great nanny who would be able to care for Blake whenever you need, and we can build the cost into a remuneration package for you.”
I cast my eyes to Blake’s stroller, where my baby girl is sleeping peacefully beneath her favorite pink blanket.
“I know things are difficult with your parents, and so we’re not sure how involved they are with Blake’s care …” Kate trails off, and I take advantage of her pause.
“Mom and Dad will always step up for Blake, no matter what’s going down between us.”
Smiling, Kate nods once. “Well then, the nanny can work days to suit them.”
Struggling to find words over their generosity, I pull a deep breath into my lungs. “Why are you doing all of this for me?”
Felicity reaches across the table, dropping her hand over mine. It’s warm and soft and just like an angel’s.
“Remember our conversation that time in Luigi’s?
Well, I had to wait way too long to finally realize my dreams and all because of a rotten ex and a lack of funding.
Kate had Will and June when she least expected it, but with the most amazing man by her side, just like you do with Emmett.
Years of hustling have given us the financial capabilities to set up a law firm where women and family are at the heart of everything we do.
We’re tired of a male-dominated industry that doesn’t give priority to talented female lawyers.
” Her eyes soften as she looks at me. “We don’t need to see your college grades to know that you will make a fine lawyer one day; we can tell simply from the courage and determination you possess.
” She pauses for a second. “If becoming a lawyer is still what you want?”
I half speak, half laugh out a response. “It’s what I want. Being a lawyer, making a difference for people, is what I want.”
Kate’s hand lands on top of Felicity’s. “Then that’s finalized then. Billie Quinn will be the first legal intern at Morgan Jones LLP, and together, we’ll all chase after our dreams.”