Chapter Twenty-Four
AIDEN
HER TRUTH
I watched when Emma walked out of the church, arm in arm with Tammy and my mother. But my smile faded when I studied Emma more closely. She looked exhausted. Like she’d been through an emotional roller coaster. I jumped out of the car and made my way toward them.
My mother held up her hand to stop me. “She’s fine. Everything’s fine.”
“Not really,” Tammy added. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to touch Shannon’s hands.”
I frowned in confusion as the three women burst out laughing.
“Why do you look like you’ve been crying?” I asked Emma.
She exhaled. “Can we head on back to your place? I’ll explain everything there.”
Nodding, I glanced over to my mother and Tammy. They both smiled.
Placing my hand on the small of Emma’s back, I guided her to my truck. Once inside, she turned to look at me. “I know it’s cold, but is there somewhere else we can go and talk? Somewhere…” Her voice trailed off.
“Somewhere that isn’t my house?”
She nodded.
“How about we stop and get some lunch to go. I have the perfect place.”
After stopping by my cousin’s café to get some lunch for myself and Emma, I headed to the park.
“Are we going to your office?”
Smiling, I shook my head and turned down one of the service roads. “No. There’s a cabin down this road. We use it every now and then if we have someone from the upper ranks coming to stay for a few days. We’d thought about renting it out but decided to keep it for business use.”
“Will we get in trouble for using it?”
I looked at her. “Considering I’d be the one arresting us for trespassing, I think we’re okay. I used to come here a lot when I needed to get away for a bit.”
She looked out the window as we drove down the road. I was glad the guys had already gotten around to plowing it. We always tried to keep it clear, just in case.
After parking, we grabbed the food and drinks and headed toward the wooden cabin. “Be careful, it might be icy.”
Emma walked carefully up the few steps and onto the porch. “How adorable is this place! It looks really old.”
“It is. The cabin was built in 1915 for Mary Belle King Sherman. She was one of the main people who fought for the creation of the park, as well as other parks like the Grand Canyon.”
“Really?”
“She and her husband lived in Estes Park, and they built the cabin as a place to get away from town and enjoy the wildlife.”
Emma laughed. “I can’t imagine the town was very big back then.”
Smiling, I turned on the lights. “Want me to build a fire in the fireplace?”
“Will we be here long enough to enjoy it?”
I raised my brows, and her cheeks flushed.
“You build the fire; I’ll get the food out and plated up. I’m glad you had paper plates in your truck.”
Getting to work on a small fire, I glanced at Emma over my shoulder. “I like to take Hadley on random picnics from time to time. I was stopping to buy them so much, I decided to just keep some in the truck.”
After getting the fire started, I sent a text to headquarters to let them know I was using the cabin in case they saw smoke. Then we sat down at the small table and ate our tuna melt sandwiches and made a bit of small talk before Emma set her sandwich down and exhaled.
“Something happened today at ladies’ church.”
“I figured.”
She gave me a soft smile. “I’ve been so nervous to tell you about my ex-husband Ben.”
“Emma, you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to share.”
“I know. But I see now that my anxiety about telling you was silly. Rose told me to give myself grace.” She rolled her eyes and let out a humorless laugh.
“You mentioned earlier you didn’t want me to think less of you. Was it because you stayed with him?”
With a small nod, she wrung her hands together. “I was married to Ben for ten years. For eight of those years he was physically abusive.”
My hands clenched into fists. I wanted to track down Ben and make him hurt, just like he’d made Emma hurt.
“The first time he slapped me was after a dinner with some of his friends. One of the guys mentioned how pretty I was. Ben accused me of flirting with him.”
I nearly growled. “He hit you because his friend said you were pretty?”
Emma nodded. “He always cried afterward, in the beginning. Begged me to forgive him. A few months would go by and something else would trigger him. He’d pull my hair, or slap me, or push me to the floor. Sometimes, he…” She paused. “He wanted rough sex, so he would…”
I closed my eyes. “Tell me he didn’t hit you while having sex with you.”
She swallowed hard. “No. He would just be…rough. As the years went by, the abuse got worse. It got to the point where I didn’t even want to leave the house or be around any of his friends because I knew I’d say something wrong, or they would.
When he did force me to go out with him, I pretty much sat in a corner and didn’t speak until I had to. ”
“And no one thought that was strange?”
She shrugged. “If they did, they looked the other way. Ben was charming and handsome. If someone questioned him, he had a way of talking around them.
“Early on, I found out I was pregnant. I thought for sure he wouldn’t touch me if I was carrying his child.”
I scrubbed a hand down my face. “That mother—”
My curse broke off when Emma put a hand on my arm. “He didn’t physically hurt me while I was pregnant. It was more emotional and mental, like threatening to take the baby away from me and lock me up somewhere.
“The further along I got, the more terrified I became for my child’s safety.
I decided I was going to leave him before I even gave birth.
I couldn’t risk raising a child with a father like that.
I called an old friend of mine from college, told her I needed help, and she offered to help me start over with the baby.
The very next morning, I woke up with terrible cramps.
Ben didn’t believe me; thought I was just whining for attention.
When I started to bleed, he finally took me to the hospital. ”
Tears started to fall freely, and she quickly wiped them away. “When the doctor came in and told me the baby was gone, I cried like I’d never cried before. Ben was upset, but I was never sure if that was for show or if it was real.
“But what makes it so terrible is…I was crying because I was happy, Aiden. I was actually happy that I wasn’t going to bring a child into the world that had his blood. I know that makes me a terrible person.”
“No,” I said as I took her hand in mine. “That doesn’t make you terrible at all, Emma.”
“After I lost the baby, I went to a different doctor, not my usual one. I got on birth control, and I never told Ben or anyone else. He would’ve been so angry if he knew I was deceiving him that way.”
“What made you decide to leave?”
She shrugged. “My mother was the only person I ever told about the abuse. Well, I told my Aunt Mary after I left Ben, because I needed a place to stay. My mother used to tell me to suck it up. I had a good-looking husband, a beautiful house, and I didn’t have to worry about money.
She constantly reminded me that Ben stayed, he didn’t leave me like my father had left us.
“When I found out Mom was sick and only had a little time left, I guess something inside me just snapped. I decided I was leaving. Ben left for work, and I packed a bag, took the money I’d been hiding from him, and left.
I went to a lawyer I knew of, showed him the pictures I’d taken over the years of the bruises and marks that I’d gotten from Ben.
We got a restraining order against him, I filed for divorce, and moved in with my aunt after my mother died.
“My mother passed away while we were separated. I sold the small house she lived in, which was paid off so I had money from that plus the small amount she left me. About a week before the divorce hearing, Ben came to my aunt’s house and begged me to come back.
Put on a nice little show of crying as he swore he was sorry.
By the time the police showed up, I’d basically told Ben to take a flying leap. ”
I smiled, squeezing Emma’s hand.
“The next time I saw him was in court, on the day of our divorce. I signed away my rights to everything—the house, the rest of my clothes and personal items—and told the judge the only thing I wanted was for the restraining order to stay in place. He granted the divorce. I left the courthouse and went straight to the airport. Flew to Denver, bought an SUV that Ben always said was too big for me to handle…and here I am.”
I lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “Here you are.”
“When I left, I promised myself I wasn’t going to get involved with anyone. Then you walked into that café, and I’m pretty sure I was lost to you that very day.”
With a shake of my head, I tugged her out of her seat and onto my lap. “You’re not lost to me, Emma. You’re not lost at all. You found your way home.”
A single tear slipped free, and I reached up and brushed it away.
“I am home. And I am so in love with you and Hadley it sometimes hurts, but in the most amazing kind of way. If that makes sense.”
“It does,” I softly said as I brushed a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. “Emma, thank you for telling me about Ben. And I hope you know that I would never—”
She pressed a finger to my mouth. “I know. Did you talk to Hadley?”
“I did,” I said with a wide grin.
Emma adjusted on my lap, and I was suddenly second-guessing my decision to put her there as desire stirred.
“What did you say? What did she say?”
I picked up her hand and intertwined our fingers together. “I told her that we liked each other, and that we were going to start dating.”
“And her reaction?”
“Well, after she screamed and nearly broke my eardrums, she started to cry.”
The color in Emma’s face drained.
“Happy tears, Emma. She was so happy.”
Emma burst into another round of tears as she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me. I held her until her sobs slowed and her breathing evened out.
“Emma?”
“Yes?” she asked, her head still resting on my chest.
“Do you want kids?”
She lifted her head, her blue eyes meeting mine. “Yes. Do you want more kids?”
I ran my finger along her jawline, down her neck, and back up to her chin. “Yes. I want Hadley to have at least one, maybe two siblings.”
She grinned.
“Emma?”
Giggling, she asked, “Yes?”
“Will you let me make love to you?”
Her smile faded, but her eyes turned dark. “Why, Mr. Bishop. Did you bring me here to have your way with me?”
“It wasn’t the plan, but knowing we’re in a place that’s just ours for as long as we want it, and Hadley is safe with friends, I think it’s the perfect time. But if you’re not ready, I understand.”
Pushing her fingers through my hair, she sighed. “It’s all I’ve been dreaming about since I called you Ryan.”
“You little minx.”
Standing, I tossed her over my shoulder, and she let out a squeal of delight. After walking her over to the bed, I gently laid her down. Emma scooted back until her head was on a pillow.
“I want to know every inch of your body, Emma Middleton.”
Her cheeks flushed the most beautiful shade of pink. When she bit down on her lower lip, I knew it was going to be hard to control myself.
Moving up the bed, I covered her body with mine and started with a kiss…then I loved her like I’d never loved any other woman before.
* * *
Emma and I held hands as we walked up the porch steps of Tammy and Dalton’s house. The door flew open, and Tammy looked from Emma to me, then back to Emma. She covered her mouth with a hand and started jumping around like a madwoman.
Laughing, Emma said, “You’re ridiculous, do you know that?”
Tammy reached for Emma’s hand and pulled her away from me, into the foyer. I followed and shut the door behind me.
“Oh my gosh! You did it!”
“Did what?” Dalton asked as he joined us.
Emma’s cheeks turned beet-red.
“Was it good?!”
My eyes went wide. “Hello? I’m standing right here.”
“Was what good?” Dalton asked, still confused.
“It was! I can tell by the look in your eyes.”
“Um,” Emma said as she peeked over her shoulder at me. When I winked, she turned back to Tammy. “We should talk later.”
Tammy’s mouth dropped open. “You’re going to leave me hanging? Friends don’t leave friends hanging, Emma!”
“What are we talking about?” Dalton demanded.
Tammy sighed in frustration and turned to her husband. “Emma and Aiden had sex.”
“Tammy!” Emma and I said at the same time.
Dalton’s head jerked around to look at me. “You told Tammy before you told me?”
I rolled my eyes. “No one said a word about it, and if you could, please stop before the girls hear you, Tammy?”
Hadley came running around the corner, obviously hearing our voices.
“Daddy! Emma! I had the bestest time!”
Tammy smirked as she folded her arms over her chest and said, “So has your daddy and Emma.”
“Tammy,” Dalton warned.
I picked up my daughter and kissed her cheek. “Grab your things, pumpkin, we need to head on home.”
“Okay!” Hadley said as I set her down. She ran to Emma and hugged her legs, then Emma bent down to give her a proper hug.
Once Hadley was gone, Tammy and Dalton both turned to look at us again.
“I think I’m going to go wait in the truck,” Emma said, quickly turning and heading back out the door.
“Coward!” I called as I shut the door behind her and tried to ignore my two best friends. Tapping my foot, I exhaled and looked all around the foyer. “Did you paint?”
“Aiden Bishop. How can you stand there and act like nothing amazing happened?”
“I’m not acting that way, and before you ask any embarrassing questions, I’ll just say it’s been the most magical day of my entire life. And I’d like to keep it between us for a bit longer.”
Tammy placed her hands over her heart and sighed, while Dalton donned a goofy smile.
“I’m happy for you both,” Dalton said, hitting me on the side of the arm.
“Ready, Daddy!”
After helping Hadley put her coat on, I took her gloves and hat from Tammy. “Thank you for letting her hang out with you guys.”
She smiled and winked. “Anytime.”
When I opened the door and scooped up Hadley, Tammy yelled, “Bye, Emma!”
Emma was already out of the truck and opening the back door for me. “Bye, Tammy! Bye, Dalton!”
“Coffee. Tomorrow morning!”
Emma laughed as she took over buckling Hadley into her seat. My heart nearly soared as I slipped into the truck. Could I really be so blessed?