Chapter Twenty-One #3
This was only temporary, of course, but she was soaking it in while it lasted.
And maybe it was just that she was exhausted, her ankle dully throbbing. Her nerves shot.
But a pit of wistfulness threatened to open up inside her.
Her voice came out thin, cracking slightly, even as she fought to keep it steady and strong. “You don’t think—there isn’t any chance you guys might wander back this direction again sometime?”
Her mom had always been busy taking care of her own mom, leaving Emma to largely fend for herself.
But whenever Emma got really sick, her mom’s focus would turn on a dime.
She’d do exactly this kind of stuff—feed her and bundle her up in blankets.
Kiss her forehead and remind her to take her medicine at the right times.
Her mom gave the best hugs.
Her father had never been as snuggly, or as inclined toward overreaction. But there had always been something soothing about his presence. When he was around, she had this conviction that somehow, everything was going to be okay.
“Oh, sweetie, I don’t know.”
The expansive feeling in Emma’s chest popped. “It’s fine—”
“Just, we’ve got reservations for RV sites all arranged already, and you know your father’s got his heart set on heading south before it gets too cold.”
“Right, sure, of course. I get it.”
“But maybe sometime next year.”
Next year? That seemed so far away.
She forced a smile, even though her mom couldn’t see it. “That’d be great.”
Her mother spent a few minutes telling her about the next few stops on their itinerary, after which Emma was tired and said it was probably time to let her go. After she’d hung up, she dropped her phone to her chest, leaned back into the couch, and scrubbed her eyes.
Hunter gave her a couple more minutes, but eventually the floorboards creaked in the hallway behind her.
“How’s your mom?” he asked, his voice strained.
“Fine. The usual.” Opening her eyes, she sat up straighter, twisting to see him.
He came around and sat on the other end of the couch, taking care not to jostle her leg. He touched her uninjured foot gently. “Want to talk about it?”
“Not really. She’s worried about me.” Both about her ankle and her romantic situation, but she didn’t need to voice that last part.
His mouth pulled to the side, like he was thinking hard about what to say. “But not worried enough to come visit when you want her to.”
Something cold stabbed the center of her abdomen. “It’s fine—”
“I know, I heard.” He shot her a conciliatory smile that softened his words. “You only said it about three thousand times.”
“I thought you weren’t listening.”
“I wasn’t. But I did hear.” Rubbing her good ankle, he exhaled slowly. “Listen, cut me off if it’s not my place, but have you ever tried telling her how you feel?”
She laughed out loud. “That’s hilarious.”
“I’m serious.” He tried to hide it, but a twinge of hurt furrowed the space between his brows.
Her laughter subsided. “Sorry, just. That’s not how it works in my family.”
“That’s too bad.”
One corner of her mouth pulled upward. “What, is your family some model of open communication?”
Now it was his turn to laugh. “God, no. But if I needed my mom, I could have told her, and she would have been on it in an instant.”
And she shouldn’t say this—she really shouldn’t. But she was tired and cranky, and she didn’t want to have to defend her mom any further. Before she could pull them back in, the words escaped her mouth. “And what about your dad?”
To her surprise, he didn’t get defensive or mad, though he would have had every right to. Instead, the shadow that crossed his eyes was just… sad.
“Fair enough,” he said quietly.
They sat there together in silence for a minute. Guilt gnawed at her for broaching such a sensitive subject, but he’d told her to stop apologizing so many times today already. And besides, he was kind of the one who started it.
Eventually, he cleared his throat, tilting his head toward the TV. “Want to watch a movie or something?”
Relieved, she nodded. “Movie would be great.”
It was annoying, but they managed to find a comfortable position, where she could snuggle up against him while still keeping her leg elevated.
As the goofy action comedy they’d picked started playing, he curled an arm around her, and she leaned her head against his chest. Warmth moved through her at being so close to him, and as always, there was that crackle of attraction.
But she didn’t feel any real impetus to act on it. Which was… nice. Comfortable.
Her mom’s warning about jumping into things too fast echoed in her head, but she pushed it away.
So what if it had only been a couple of months since Brock had skipped town without her?
It didn’t change the fact that she’d met a great guy—a guy who made her feel sparks, and a guy she could just lie around and cuddle with.
A guy who was nice to her, and who pushed her sometimes, but usually in a good way.
A guy who encouraged her to embrace what she wanted and ask for what she needed.
… Right?