Chapter 139

The trip from the hospital started was thick with silence. Will wanted to pretend he was okay with her going back there, but inside he was fuming. As far as he saw it, there was no reason for her to go back. She belonged back in the city with him. If she didn’t want to live him, fine. He could get an apartment for her and Lizzie to live in. But to be honest, he didn’t like that either. And there wasn’t any reason for her to continue to work for Spencer. Or anywhere. He could provide and take care of her. All of their needs would be met, and Lizzie would never want for anything. He made more than enough money to assure that Emma’s every desire was catered to. When Lizzie grew up, she would have the finest of everything.
But she refused him. Emma wanted to continue to live her life away from him and then in the same breath tell him she wanted to be with him. It didn’t make any sense at all. Why couldn’t she understand what he was trying to do?
“Our lives can’t be just about each other,” she had said. “We need separation. We’re supposed to a part of each other’s lives, not the center.”
Why not? He thought. You’re the center of my life. Why can’t I be the center of yours?
They arrived at Alex and Sabrina’s home. Emma’s body buzzed with excitement, and Will’s earlier sour mood dissipated a tiny bit. How could he be upset with her? A day ago, he wasn’t certain he would ever see her again. He was so conflicted. Things were progressing in a way that confused him, and he had no idea what to do.
As soon as he stopped the car, Emma jumped out and bolted towards the front door. An attendant opened it for her, and she skid into the foyer.
“Sabrina?” she called out. “Where is my baby girl?”
“Up here!” Sabrina’s voice called from the staircase. Emma looked up. Sabrina was holding a sleepy baby. Alex walked behind her, carrying Lizzie’s things along with some things they’d picked up for her.
Emma’s eyes lit up with happy tears as she took her child into her arms.
“I missed you, sweet girl.”
Lizzie perked up and babbled loudly. Her little hands reached for Emma’s face. Emma pressed a kiss to her daughter forehead, eliciting a giggle from the baby. For a few moments, nothing else existed. All that mattered was the small child in her arms. Every step Emma took was for her child. Every decision had to lead for the best life possible for her baby. And that included her future with Will.
“Stay and eat with us,” Sabrina said, wiping a tear from her face.
“Yeah,” Alex agreed. “We had a big lunch prepared for you both.”
Will walked up behind Emma, still feeling sullen.
“That sounds nice,” he said. “Are you okay with that?” he asked Emma.
“Sure,” she answered. It was obvious Will was still in a bad mood. She thought that some time together before he took her home would help. She also wanted to talk to Sabrina for a while before going. It would probably be good for Will to talk to Alex as well.
“Great!”
The dining room, once cluttered with paperwork, despair, and fear, was now a cheerful room with flowers and sunlight. Sabrina had every trace of the investigation moved from her home. She never wanted to think of it again.
One of the housekeepers was finishing the table setting while another placed Damian in a highchair.
“We can get a chair for Lizzie if you want,” Sabrina offered.
“No. I want her as close to me as possible,” Emma nuzzled Lizzie who responded with another giggle. Will smiled, his mood lightened a bit.
They ate and had lighthearted conversation, but all the while the dark cloud of what had happened still hung over their heads. It was then they all realized that a clean dining room and a happy lunch would never be able to erase what happened. Perhaps one day it would become a fuzzy memory. A small blip that would only exist on periphery of their minds. But today was not that day.
“Will, let me steal you for a bit,” Alex asked, using his head to indicate they leave the room.
“Sure,” Will stood and followed Alex out of the room. When the men were out of sight and earshot, Sabrina turned on Emma.
“All right, spill.”
“What do you mean?”
“There is some crazy tension going on between the two of you and it isn’t the normal sexual variety. What the hell is going on?”
“Oh,” Emma hung her head. “Um… well, we’re back together.”
“I knew it! I totally saw you two sucking face in the hospital!” Sabrina squealed.
“Oh my God,” Emma laughed. “You’re horrible.”
“How was it? The kiss?”
“We are not going to talk about that!” Emma blushed. “There are babies present!”
“Oh, come on! How do you think these babies got here? You still think a stork dropped them off? And besides, they have no idea what we’re saying.”
“Ugh,” Emma rolled her eyes, but smiled. “He is an amazing kisser. There, happy?”
“Not particularly. But I suppose I’ll get the details later. Are you happy?”
“Yes. He told me he loves me. I had no idea he had such string feelings for me.”
“You’re the damn center of the man’s universe.”
“That’s the problem,” Emma huffed.
“You two already in a fight?”
“Yeah,” Emma sighed. “He wants me to move back. And he’s mad because I don’t want to. I have a life over there and I really like it. He wants me to be home all the time and like, just exist for him and I can’t do that.”
“I see. Damn,” Sabrina ran her hands through her hair. “That didn’t take long at all.”
“I know! He’s trying to act like he isn’t mad, but he is. I’m not going to back down though. I won’t.”
“Damn right you won’t. What is he thinking?”
“He isn’t,” Emma sighed. “He really doesn’t think that what he’s asking for is crazy. Will just doesn’t understand anything about relationships. I feel bad.”
“You just said you weren’t going to back down. You aren’t actually considering this, are you?”
“Of course not! I won’t put myself in the situation we were in before. We have to be partners this time. That was the problem before. He held all the power and I just… had to follow.”
“Good. So, like… he’s your boyfriend now? You two are dating.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Boyfriend. That one word was somehow too much and not enough.
“William Stewart as a boyfriend. The concept just feels weird.”
“Doesn’t it?” Emma agreed. “He has no idea how to be a regular boyfriend at all. What is this doesn’t work?”
“It will. It’s just going to take a lot of work. From both of you. You’re going to need to have to be patient with him. That’s going to be your issue, I already know. You’re going to want him the perfect boyfriend like… tomorrow. No one learns anything that fast. Not even William Stewart.”
In the other room, Alex sat Will down and pulled no punches.
“What was the fight about?” he demanded.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Will said, looking away.
“You’re acting like a brat. What was the fight about?” Alex repeated, pacing in front of Will.
“She won’t move back,” Will muttered like a petulant child. “She wants to stay in Lyncrest because of her father and her job and her apartment. She doesn’t want to move back to the city with me.”
“You’re not serious,” Alex laughed. “You’re mad because she won’t drop her life and run to only exist as you need her to? She can only have a life if you want her to have one? Don’t you hear how insane that sounds?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Yes, it is. Let me guess. You want her to leave her quit her job, uproot her father from his facility, that he loves and is thriving at, move out of her apartment, lose all sense of her own identity, so she can move in with you and do nothing?”
“Why do you make it sound so bad?” Will retorted.
“Because it is! It’s terrible! That’s not how relationships work!”
“Then what am I supposed to do? I don’t know how this works. Do I just see her sometimes and let her just… do whatever?
“Yes! You make plans, and then they get cancelled because she doesn’t have a babysitter. You see each other on weekends. Whatever the arrangement you had before was is dead. And you aren’t married. You don’t own her. You never will. She’s your girlfriend now, and you’re going to treat her the right way or you will lose her, and your baby, forever. You’re not going to get another chance like this. You’ve messed up too many times before. It’s now or never.”
“Okay. What do I do? How can I be a good…boyfriend?”
“All right,” Alex smiled. “Welcome to Boyfriend 101.”