Chapter 141
Emma was feeding Lizzie when Will walked back out her room, freshly showered. None of his clothes were at her apartment, so he wore only a towel, wrapped low on his hips.
“Oh my,” Emma said at the sight of him. “You, um… want to put something on?”
“No,” he smirked at her reaction. “Not if you’re going to look at me like that.” He walked over to her and kissed her neck.
“You need to stop,” she warned. “I’m feeding our daughter.”
“I just kissed you,” he feigned innocence. “Fine. I’ll go across the hall and change.”
“Like that? What if someone sees you?”
“Then they can enjoy the view,” he winked and walked out.
“Oh my God,” Emma whispered as a furious blush spread across her face. Lizzie finished her bottle. Emma placed her in her little bouncy chair, and Lizzie happily batted at the arch of toys over her head. Emma prepared breakfast for herself and Will. They really needed to sit down and hash out how they were going to work things out. She wasn’t going to quit her job. And he would have to ease up on whatever restrictions or precautions she knew he was plotting. There was every certainty that he was assembling some sort of crazy security team to escort her everywhere. And she’d be damned if she allowed that.
They would really have to set the ground rules.
Will was feeling the best he’d felt in a long time. He whistled as he went through his clothes picking something simple to wear. While he knew he wouldn’t be able to stay there long, he was determined to enjoy what time they did have. Memories of last night played on a loop in his mind, and he was already looking forward to a repeat performance.
However, he knew there was a pending discussion they needed to have and he needed to be sure he paid attention. He recalled Alex’s “Boyfriend 101.”
“To be a good boyfriend, you have to actually be her friend”, Alex had said. “She needs to be able to trust you and talk to you in a way that makes her comfortable.”
“Like she is with Jess and Sabrina?” The concept confused Will.
“Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that they know her. What do you know about Emma, like really know about her? I bet the answer is ‘not much’. Sure, you probably know the important things. But the little things almost hold more value. But it’s different than being her ‘friend’ in that their relationship is almost sort of done growing and evolving. Sure, there is room for improvement in any relationship, but a romantic relationship can never stop. And you my friend have a long way to go.”
“Yeah,” Will lamented, understanding that Alex was right. “So, how do I do that?”
“The easiest way is to listen, really listen. Internalize what she says because nine times out of ten, whenever you have a question about your partner, they’ve already answered it for you at some point.”
He had to go back to that apartment ready to listen and open to what she wanted. There was a way to meet in the middle, to compromise somehow. They just had to find it.
Just as he was going to leave his apartment, his phone rang. It was an unknown number. Normally he wouldn’t answer, but with everything that had gone on, he decided to answer anyway.
“This is William Stewart.”
“Hello, Mr. Stewart. My name is Paulette Simmons. I’m Miss Grace Cunning’s attorney.”
“Oh,” the words stunned him. “What do you want with me?”
“I am reaching out to you because Miss Cunning made you the sole benefactor of her life insurance policy. It’s a sum of $500,000.”
“I don’t want it,” was his automatic answer. “Not a single penny. Please donate the entire sum to an organization called Hope for Her. It’s a women’s shelter in the city.”
“That is very kind and generous of you, sir. But I must ask if you’re sure—”
“I am sure. Every last cent of Grace’s money can go to them. Is there anything else?”
“Yes, sir. Miss Cunning also left you a key to a safety deposit box. She stated that if anything should happen to her, that you should have it.”
“No,” his words were ice. “I don’t want it.”
“She did indicate that you might refuse. Thy key has already been sent to you. And in the event that you do not empty the box within the next thirty days, its contents will also be mailed to your home address.”
“Of course,” Will huffed. “Very well. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And Mr. Stewart… I’m very sorry for your loss.”
Will hung up, feeling hollow and wooden. Of course, Grace managed to find some way to ruin this. Of course, she did. Rage, despair, and some emotion he couldn’t name built up inside of him and the urge to punch something threatened to overcome him. He paced around the apartment, trying to calm down. His blood felt too hot in his veins, and steam seemed to puff from his pores.
“Calm down,” he said to himself. He went to the bathroom and splashed cold water onto his face. The action provided a momentary respite from his surging anger, and he was able to latch onto that to keep from spiraling. He braced himself on the sink as he took several slow deep breaths, finally achieving a semblance of calm. It was good enough to go back to Emma and Lizzie. Seeing them should calm him down further. Although he was sure Emma would be able to read the wrath on his face.
“I made us some breakfast,” Emma sang as he walked in. “What’s wrong?” His golden eyes were stormy with fury. She shrank away from him a bit, preparing for an argument of some kind.
“Emma, please,” he reached out for her, brushing her arm. “I’m sorry if I startled you. Something happened just now, and I don’t know what to think.”
“Well sit,” she gestured at the table. “We can talk over breakfast.”
“Okay.” He slid into a chair, already being with Emma and their daughter easing his tension. Emma served him a breakfast of French Toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon, and sat across from him with a plate of her own.
“Okay, tell me what happened.”
“I got a phone call. From Grace’s attorney. She made me the sole benefactor on her life insurance policy and also left me something in a safety deposit box. I told the attorney I didn’t want the money and told her to donate it to charity. And I also told her that I don’t want anything in that damn box. I want nothing of hers.”
“Will,” Emma reached her hand across the table and took Will’s hand. “I’m sorry. I know she meant something to you…”
“She means nothing to me!” he said louder than he intended. “She means nothing. I just want to forget her. I want to forget that she was ever a part of my life. I want to forget how she hurt me, and how she hurt you! I want Grace Cunning out of my life and out of my mind, but no one will let me forget her!”
I’ll make sure you never forget me. I’ll be a part of you forever.
“She did horrible things to both of us. Things that will be hard for me to forget. And in the end, she did something she knew would scar you. She did it on purpose. And it hurts you more than you want to admit,” Emma soothed, rubbing small circles on the back of his hand with her thumb. “I agree with you about the money. Donating it to charity was the best thing to do. But I think you should find out what’s in the safety deposit box.”
“Why?”
“She was involved in this mess. There could some kind of clue in there. And maybe it’ll give you the closure you need. You think you’ve said goodbye to Grace for good. I don’t think you have. You need to formally and officially close that chapter on your terms. Not hers.”
Will looked down at their hands, allowing Emma to comfort him. He didn’t want her words to be true. They wound their way inside him and twisted up feelings he was sure were gone, but now he understood they’d just gone dormant.
“I do regret the way things ended between her and I. But I just want to be done with it. I’m tired of the back and forth with her. I want to move on.”
“You have moved on. But you haven’t let go.”
“How is that any different.”
“If you had let go, you wouldn’t be having this reaction right now. Go and get the things from the box.”
“But what about us? We have some things to work out, don’t we?”
“We’ll have plenty of time for that. I’m not going anywhere.”