Chapter 87

“Breath, Emma,” Spencer tried to soothe her.
“I… can’t…,” Emma was hyperventilating. Spencer sat her down on the couch and got her a cup of water.
“Take a sip,” Spencer put the glass to her lips and coaxed her to drink. After a few sips of water, Emma was able to get her breathing under control.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would affect me so much. My emotions are everywhere. It’s the hormones,” Emma tried to explain away her reaction. The vice grip the William Stewart held around her heart had been all but gone. But now it was like it never left.
“You don’t have explain anything to me. You can just talk.”
“I’ll be okay,” Emma said through her crying. “We were only supposed to be married for a year anyway. Our relationship wasn’t real. Our marriage was technically arranged. We met under… some really strange circumstances. And life kept throwing us back at each other. We got married because it was convenient to the both of us and his grandfather wanted us to. But after Conrad passed, things sort of fell apart. I tried so hard not to fall in love with him, but I did. Maybe if he had met in another time or something we could have worked. I wanted to try,” she echoed her words from that night. “I think he did too, but we just don’t work. And now he’s getting married to her. I wish it was anyone else but her.”
“Who is she?” Spencer asked.
“She was his ex from years ago. She had left him and broke his heart, but he was still in love with her. For a while, I think I was like a replacement for her in his life. And just when things looked like they would be okay between us, she comes back and wants to be with him. She set me up and made it look like I attacked her. That’s what our last fight was about. So, I let him go, so he could be with her. I didn’t think this would hurt as much as it does.”
Emma sobbed into her hands. Spencer was stunned by her story. How could anyone have gone through so much in life and still be a good person? Emma took a few deep breaths and finally began to calm down.
“I didn’t know things were that bad. I’m sorry you’ve been through so much. But you’re an amazing person and you deserve to be happy. It may feel like it’s too soon, and that’s okay, but you’ll be able to move on someday. There is someone perfect for you out there,” Spencer said with a hopeful tone in his voice.
Emma smiled at him and wiped away at her tears.
“Thank you,” she sniffled. “I’m sorry to dump all this one you. And for skipping work today.”
“Don’t be sorry. I may be your boss, but I’m your friend first. So, you’re just going to have to deal with that,” he chuckled.
Emma laughed, thankful for his friendship. She opened her mouth to say something, and then gasped.
“What’s wrong?”
“The baby kicked!” Emma scrambled and grabbed Spencer’s hand and placed it on his belly. “Feel it!”
They waited with bated breath, and suddenly Spencer felt a small kick under his hand. His eyes lit up and a smile stretched across his face. He’d never felt a baby kick before.
“There’s a person in there,” he marveled. “You’re growing a person.”
“Yes, and it’s exhausting,” Emma laughed.
For a moment, Spencer fantasized that they were a family, and he felt his baby kick for the first time. He knew that if Emma ever accepted his feelings, that her baby would be part of that package. It was something he was prepared, and excited, to do.
“That’s amazing,” he said. “I think the baby might be hungry.”
“Probably, since I threw up all my breakfast this morning.”
“Let me take you to get something to eat,” Spencer offered.
“I think that would be good. Something light though. My stomach is still feeling a little rumbly.”
“We can have whatever you like.”
“Okay. Let me freshen up.”
Emma smiled at Spencer and went into her room. Behind her smile, there was still that vice grip in her chest. She thought William Stewart was out of her system.
But how could he be? She would always have a piece of him with her. Every time she looked at her baby, she would see him. He would always be in her life through their child, and that was something she was going to have to deal with.
Will had had his own difficult moment with the news. But had decided to go through with it. There were conditions though, and he would ensure that his boundaries were maintained. Grace was in the same place he had left her in, with the same starry-eyed look on her face. It was off-putting.
“Hi,” she said when he walked in.
“Hi,” he answered back. “Okay, we’ll get married.”
“Oh, Will! We’re going to be so happy!” she jumped up and squealed. She threw herself at him and tried to kiss him. Will held his arms up to block her.
“Hold up. This is only for the company and keep my uncle from stealing it from underneath me. When we’re alone, there won’t be any need for us to keep up the act. Nothing is changing.”
“I understand. But you still have to get me pregnant, don’t you? A child will only further solidify your position, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s not going to happen, so you don’t have to worry about it. This marriage is preposterous enough. I’m not going to put you through all of that.”
“But what if that’s what I want?” Grace asked. Will narrowed his eyes in confusion. This was getting weirder and weirder.
“How could you want that? Grace, I may have loved you once, but I don’t anymore. You saw to that.”
“Is it Emma? Is that why you don’t want to have children with me?”
“I can’t do this with you, right now.” Will turned to leave and Grace grabbed his arm.
“She is gone! She left you!”
“So did you,” Will seethed.
“But I’m back now, and I want to be with you. I want to be your wife and have your babies!”
“You should have said that years ago.”
“I did! And you said no.”
“I said, not yet. For the last damn time, Grace. We were young as hell. There was no reason for us to get married at that age. But I was going to marry you someday. You were all I wanted, but that wasn’t enough for you.”
“It’s enough now! Why do I keep having to pay for my mistake? Why are you punishing me?”
“I’m not. I do care for you, but not like that. Not anymore.”
“It’s because of Emma, I know it is.”
“I don’t want to hear about Emma anymore. You said so yourself. She’s gone. Go and plan the wedding. You can have whatever you want for it.” Will walked towards his room. The door closed and the sound reverberated throughout the house. Grace was angry with herself for leaving him. It was supposed to make him love her more, not push into someone else’s arms.
There was a hole in his heart that only she was supposed to be able to fill. But somehow, someone else found their way in. It was different from the way he loved her. Will was sad, and broken child when they met. He loved her in the way a child treasured something precious. All of his hopes and joys were centered around her. He worshipped her. Leaving him was supposed to reinforce the fact that he would never be able to be without her. She hadn’t accounted for the fact that Will was grown up. His emotions were more complex than when they were kids.
“I messed up,” she said to herself. “But I’ll clean up. I always do.”
She went to her bedroom and got on her computer. Growing up, she had always envisioned her wedding with Will. It may have been a fake marriage, but she didn’t care.
“He thinks he doesn’t love me. That’s fine. I’ll stomp Emma Wells out of his heart. I’m the only one who belongs there.”
Her dreams of marrying her prince were within her grasp, and she’d be crazy if she was going to let some common, low-born nobody take that from her.