Chapter 108

Emma's POV 

I wasn't feeling up to talking to Chase when I woke up in the morning. 

That's not to deny that I didn't find his efforts cute. He sounded so happy, like if I stayed around him too much, he'd rub off on me. 

The pancakes he made, made their way into my nose, but my head was feeling a bit woozy, I was in fact trying to catch my balance. 

I didn't know that was enough to piss him off. 

I looked from the window opposite his bed, I could not see him. Meaning he didn't go so far. 

The pancakes were making me extra hungry, but I felt nasty, and weak. 

I stripped, half hoping Chase came in at that exact time. I took my time, taking my clothes off one after the other. 

I tarried a bit, waiting in sexy poses. 

I pinched myself. I was beginning to get too delusional, even for myself. 

I walked into the bathroom majestically. 

The blood flow had reduced, and for that I was grateful. 

Taking my time, I lathered my body carefully with a body scrub I'd just gotten. 

I felt fresh, different, anew. 

 "Where do we start?" I whispered to myself as I got out of the bathroom. 

I felt a new burst of energy. Like I was ready to take the world by storm. 

I was alone in the house. 

As I looked around the room, different ideas rushed to my head, that was until I heard my phone ring. 

I rushed to it, thinking it was my mom, and silently cursing myself for not reaching her back. 

 "Hi Mama!" Lily chirped on the other side. 

 "What's up?" I laughed. Her happiness was already infecting me. 

 "Just heard about it right now." She said, 

 "It's okay." I managed to put on a brave voice. 

 "No it isn't." She retorted. "But it will be." Lily stretched the last word. "I'm on my way to you." 

 "Thought you said you had paperwork this week?" I asked, surprise. 

 "Yeah, I did." She replied, "And you're my paperwork for today." 

Happy tears rose to my eyes. "How about Gray?" I asked. 

 "Oh, he's on his way to the airport." She said, 

I felt my heartbeat pause. "Did you fight?" I asked, my heart in my mouth. 

 "No!" Lily laughed. "Come on, why would you even think that?" She asked. 

 "Well, you're coming here, and he's boarding a flight, there's not much to think about." I defended myself. 

 "Alright, smarty pants." She laughed, "I'll see you in twenty. Wear something sexy." 

 "I'm not going to no club with you, Lily." I protested. "It was a total disaster the last time." I added. 

 "Don't be an old woman." She chided. "No one is going to any club. I'm just saying." Lily said. 

 "Well, I've got just the gown I came here in, I hope that'd work." I said. 

 "If it's hot and sexy, yes." She bubbled. 

 "We might have to go shopping then." I resigned. 

 "That sounds Lily." She blushed. 

 "What does that even mean?" I asked. Lily was having me ripping at my seams. 

 "It means it's splendid!" She said, 

 "Fuck off man." I screamed and cut the call off. 

That put me in a really good mood. 

I threw my gown on, and for the first time in a day or two, I looked into the mirror. 

Instinctively, my hand went down to my belly. 

 "No more." I whispered. 

I pulled my hand away and adjusted the fit of the dress, it looked pretty. And my eyes looked less dark. 

 "Todays a good day." I said to myself. 

Lily was leaving her business to come attend to mine, the least I could do was be gay and smiley, hoping everything would fall into place. 

I sat on Chase's dressing table, wondering how I could pass time before then, 

I then decided to call my mom. I owed it to her. 

 "Hey ma." I said. 

 "Thought you were angry with me." She replied. 

 "How could I?" I asked. I had every reason to be angry with her, but I wasn't. The truth was butter, but it was what I needed to hear. 

 "Emma, you've gotta be careful." She said, 

 "Why?" I knew my Mom didn't know so much about Mark, Chase said not to tell her. 

We weren't planning on breaking their marriage. 

 "Mark is a Mafia lord." She said, through tears. Her voice was in whispers and as tiny as possible. 

 "Shit!" I exclaimed, involuntarily. 

 "You knew?" She asked, accusingly. 

 "Uhm, I can explain." There was no point in hiding the truth. 

 "You better start,"She threatened. 

 "Chase told me not too long ago." I started. "He said I'd be jeopardizing everything by telling you." I explained. 

 "He's so fucking right cause I was just about calling my lawyer." She sounded so angry, hurt. 

I was really young when my mom used to be really optimistic about men. 

Many of them were nice, others were just sex monster's. Even I could see through them as a fourteen year old. 

 "Emma, my life was in danger and you chose that time, such a perfect time to leave home?" She asked. 

 "I'm sorry." I apologized. "He was so confident that nothing was gonna happen. We had Gray and Lily over and they said the case had been dismissed. Mike was a state offender." 

 "Are you trying to defend yourself right now?" She asked. 

 "No, no." I said quickly. "I didn't mean to do that." 

 "When are you coming home?" She asked. 

 "Do I have a home?" I retorted, rather thoughtlessly. 

 "Yeah, Emma, you do." She mentioned my name, hammering it into my head. "I'm not going through everything I've been through to make you talk like that, Emma. I want you home and I want it now." Her tone was serious, and her voice had risen. 

 "Not right now." I replied, defiantly. 

 "I'm not happy with you." She said, more calmly. "I'll talk to you later. And how are you?" She croaked. 

 "Isn't that the first question you were supposed to ask?" I asked, guilt tripping her. 

 "Well, I'm asking now." She replied. 

 "I'm better." I heard a horn blast and I knew that was Lily, "I'll talk to you later, mom."