Finn arched an eyebrow.
“What? It is,” Emma said. “It’s going to be totally fine.”
“I’m sure it is,” Finn said. “Now, why don’t you go and catch up with your mom while I make the tea?”
“I can make it,” Emma said.
“Let me make it,” Finn said. “Just … go and talk to your mom. It’s been a long time. I’m sure she has some stuff she wants to say to you.”
“What if it’s stuff I don’t want to hear?” Emma asked, uncertain.
“Then tell her that,” Finn said. “You can only take what you can take, Emma. I’ll be right here if you need me. I’ll only be gone a few minutes.”
Emma threw her arms around Finn’s neck, instinctively hugging him close. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Finn sighed, pressing his lips against her neck as he held her close. “I think you’ve got that wrong, sweetie. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Now, go and spend some time with your mother. I won’t be gone long.”
“THIS is a nice place,” Sheila said, glancing around Emma’s apartment. “Have you lived here long?”
“About a year,” Emma said, biting the inside of her cheek. Her mother was sitting on the couch, her frame rigid as she regarded the daughter she hadn’t seen in years with a blank look. Emma’s posture was equally stiff as she sat in a nearby chair. Both women were uncomfortable, and Finn’s absence only made things that much more strenuous.
“What happened to the house?” Sheila asked.
“We didn’t have the money to pay for it after you left,” Emma said. “The bank took it.”
“Oh.”
Emma stared at the wall above the couch. “I heard you and Dad got divorced.”
Sheila stilled. “You’ve seen your father?”
Emma shook her head. “No. He told Finn.”
“Finn went up to the prison to see him?”
“There was an … incident … last year,” Emma said. “Someone tried to hurt me. Finn thought it had something to do with Dad, so he went to talk to him.”
“Someone tried to hurt you?” Sheila asked. “How?”
“Well, he tried to throw acid on me at a job,” Emma said. “Then he burnt my apartment down, and then he tried to blow me up outside of this building.”
Sheila’s face drooped. “That’s awful.”
“It’s fine now, Mom,” Emma said, waving off her concern. “I survived. Everything is good now.”
“It looks good,” Sheila said, gripping her hands together. “You look happy. Thank God he didn’t throw acid on your face or something. That would have been terrible. Are you happy?”
“I’m happy,” Emma said. “I’ll be happier when I’m done modeling for good.”
“You’re quitting modeling? But that’s how you pay for this place,” Sheila said, gesturing widely.
“It’s not what I want to do with my life,” Emma explained. “I’m in school right now. If things go well, I should be done in a few months. I’m going to be a teacher.”
“Why?”
“Well … wait, what do you mean?”
“Why would you want to be a teacher?” Sheila pressed.
“Because I’ve always wanted to be a teacher,” Emma said.
“I think she’s going to be a great teacher,” Finn said, breezing into the room and settling the tray he was carrying on the coffee table. “I wasn’t sure what kind of tea you liked.”
“The earl grey is fine,” Sheila said, her eyes sharp as they focused on Emma. “Why would you possibly give up modeling? You’re a beautiful girl. That’s God’s gift to you. You should take advantage of your looks. You could be a making a lot more from modeling than you do. You’re just too … frigid.”
Emma averted her eyes. “I don’t want to make a lot more modeling, Mom,” she said. “I don’t want to do that. I don’t like people staring at me.”
“That just means they’re jealous,” Sheila said.
“I don’t want them to be jealous,” Emma shot back. “I want to have a normal life. I want to be a teacher.”
“Sweetie, calm down,” Finn said, perching on the arm of her chair. He rubbed the back of her head to calm her. “You can be whatever you want to be.”
“I assume you’re the one who convinced her that giving up the one thing that could make her famous was the right thing to do?” Sheila’s eyes were accusatory.
“Emma told me two days after I met her that she wanted to be a teacher,” Finn said, refusing to engage in an argument. “She has every right to be what she wants to be, and I happen to think she’s going to make an outstanding teacher.”
Sheila rolled her eyes. “Oh, whatever. She’s beautiful. She’s the envy of everyone. That’s what she should be doing. Her beauty is a weapon.”
“She is beautiful,” Finn agreed. “She’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever met – inside and out. If Emma wants to focus on what’s inside and give to others, I’m proud of her. Quite frankly, I’m proud of her no matter what she wants to do.”
“Oh, right,” Sheila scoffed, getting to her feet. “I know what kind of man you are. You swooped in and swept her off her feet. You saw something beautiful, and you had to have it. When you got it, you decided you didn’t want anyone else to be able to see that beauty in case they stole her away from you. You’re the one who convinced her to throw away her future.”
“I did no such thing,” Finn protested.
“Mom, you don’t know what you’re saying,” Emma said. “You can’t talk to Finn like that. He’s … he’s been wonderful to me. He’s protected me. He’s made me feel … special. You have no right to come in here and accuse him of anything.”
“I have a right to protect my daughter,” Sheila shot back.
Finn was at his wit’s end. Before he could lambast the woman, though, Emma was on her feet.
“You haven’t changed a bit, have you?” Emma exploded. “You’re still just as horrible as you always were.”
“Excuse me?” Sheila was affronted.
“When Dad got arrested, you acted like you were the victim,” Emma said.
“I was a victim,” Sheila said. “Your father did horrible things to me.”
“Welcome to the club,” Emma said. “He did horrible things to all of us. You were the adult, though. You were the one who had children with him. You were the one who took all the money we had and ran. You left Jeff and me with … nothing.”
“You and your brother were adults,” Sheila said. “You were no longer my responsibility.”
Emma shook her head, disbelief washing over her face. “I hoped … well, I don’t know what I hoped. I just thought, when I saw you standing at my door, that you’d realized your mistakes. I thought you were here to make amends.”
“I am here to make amends, Emma,” Sheila said, pointing at Finn. “He’s standing in our way. Don’t you realize that?”
“He’s not standing in the way of anything,” Emma said, pinching the bridge of her nose wearily. “I think you should go, Mom.”
“You’re kicking me out?”
“Until you can treat Finn with a modicum of respect, I don’t want you here,” Emma said.
“So, you’re putting him ahead of me? You really are your father’s daughter.”
Emma reared back as if she’d been slapped. Finn had heard enough. “Get out,” he ordered.
Sheila narrowed her eyes into dangerous slits. “Don’t you ever tell me what to do.”
“Get out,” Finn repeated. “I don’t give a shit if you respect me or not. I don’t care about you. You’re nothing to me.”
“You obviously care,” Sheila scoffed.
“I care that you respect Emma,” Finn said. “Don’t you come back here until you can do just that. She deserves more than … you.”
Sheila made a face. “Emma, I want you to understand … .”
Finn cut her off. “Go!”
Sheila pursed her lip
s. “I’m staying at the Best Western on Gratiot in Clinton Township,” she said. “It’s the one with that new fancy conference center. It has an indoor pool, if you’re interested. When you get away from your … friend … come and visit me. I think we’ll have a better shot of reconnecting without any distractions.”
“Go,” Finn roared, pointing at the door.
Emma’s body was shaking when Finn pulled her to him, and she buried her face in his neck. She didn’t even hear the front door slam shut to signify Sheila’s exit.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” Finn said, kissing Emma’s forehead. “I’m so sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to be sorry about,” Emma said, bursting into tears. “She’s exactly the same as I remember her.”
“Oh, Emma,” Finn said, holding her tight. “I’m sorry this keeps happening to you. Your family is … .”
“Horrible,” Emma finished.
“That’s why you’re a part of my family now,” Finn said. “You’re my family, and you always will be. Just, oh, don’t cry. You have a family, Emma. You’re my family. You’re my family, sweetheart.” Finn rocked her in his arms. “Shh. It’s going to be okay.”
Five
“I cannot believe your mother showed up,” Sophie said, biting into her spring roll and shooting Emma a remorseful look. “How did she even find you?”
Emma had still been shaken when she awoke Monday morning, so she’d called the only people she knew who could make her feel better. Mandy, Sophie, and Ally had all cleared their schedules to have an extended lunch with the morose model.
“Can’t she just look in the phone book?”
“When was the last time you saw a phone book?” Sophie asked.
Emma was uncertain. “I don’t know.” She swiveled in her chair so she could face Mandy. “What do you think?”
“I think she’s a horrible woman,” Mandy said, twirling some rice noodles around her fork.
“Not about that,” Emma said, frowning. “How do you think she found me?”
“It’s not that hard to find someone,” Ally said. “She probably just Googled you.”
“And anyone can find me that way?” Emma was horrified.
“Someone would probably have to be looking pretty hard to stumble across your home address,” Sophie replied. “They could find you, though. That’s how the Internet works.”
“So, all those geeks at all those science fiction conventions can find me that way?” Emma was mortified.
“Do you tell them your real name?”
Emma’s shoulders slumped. “No.”
“Then I’m going to guess no,” Sophie said. “Calm down. What’s got you so worked up?”
“You mean the woman who abandoned me showing back up and finding out I’m pregnant aren’t enough on their own?”
Sophie faltered. “Oh, sorry. I kind of forgot about the pregnancy thing.”
“How can you forget about the pregnancy thing?” Ally asked, scandalized. “I’ve already started looking at clothes. You need to go to the doctor and get a due date. I want to know if you’re having a boy or girl, too. So far, I’ve had to buy unisex onesies.”
Emma made a face. “You’ve already shopped?”
“I’m getting a jump on favorite-aunt status,” Ally said, extending her tongue in Mandy’s direction. “No one else stands a chance.”
Mandy smirked. “I’m ceding the title,” she said, turning to Emma and rubbing her shoulder sympathetically. “I know you’re upset, but you should try and eat something.”
“I can’t,” Emma said. “I threw up all morning.”
“You have morning sickness,” Ally said. “That’s usually gone by the second trimester. Don’t worry.”
“Since when did you become the Wikipedia of pregnancy?” Mandy challenged.
“Since I looked stuff up,” Ally said.
“You’d better be careful,” Mandy warned. “If Jake sees all that stuff on your computer, he’s going to think you’re pregnant. Trust me.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because James found the pregnancy test in the bathroom and thought it was mine.”
Ally choked on her lunch, her eyes watering with the effort it took to keep it from shooting back with a righteous comeback because she was laughing so hard.
Sophie hit her on the back to make sure she was breathing. “Are you okay?”
Ally nodded.
“Well, then I’ll take advantage of your momentary lack of verbal skills and ask the obvious question,” Sophie teased. “How did James take it?”
“He just kept saying it was fine,” Mandy said, smiling at the memory. “He said it wasn’t in our plans, but we could turn one of the guestrooms into a baby room. It was kind of sweet.”
“He said it was fine?” Emma’s face was ashen. “He wasn’t excited? Not even a little?”
“He was excited when I told him it wasn’t me,” Mandy replied. Emma’s white countenance made the blonde court reporter realize the error of her words. “But, it’s different for us, Emma. We’ve already decided we don’t want kids.”
“You’re married,” Emma pointed out.
“So?”
“Finn and I aren’t married,” Emma said. “He’s going to think I’m trapping him. He just got an earful from my mother the other night about how I should be using my looks to trap people. He’s going to think that’s what I’m doing.”
“He’s not going to think that,” Ally scoffed. “Emma … I’m not going to promise that he’s going to be jumping up and down right away because he’s so excited, but I am going to promise that he’s not going to turn his back on you. He loves you.”
“He’s never told me that.”
Mandy sighed. The Hardy men were idiots when it came to emotional proclamations. “He will.”
“After he finds out about the baby … it won’t be the same,” Emma said.
“I know,” Mandy replied. “It’s going to be even more special. You guys are responsible for bringing a whole new life into this world.”
“That’s right,” Sophie said. “You’re going to leapfrog right over Ally and become her mother’s favorite.”
“I am?”
Ally’s eyes widened. “Oh, crap, you are,” she said. “Once there’s an actual baby, I won’t be the one who gets spoiled anymore.”
Mandy fought the mad urge to laugh. “I think you’ll survive.”
“Jake will always spoil you,” Sophie offered.
“This isn’t fair,” Ally said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Peter is rich. He spoils you rotten,” she said, referring to Sophie’s foster father. “Mandy isn’t having kids, so James will always spoil her. Now that Emma is giving my parents their first grandchild, this means she’s going to be the favorite until the baby comes.”
“You’re such a baby,” Sophie said, laughing.
“Until the actual baby comes along and everyone forgets her name,” Mandy teased.
Ally’s face darkened.
“I’m sorry,” Emma said, a tear rolling down her cheek. “Now I’ve ruined your life, too.”
Ally’s face softened. “Oh, stop that right now,” she said, moving around the table so she could kneel next to Emma. “I’m happy to give up my spoiled status. You deserve it. You need to stop freaking about dumb stuff – like me – and start thinking about the fact that you’re going to have a baby.”
“What if … what if Finn runs when I tell him?” Emma’s face was filled with misery.
“He won’t,” Ally said, giving Emma a reassuring hug. “Finn’s going to be a great dad, and you’re going to be a great mom. You just have to … man, these hormones aren’t doing you any favors.”
Emma burst into uncontrollable tears.
“Oh, nice Ally,” Mandy muttered.
“What? How was I supposed to know?”
“You’re not going to be the favorite aunt if you keep doing this,” Sophie said sagely. “A baby knows things. This baby i
s going to know that you kept making his mommy cry.”
Ally’s face contorted. “Do you really think that?”
“No,” Mandy said, shooting Sophie a look. “Really? Do you want both of them to freak out at the same time?”
“They both tend to go to you more than me, so I’m fine with it,” Sophie replied.
“I hate all this girl stuff,” Mandy admitted. “Sometimes I think I should’ve been a guy.”
“Then I think your relationship with James might have taken on an entirely different form,” Sophie teased.
“Eat your lunch, Sophie,” Mandy snapped.
Sophie happily did as she was told. This was going to be a long pregnancy, Mandy realized. Emma was barely pregnant and she was already falling apart. What was going to happen when there was an actual baby on the horizon?
“HOW is Emma after the whole ordeal with her mother the other night?” James asked, fixing his attention on Finn as the youngest Hardy brother sank into one of the open chairs across from his desk.
“She’s … hard to read,” Finn replied.
“Is she upset?”
“She always seems upset these days,” Finn said. “Well, that’s not exactly true. For the past two weeks or so, though, it’s like she’s always crying. The slightest thing sends her over the edge. She cries at commercials, for crying out loud.”
James bit his bottom lip. He’d promised Mandy he wouldn’t share Emma’s pregnancy secret. It seemed like a reasonable oath to take when it was just him and his blonde. When he was alone with his brother – a brother clearly worrying about the mental stability of the woman he loved – that promise was getting harder and harder to keep.
“Have you tried talking to her about it?” James asked.
“Not really.”
“Why not?”
“It’s … hard,” Finn admitted. “I don’t trust that woman. I can’t believe that she didn’t know what her husband was doing to Emma and Jeff. Those kids were … screaming.”
James made a face. The realities of Emma’s childhood were the stuff of nightmares. He had no idea how he would deal with something like that if it had happened to Mandy. Mandy’s biggest problem was random insecurity. James could deal with the minor flare-ups. Emma’s issues were much more profound.
Deadly Addition (Hardy Brothers Security Book 9) Page 4
