by kj lewis
“Ready?” I ask Matt wanting to change the subject and to get out of the fishbowl I feel like I’m in.
“You’re not going out. I told you I wanted you to try to stay in today.” Graham says.
“Matt and I are going shopping for Becca’s birthday,” I remind him. “I’ll take Teague. We won’t be long. I already know where I want to take him. It’s a hole-in-the-wall place. No one will even know we’re there.”
“One stop,” Graham concedes, earning him a kiss.
By leaving in a different car and staying down while we exit the garage, we make a clean getaway without any paparazzi following us. Shopping for someone is just what I need to stop me from thinking about Tony.
“Can you try this on?” Matt asks handing me a dress. “I want to see what it will look like.”
“It won’t look the same on me Matt. I’m bigger than Becca.”
“It will at least give me an idea. Just tighter.” I add it to the stack that I actually have made for myself. We’re at Irene’s in Harlem. She has a ton of great vintage items and all at a reasonable price. It’s one of my go to places for unique items.
“I like it. What do you think?” he asks while motioning me to turn around.
“Well, for starters it will zip on her. That’s a plus.”
“It might be too short.” He thinks it over.
“It will be an inch maybe two longer on her,” I assure him. “I think she’ll like it. It will look great on her. Plus, she’ll love it’s from the sixties-housewife era. She loves that style. The dress has just enough sexy to it.” I head back into the dressing room.
“Okay. That will work for our dinner. I have the earrings you had me pick up at Tiffany’s. I think I’d like to get her something fun though.”
“I’ll help you pick something out as soon as you come in here and help me out of this dress. I’m stuck!” I say muffled.
“Stuck?” Matt can’t keep the humor out of his voice.
“I told you I was too big for this dress.” He explodes into laughter when he pulls back the curtain.
“Don’t rip it,” he says when I start trying to shimmy out of it again.
“Just get it off me. I’m claustrophobic.” I’m starting to get hot now that I’m stuck.
It takes a few minutes of care to extract me from the dress, but we manage to take it off without me ripping it.
“You really are bigger than Becca.”
“I told you. Becca has no booty. Or hips.” I mumble making sure the zipper still works.
“Her hips and booty are just fine thank you,” Matt says protectively.
I roll my eyes at him. “Here.” I hand him the dress.
“Thank you. Drew will be pissed he wasn’t here to see you like this,” Matt says before I put back on my outfit. We step out of the dressing room, drawing to a stop when we see Teague looking at us forcefully.
“What’s wrong?”
“We need to head back. Traffic will take us forever at this time of day.”
“Let’s just take the subway. We’ll be home in twenty minutes. It will take us an hour by car.”
“This is all for me today, Irene.” I place my items on the counter. “Add this.” I see a bracelet I like in the display.
“$48.19,” she says and I hand her my debit card.
“You got all that for less than $50?” Matt asks looking at the tag on the dress he’s about to buy. “Wow. This is crazy.”
“I told you. Irene has all kinds of great stuff.”
“Take it all girl.” Irene tells me handing me my card and bag.
I tie a scarf I just bought around my head in Jackie O style to lessen the chance of being recognized.
It’s only a couple of blocks to where we can catch the 2 train. Matt and I laugh and talk about his plans for Becca’s birthday. It’s the day before mine, but they have to celebrate early because of their schedules. I’m not sure what is wrong with Teague, but his mood is soured. Matt hops off at Houston while Teague and I stay on till Chambers.
“What is wrong with you?” I ask as we come up the stairs to the city.
“Nothing. Get in.” He points to Smith waiting for us at the corner.
“Is something wrong with you and Joy?”
“Emme.”
“Yes?”
He lets out a small grunt in frustration, riding the rest of the way home in silence. It only takes about five minutes, and we are pulling into the garage. There are paparazzi staked outside of the portico opening.
“If you tell me about it, maybe I can make it better,” I offer Teague once it’s just us in the elevator.
“I think you need to show a little more respect for your husband when you are in public.”
Whoa. What?
“What are you talking about?” I say getting off the elevator.
“Nothing. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“No, not nothing.” I put my foot in the door to stop it from closing. “You don’t get to say something like that and just walk away. What are you talking about?” My voice is loud and obviously strained.
Teague puts his hand on the door to hold it open. “Matt. In your dressing room.”
“Are you serious?” I ask disbelieving. “You are. I was stuck you big blowhole. If it wasn’t Matt, it would have been you.” I stand there staring at him.
“Was that the end of your sentence or what?”
“I’m waiting,” I tell him, crossing my arms.
“For?” He drips sarcasm.
“My apology.”
“To give one or receive one?”
“Don’t raise your cockeyed brow at me, you big dingleberry,” I say sharply.
“That would sound a little tougher if it wasn’t wrapped in sugar and syrup.” He refers to my southern accent.
“You really think I would do that?” I pull out my hurt expression. “I can’t believe you would think that about me.”
“Shit, Emme. Don’t look at me like that. You know I don’t think you would do that. I’m just saying I don’t like it. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He comes off the elevator and gives me a hug.
“See. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” I make it known that I played him into giving me a hug.
“People think you’re all sweet and shit but there’s a dark side to you.”
“You can go.” I dismiss him, still unhappy with his comment.
Running his hands over his face, expressing utter frustration, he steps back on to the elevator. Just as the doors are about to close, I call out, “Love you.”
“Do I even want to know what that was about?” Graham asks once the doors are closed. My phone buzzes with a text message from Teague with a smiley face. Smiling I look at Graham.
“Teague was unhappy because Matt was in my dressing room.” Graham makes a face and shakes his head. “I was stuck in a dress. I could not get out of it on my own. Want to see what I bought?” I ask holding up my bag.
“Sure. Then change. We’re staying in tonight. Harry and Eloise are coming over for dinner. What?” he asks in response to my making a face.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“So don’t talk about it. But Harry and I have to decide how we want to proceed in handling this whether you want to talk about it or not. This fucker will know you’re off limits.” He holds his hand up to stop my protest. “Imagine it was Jules and her step-dad sent that to her. Knowing the history they had. Now how would you feel?”
“I just don’t want to give it power by being angry about it.”
“So don’t be angry. I’ll be angry enough for the both of us.” Graham kisses me before slapping me on the ass to go change.
“Harry settle down,” Eloise is telling him when I come out of our room thirty minutes later. His vehemence stops my steps.
“Don’t tell me to settle down dammit!” He continues to pace back and forth. “She should have told me.”
“She did. She told us about her dreams
.”
“Not this. Not about this kind of abuse. He’s a psychopath. If this man comes within a hundred feet of my daughters, I want to know about it. By the time my people are done with him, it won’t matter. He won’t be able to walk. I’ll break his fucking legs.”
“Harry,” I say reproachfully, stopping in front of him.
“It’s Dad, thank you very much.” He’s still seething.
“Not when you’re like this.” I circle my pointed finger at him. “My dad would set an example for me and not be some crazy, vengeful guy.”
“Emelia Magnus…” he starts.
“Sit.” I wait for him to obey before I move on. “You and I both know this is a combination of things. You’ve had a lot of change this last month. Almost as much as I have. So let’s try to make it through it together. Okay?” I don’t wait for a response. “You’re frustrated because you can’t make up for lost time. You’re frustrated because your ability to choose was taken from you without you even knowing. You’re hurting over Addie. You have some big decisions to make. We have some big decisions to make.” I correct. “Getting vengeance on Tony is the only thing you do feel like you have control of right now. Don’t let it lead you into making the wrong decisions. You can send him a message without breaking his legs. You’re giving him too much power. Power I refuse to give him anymore. Please don’t make me.”
“Emme. I can’t ignore what he’s done. He has to be held accountable.” He looks from Eloise back to me. “But I promise to not have his legs broken.”
“Good. Now. How was your day?” I ask, dishing out the salmon Vinnie made for dinner.
We spend the evening making small talk before we delve into deciding about the larger issues. Harry wants to bring Addie to New York to have one final test to make sure there is no hope of recovery and then start the process of letting her go. I sign off on his plans.
“I want you to take a DNA test,” I tell Harry, Graham stiffening next to me.
“No,” Harry and Eloise say adamantly together.
“I won’t be what comes between you and your family. Once they have proof, maybe Forrest and I can start to build a relationship.”
“Emme, I won’t have you jumping through hoops for him or anyone in my family. I know you are mine. That should be all that matters. Graham told me what happened and trust me it won’t happen again.”
“It’s such a simple test.” I grab an envelope out of my bag. Swabbing the inside of my cheek, I place it in the envelope as instructed. “Open.” I lean across the table. Harry looks at me, and I raise my brow at him. Rolling his eyes, he opens his mouth and lets me swab it.
“Now we just wait.” I mark a few things. “I’m going to pay the extra to have the results rushed. Okay, honey?” I look at Graham who only nods at me. Nodding my own confirmation, I seal the envelope. “Done. Easy peasy.” I look at Harry.
“I love you, Dad.” My sincerity registering on his features.
Reaching across the table, he squeezes my hand. “I love you, daughter.”
“So you haven’t read it?” Amanda asks me. We’re having lunch at Bryant Park Grill before they enclose it for the cooler weather. Jackson had a conflicting appointment so he wasn’t able to join us, but Amanda, Joy, Henry, and I are spending some much needed time together while we wait for Jules.
“There she is.” I wave when I see Jules looking for us.
“Sorry I’m late.” She kisses both my cheeks before taking the seat next to me.
“I should have taken the subway, but Adam only wants me in a car for the time being.” She rolls her eyes, taking her scarf off.
“I ordered for you,” I tell her as the waiter brings our appetizers. “Tuna.”
“Thanks, babe.” She pats my hand.
“So, back to me,” Amanda says with a smile. “Why haven’t you read it?”
“I don’t know,” I shrug. “It just feels weird. Graham’s people read it to make sure I was presented the way they expected. I don’t really care what people write about me, so I didn’t read it.”
“Well, you look great. How does it feel to have your picture on the cover?”
“Yeah, Henry, how does it feel?” I ask. They put one of Henry’s photo from my and Graham’s wedding on the cover of the magazine.
“It’s weird, but I’m not going to say I wasn’t excited about it. I really like that picture, too.” He says taking a bite of calamari.
“We love all of the pictures. You did a fantastic job.”
“I know. I would love if you would take mine and Adam’s pictures,” Jules says.
“You’re having a huge wedding. I think it might be too large of a job for me.”
“Just think about it.” She sets her water down. “I haven’t see anyone capture the bride like you can.”
“So, Joy.” I smile at her like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland. “How are things with you and Teague?”
She blushes and a large smile sidles across her cheeks. “Emme, you know I have to listen to it every time you tease Teague about it.”
“If anything, I’m helping him put words to what is going on. So, what is going on?”
“I don’t know.” It’s her turn to shrug. “We really enjoy each other’s company. He makes me laugh, which I love. He’s great in bed, which I love.”
“Sometimes I think you all forget I’m not a girl,” Henry mumbles over our laughter.
“No we don’t. We just know you’re manly enough to handle girly lunch conversations. Besides, you’re not the least bit curious about Joy’s sex life?” Amanda asks.
“Can’t say that I am.” He tilts his beer bottle at us before taking a sip.
“Well, it’s what we do. We talk about you and Holly,” she informs him, reaching up to pat him on the back when he chokes on his beer.
“Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
“Maybe we should leave Henry at the office and invite Holly next time,” I tease, pleased by his countenance.
“Well I don’t mind telling you that Drew and I have been burning up the sheets,” Amanda tells us.
“Really?” I ask. “Drew?”
“Don’t be so shocked. He’s the best sex I’ve ever had.”
“No, I can easily see that. I’m just happy to hear it. Drew is usually a one-night kind of guy. You might have tamed the untamable.” I raise my glass to her. “Congratulations. Not an easy feat.” We all lean back for the waiters to deliver our food.
“I know.” She almost looks hopeful that I’m right. “I really thought it would be a one-time thing. You know, the obligatory wedding hook-up. But then he called me the next day and we’ve been seeing each other since.”
“I’m happy for you and for Drew. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me to introduce you sooner.” I snag a bite of Jules’ tuna.
“So what’s the story with Blaine?” Henry asks.
“He emailed me last week. He’s in Germany. Everything seems to be going okay.”
I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have a normal lunch with friends, talking about things that are light and fun. No stress over the daily grind that has been my life lately.
“So.” Jules says after the others leave to go back to work. “Want to talk about it?”
“Not really. I’m sick of talking about it. I feel like my life has been hijacked. And truly the worst thing is that I am complaining about it. My worst day is someone’s best day. I’m married to a man who will provide generational wealth to our family.”
“You and I both know money isn’t everything.” Jules spoon slides into a lemon meringue pound cake.
“No, it’s not, but it makes it hard to complain about things. All my needs are met. I’m loved. I’m blessed. Try this.” I feed her a taste of my blueberry tart. It mixes with her lemon which makes it too tart. She scrunches her nose up.
“I went from being totally on my own to having two fathers. I have Adam, a brother who is never shy about giv
ing his opinion. I have two moms. Teague who has become as protective as ever. It just feels like I’m in over my head, I guess. It’s hard to describe it.”
“You are in over your head.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“I never promised to shit you, kiddo. You’ve had an extreme amount of change in a short amount of time. You own half of Taylor organization. You don’t wake up one morning knowing how to handle that. You have to be taught. Graham made mistakes along the way. You don’t have the advantage of learning as you go. You’re getting a crash course. The beauty of it is you can write your own destiny. Decide for yourself. I know Graham can be an alpha male, but I also know he only wants what you want. But you have to tell him. If you don’t know, how can you expect him to?”
“I wonder if people sit around and give Graham advice on how to do better? That’s all I’m getting.”
“If you came looking for sympathy, you came to the wrong place. Suck it up. You need to command what you want, and the others will fall over themselves making your dreams happen. Not a bad place to be.”
I laugh, wiping meringue off her nose. “You’re right.”
“So what is it you want to do?” She looks at me, actually expecting an answer.
“I’ll let you know as soon as I figure it out.” I put my card down to cover the check, realizing that I didn’t have to check my account balance before we came to eat.
“Hey. What do you think about Graham’s proposal to back your designs and me run the business side?”
“It scares the shit out of me.” Jules says.
“Why? You have the talent.”
“You decide what you want to do, then we’ll tackle me.” She kisses me on the cheek as we exit the restaurant.
“You need a ride home?”
“No, this is Marvin.” She points over her shoulder. “He’s my new Teague. He’ll drive me.”
“You’re being awfully accommodating,” I tease her.
“Just learning to play nice with others.” She’s smiles wickedly and I’m sure there is a story there I will hear about later.
