The After of Us (Judge Me Not Spin-off)

by S. R. Grey

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “Yep.”

  He looks pretty damn happy himself, so I add, “You seem happy, too. Looks like both our days have been awesome.”

  He narrows the gap between us and leans down so our lips are close. “Let’s make things even better.”

  He then kisses me.

  And after a truly breathtaking kiss—Will’s an amazing kisser—I murmur, “Wow. Do you think I’ll ever get tired of those lips of yours?”

  Chuckling, he says, “I hope not.” Leading me over to the sofa, he adds, “Anyway, like I mentioned in the voicemail, I have something I need to tell you.”

  On the coffee table in front of the sofa lies the printout of the agent’s response, the one I can’t wait to share with Will.

  But not yet.

  When I sit down, I snatch up the letter so Will doesn’t see it before I have a chance to explain how it came to be.

  With the letter grasped in my hand, blank-side up, I say, “I actually have something to share with you, too.”

  Will takes a seat beside me. “Okay,” he says, glancing at the letter. “Is that it?”

  “Yes. And I hope you won’t be mad when you see what’s on it.”

  He suddenly looks panicked as he asks, “Why would I be mad over what’s on a piece of paper?”

  Poor guy probably thinks it’s a positive pregnancy test result after having been blindsided by Cassie. But he needn’t be concerned; that’s well covered on my end.

  “It’s nothing bad,” I assure him. “In fact, it’s great news. I just don’t want you to hate me for going behind your back.” I pause, and then say, “Just know I did this with the best intentions. I only want you to be happy, Will.”

  In a low voice, complete with a melt-me-now smile, Will says, “I am happy, Emma.”

  I start to hand him the agent’s letter, but he stills my hand. “Wait. Let me tell you my news first.”

  “Okay.”

  He inhales deeply, exhales slowly, and then blurts out in a rush, “I’m staying, Emma. Right here in Harmony Creek. New York—or any other city, for that matter—is permanently out. You’re stuck with me now, babe.”

  I twist to face him more fully. “What? No way! Will, this really is amazing news.”

  Joy and relief wash over me, and all I want to do is tackle him and hug him like crazy. But I have to restrain myself and wait for him to finish.

  “It’s true, I’m staying.” He smiles over at me. “I called the recruiter and cancelled everything. No more back and forth crap, I promise. I’m making a commitment, Emma, to you. And I know in doing so that I’m also doing what’s best for my daughter.”

  Now I have to hug him, it’s no longer a choice.

  The piece of paper falls from my hand and ends up smooshed between our bodies. “Oh, wait.”

  I pull back so I can retrieve the crumpled letter.

  “What the hell is on that thing, anyway?” Will wants to know.

  Instead of going through the whole story, I simply hand it to him.

  He looks down at the letter, murmuring three shocked “wows” as he reads. When he’s done, he doesn’t look up. He just stares down at the paper.

  “You’re mad, aren’t you?” I say softly.

  Will shakes his head, but his lips are pressed together in a tight line. I don’t know what to think.

  “Will, please, say something,” I implore.

  I watch as he swallows hard. But still, he remains quiet.

  Sighing heavily, and suspecting a grim response, despite the shake of his head, I try to explain. “I know I shouldn’t have gone behind your back. But Will, your work is so damn good. And I was so afraid you’d given up on pursuing what you once told me was your dream—”

  “It is my dream, Emma. Not was.”

  Though he’s speaking now, his gaze remains on the letter.

  But then he looks over at me, and his greens are wet with unshed tears. “I’m not mad you took the initiative,” he tells me. “I’m just stunned that after all the shit I put you through, you still cared enough about me to do something like this.”

  In a whisper, I reply, “It’s because I love you, Will Gartner. With all my heart, and all my soul, I love you, you stubborn man.”

  Will

  And right there, with those words, Emma shows me what love really is.

  “I love you, too,” I tell her as I wrap my arms around her.

  And then I promise what I know she needs to hear. “I will always stay with you, Emma. You are my and Lily’s future.”

  She chokes up, but behind the tears, there is joy. “Oh, Will.”

  Emma leans her head on my shoulder, and I hold her close to me. We stay like that for a long time, merely content with one another’s presence. It was always so simple, this answer I sought. How could I not have seen it sooner?

  I’m what Emma needs, and she’s it for me. Who knew I’d discover what I needed all along was right here in Harmony Creek the whole time?

  Life certainly works in mysterious ways sometimes.

  The next couple of weeks are a whirlwind of activity, all of it good. Emma and I take Lily school shopping with the big first day looming.

  The night before kindergarten is set to begin, I ask Lily, “You ready for your first day of real school?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  We’re gathered in Chase and Kay’s living room, with my brother and his wife. Emma is here too, and Jack and Sarah, of course.

  Jack, reveling in his one-grade-ahead status, assures Lily, “Don’t worry. Lily. I’ll watch out for you.”

  Chase pats his son approvingly on the head. “That’s my boy.”

  Not to be outdone, Sarah pipes in with, “I take care of you too, Illy.”

  That prompts Kay to applaud Sarah for her own protective streak. “That’s my girl,” she says, side-eyeing Chase.

  Chase and I burst out laughing.

  Laughing is something I seem to do a lot more of these days. And why wouldn’t I? Life is good, really good.

  And it just keeps getting better.

  After speaking with the agent who liked my work, I ended up signing a really great deal with a big publisher and a big advance. It’s not enough money to give up freelancing completely, but I can cut down on my hours working for Chase.

  “Concentrate on your future, bro,” Chase said when I inked the deal. “Just know if you ever need the extra work, it’s here.”

  I thanked him, as it’s always wise to have a backup plan to fill in the unexpected gaps.

  Another thing Chase helped me with was my preparation to finally break the news to our mother that I have a daughter.

  “She’s not going to be mad,” he kept assuring me. “You’re not a teenage kid anymore.”

  “I know, I know,” I’d reply. “I just hope she forgives me for not calling her as soon as I found out.”

  “That’s the last thing she’s going to be worried about, Will.”

  Chase turned out to be right. When I made the dreaded call, just a few days ago, Abby wasn’t even angry. She wasn’t even mad about me not taking the job in New York City. She was too overjoyed with the news of Lily to feel any disappointment that I scrapped the business-man plan.

  After learning about Lily, and taking a moment to digest it all, my mother’s first words were, “That’s it. I’m checking my schedule and flying out to Ohio to meet my granddaughter. I want to come as soon as possible. When would be a good time?”

  Since I have Chase backing me, not to mention Emma’s full support, I told my mother, “Anytime you want, Mom.”

  We currently have a date set for her to visit in late September.

  When I let Lily know she’ll be meeting my mom—her grandmother—real soon, she asked me, “What about my other nana? What happen to her?”

  She meant Cassie’s mom. Mrs. Sutter watched Lily for a long time when Cassie was MIA, so it was no surprise to learn Lily still thinks about her.

  “Do you mis
s your other nana?” I asked her.

  She nodded. “Sometimes I do”

  I decided then and there to hire a private investigator to search for Lily’s maternal grandmother.

  I’d like to talk with Cassie’s mom anyway, to see what we can do about getting Cassie into rehab. I don’t ever plan on giving Lily back, but if Cass cleaned up her act, I’d consider letting her see her daughter from time to time. I know it’d be in Lily best interest if she could have her real mom in her life.

  Before all that can happen, however, I need one thing to be official—I want full custody of Lily.

  The next day, I hire a second PI to find Cassie in Las Vegas, so she can sign over full custody to me. I’m not taking any chances that, on a whim, Cassie may have an urge to snatch Lily away from me.

  That is just not ever going to happen.

  A week later, I get good news. The PI has found Cassie rather easily, and—surprise, surprise—she’s signed the papers, no questions asked.

  “How was she?” I ask the investigator when he returns with the signed documents.

  “Strung out,” he tells me.

  “How bad was it?”

  “Pretty bad.”

  I shake my head.

  A few days later, the first private eye I hired calls in to inform me he has located Cassie’s mother. Mrs. Sutter lives in Denver these days.

  When I give her a call, and after she expresses great shock to hear from me after all these years, she tentatively asks if I know about Lily.

  “Yes,” I tell her. “Cassie finally told me.”

  “I’m sorry I never looked you up and told you,” she says, sounding bereft.

  Sighing, I say, “Water under the bridge.”

  Fighting back tears, she asks, “Do you happen to know where Lily is? I know Cassie returned to Nevada with her, but I haven’t heard from my daughter in months. She called me once, a long time ago, but I couldn’t understand a word of what she was going on and on about. When I tried to call her back, the number she called from had been disconnected.”

  I let Mrs. Sutter know that Lily is safe and with me, and then I inform her, “I have full custody now.”

  She releases a relieved breath. “Oh, thank God, Will. Just, thank God.” Tentatively, she adds, “Would it be all right if I fly out to Ohio to see Lily sometime?”

  “I think Lily would love that,” I reply softly.

  We then discuss the situation with Cassie.

  “I know where she is, at least for the moment,” I tell Mrs. Sutter. “If you want to talk to your daughter, I can give you a working number.”

  “Thank you, Will,” she says.

  We agree to work together to try and talk Cassie into going back to rehab.

  Mrs. Sutter warns me, though, “Don’t get your hopes up, Will. Cassie’s been down this rehab road so many times. And, unfortunately, for all involved, my daughter always goes back to a life with drugs. If having Lily couldn’t keep her sober, I don’t know what ever will.”

  “Still,” I maintain, “we have to try.”

  But when Mrs. Sutter flies to Vegas, after Cassie agrees to visit and talk with her, Cassie bails on the meeting. She then disappears completely from the radar. Deeper into the druggie life, I fear.

  “That could’ve been me,” I say to Emma one evening, after informing her that Cassie’s gone MIA.

  We’re out to dinner, on our weekly date night, a routine made possible when Chase and Kay are available to babysit Lily.

  From across the table, Emma says softly, “Don’t say that, Will. You never would’ve gotten to that point.”

  I’ve told Emma everything, including all the unsavory details from my past, and she still accepts me for me. Amazing.

  “Do you know how much I appreciate you being in my life?” I say, changing the subject.

  “Will, stop.”

  She blushes, and I have to laugh. I’m always gushing over Emma these days. I love doting on her, to the point where she’s at a loss for words. It’s cute when she gets all flustered by the flattery I bestow on her. I just want to make sure she knows how committed I am to her. I feel like I jerked her around way too much the first couple of months of our relationship.

  Well, not anymore. Emma now gets the full-on I’m-completely-in-love-with-you version of Will.

  “It’s true,” I continue. “With you in my life, I’m finally the man I always wanted to be.”

  “The man you always wanted to be was there all along,” she says.

  “Still, you helped me find him, babe.”

  After dinner, we head back to my place. Not to have sex—we have a lot of that, trust me. No, tonight, we’re planning a quiet end-of-evening spent with Lil.

  After we pick up my daughter at the farmhouse, the three of us begin the short walk over to my apartment. Along the way, Lily tells us all about some old board games she and Sarah found in the attic of the farmhouse. She then proceeds to tell us how they also came upon a “big, scary spider” in one of the dusty boxes.

  “Jack brave. He caught it and set it free out a window,” Lily informs us.

  “Oh, that Jack, he sure is a hero,” Emma teases. “I bet Uncle Chase was proud as could be.”

  “He was p-woud,” Lily replies excitedly. “He say Jack saved us.”

  “Ah, saving damsels in distress,” I interject. “Something we Gartner men are good at doing. It’s great to hear Jack’s getting a head start on the family legacy.”

  Lily loses interest in my blustering and runs ahead, leaving me alone with Emma.

  Bumping her hip to mine, Emma says flirtatiously, “Hmm, you’ve been known to save me a few times here and there, Will Gartner.”

  “Oh, is that so?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Well, you, my love, do the same for me. Like, every fucking day of my life.”

  It’s true, Emma does save me. She grounds me, keeps me on course.

  In my living room, all three of us curl up on the couch and pick out a movie to watch. Well, Lil picks out the movie. Doesn’t matter that it’s the same cartoon flick I’ve seen a dozen times already with her. What matters is that I’m watching this show with my daughter and Emma.

  When the movie ends, Lily takes my hand. And then she picks up Emma’s hand.

  Pressing our hands together, with hers wedged in the middle, she says, “I love you, Daddy.”

  “I love you too, sweetheart.”

  Turning to Emma, she states, “I love you too, Mommy.”

  Emma’s eyes flicker to mine as she replies, “Love you too, Lily.”

  This is the first time Lily has ever left off “Emma” when calling her “Mommy.” I nod and let Emma know with my eyes that I’m fine with Lily referring to her as her mom. She’s certainly a better mother to my daughter than her biological mom has been, and that’s what matters.

  After clearing my throat, I say, “Hey, Lil, I have an idea.”

  “What, Daddy?”

  My eyes meet Emma’s, and with our hands still entwined, I say, “What do you think about Mommy moving in with us?”

  Emma’s bright blues widen. “Really, Will?”

  “Yes. If it’s okay with you and Lil?”

  “Of course it’s okay,” she whispers, smiling. “It’s more than okay.”

  “So, what do you think, Lily?” I ask, peering down at my smiling daughter. “You okay with that plan, too?”

  Lily nods enthusiastically. “Yes, yes! I want Mommy with us all the time.” And then, looking at Emma, and then at me, she asks, “Are we a family now, Daddy?”

  “Yes, Lily, we sure are.”

  I guess what they say is true—dreams really can come true.

  Will

  All my dreams have come true, and I count myself a lucky man.

  Emma moved in with Lily and me a week after the decision to do so was made. And a couple of months later, we bought a small ranch house together. Not far from Chase and Kay and the kids, our new home is located on a nice pi
ece of land, with lots of room for Lily to play.

  Unfortunately, Cassie is still not in Lily’s life. She resurfaced, and I tried to make her see reason—her mother tried, too—but nothing we said or did got through to her.

  Maybe someday things will change.

  Lily, thank God, thrives regardless. She no longer asks about her “real” mother. As far as she’s concerned, she has a father and mother who love her, and two grandmothers who fly out to see her—and spoil the hell out of her—every chance they get.

  And then there’s me.

  I’ve grown a lot since finding out about Lily. My daughter showing up in my life helped me discover the life I was truly meant to lead. It sure is funny how things like that work, but work it did for me.

  And there’s more…

  By finally following my true passion—authoring graphic novels—my one-time dream has become my career.

  By finally trusting my instincts, I’ve become a really good father to Lily.

  And by finally opening my heart, I found love with Emma.

  So, what have I learned?

  I’ve learned that sometimes you have to take a chance, follow your heart, and stop fighting that which is meant to be.

  Let your dreams lead you to the happiness you deserve.

  S.R. Grey is an Amazon Top 100 and Barnes & Noble #1 Bestselling author. She is the author of the popular Judge Me Not series, the new Promises series, the Inevitability duology, A Harbour Falls Mystery trilogy, and the Laid Bare series of novellas. Ms. Grey’s works have appeared on several Amazon Bestseller lists, including Top 100 multiple times, as well as #1 on Barnes & Noble Bestselling Nook books list.

  Ms. Grey resides in Pennsylvania. When not writing, Ms. Grey can be found reading, traveling, running, or cheering for her hometown sports teams.

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