Fighting for Us Page 11

  Pulling me back to bed, Emmy climbs in next to me, laying her head on my chest. Running my fingers through her soft hair, we fall back to sleep.

  CHAPTER 14

  Emerson

  “HEY, MOM,” I GREET, stepping into the cafe. Meeting my mom on my lunch break was the best idea, and I’m so glad to see her. Work and life have just been so busy, and now with this investigation into the guy who tried to take Lily, we haven’t had even a moment to relax.

  “There’s my girl.” Standing from the corner table, my mom comes to wrap me in a tight hug. Breathing in her familiar scent, I sit across from her and a waiter comes over with a menu.

  “Can I just get a large coffee and one of your breakfast croissants?” Smiling, I hand him the menu as Mom orders her own food.

  Once the waiter leaves, Mom turns to me, her eyes bright. “So, how is life, Emmy? Anything new and exciting going on?”

  “Not really. Levi has been really on edge with them not having any leads.”

  “That’s awful. How is Lily doing?”

  “Better. No more nightmares since last week, thank God.”

  When I called my mom a couple weeks ago, she was frantic when I recounted the events to her. She came over to Levi’s one night for dinner with us when Dad had a late showing, and she made sure we knew we had their full support. Not shocking, since my parents are amazing. Levi’s parents are the same. We’re both so lucky.

  “I’m glad.”

  “Oh, and I do have some news,” I tell her, grinning widely.

  “Spill.”

  “Levi asked me to move in.”

  I steel myself for her concern, but instead I’m met with a huge genuine smile, and she reaches across the table for my hands.

  “I’m happy for you, sweetheart. Levi is a good man.”

  “He really is. It’s funny, I was thinking the other day that ever since high school, I’ve been kind of a loner. Not a weirdo or anything, so don’t you laugh. But school has always been my priority, and work at the hospital. I love my girls there, but we all have busy lives and we’re lucky to have hung out once a month.”

  “What’s wrong with that, Em? Putting work and school first is important.”

  “No, I just mean that now my priorities are changing and I’m worried about it.”

  Our food arrives a moment later, and after thanking our waiter, we dig in.

  “Talk to me, honey. What’s wrong with things changing? Are you having doubts about Levi? Do you not want to move in with him?”

  “No, oh my gosh, no. I love Levi, and my life has only gotten better since he and Lily have become a part of it. I’m just worried that going to school and my job are only going to make me busier as the year goes on, and I won’t have time for them. And then once I finish school, I have to decide if I’ll try to stay there or if I’ll have to go work in the city. That’s an hour away, you know?”

  “Sounds to me like you want to be with Levi, and be a mother to his little girl.”

  “I really do, Mom. I don’t know, it’s crazy, right? All these years, working toward my dream job, and yet I have another one standing right in front of me.”

  Giving me a serious look, Mom pushes her plate to the side and stares at me, giving me a serious look. “Okay, then let’s figure this out. If you dropped out of school right now, how would you feel?”

  “Like a failure. I’ve worked really hard and have spent so much money.”

  “Okay. Now, what if you quit your job and only went to school?”

  “Well, I guess I could do that, but then how do I pay for everything?”

  “I’m sure you have enough in savings for the rest of this school year. Then you can start working right after graduation.”

  “But I love my job.”

  Running my index finger along the rim of my mug, my eyes burn with tears at the hopelessness I’m feeling. I want to spend more time with Levi and Lily, but I also don’t want to give up the things I love. I know being a parent and a spouse means sacrificing things to make the others happy, but I don’t think Levi would ever ask me to do anything that made me unhappy.

  “Em?” Mom smiles at me and squeezes my hand. “When you get off work, talk to your boyfriend. I know you’d like to be there more, but you have to make yourself happy too, you know? Maybe moving in with him and that sweet girl will make things easier. But trust me, you have to talk to him. Don’t decide anything without talking to him.”

  Agreeing, we get back to our food, and I start to feel a little better. I don’t spend nearly enough one-on-one time with my mother anymore and I really needed it today. When I get home, I’ll wait until it’s bedtime for Lily, and then Levi and I can talk. I’m not sure what kind of decision we’ll come to, but we’ll do it together.

  Lily went to bed twenty minutes ago, and I’m trying to get these dishes finished. I came home from work today much less stressed than when I went in. Levi had already started dinner, so I read books with Lily and just enjoyed a simple evening with them. I’m supposed to move my stuff in here in a couple weeks, so Levi had keys made up for me to just come and go. He says this was home for me the second I agreed to move in.

  Loading the last plate in the dishwasher, I close my eyes when Levi’s arms wrap around my waist, his lips pressed against the back of my neck.

  “Hi, baby,” he says quietly. His lips trail around my neck until I turn my face, capturing his mouth with mine. Breaking the kiss, I turn back to wipe the counter and then turn to face him, drying my hands on a dish towel.

  “Hi, yourself. Where’d you go?”

  “Threw a load of laundry in.”

  “Oh. Levi, can we talk for a few minutes?”

  “You know it.”

  I follow him into the living room and we plop down onto the sofa together, me throwing my legs across his lap. Levi runs his hands up and down my legs, his eyes on me.

  “What’s going on, Em?”

  “Well, Mom and I got lunch today on my break, and I told her about how I’m going to be moving in, and it got me thinking.”

  “Talk to me, baby. What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

  “Well, between school and work, I’m hardly home with you and Lily, and I know moving in won’t change my schedule. And I hate feeling like I have to choose between my life and you two.” Sitting up, I turn so I’m facing Levi, and he throws his arm over the back of the couch to pull me closer to him.

  “I would never ask you to choose, babe.”

  “I know. So I was thinking about quitting my job so I could be home every day, but how am I supposed to pay my way?”

  “Don’t even think about money, Em. If that’s what you want to do, you have my support one hundred percent.”

  “But I can’t let you have all the financial responsibility, Levi. That’s not okay with me.”

  “Em, I can handle it.”

  “Well, I decided what I’m gonna do.”

  Levi leans forward to brush my hair off my face, his fingers lingering along my cheek.

  “What’s that?”

  “I already let my supervisor know, but I’m dropping down to part-time. I’ll only work Monday through Thursday. That way, I can have all of Friday with Lily and then be home on the weekends. My rate won’t change, so I’ll still make enough money.”

  Getting up on my knees, I straddle Levi and his hands settle on my lower back. Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I drop my forehead to his.

  “So I get more time with my girl?” he mumbles, running his nose down the side of my neck.

  Nodding, I clasp the sides of his face, placing a gently kiss to his forehead.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay with this.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be, Em? All I want is for you to be happy. And if dropping some hours does that, then so be it, Hell, you could have told me you were dropping out of school and planned to spend all day every day in my bed and I’d have been game.”

  Laughing loudly, I drop my head back,
shaking it at him.

  “Really?”

  “Well no. I don’t want you to leave school. I know how important it is to you, so it’s important to me too. But really, baby, I support you no matter what.”

  “I love you, Levi.”

  “Love you too. Now do you mind? It’s been a long day and I’d really like to take you upstairs so I can make love to you. That okay with you?”

  “Mmm. Yes, sir,” I joke, saluting him with a wink.

  Growling at me, he lifts me and tosses me over his shoulder, smacking me hard on the ass as he carries me up the stairs. We fall onto the bed in a heap and in minutes, all serious talk is forgotten.

  “Nana, can we play Barbies now?” A couple nights later, we’re sitting around the kitchen table with Scott and Abby, Levi’s parents. We invited them over for dinner to tell them the news about me moving in, and needless to say they were absolutely thrilled with it.

  “Sure, honey. Just let me grab the dishes first.” Abby stands and starts to gather plates, but Levi grabs them from her and kisses her cheek.

  “Mom, no. Go play with Lily bug. No cleaning for you tonight.”

  Swatting Levi on the arm, Abby leaves the room laughing, Lily running next to her.

  Taking a sip of my wine, I watch them go with a smile. Levi collects the dishes and carries them over to the sink. I offer Scott more wine, and he holds his glass out to me.

  “I gotta say, Emerson, I haven’t seen my son this happy in a very long time.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Taking a sip, he swirls the wine in his glass before placing it down on the table.

  “Lily is the magic in our lives. Always has been. But even before Dana got pregnant, Levi wasn’t happy with her. Not truly, anyway. I see the same light in his eyes that I have in mine for my Abigail. My boy loves you. I hope you know that.”

  Blushing, I look down at the table. “I know he does. And I love him too. Especially that little girl of his. She’s incredible.”

  “She is. And she needs a momma.”

  “Well, she’s got one,” I whisper, feeling tears well up in my eyes. With a smile, Scott stands from the table and comes around it to me.

  “Welcome to our family, Emerson,” he says, dropping a hand to my shoulder. He squeezes and leaves the room, heading out to his wife and granddaughter.

  I’m sitting in silence when Levi comes back into the room a few moments later, grabbing the rest of the dirty dishes. He notices the tear that falls down my cheek and rushes around the table, dropping to his knees in front of me. Wiping it away, he grabs my hands and holds them in my lap.

  “What is it, baby?”

  “I love your dad,” I say softly, giving him a watery smile.

  “That’s a good thing, although I may have to kick his ass for making you cry.”

  “Good tears, Levi. I promise.” Leaning forward, I kiss him, giggling when he pulls away. “I’m such a freaking mess lately. So much has happened.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. But I think everything is going to be okay. As long as we stick together, we can handle anything, Em.”

  And I know he’s right. Life is perfect right now, and I couldn’t ask for more.

  CHAPTER 15

  Levi

  “SO, WHAT’S ON THE agenda today?” I ask Emmy, pouring us both a cup of coffee. Thank God tomorrow is Friday, because I am in serious need of a weekend with my girls. I’ve been thinking about a spontaneous journey into the city, complete with dinner out and a trip to the American Girl store for Lily. Standing next to me, Emmy is already in her pink scrubs, blonde hair in a messy-looking bun thing.

  “Well, I have class in about an hour, and then I have a clinical at the ER until six tonight. Do you have any appointments today?” She takes a drink of coffee and then hands Lily a plate with her waffles.

  “Yeah, three. I should be out of work around two or three, depending on how long the last session takes. It’s a huge arm piece, so we’ll see.”

  Nodding, Emmy kisses Lily on the top of the head and comes to kiss me as well.

  “I’m gonna leave early so I can get a good parking spot. Thank you for the coffee. I’ll see you later tonight.”

  Kissing her temple, I squeeze her to me.

  “Love you, Em.”

  “Love you too.”

  Emmy goes rushing from the room, and I’m left alone with my princess.

  “Eat your breakfast, baby. We gotta go to Nana’s soon, okay?”

  “Okay, Daddy.”

  Pulling down a box of cereal, I pour myself some breakfast and sit across from Lily. Scrubbing a hand through my hair, I make a mental note to check hotel prices in my downtime at work. They’re going to be so excited. I mean yeah, I’ll be spending a hundred bucks on a doll, but Lily is my everything. So is Emmy. They deserve a nice weekend away.

  Thirty minutes later, we’re in my truck heading to my parents’. Lily is chattering on about something that happened on Paw Patrol this morning, and I have no idea what any of it means. But she’s excited and happy, and that’s all I care about.

  Pulling in the driveway a few minutes later, I shut off my truck and turn to look at Lily in the back seat.

  “Hey, Lily bug. You want to help Daddy plan a surprise for Emmy?”

  “Oh yes, Daddy! Yay!” Clapping, she giggles and dances, and I can’t help laughing. She’s so excited and doesn’t even realize what she’s gonna get to do.

  “Okay. Let’s get you inside to Nana and I’ll tell you all about it, okay?”

  We walk hand in hand into my parents’ house, and when I finish telling her about going into the city and spending the night in a hotel room, she’s almost giddy. Kissing her goodbye, I hand her off to my mom and head into work.

  Yeah, this weekend is going to be perfect.

  “You’re all set, man. Just make sure to keep it dry, and no scratching it. If you need anything, just give me a call. Here’s my card. You can always reach me on my cell.”

  I hand my client my business card, he shakes my hand, and then I’m left alone in the lobby with Sydney. Looking over at her typing, an idea forms in my head.

  “Hey, Syd?”

  She looks up at me and stops whatever she’s doing.

  “What’s up, broski?”

  “Really? Must you call me that?”

  “Well, I wanted to call you ‘giant pain in the ass,’ but I figured that was rude.”

  “Fuck off, Sydney.”

  Laughing, she gets up from the desk and comes over to me. “What do you need, Levi?”

  “I want to take Lily and Emmy away this weekend, go into the city for dinner, check out that American Girl doll store. Do you know what the best hotel is? I haven’t had to book a hotel in like years, and I want the best for them.”

  “That’s really sweet. How about this? You give me your credit card and I’ll get you guys all booked up. Your next appointment should be here soon.”

  Draping my arm over her shoulder, I lean down to kiss the top of Sydney’s head.

  “Thanks, Syd. I love you.”

  “Love you too, big brother.”

  Leaving her alone, I head back to my room so I can get cleaned up and have it ready. When everything is taken care of, I pull out my phone to call Emmy, but she doesn’t answer. Not too worried about it, I get back to my own work when my client walks in five minutes later. This is the final appointment of the day, but I have no idea how long it will take.

  Better get started.

  Four and a half hours. Jesus God. It should’ve been two hours tops, but the guy kept needing breaks and then would want to reschedule. Sometimes I think I picked the wrong career because fuck me, I wanted to wring his neck and tell him to either get lost or man the fuck up. It’s a tattoo, not open-heart surgery. Whatever.

  Cade didn’t have any appointments today, so it was just me and Syd all day. As I’m heading out to the lobby, she comes over to me with my card and a piece of paper.

  “You’re
all set. Tomorrow night at the Hilton you check in, and checkout is eleven in the morning Saturday. There are like seven restaurants within five miles, and the store you’re taking Lily to is three blocks away. Have fun, Levi.” Kissing me on the cheek, she grabs her purse and swings out the door, waving as she goes.

  Shaking my head, I look down at the paper she gave me, unable to help the shit-eating grin. They’re going to be so excited.

  Sticking my Visa back in my wallet, I fold the paper and stuff it into my back pocket. Locking up behind me, I head to get Lily, ready for Em to come home from work. I didn’t talk to her all day and I’m worried.

  I’m standing in the kitchen, Lily coloring at the table while I stir the pasta on the stove. It’s almost seven and I still haven’t talked to Em. To say I’m concerned is an understatement.

  Pouring the pasta into the strainer, I’m just adding the sauce to the pan when I hear the front door open and then close. Dropping the wooden spoon, I rush out to the living room, thanking the heavens above when I see Emmy.

  “Shit, baby.” Striding forward, I scoop her into my arms, burying my face in her neck.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” Pulling back, Em is looking up at me with a frown.

  “What’s wrong? Why haven’t you answered any of my calls or texts? I’ve been worried, Em. It’s not like you to ignore me.”

  Understanding dawns in her eyes and she reaches up to grab my face, kissing me.

  “It died and I didn’t even think about it. Oh, Levi, I’m so sorry. They threw a surprise test at us today, and then on the way to work I got stuck in traffic behind an accident, so I was late. I worked right through my lunch break and only realized my cell was dead when I was leaving. I forgot to charge it last night.” She wraps her arms around my neck and I hug her tight.

  “It’s okay, I was just worried.”

  “I’m sorry,” she mumbles against my lips. Pulling away, she cups my cheek as she gives me an apologetic look.

  “Emmy, you home!” Lily comes running in the room, blonde hair flying everywhere. Emmy grabs her before she’s knocked over and settles Lily on her hip.