We both knew that nothing good was going to come from this. I was a hair’s breadth away from saying fuck it all. I’d have taken Emery into my arms, keeping him safe from the outside world.
Except, that would do nothing to help him overcome his fears. He’d never learn to put his trust in me and Enzo, in a healthy way, if I were to do what I wanted.
As I expected, Emery didn’t eat more than a single bite. Enzo flat-out said he wasn’t going to eat, and I stomached a piece of toast.
The three of us were just a wonderful example of men who didn’t want to face the world.
Tomorrow, I’d let us be lazy and watch movies all day to make up for it.
“We need to get going,” Enzo declared, standing from the table. “Come on, baby.”
Emery, tears close to the surface, followed Enzo’s lead. It was easier for me to let the man take control. No words or actions from me would have done anything else to help the situation.
The three of us didn’t say a word as I locked the house behind us, then entered the house next door.
The place was just as it had been a few weeks ago—clean but empty. I left the front door open for Scarlett. She was always either right on time, or early. Today, I was betting early.
My own heartbeat was fast as I scanned the living room. I was ready to get this meeting over with.
Emery took a seat in the chair, Enzo kneeling before him. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but I was sure whatever it was, Emery wasn’t exactly listening.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” Scarlett greeted, entering the house.
I gave a nod, then began pacing the small space of the living room. I couldn’t decide what to do with my hands. One second, they were in my pockets. The next, they were folded over my chest, then running through my hair.
“Ryker?” Scarlett stopped in front of me. I nearly ran into her, figuring she’d have gone straight to Emery from the start. “You need to calm down. Emery seems to be going off your emotions. You pacing like a caged animal isn’t going to help him tonotfreak out.”
Oh. Right.
I took a deep breath, holding it in my lungs for a moment before releasing it.
“Good. Now, go talk him down. Looks like Enzo is barely keeping the boy on the ledge.”
Seeing Emery fighting to stay still on the chair and not rock, fear the only thing showing on his face, made my heart clench.
Cooling my expression and willing my stupid feelings to take a back seat, I slowly walked towards him.
“It’s okay, sugar.” I bent down to his level beside the arm of the chair. “I think I'm becoming the mother hen and worry for no reason.”
“I don’t think I can do this.” Emery’s small voice packed a punch to my gut.
“You can, Em. We won’t leave you. We’ll be right here the entire time.” Enzo answered before I could figure out what to say. “You’ve gotta at least try. I’d hate for this to haunt you later. If things don’t go well, then we’ll know where they stand.”
“He’s right,” I said, giving him a sad smile. “Youcantry. If you’ve had enough, say the word and we’ll step in.”
It was important to make sure Emery knew he could put a stop to it all. If he said the word, I wouldn’t hesitate to put a stop to it all right this second.
“I’ll be here, too.” Scarlett said. “You have the final say, Emery. In everything.”
Emery took a deep breath like I had earlier. A moment later, his eyes bounced between me and Enzo. Then, he gave the smallest of nods.
A second later, the doorbell rang, echoing through the house. Enzo gave me an encouraging smile before sitting right there on the floor.
It felt like I was walking to my grave as I opened the door.
I wasn’t sure what I was expecting as I pulled the door open, but it certainly wasn’t the two people stood there on the porch.
The lady had a full head of gray hair pinned back in a low bun, a hard face and a no-nonsense look about her. She was on the short side, which must have been where Emery got his height from.
