CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
BILLIE
My hand is still in Emmett’s and resting on the stick shift when he pulls up along the sidewalk outside my apartment building and puts the car into park.
Other than a conversation about Blake, we haven’t talked any more about us.
Letting Emmett know that it was okay for him to choose his own peace of mind and respect for my dad over me was the right thing to do, even if it hurt like hell to say it. The Billie before the heartbreak of Tucker would’ve clung on to Emmett with everything she had, and at times, that was exactly what I wanted to do. Difficult lessons over the past few months have taught me that no matter how hard you try or how much you crave a person to be in your life, it’s ultimately them who has to want you. And while Emmett is nothing like my ex-boyfriend, I need to accept that, in the end, he might not choose me.
The bright afternoon sky has turned overcast, an apt reflection of the mood settling between us.
Clearing his throat, Emmett squeezes my fingers inhis palm, and my hopeful brain interprets that as his reluctance to say goodbye.
“You’re like no other woman I’ve ever met.” His labored voice sounds like he’s underwater, fighting for air.
The urge to invite him upstairs feels strong, but I keep my counsel, waiting to see if he’ll add anything more.
Emmett tips his head over his shoulder, face full of awe when he smiles at a wide-eyed Blake as she peacefully observes us both from the back seat.
“I do drive you especially crazy.” I force out the words, desperate to bring some relief to the moment.
He chuckles at that, eyes dropping to our joined hands. “Not just crazy, Bill. Fully out of my mind. In more ways than you could possibly imagine.”
Silent screams of,Kiss me, pinball around in my brain when an ambulance shoots past us. I turn and stare through the windshield, where I see a guy with his back to us hovering at the entrance to my building.
He presses another button on the intercom and waits a few seconds, throwing his arms out to the sides in frustration.
“Let me help you both upstairs,” Emmett offers, no doubt having noticed him too.
Throwing the driver’s door open, Emmett rounds the car, and I climb out. He pushes my seat forward so he can unclip Blake’s car seat before shutting the door behind him.
We’re partway to my building when the first hit of dread slams into me, pulling me to an abrupt halt in the center of the road. Since Emmett wouldn’t recognize Tucker, he keeps walking, stepping onto the sidewalk with Blake secured in her car seat.
I know I need to keep moving forward and out of the road, but it feels like my feet are glued to the asphalt.
“Bill?”
Emmett’s call turns Tucker on his heel, and for the first time since I left Austin, heavily pregnant and with tears in my eyes, I come face-to-face with Blake’s father.
“Hey, Billie.”
The warmth in his greeting is not what I expected, and neither is the smile that tugs at his lips, revealing cute dimples that once drew me in but now make my stomach roll like I ate spoiled food.
Forcing my legs to move, I join everyone on the sidewalk, eyes flicking to Emmett’s face. Contrary to Tucker, his homicidal expression is exactly how I anticipated if he ever laid eyes on my ex-boyfriend.
Jaw ticcing, eyes burning, Emmett takes a protective step toward me.
“Why are you here, Tucker?” I work to keep my voice steady, keying in the code to my building while being sure to hide it from Tucker.
He follows me inside, and Emmett and Blake are close behind as I start hastily climbing the stairs.
When we reach my front door, I pause with the key in the lock, eyes back on Emmett as he stands behind Tucker, wearing the same murderous expression as before.
Tucker nods expectantly at my door, waiting for me to let him in.
While I was always aware that he could show up unannounced since my address was available in the child support documentation we both signed, I honestly never envisioned a time when he would.
“I’m here to talk,” Tucker eventually answers, like I haven’t already figured that one out. “And who the hell is he?” He motions to Emmett.
