Emma’s good for me in these situations. Anyone else would have told me to back off, and I would have told them to mind their own business. But Em makes me see things differently. It’s another thing I love about her.
She looks down at our hands again as I pull up into our driveway. My truck is already here, and Sam waves. I nod at him, telling him to head in and grab Milo while staying in the car and turning to Emma. Gracie managed to fall asleep in her seat during the short drive, so it’s just me and Bunny. I can tell there’s something else she wants to say, so I wait until she’s ready.
“I’m also sorry about today,” she finally whispers.
“What are you sorry about?” I ask curiously. I’m not sure what she has to apologize for.
“For drinking more than I should have while having Gracie. I know I shouldn’t have done it, and I feel guilty leaving her with Sam to spend time with the girls.” She speaks in that low, insecure voice that I hate.
This isn’t the Emma I know. My Emma doesn’t let things reduce her to this tiny version of herself. But I recognize where this is coming from. Her mother. She’s thinking that her actions today resemble something her mother would do.
When I don’t say anything right away, her eyes snap to mine, and she nervously rushes out, “It won’t happen again. I promise.”
So that’s why she’s been nervous since we got in the car.She’s worried I’ll accuse her of being like her mom. Again.Because I put those doubts and fears in her head.
I cup her cheek with my free hand and bring her closer to me, kissing her lips delicately. “You aren’t your mother, Emma. What you did today wasn’t selfish or for your own needs. You did it because you had a friend who was hurting and you wanted to help them. You made sure Gracie was safe and in good hands. You never even technically left her side.”
“But I did. We went shopping. I left her with someone she barely knows to go shopping.” She says it like it would change things.
“Okay, so you left her for what? Two, three hours at most? Then what did you do? Did you come right back? Or did you go out for drinks or lunch?” I already know the answer, but I need her to realize that what she did was okay.
“Of course not. We came straight back, and she was napping most of the time I was gone.” She looks at me like I’m dumb for even suggesting she would do something like that. "I even calledSam while we were at the store to make sure everything was okay."
“Exactly. You came straight back home to your daughterandcalled to check in during your short trip. And what did you do when she woke up? Did you tell Sam to go fetch her without even saying hello?”
“What? No.” She shakes her head incredulously. “I told her I was back and kissed her plenty. Then Sam offered to take them out in the yard so that we could focus on Morgan a bit. He didn’t know exactly what was going on, but he could tell she was off.”
“See? You’re nothing like your mom. Because I’m pretty damn sure your mother would have left for her own selfish reasons and wouldn’t have returned until later that day. And even once she did, she wouldn’t have come to hug you or kiss you, letting you know she was home.”
I caress her cheek tenderly as I see the realization finally dawning on her. “And you didn’t leave her with a stranger, you left her in the hands of her caring nanny. I might have been against the idea of Sam at first, but I see how good he is with the kids, and they seem to love him just as much.”
I kiss her lips again, resting my forehead against hers. “You did nothing wrong, Bunny. You have no reason to be sorry. You’re the best mom our daughter could ask for.”
She lets go of my hand and wraps her arms around my neck, bringing herself as close as possible given our positions. Her mouth crashes to mine, tongue sliding in and twirling with mine. I feel her nipples hardening against my chest through our thin layers of clothing.
“I love you, Bunny,” I say between kisses as my hand tangles into her hair in a fist.
“Wolf,” she moans in return before pulling away. “Can we go inside now and tire Gracie out as much as possible so that she can go to sleep early tonight? I want to put on that skimpy dressand pretend it’s our wedding night. I even give you permission to rip it off my body,” she tells me in excitement.
This girl. She was fucking made for me.
Chapter forty-four
Greyson
We all want to spit in the old dirtbag’s tea.
~ The Next Day ~
I sent Emma away with the girls for a long spa day, lunch, and some shopping, as well as the hair and nail salon. Really, the whole treatment to make sure she would be gone all day. She protested at first since I had been away for two days prior, but I told her it was for the party with the whole team tonight and that I would make it up to her later once we got home.
Just like I did last night.
I didn’t end up ripping the dress, it was way too sexy on Emma to not want a repeat of that. But I did have a lot of fun pretending it was our wedding night, and I can’t wait for it to be the real deal.
The truth is, I have a little surprise for Emma, and I needed her out of the house to make it happen. The girls all know what’s going on, so they’ll interfere if she ever tries to cut their day short, and the guys all came over to help get it set up before she gets home.
It’s not a huge thing, but it involves painting, building furniture, and decorating, which isn’t something we guys are typically good at. But we have Clay, and his wife is an interior designer, so he knows a thing or two about it.
