Hadley slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry,” she whispered, then dragged Emma farther up the trail. When we got to the top, Emma sucked in a breath as she spun around in a circle and took in the view.
“Oh my. This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.”
“It is,” Hadley and I said at the same time.
“Daddy, put the blanket out!”
Emma looked at me and lifted a brow in question.
“Early dinner of cold fried chicken and biscuits.”
“Yum,” Emma said as she rubbed her stomach.
She helped me get the blanket all spread out while Hadley took care of the food. While we ate, she talked a mile a minute about everything, from what she wanted to be for Halloween to the winter carnival the church was putting on. She also made plans to show Emma the indoor swimming pool at the community center as soon as possible.
Emma and I chatted about Hadley taking swim lessons at the center, and when she mentioned piano lessons, I thought Hadley was going to explode with excitement.
By the time we made it back down the trail, packed up the truck, and headed home, Hadley was fast asleep.
“If I had an ounce of her energy, I could power an entire city,” Emma said while looking back at Hadley.
“I totally agree. This age is amazing but it’s a lot.” I smiled over at her but then asked the question I’d been thinking about all day. “May I ask you something personal?”
Emma tensed like she always did when you asked her something about her life before Estes Park. “Sure.”
“Why didn’t you ever have kids? With your ex-husband.”
Turning to face forward, Emma stared out the window as if lost in thought, silent in her seat. I realized I’d asked the wrong question.
“Never mind, you don’t have to answer me. It’s none of my business, and you’ve already said you want to put your past behind you. I’m sorry.”
Her hands wrung in her lap for a good three minutes. She slowly took in a breath before she spoke. “I was pregnant once, and I lost the baby when I was twenty-four weeks along.”
My stomach lurched. “I’m so sorry, Emma.”
She gave me a smile that seemed to say she was sorry for makingmefeel uncomfortable. I’d never met a woman like her before. I was the jackass for asking a question that was clearly painful, and she’s the one who gives me an apologetic smile.
“It’s okay. I know now there was a reason why it happened.Everythinghappens for a reason. I truly believe that.”
“Was it early on in your marriage?”
She looked away from me and out the window. “Yes, it was.”
I closed my eyes and cursed at myself internally.
When I talked to Rose initially about Emma, she told me she’d already run a background check on her like she did for every client who comes through her office, and nothing criminal came up. I wanted to find out the bastard ex’s last name and run a background check onhim. It was abundantly clear he’d broken her down, that he was the reason she was starting over.
When Tammy had called me after the circle meeting and confirmed Emma’s ex was a Marine, the incident in the kitchen made sense. I wanted to pound the guy’s face in. It killed me not knowing what he’d done to her.
The rest of the drive back home was silent. Emma carried in the picnic items while I carried Hadley up to her room. I didn’t even bother changing her out of her clothes, I just let her crawl under the covers.
She only woke up long enough to tell me she loved me and asked me to tell Emma that she loved her too. The moment she said that, I panicked.
Then Hadley rolled over, grabbed her stuffed animal and whispered, “Good night, Mommy. I love you.”
The tension in my chest eased. She wasn’t going to forget her mother. I wouldn’t let it happen, and I knew Emma wouldn’t either. I needed to stop worrying so much about it.
When I shut Hadley’s door, I leaned against it and tried to even out my breathing. Emma walked upstairs, heading for the balcony doors. She stopped in the middle of the loft when she saw me.
