Page 109 of The Emma Special

“What happened?” He turned back to her. “I know it wasn’t puppies.”

Emma wiped her nose with the crumpled tissue, then fiddled with it in her lap. She looked at the wall behind the TV, willing the girls to come back and interrupt her.

“Please, talk to me,” James pleaded.

“How do we know we’re not any different than all the couples that don’t make it?” The words spilled out before she could catch them.

He stilled. “What do you mean? What’s wrong?”

“Everyone goes into marriage thinking they’re the exception. Why go through it, if they didn’t believe it would work? Yet so many end in divorce. How do we know we’ll make it?”

“Emma, I don’t understand. What brought this on? Have I done something to upset you?”

She shook her head, lip trembling again. “Mom,” she whispered. “Mom and Carl are breaking up. I don’t know. It just reminds me how lopsided our marriage is because you’re too good for me. I’m pretty worthless.”

“Who told you that you are worthless?”

She shook her head and lifted a shoulder.

“Your worth isn’t found in what that woman thinks of you. Look at me, please.” He slid his finger under her chin and raised her face to meet his serious gaze. “You are a child of God. Heir to the throne. You are of infinite worth.”

Emma’s heart raced. Everything he said about her was beautiful, and she desperately wanted to believe it. “You’ve said that.”

“And I’ll say it again because it’s the truth. What’s it going to take to prove you’re valuable?”

Emma buried her face in her hands. She probably had mascara streaking down her face. “I’m sorry, James. There’s a really huge mess in the kitchen, and the girls and I made plans for later.”

He sighed. “Aight, any chance I can get you to rub me down with aloe?” he asked in a low, husky voice. “It was really stupid that I didn’t wear sunscreen.”

“She can certainly do that,” Allison popped her head in from the kitchen, reminding her they had a houseful of guests. “Emma, you’re officially excused from the stakeout.”

“Stakeout? What’s a stakeout?” James asked.

Allison made a motion in front of her mouth as if she were locking it and throwing away the key.

James held up his hands. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. That way I can’t testify against you in court.”

“Get in here and help clean up,” Summer called.

James’s brows pinched together as he looked around the mostly spotless room. “Clean up what?”

“There’s white stuff all over your kitchen, man,” Daniel shouted from the other room.

“We’ll clean it up right now.” Emma stood.

James caught her arm as she started to walk away. “No, go have fun with your friends. I’ll take care of it.”

Daniel walked into the living room holding a plate in one hand and a sloppy joe in the other. “Does that mean I’m going to be recruited in this clean up? I don’t want to commit.”

“You eat here, you can clean here,” James said.

Daniel’s shoulders sank. “I just wanted food. That mess has nothing to do with this sandwich.”

“And I just want my beloved wife to go have fun.”

Daniel stuffed another bite of food into his mouth and mumbled. “I’m going to get the shop vac.”

James’s brows raised as he turned back to Emma. “Shop vac. Must be serious.”