Page 23 of Waiting to Love You

She must have come while Audrey and I were having our heart-to-heart. When she isn’t working, Emersyn is my go-to babysitter. She’s in her early twenties, and I’ve known her almost her whole life, having gone to high school with her older brother, Beckett.

She also works for Selina at the dance studio as a receptionist as well as teaching some classes. It makes it extremely easy for me to work at the yoga studio and ensure Rebekah is close to me. Have I mentioned I have separation issues?

“Thanks for agreeing to watch her for me. I really need a day out,” I retort with a smile.

“How are you feeling today, Emersyn?” Selina asks, a sly smile spreading across her face, which causes Audrey to laugh loudly.

Emersyn eyes them both skeptically as she answers. “I’m fine.”

“We heard from a little birdy that you may have had a little run-in at Crawdaddy’s last night with a certain someone?”

“Oh, really?” I take a seat next to Emersyn. “Do you have something to tell us, missy?”

“No.” Emersyn’s cheeks are pink as she stands. “I think this little one may be hungry. Is there a bottle in the fridge?”

I nod, and she scurries out of the bedroom.

“What’s gotten into her?” Leia questions from beside Selina on the bed.

“I have a feeling Selina and Audrey might know something,” I reply, narrowing my eyes at them. “Now spill.”

“Our lips are sealed,” Selina responds as she mimes, locking her lips and throwing away the key.

“For now. Let’s get out of here before I change my mind.” I grab my phone and check the missed call. “Hmm…”

Why do I keep getting calls from the same unknown number? It’s been happening for almost a year, sporadically, but the person never leaves a voicemail. I try not to think too much about it, but I can’t help wondering who it is.

“Anyone special?” Leia asks as she pushes off the bed to stand.

“No, just a wrong number,” I reply as I head out of the room, my friends following closely behind me.

“Brady was at Crawdaddy’s last night with a bunch of guys from the construction company. It seems he was paying a little too much attention to her,” Audrey says, and I freeze.

“Oh, yeah. I ran into him and his hot-ass friend last night at Crawdaddy’s,” Emersyn chimes in from the kitchen as she pulls a bottle out of the warmer and gives it to Rebekah, who’s cradled snuggly into her arms.

“Huh,” Leia replies, her eyebrows pulled down as if she’s deep in thought.

“That must have made your heart flutter,” Selina threads her arm through Audrey’s. “I’ve heard her talking to the girls about Brady coming home. I have a feeling there is something more than friendship between you two.”

“Much like a relationship between two other people we know and love.” Audrey jokes as Leia grabs a pillow off my bed and throws it at her, missing her entirely.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Leia mumbles, her cheeks turning a light share of pink.

“Brady was a complete jerk, but I wouldn’t mind climbing his friend like a tree,” Emersyn replies, turning her attention to Rebekah.

My eyes widen in shock as I try to process who could be in town that Emersyn doesn’t know by name. I haven’t had any contact with Seth since we parted ways the morning before he left for deployment, but now that Brady is home, it’s only a matter of time before I run into him. I’m going to have a lot of explaining to do if he sees me with Rebekah. It won’t take a rocket scientist to connect the dots and figure out who her father is.

“Did you catch his friend’s name?” Audrey prods as she wraps her arm around my waist, giving me a squeeze in support, and Leia flanks my other side. Seems like my friends have come to the same conclusion as I have.

“His name was Seth,” Emersyn replies, not paying any attention to any of us.

My knees give out slightly, but thankfully, Leia and Audrey were there to support my weight.

“That’s great,” Selina says, louder than necessary, as she releases Audrey’s arm and walks toward Emersyn. “We better get going before we miss our appointments.”

She heads for the door, holding it open as my other two friends practically drag me outside. My mind is a swirl of conflicting emotions as I try to process that my daughter’s father, a man I vowed to never see again, is in Tyson’s Creek, of all places. What’s going to happen now? Will he try to take Rebekah from me? What am I even going to say to him?

My body tingles at just the mention of his name. Memories of the night we spent together fill my mind, and my core clenches with need. Seth was the last man I’ve been with, ruining me for all others. Even if I had wanted to be with another man after Rebekah was born, I couldn’t. I’ve compared every man I’ve met since then to him. The one man I wanted but knew I couldn’t have. But with him being back in town, maybe things have changed. Maybe he still feels that magnetic pull toward me and has come back to Tyson’s Creek, hoping to start over again with me.

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