Page 182 of The Snowball Effect

Regan crossed her arms over herself, tightly, as she set her jaw in defense. “Audrey’s an adult! She can make her own choices – sheshouldmake her own choices, about who to marry.”

“Out of all of the things you’ve done to embarrass this family, you havenevertried to drag your sister down to your level.” Her father always had this way of speaking – so quietly, but Regan swore she’d be able to hear his voice cut through the loudest crowd – with his tone being so scornful…

Yeah, even now, it made Regan feel about two feet small.

“You can’t come here and talk to her like that,” Emma cut in, her tone hard as steel.

Regan turned to stare at Emma so quickly, she felt like she had whiplash from the movement. Frankly, in the last five minutes, she’d forgotten that Emma had been standing there.

Her parents – despite all of the work Regan had done around managing her feelings regarding them – still had the ability to make her feel like she was a ten-year-old getting punished. Like her world was just that small.

“This is none of your business,” her mother authoritatively stated to Emma. “And it’s very rude to interfere in family matters that are none of your concern.”

“It’s also very rude to show up to your daughter’s apartment and treat her like dirt when she hasn’t doneanythingwrong,” Emma shot back, staring down at Regan’s mom.

Oh. Even when Regan had been on the receiving end of Emma’s ire, she’dneverbeen looked at like that. The way Emma stared at Regan’s parents was very distinctly the same way she’d stare at a bug she’d just squashed. Absolutely disgusted.

Before either of her parents could say anything, Emma rolled on, “And I don’t care if you don’t think it’s my business; you’re saying it right in front of my face. I happen to know that Regan is sweet, and thoughtful, and a hell of a lot kinder than either of you seem to be.”

Regan felt her heart skip a beat, and her breath caught in her throat, as she stared at Emma. Did Emma actually have a halo, or was it just the way she seemed to appear to Regan?

Emma turned to look at her, and the stone-cold look in her eyes immediately softened, as she tilted her head. “Come on. You’ve been at work all day, you should be able to come home and relax.”

Even though she didn’t look away from Regan as she spoke, she hard edge in her voice was so pointedly directed at Regan’s parents.

It was as though that had been precisely what Regan needed. For some reason, she’d needed that to kick her into gear, to make her push forward and brush by her parents so she could enter her apartment.

Emma pushed the door open wider for her but didn’t step back herself – much to Regan’s delight. She brushed against Emma as she stepped in, hesitating for a moment as she turned to look up at her parents.

“Maybe if you actuallylistenedto Audrey, you’d have heard why she’s not getting married to Armando, and the fact that it has nothing to do with me.”

She felt like she was finally able to take a deep breath for the first time since this whole… thing… started, especially as she was breathing inEmma.

Gripping the doorknob in her hand, she arched them a look, and she felt so emboldened, so ready to look them in the eye as she said, “Also, Emma isn’t just my roommate; she’s also my girlfriend.”

Immediately, she saw her parents’ eyes widen, and that was all she needed.

She shut the door on them, satisfaction slotting through her with a rush, as she stared at the closed door for several seconds. She’d actually just done that!

Even when she’d gone against what her parents wanted and expected from her, she’d always just… ignored them. Waited out their commentary, and rolled through it.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” she breathed, exhilaration still rushing through her as she turned to look at Emma, her eyes wide.

Emma’s jaw was still set, tight and angry, as she looked down at Regan. “I can’t believe they have the audacity to show up here, like that!” She gestured to the door, scoffing in obvious disgust. “They came here to seek you out, so they could talk to you like you’re a misbehaving child?”

Those electric blue eyes closed, as Emma lightly shook her head and took in a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, if you felt like I overstepped, thou–”

Before Emma could finish that statement, Regan surged up and tossed her arms around Emma. She wrapped her into a hug, slotting her body against Emma’s in a way she was so familiar with and still, it gave her a rush. It was like the ultimate comfort, like there was no better feeling. Especially when she felt Emma’s arms slide around her waist and hold her right back.

“No one’s ever done that for me, before,” she whispered, and – huh. Her throat felt thick with emotion as she spoke.

Closing her eyes, she didn’t loosen her hold on Emma, not at all. Not giving a single inch, as she leaned her head against Emma’s, gripping the shirt Emma wore in tight fists.

The backs of her eyes burned with tears, but they weren’t sad, and her heart was pounding in her chest, and she breathed in deeply through her nose, wanting to feel surrounded by Emma.

“Thank you,” she murmured, her voice thick. “Thanks for not letting them in. And for saying what you said.”

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