Page 27 of The Snowball Effect

In fairness, Regan’s mother had never shown up at her apartment in the entire seven years she’d lived here. Regardless, even though what she said was true, she hadn’t expected Emma’s response.

Because, typically, Emma was always just so… short with her.

In this moment, though, Emma deflated. Her typical agitation that she wore like a second skin during theirinteractions was gone, and her shoulders slumped as she bowed her head.

“You’re right,” she admitted, softly. “I’m sorry.”

Regan’s eyebrows flew high up on her forehead in surprise. “Wait. Can you repeat that?”

Thatmight have been the most surprising thing to happen all morning! Which was saying quite a bit.

Those startlingly blue eyes narrowed at her again, but Emma still didn’t respond angrily. “Isaid…I’m sorry,” she repeated, with that vulnerable edge to her voice.

Emma brought her hands up and scrubbed them over her face, taking a deep breath and holding it, before slowly letting it out.

Finally, she looked back up at Regan. “Long story short: my mom got this idea in her head that we moved in together because we’re in a relationship.”

“Good thing I already found out that you’re queer, or this would be doubly confusing,” Regan quipped.

Emma stared at her for a few seconds before her lips ticked into the briefest of smiles. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Regan’s mouth dropped open asshockcoursed through her.

Emma really must be out of her element if she was cracking a grin at one of Regan’s jokes during what was obviously a stressful time!

“Can you make a long story a little bit longer? Because my brain is not computing this.”

Emma’s smile was gone as soon as it came. “Look, things with my mom are complicated, okay? It’s really… complicated–”

“Wait – are you saying things with your mom are complicated?”

Emma shot her a dirty look as she trailed a hand through her sleep-tousled hair. “Given howcomplicatedit is, I just went along with her supposition because it made things easier.”

As she explained, her tone was something Regan had never heard from her, something raw and very real. Something, when it came to complicated family dynamics, Regan could very much understand.

It was also a side of herself that Emmanevershowed Regan, which made the exuberant ribbing she desperately wanted to give Emma dim. The impulse was undeniably still present but the prospect of teasing Emma about it seemed remarkably less enjoyable when Emma was giving Regan a rare moment of true, unfiltered connection.

Instead, she – gently – teased, “Well, your situation with your mom must be dire if telling her that you’re in a relationship withmewas your best choice, huh?”

Emma swore under her breath, throwing her blanket off her as she said, “Clearly, right now, I am regretting it.”

Regan watched with interest as Emma stood up with a huff, noting the black sleep shorts that just barely covered her incredibly impressive ass. Regan could do squats every day for months – she had – and never get an ass like Emma’s, whose hips, butt, and thighs seemed to have first dibs on any weight she put on. Regan had no idea if Emma appreciated that as much as Regan did. But she should.

Emma didn’t often hang out in the common areas of their apartment, so in the last few weeks, Regan hadn’t really her in anything less than the bevy of gray, black, and blue professional outfits she wore – slacks and button-ups, a smattering of blazers.

Other than when she’d walked in and had seen Emma standing in the kitchen in her bra, that was. The red lace had surprised Regan – she’d have figured Emma for a much more neutral tone lingerie woman, if she wore lingerie at all.

“In my defense, I didn’t expect that she’d ever show up here,” Emma continued muttering, and Regan honestly didn’t thinkthese words were even meant for her. Especially not as Emma started rifling through her dresser, no longer paying Regan any attention. “Why the hell would I? I don’t even know how she got our address!”

Utterly riveted by this rare look at Emma – while she wasn’t focused on being pissed at Regan – she was unashamedly curious to hear even more.

Like… Emma had never given her address to her mother? She talked to her enough that her mom got the idea thatthey were dating, but she wasn’t close enough with her mom to tell her where she lived?

Emma snatched a pair of joggers from her drawer, shaking her head. “Gram. Obviously. I just –ugh.”

Regan’s eyebrows raised high on her forehead with interest when Emma’s hands went to the waistband of her shorts, clearly ready to pull them down. Only to lower again when Emma blew her hair out of her eyes and shot Regan a dark look. “Do you mind not staring at me while I change?”

Shrugging, Regan made a show of turning around and staring at the calendar again. “Well, for a second, I really didn’t think you even remembered I was still here.”

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