Page 62 of Something Unavoidable

“How?” Izzy choked, blinking back the tears that threatened to cloud his vision. How was she here? Why was she here? Was any of this real, or was Izzy having one of those weird blackout dreams that came from too much whiskey?

“I made a few phone calls. Your parents helped. So did your friends.” He gestured to the very pregnant figure holding Blackbird’s lead rope. Emma. “She insisted on bringing Blackbird herself. Her husband wasn’t thrilled since she’s due in about a month and isn’t supposed to travel.”

Izzy turned his back on the whole scene and folded his arm over his eyes, his chest heaving as he fought a breakdown. Oh god. Fuck no. He couldn’t be here. He couldn’t do this.

“Isaac,” Keegan said, rubbing Izzy’s back. “Just hear her out.”

Riley touched her nose to the back of his hand, then leaned against his legs and whined. Izzy dropped to one knee to hug her, letting her steady presence soothe his racing thoughts. “Why?” he managed to croak out, hoping Keegan had a good reason forthis. Because if he didn’t, Izzy was never speaking to him again—for at least a few days.

Keegan sighed and carded his hand through Izzy’s hair. “Because you need this, baby. You’ve been beating yourself up for too long, and you need some closure.” He dropped a kiss to the top of Izzy’s head, then stepped away. “I’m going to let you two talk.”

What? Izzy flailed out for him but missed. When he lifted his head to see where the asshole was, he was confronted by worn, winter muck boots, leggings, and a thick coat stretched around a very pregnant belly. He pushed himself up on shaky legs, unable to meet Emma’s eyes. “Hey,” he said finally, then swallowed hard against the bile that was pressing up against the back of his throat.

“Hi, Izzy,” Emma said, her voice just as soft and sweet as he remembered, but somehow stronger and more mature.

Izzy didn’t know what to do with his hands. He tucked them into his coat pockets, then pulled them back out, scrubbed his palms on his jeans, and folded them across his chest. “You, uh…you’re really pregnant.”

That got him a surprised laugh, cut off when Emma clamped a hand over her mouth.

Izzy cringed. Shit. You weren’t supposed to say things like that, were you? It was rude or something. “Sorry. You, um… I just meant, you look good. Great, even.”

He could hear the laughter in Emma’s voice. “Thanks, Izzy. I feel very pregnant. Stewart is having a nervous breakdown back at the farm, but I couldn’t just send our girl with a driver. I needed to see you. You look good too.”

Izzy clenched his jaw, but that didn’t stop his lip from trembling. “I don’t understand,” he admitted. “Why the hell would you want to see me after everything? I have to bring back terrible memories.”

“Oh, Izzy,” Emma said, her voice cracking. A moment later, her arms were around him, her cheek pressed to his sternum as she somehow, despite her huge belly, hugged him within an inch of his life.

He froze, his hands hovering. What was he supposed to—

“Hug me back, you big jerk.”

Izzy let out a wet sound that probably didn’t count as a laugh and carefully wrapped his arms around her, having to bend because she was so short.

“Is that why you stayed away?” she asked. “Why you didn’t return my calls or come to my fucking wedding? You thought I wouldn’t want to see you?” She stepped back and smacked his arm. “What the fuck, Izzy?” Emma was crying, tears streaking her cheeks. Izzy blanched, memories threatening to overwhelm him, but she just rolled her eyes. “Pregnancy hormones,” she said, with a gesture to her face. “I cry at nothing these days.”

Izzy rubbed his stinging arm. He’d forgotten what a firecracker she could be. “I didn’t want to make things worse,” he admitted. “I couldn’t even stand to be around me—how could you?”

Emma took his hand in hers. “Izzy, listen to me.” She squeezed his fingers to the point of pain. “Are you listening?”

He nodded, trying not to wince.

“It wasn’t your fault. Yeah, you didn’t believe what I was saying at first, but who would? He was respected. Revered, even.”

“Stew believed you.”

Emma huffed a laugh. “Stewart was in love with me. He would have believed me if I said aliens were invading.”

“You married him.”

Emma smiled and pressed a hand to her pregnant belly. “I did. He’s a good man.” She squeezed Izzy’s hand again. “So are you. But Izzy, the big difference between you and Stewart wasthat you were also one of Josh’s victims. And he was an expert at manipulation. Of course it took you longer to see the truth.”

Keegan had told him that before, but Izzy hadn’t really believed it. Josh didn’t do to him what he’d done to the others, so how could Izzy call himself a victim? It felt like absolution he didn’t deserve.

“Hey,” Emma said, pulling him back out of his head. “I never said it because it never occurred to me that you needed it. And it should have. I’m sorry for that.”

“Said what?”

“I forgive you, Izzy. It wasn’t your fault, but I still forgive you.”

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