Page 70 of Choose You

Her voice doesn’t sound very convincing, but Rosie doesn’t seem to notice. Or if she does, she’s choosing to ignore it. “Great. I shouldn’t be too long. We just have to work out the details for this year’s baking contest.”

Rosie leaves us, and I watch Emmie carefully. She’s not her normal bubbly self, and she refuses to look at me. “Do you want something to eat or drink? Maybe a hot cocoa?”

She shakes her head and drops back on the sofa.

“Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”

She shakes her head again and follows that up with crossing her arms over her chest and sticking out her bottom lip. She’s definitely upset about something and from the way she’s acting, I’m thinking it has something to do with me.

I lean back into the sofa, copying her position. “All right, kiddo. Spill it.”

She looks up at me with a scowl that makes her look so much like her daddy it takes my breath away. “You left without saying goodbye.”

Her words are harsh, and even worse, true. I close my eyes and let my shoulders sag. I left so quickly that day, and I gave no consideration to how that would make anyone feel, not even Matthew. In retrospect, I should’ve taken the time to speak to those I care about.

“I’m sorry, Emmie. I had to leave quickly for work, but that’s no excuse. I should’ve talked to you before I left. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”

Her expression softens and her eyes gloss over. “You promised to take me riding, too. You never did.”

I cringe at the sadness in her voice. As much as I dislike seeing that scowl, I prefer it over seeing her hurt like this. “You’re right. I did. I’m a bad friend, and I shouldn’t have done that.”

“You don’t like me anymore.” Her tears escape and her shoulders shake.

I pull her into my arms and hug her close. I can’t stand to see her upset like this, and hate that my sudden departure made her feel unwanted in any way. “No, no. I think you’re awesome, Emmie. Why would you even think such a thing?”

Slowly, her shoulders still, and she lifts her eyes to mine. “You and Daddy had a fight. You’re going to leave, aren’t you?”

“Oh, sweetheart. Sometimes adults fight, but that has nothing to do with you.”

“Can you fix it?”

I tighten my hold around her. This girl is way too perceptive. I can’t imagine Matthew would talk in front of his daughter about what happened between us. “I wish I knew the answer to that one. But whatever happens between me and your dad, it won’t affect the two of us. We can always be friends.”

She nods but doesn’t look convinced. “But Daddy’s really sad now. I think he misses you.”

Her words bring tears to my own eyes, forcing me to look away. I hate that the issues between Matthew and me are impacting her. Idon’t know how to respond to her to make her feel better about the situation, so I opt with being honest about my feelings instead. “I’m sad, too.”

She shrugs and gives me a small smile. “Then you should fix it.”

Her simplistic outlook makes me smile. If only it were that easy. “I’ll give that some thought. In the meantime, you know what would make me happy?”

She shakes her head.

“I brought my horse back with me, and she needs exercise. Will you go riding with me next week?”

She sits up and bounces in her seat. “Really?”

“Yep, we can go on Monday if your daddy says it’s okay.”

“He will.Yes, yes, yes!” She claps her hands before she throws herself into my arms and gives me a bear hug.

“Well, it's about time both you girls smiled.” I look up to find Rosie standing next to us with a big grin on her face.

Emmie jumps up and hugs her grandma. “Jessica is going to take me riding on her horse on Monday if Daddy says it’s okay.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea. You girls could use some bonding time.” Rosie gives me a sympathetic nod of approval. She knows how hard this has been for me. “We’ll let you get back to your day. Plus, we have more errands to run. If you’re free, I’d love to see you for Sunday dinner.”

“Thank you. I appreciate the offer.” She gives me a closed lip smile and nods. I can tell from the look in her eyes that she interpreted my answer as a no. She’s not wrong. Until Matthew and I work this out—ifwe work this out—there’s no way I can handle dinner with him and his family.

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