Page 79 of Emma
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“My wife is the strongest woman I know. She’s been through so much, but she still wakes up with a smile on her face every morning.”
“I have a good friend who is part of the PTA at the school. They speak very highly of Vanessa.”
That warmed Emma deeply. “She’s great. The kids love her. And weirdly, she made a comment weeks ago before Freya came to me and dropped the bombshell. Asked me if I’d secretly had a child during university because Freya reminded her so much of me.”
Carmen’s brows lifted. “Now that I’ve sat down and actually looked at you fully, the resemblance is striking.”
“It feels really odd that there’s a mini-me that’s been running around living her life without me knowing.” Emma’s emotions almost betrayed her, but she cleared her throat and continued. “I know you don’t know me, and I know you’re protecting Freya, but I’m not going to let her down, Carmen. Now that I know she exists, I want to have a full sibling relationship with her when the time is right.”
“My biggest worry was that you were going to come into our lives and take her from us. That you’d ask to adopt or whatever. Is that something you’d be looking to do down the line?”
Emma didn’t care that she didn’t know this woman. She reached a hand across the table and settled it over Carmen’s. “Absolutely not. I’d never do that to youorher.”
“I can’t have children. So many people told me to hold out to adopt a newborn, but I knew there were kids out there who’d already had a rough start, and I wanted to show even just one of them that life wasn’t all bad. That not everybody was the same as the people who’d raised them. The day we met Freya, I knew she was the one who was coming home with us. She just…had this silent kindness about her.”
A tear slid down Emma’s cheek, but she brushed it away quickly. “I wish there had been someone like you around for me when I was a kid. I’ve spent my entire life with abandonment issues because of our parents. To know Freya was taken out of that situation much earlier than I was able to leave…I can only thank you for loving her and caring for her so well.”
“We do our best. Ben is aiming for a promotion at work, and I rarely get the chance to sit down by the time I get home during the week, but we manage.”
Emma understood. These days, people were living to work. “Well, if there’s ever anything I can do to ease the load, you just let me know. I’m happy to drop Freya off after school if it means Ben doesn’t have to do the daily run and deal with work. Orshe can stay over at ours so you two can have a nice meal out and some time to yourselves.” Emma paused and lifted a hand. “Obviously, when the time feels right for everyone.”
“Thanks, Emma. I hope we all reach that point with one another.”
Emma smiled. “I think we will. It’ll take time and patience from everyone involved, but I’m not going to shy away from any of the hard stuff. If I can see Vanessa through her mastectomy, I can see Freya through all of this.”
“Would you please apologise to Vanessa for me. I shouldn’t have shown up at your home the way I did, and she had every right to ask me to leave. I just…I was scared.”
“No apology needed. We understand.” Emma cleared her throat and sat up straight in her seat. “I was hoping I could run something by you…”
“Of course.” Carmen nodded and sipped her coffee.
“I was wondering if it would be okay to take Freya out for dinner one evening. When she’s ready, and only if you’re comfortable with it. Just the two of us, somewhere she likes. No heavy talks or anything overwhelming…just the chance to be with one another without it being about school or meetings.”
Carmen considered that for a moment as she slowly lowered her cup to its saucer. “I think she’d like that, but you have to be prepared for her to change her mind on the day. If she feels nervous or overwhelmed, she’ll shut down.”
“I can handle that,” Emma said. “I’m not going to take it personally. I just…want to give her the option.”
“Alright. Let’s see how it goes once you’ve responded to her email. Maybe put it in there to counter the heavy stuff she’s asked you.”
Emma liked that idea. If nothing else, it would show Freya that shedidwant her in her life. “Yeah, good call.”
“And you have my number if you need to discuss anything else.”
Emma felt a flicker of relief as the ever-present tightness in her chest loosened. “Thank you.”
“I’ll keep you updated with my side of things. Freya has really come into her own since the meeting, and she’s not afraid to be open and honest now that everyone knows you’re sisters.”
“Yeah? That’s a good sign. I’d never want her to bottle things up. She’s spent long enough doing that.”
“Mm. Just a few nights ago, she asked if she could call us Mum and Dad now that she feels as though she has a real family and a sister who loves her.”
Emma closed her eyes and took a deep breath. If she hadn’t, she would have sobbed into her cappuccino. “That’s…I?—”
“You don’t have to say anything. I had the very same reaction.” Carmen reached out this time and squeezed Emma’s hand. “I think she’s beginning to find herself now that she knows you really do exist.”
“Howdidshe know it was me teaching her?”
