Page 17 of Emma
“I’ll…meet you at home.”
Vanessa watched her go, aching with every step Emma took. But she didn’t follow. Not yet. She turned and made her way to the kitchen instead. Lauren stood there looking out of the kitchen window, seemingly uninterested in the fact Vanessa was still here. “Do you feel better now that you’ve made Emma feel like shit?”
Lauren spun around and threw her hands up. “Oh, come on! The pair of you together are so fucking selfish, and Iknowshe’s the one who instigates it.”
“This is all because of the one day we chose to decline looking after Daisy?”
“There shouldn’t beone day, Mum.” Lauren crossed her arms, a hint of bitterness in her usually beautiful blue eyes. “You’ve always been quite content with being at home and doing family things. Why the change?”
Vanessa’s throat constricted. Enough was enough.
She moved slowly, unfastening the buttons of her blouse one by one. If Lauren needed to see—if she needed the truth laid bare—then Vanessa would give it to her. No more hiding. She peeled the silk fabric from her shoulders, folded it neatly over her blazer, and reached into her bra to remove her prostheses, the weight of them now familiar but forever unwelcome. With a determination, she unhooked her bra that no longer served a purpose and dropped it onto the chair.
“Because of this, Lauren. This is why I’ve changed. I’m not the same person I used to be.Thisreminded me that I want to live a life that makes me happy. That I should do what brings me joy.”
Lauren’s bottom lip trembled as she looked away. “Mum…”
“What? Too hard for you to see?” Vanessa’s voice cracked, but she continued, knowing Lauren needed a wakeup call. “Try fucking living it!”
“Mum, please?—”
“Look at me!” Vanessa’s voice thundered through the kitchen, forcing them both into a stunned silence.
Lauren finally looked up with tears spilling down her face. “Y-you don’t need to do this. Please, get dressed.”
“I think Idoneed to do it. Because the reality is thatyouare the selfish one, Lauren, and I sure as fucking hell didn’t raise you to be that way.”
“I’m struggling, okay? With Daisy, with Rob being away all the time…with feeling constantly alone in this house.” Lauren’s voice broke as she pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. “I’m just…struggling.”
Vanessa felt the anger drain out of her only to be replaced by an intense tiredness. She reached for her blouse and slid it back on, not bothering with the rest. Her body didn’t need to be masked right now. She wasn’t hiding what shedidn’thave from anyone. “Then you should communicate that with me instead of taking it out on me…on Emma.” She slid her blazer on and picked up her handbag. “You owe her an apology.”
“I-I know.”
“And you owemesome space.” Vanessa slung her bag over her shoulder and moved towards the hallway. “I need to head home. Call me tomorrow when you’ve decided whether you want me to take care of Daisy or not. Until then, I don’t even want to look at you.” She glanced back once more, her gaze holding Lauren in place. “We’ve been throughso muchin such a short space of time, but this, today…I’m disappointed in you, Lauren.”
“I’m sorry.”
Vanessa lingered in the doorway, her hand on the frame. “Instead of sitting here pretending that everything is okay, it’s better if I leave.” She heard the exhaustion in her own voice. Vanessa hadn’t wanted any of this today. She just wanted to go home, take a shower, and spend the evening with her wife. “Call Rob and tell him he needs to decide what’s more important to him. Family or work. He can’t have both. Not when it’s resulting in this.”
Without waiting for a response, Vanessa turned and strode down the hallway. As she stepped outside into the open air, she blinked against the fading afternoon light. Whether or not Lauren realised it yet, thingshadchanged. Vanessa would still be there for Daisy—she was her reason for breathing most of the time—but only if Lauren wanted that. As Vanessa slid into her car, she knew one thing was for certain: she was living life for herself from now on, not for everyone else.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Emma bracedherself the moment she heard the front door close, her pulse quickening at the thought of coming face to face with Vanessa again. Just moments ago, the house was still, leaving Emma with the space to work through the thoughts whirring around in her mind. She hadn’t wanted to leave Vanessa alone at Lauren’s. Every part of her had screamed to stay, to mediate and hopefully soften the blow of whatever storm could potentially hit, but she knew better than to keep pressing a conversation when Lauren was in such a foul mood. It wasn’t Emma choosing to take the coward’s way out, not at all, but Vanessa was Lauren’s mum, and Emma had learned she was generally the only one who could settle things down.
Hopefully, Vanessa had managed to do that. Patching up the cracks seemed to be a yearly event lately. Only the cracks between Lauren and Emma would need a little more filler. Emma wasn’t rolling over on this one, and she hoped neither Vanessa nor Lauren would expect her to. For the time being, Emma was quite happy to remain on the outskirts of this one. Lauren’s recent observation of her had hit a nerve, and space between them was a good idea.
“Emma?” Vanessa’s gentle voice floated in from the hallway.
Emma turned away from the kitchen sink, drying her hands on a tea towel as she called out. “In the kitchen.”
The door opened slowly. Vanessa didn’t look nearly as drained as she had earlier, and that allowed a sliver of hope to settle in Emma’s mind. Though judging by the time, she hadn’t stayed at Lauren’s long. That alone had Emma wondering if this would all blow over as it usually did.God, I hope so.
“Hey. Are you okay?”
Vanessa didn’t answer. She closed the distance between them in a few confident strides and pressed Emma back against the counter, her lips claiming Emma’s with a fervent urgency. The kiss was sudden, so raw and desperate that Emma’s breath caught, her hands instinctively grasping Vanessa’s waist for balance. When Vanessa finally pulled back, leaving Emma dazed, confused, and a little hot under the collar, she cupped Emma’s cheek and smiled. “Thank you for always reminding me that I may have lost my tits, but I didn’t lose my life.”
“I, um…” Emma blinked repeatedly, those words hitting her harder than she was prepared for. “You’re welcome?”
