Page 53 of Emma
As she looked up at the kitchen door, Emma couldn’t shake the weight still pressing against her chest. She knew she should feel relieved, a meetingwashappening, but Emma could still see Carmen standing in the living room, glaring at her as though she hated her.
What had changed, and why had Carmen agreed?
Emma had no idea, but whatever it was, she wasn’t questioning it yet. She also wasn’t getting her hopes up. Everything felt far too precarious at the moment.
“Are you finished working?” Vanessa asked as she lowered her handbag to the table. “Only I was hoping I could steal my wife’s attention for a few hours.”
“Sure. What’s up, babe?”
“You and I have a date with Guiseppe tonight.”
Emma’s stomach growled as she got to her feet, rounded the table, and wrapped her arms around Vanessa’s waist. “He’s not coming home with us. That’s just weird.”
“Agreed. But we can deal with his exceptionally good food.”
Emma drew Vanessa in and kissed her slowly. For the first time in days, she felt as though she could breathe just a little better. “You, my beautiful wife, mean the world to me. I hope you know that.”
Vanessa lifted a hand and cupped Emma’s cheek. “I haven’t done anything other than walk through the door and offer you Italian.”
Emma lifted a shoulder. “And sometimes that’s enough.”
“Mm.” Vanessa narrowed her eyes. “Something is going on.”
“Nia, the social worker, has just called me. She’s lovely, for a start…and she’s asked if I’m available next Friday after lunch for the meeting.”
Vanessa’s eyes widened as a grin spread on her mouth. “Really?”
“Yes, and Ellie has already kindly checked your availability for you. So, would you come with me still?”
“I wouldn’t ever be anywhere else. You know that.” Vanessa guided Emma out of the kitchen and up the stairs. When they landed outside the bathroom, she lifted a brow. “Now, are we showering together or apart?”
“Oh, together. Tonight is our night, and I’m making the most of it while I don’t feel like the world is ending.”
Vanessa leaned in, nipped at Emma’s bottom lip, and whispered, “Then get that delicious body naked. I have a sudden craving to taste it…inch by inch.”
Emma peeled her T-shirt over her head and relaxed fully. She couldn’t do any more until next Friday, but she could be fully present within her marriage. “What time is our reservation?”
Vanessa nudged Emma back towards the bathroom door and cocked her head. “Whenever I’m finished with you.”
Vanessa swirledthe wine in her glass, watching the candlelight catch the dark red liquid before setting it down gently on the white-linen tablecloth. Conversation and clinking cutlery surrounded her, but none of it pulled her attention away from the woman across the table. Emma looked relaxed for the first time in weeks. Not completely, but enough to satisfy Vanessa this evening. There was still a tightness to Emma’s shoulders, and every now and then she’d have that distant look on her face, but she had colour back in her cheeks and those eyes…oh, those eyes were the very same eyes Vanessa had fallen in love with. And tonight, they were softer than they had been in a while.
Vanessa had missed them.
She reached across the table and brushed her fingers against Emma’s hand. “Do you realise that this is the most peaceful I’ve seen you looking in a while?”
Emma smiled. “It’s not really peace that I feel. But hope…yeah. I’m feeling a little more hopeful.”
Vanessa let out a breath. “That was all I wanted for you. Not even answers yet. Just something for you to hold on to.”
They sat in one of Giuseppe’s corner booths—Emma’s favourite one to be exact—tucked beside the old stone wall adorned with framed photographs from the forty-plus years they’d been in business. It was quieter back here, and Vanessa had made sure of its availability when she’d booked. She wanted space for them to be exactly who they were. No performance. No brave face. Just them.
The waiter arrived with a fresh breadbasket, murmuring something warm in Italian, which Vanessa responded to with a nod and a quick “Grazie.” Emma immediately reached for a warm piece, tore it in half, and offered one to Vanessa. Vanessa accepted it, then leaned back slightly and watched her wife. “Do you want to talk about the call again, or would you rather take the night off?”
Emma nibbled at the edge of her bread before answering. “I don’t know. Part of me wants to rehash every detail and analyse it all, but the other part of me just wants to enjoy this. You.Us.”
Vanessa settled her hand over Emma’s and dipped her head. “Youcanhave both, you know. You’re allowed to be happy, Emma.”
“I know.” Emma toyed with Vanessa’s fingertips, then glanced up, a more honest smile forcing its way through. “I feel like I’ve been living with this horrible dread in my stomach, and now, I can’t remember how to be happy without waiting for it to turn.”
