Page 92 of Emma
Lauren glanced up from her laptop, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “She was knackered when we got here. They said she didn’t eat anything during nursery, and Emma tried when we arrived, but she wasn’t interested in it. I think she’s coming down with something. Probably caught a bug off one of the kids.”
Emma opened her mouth to respond, but Vanessa was already at Daisy’s side. She scooped her up gently, settling into the armchair with Daisy cradled against her chest, the blanket pulled tight around her. Daisy stirred but didn’t wake, her head nestling into the crook of Vanessa’s neck.
Emma melted at the sight of Vanessa’s arms wrapped protectively around her granddaughter, one hand strokingthrough her curls as though that simple act had the potential to heal whatever had tired her out. But that was the thing about Vanessa. She didn’t just look after those she loved; she absorbed. Every ache, every shiver, every sigh…it all became hers until the world felt safe again.
Vanessa laid a gentle hand against Daisy’s cheek, then on her forehead. “She’s too warm.” She carefully unwrapped Daisy from the blanket, and draped it over her own knees. “I’ll keep an eye on her temp.” Vanessa kissed the top of Daisy’s head, then nodded towards Emma and Lauren. “Don’t mind me. You two carry on.”
“Actually…” Emma said as she cleared her throat. “I was just about to update Lauren on the whole Freya situation.”
Lauren’s head snapped around in Emma’s direction. “There’s an update?”
“Quite the update, kid. She’s coming here on Friday for dinner.” Emma couldn’t help the grin that spread wide on her mouth. “And I know I’ve been quiet recently; I should have kept you in the loop, but it’s been a lot to deal with.”
Lauren held up a hand. “You don’t owe me an explanation. So long as things are moving in your favour, that’s all I care about.”
“They…are. Right, babe?” Emma cast her gaze to where Vanessa sat huddled under the kitchen window, soothing Daisy.
Vanessa’s smile mirrored Emma’s as she nodded. “Things are really moving along.”
Lauren sat back, her eyes wide as she drew in a breath. “I can’t believe she’s coming here. Have her adoptive parents given it all the okay? I mean, obviously they have, but still…”
“She’s under a Special Guardianship Order. That’s different from fostering and adoption. It means she’s still entitled to family ties.” Emma ran a hand down her thigh. “So, Friday night. Just the three of us. I can’t wait.”
“This is the best news we’ve all had in a long time, Em.”
“I know.” Emma twisted her mug between her hands, the nerves and excitement warring with one another in her chest. “I’m just happy she’s giving me a chance. After what she’s been told growing up, I’m surprised she’s given me the time of day, but…she wants a relationship with me. And her guardians think it’s the right step, too.”
Lauren tilted her head, her expression softening. “She must really trust you already. But obviously, she should. We all know how amazing you are.”
Emma’s throat constricted at that. “I don’t know if it’s trust yet. Maybe it’s just…hope. I don’t know. She’s had so little of it that even a scrap feels worth grabbing.” She exhaled slowly. “But yeah. It’s something. It’s…everything.”
Vanessa’s hand stilled on Daisy’s back, her eyes catching Emma’s from across the room. There was that same steady calm Emma had leaned on for weeks now. The one that said she wasn’t alone in this, no matter how heavy it got.
Lauren smiled. “I think it’s amazing. Scary, yeah, but amazing. I can’t imagine what it must feel like for her. Or for you.”
“Terrifying.” Emma laughed. “Like I’m going to mess it up if I breathe wrong.”
“You won’t,” Vanessa said quietly, her voice carrying enough weight to make Emma believe it. “I have every faith in you.”
The three of them sat in comfortable silence for a moment and took stock of the changes in their lives, the only sound Daisy’s faint snuffling and the occasional spatter of rain against the window.
Then Vanessa cleared her throat. “Oh, before I forget. Dani cornered me after work today.”
Emma lifted a brow. “That sounds ominous.”
“She wants to know if we’re free this weekend. Double date. Drinks and dinner. I told her we’d have to pass again, giveneverything we have going on, but she asked me to check with you before I gave her a firm no.”
Emma leaned back in her chair and considered the offer. A week ago, she would have given an outright no, but now, seeing Daisy safe in Vanessa’s arms, Lauren smiling across the table, and the promise of Friday shimmering just out of reach, she felt steadier and more capable of actually enjoying a night of socialising.
“Tell her yes. We’re in.”
Vanessa grinned. “Really?”
Emma nodded. “Saturday night. It’s a plan. I don’t want this whole thing to swallow us up to the point we forget who we are outside of it. I think it’ll do us good. Something normal, you know?”
“Normal sounds good.” Vanessa kicked her feet up onto the footrest and sighed. “So, Saturday night it is then.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
