Page 98 of Emma
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Emma woketo the winter morning sunlight streaming through the blinds, her body light and free for the first time since Freya had walked into her life. Last night was a night she would remember for the rest of her life. Even as they made memories with one another, even as their relationship grew into an unbreakable bond, that would be where it had all started for them.
She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, her mind replaying it all. Freya’s small, nervous smile when they’d first walked through the door. The way she’d relaxed once they’d started tossing the ball around in the garden. Her cautious questions over dinner, her laughter when Emma had dropped the spoon, the shake in her voice when she’d asked if Emma would go to her football matches. All of it pressed down on Emma in the best, most overwhelming way.
Vanessa stirred beside her, a low groan escaping her lips as she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked against the light filtering in, her hair a wild mess across the pillow. “Mm. Morning.” She shifted closer and nuzzled into Emma. “You’re awake already.”
“I’ve been awake for a while.”
Vanessa angled her head and looked up at Emma. “Thinking about last night?”
Emma nodded and smiled.
“It went well, didn’t it?” Vanessa drew small circles against Emma’s stomach and sighed. “I didn’t think I’d feel any different once it was all over, but I do.”
Emma swallowed. “Different how, babe?”
“Lighter. Happier. Looking forward to watching it all unfold between the two of you.” Vanessa studied Emma, that breathtaking look of love present in her eyes, and then she reached out, brushing her hand along Emma’s jaw as she pulled her closer. Emma folded herself into the warmth of her wife, breathing her in. “I’m so proud of how you handled last night.”
Emma didn’t respond. She didn’t know what to say.
Instead, she tangled herself into everything Vanessa was, everything she represented, and smiled against her. The stability, the love, the sense of family…Vanessa had always been Emma’s one constant over the years, and as she lay here now, she knew she could never possibly find a way to navigate life without her.
Vanessa’s phone buzzed on the bedside table. She groaned, dragged herself upright, and reached for it. Emma cast her eyes over the screen, smiling as Vanessa turned to her. “It’s from Lauren. Daisy’s back to her normal self this morning. Causing destruction in every room of the house, apparently.”
Relief washed through Emma. “Good. I hated seeing her so wiped out the other day.”
Vanessa tossed the phone back onto the bedside table and breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll take destruction over a sick toddler any day.”
Emma sat up and stretched. She wanted to get their day going, and she wanted uninterrupted time with her wife for aslong as she possibly could before they headed out this evening. “Come on. I’m making you breakfast.”
“Oh?” Vanessa grinned as she rose from their bed and slipped her robe on. “Just so we’re clear…you’re making me more than just toast, right?”
“Please.” Emma snorted. “Of course I am.”
“Perfect. I’m starving.”
As Emma left the bedroom and threw a look over her shoulder, she said, “I’m also including jam, marmalade, or your favourite…lemon curd.”
Emma took the stairs, prepared coffee, and started a stack of toast on a plate. Of course she would feed Vanessa more than a couple of slices of bread, but first Emma needed caffeine and a cold glass of orange juice.
As Vanessa landed in the kitchen, she broke the silence. “So, how are you feeling this morning?”
Emma turned, resting against the counter. “Better than I have in a while.”
“Seeing you and Freya last night,” Vanessa said as she lowered herself into a seat at the dining table. “I can’t explain it.”
“Try.” Emma crossed the room with two coffees and sat facing her wife. Breakfast could wait for a few more minutes. “Please…for me.”
“It felt as though you’d known one another for years, Emma.”
That pulled a smile from Emma, one so big that her cheeks ached. “Yeah, I felt that too a few times. Which I didn’t expect to happen. Not even close to anything like that.”
“I know, but Ididhave a small feeling that it would go better than you thought it would.”
“Right now,” Emma said as she brought one knee up and rested her chin on it. “I’m just happy there’s progress rather than things continuously stalling. It’s gone better than I thought it would, and I’m not going to complain about that.” Emma liftedher coffee and sipped, moaning as the intense arabica soothed her throat. “I’m also prepared if Freya feels overwhelmed and needs some time to process being here.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the success of last night deserves to be celebrated.”
