Page 59 of Reputation (Tempt)

I took a deep breath and said, “I asked Emerson to marry me, and she said yes.”

“What?” Brooklyn looked from me to Emerson and then back again. I slid my hand into Emerson’s, needing her touch to ground me. There was no going back now.

I held my breath, waiting for Brooklyn’s reaction. I could feel the tension leach from Emerson, even as she held her smile. So far, this was the hardest part—lying to my daughter. I wasn’t proud of myself, but I tried to tell myself the end goal was worth it.

“Seriously?” Brooklyn asked, glancing between the two of us with a hopeful expression. “You’re getting married? Emerson’s going to be my mom?”

I was relieved she was excited, but also…oh shit.

Before I could formulate a response, Emerson said, “I love you, and I will always be there for you.”

“So…” Brooklyn scrunched up her face. “Wait. So, if you’re marrying Dad, who’s going to be my nanny?”

“Me,” Emerson said. “Well…sort of. I’ll still take you to school and help with your homework.”

There was a long pause, and I realized I was holding my breath. And then Brooklyn squealed.

“Best. News. Ever!” she shouted before throwing herself into our arms.

We laughed and hugged, and over the top of Brooklyn’s head, I mouthed, “Thank you,” to Emerson. She shook her head as if it was nothing. But to me, her love for my daughter waseverything.

Brooklyn sat back, her eyes going to Emerson’s hand. “Wait. If you’re engaged, where’s your ring?”

“I, uh?—”

“It’s at the jeweler,” I said. “They had to size it.”

“Oh,” Brooklyn said, easily accepting my explanation.

I’d called the jeweler earlier in the day, and he’d been more than happy to size the ring. It would be delivered this evening. It had belonged to my mother, and despite Trinity’s bullshit, I couldn’t wait to see the look on Emerson’s face when she saw it. Because it was perfect, and she was going to fucking love it.

I told myself that I was okay with giving Emerson the ring because it was a loan. Because we both knew she’d give it back at the end of our fake engagement. Even I knew that wasn’t entirely true, but I also wasn’t going to dwell on it.

Brooklyn sat back, but the questions started flowing faster than the paparazzi shouting comments to get a rise. “When’s the wedding? Can I be the flower girl? Are you going to have a baby?”

My head spun, but again, Emerson took it all in stride. She smiled and gave Brooklyn’s hand a squeeze.

“We just got engaged,” Emerson said with a huge smile. “And we want to enjoy this time together.” Excellent answer. “As to the rest, we’ll see.”

“So, I might have a little brother or sister like Sophia?”

Emerson’s eyes looked as if they might bulge out of her head, so I redirected Brooklyn’s attention to me. “Sweetheart.” I smoothed down her hair. “That’s a long way off.” As innever going to happen.I didn’t want to get my daughter’s hopes up about yet another thing I’d ultimately disappoint her with. “Besides, Emerson is very focused on her training.”

Though, I didn’t know if that would still be the case after her upcoming competition. She’d said it would be her last, but I wondered if she’d have a hard time walking away when it came down to it. I knew I would if I were in the same position. I couldn’t imagine giving up acting.

Regardless of what she decided, I trusted that Emerson knew what she wanted. That she knew what was best for her. So why didn’t her dad?

I gnashed my teeth. I hated that she felt pressured by him to do something she didn’t want. And now, I was doing the same thing. I blew out a breath, hating myself a little more.

Like her questions, Brooklyn’s enthusiasm about our engagement seemed endless. She talked all through dinner about what this would mean. Unfortunately, the more she talked, the quieter Emerson grew. As she had at lunch, she pushed her food around her plate even though I’d asked Andre to prepare her favorite—tacos.

After dinner, Brooklyn skipped upstairs to shower and change into her pajamas. It was nice to have some normalcy in what had otherwise been a crazy twenty-four hours. I knew the engagement was a big deal, but I was more thrown by what had happened to Emerson. And I kept watching her for any sign that something was amiss, even though her skin had returned to normal and the swelling was almost completely gone.

Andre talked with Emerson, congratulating her on our engagement and asking if she was okay. He apologized for anything he might have done to cause the reaction, and Emerson reassured him it wasn’t his fault.

After he excused himself for the evening, Emerson busied herself in the kitchen, preparing her protein and snacks for the next day as she did every night.

I brushed my shoulder against hers and lowered my voice. “Are you okay?”

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