Page 98 of Damon
Chapter thirty-six
Emma's Cottage, Aviemore
Damon
Emma appears at the front door with her suitcase. It’s silver with pink stars splattered all over it. The seams strain at the edges as if about to burst. She returns inside the cottage as I walk across the driveway to collect her case. As I’m sliding it into the storage compartment at the back of the RV, she comes up behind me with a smaller case identical to the first. I turn to take it from her as she flashes me a wide smile.
“Ready to go home, Spitfire?” I ask, and she nods enthusiastically. Annie shrieks, and we both look in her direction as she plays on the grass near the RV. At one and a half years old, she is getting braver each day. She’s sitting, pulling daisies from the ground, grabbing them in her hands and staring as if mesmerized. My focus returns to Emma; she’s still watching my little girl. Our little girl.
When I look between them, there’s no doubt who her mother is. The similarities are breathtaking—they even have the same dazzling smile. My acceptance of Emma being Annie’s mother has been hard, but I realize now that it isn’t the dismissal of Connie I thought it was. If my late wife hadn’t so desperately wanted a child, Emma and I may never have met and my second chance would never have happened. For that I will always be grateful to the special woman that was taken from me.
Last night, Emma and I discussed at great length how Connie’s memory would be included in Annie’s life. We both agreed that it’s important she is known to our little girl. Our family wasn’t created with a standard boy-meets-girl setup, but then again, how many are?
“I could be Ma-ma, and Connie can be Mum,” Emma suggested as we sat at the kitchen table in the cottage drinking a glass of wine. “Without Connie, Annie would never have been created, and I love her for that. I gained a family when she lost hers.” She had dropped her eyes away as her cheeks flushed the soft pink I love.
“That’s a wonderful idea,” I reassured her, reaching for her hands across the table. “Connie would be honored you chose to care for her family with her gone. I realize now I was looking at this all wrong.”
“In what way?” she queried, blinking up through long lashes.
“Tragedy happens in life daily. What happened to Connie was only the fault of the person who pulled the trigger. Not mine.” I paused to take a breath, giving myself time to assess Emma’s face to ensure my words were coming across correctly. Her expression was calm but intrigued, so I continued. “Once I forgave myself for her death, I was able to see what I wanted instead of being consumed by guilt all the time. And I was able to accept that it was her that had made this all possible.”
“What was it you wanted?” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
“You,” I told her simply. “I want a family and life with you.”
Now we’re packing up the RV to make the long, nine-hour trip back to London. When I arrived here three months ago, hellbent on winning her back, I said I would wait as long as it took to speak to her properly about our future. With one week left before we were forced to return due to her job, we finally crossed the line and decided to try again. Up until that night, I hadn’t been sure if she would give us another chance together. I am so thankful she did.
“Are you sure you have everything?” I ask Emma. “Because once we’re on the road, I’m not turning around.” She’s standing behind me as I pack more belongings into the RV storage space. Gentle fingers glide over my back, down to my ass, then between my legs as I’m bent over with my head inside the compartment. She cups my balls through my jeans, and my cock hardens.
“Yes,” she murmurs, “I have everything I need.”
“Fucking tease.”
“I’m not teasing, this is a promise.”
“A nine-hour drive will be a long wait on a promise,” I say as I step backward then straighten to close the compartment door. When I turn to face her, she wraps her arms around my neck and rises up on her toes to peck my lips. My hands move to her ass to hold her against me, I flex my hips so my dick presses against her stomach.
“Hmm…it is going to be a long nine hours,” she agrees, kissing me again. “We better get moving so I can keep my promise.” I chuckle, then drop a kiss onto her forehead.
“Let’s go home, Spitfire.”
After releasing her, I walk over to collect Annie from where she’s now digging in the ground with a small spoon. Picking her up, I return to the RV to wash her hands and buckle her into her car seat. As I am getting to the driver’s side, Emma climbs into the passenger seat.
“The house is locked up, and I posted the keys through the letterbox like they asked,” she says as she fastens her seatbelt. “Start this baby up, I want to go home.”
“That sounds amazing on your lips,” I tell her.
“What does?”
“You referring to our house as home.”
***
By the time we arrive outside the house, it’s the middle of the night. The drive was long to do in one day, and we stopped several times, but we all wanted to be home. I switch off the RV, then move into the back to collect Annie. Emma is snoozing in the passenger seat. Her eyelids flutter open as she becomes aware we aren’t moving anymore.
“Are we home?” she murmurs.
“Sure are,” I say from behind her before leaving out of the side door. I stop at the passenger side to open her door, then offer Emma my free hand. She takes it, and climbs down from her seat. After locking up the RV, with Annie on my hip and Emma holding my other hand, we walk up the front path to the house.