Page 99 of Freeing Emily

“Comfy?” he says with a grin.

“Mhm.” I nod.

He pats the mattress and I saunter over and sit next to him. His arms wrap around me, and he falls back onto his back, pulling me with him.

I giggle when he nuzzles his face into my neck.

“Liam, what are you doing?” I squeal.

He relaxes and splays his arms above his head. “Just loving you.”

I cuddle against his side and set my head on his chest. The heart beats against my ear and I swear I can feel mine syncing to it.

We both look up when there’s a knock at the door.

“Come in!” I yell before settling back against Liam.

Paige pops her head in and smile sheepishly. “Can I talk with you for a minute, Emily?” she asks, looking over at Liam before meeting my eyes again.

“Of course,” I say, moving to climb out of bed.

Liam wraps his hand around my wrist, and I fall back against his chest. His hand wraps around the back of my neck and he pulls me in for a kiss.

“Hurry back,” he whispers with a wink.

I chuckle and follow Paige out of the room.

Sarah and Paige sit across from me in Paige’s room. Declan left to keep Rhys and Liam occupied. For what reason? Welp, apparently, I’m getting interrogated.

“How long have you been avoiding your mom?” Paige asks quietly. There is no judgement in her eyes, only curiosity.

Sarah’s stare is curious, as well as calculating.

“It’s not that I’ve been ignoring her,” I say with a sigh. My fingers fiddle with the string on my sweatpants. “I just can’t hear her voice without feeling like my heart is going to burst from my chest.”

Tears begin to well in my eyes and I struggle to keep my lips from quivering.

Sarah moves to sit next to me, and she wraps an arm around me. I lean my head against her shoulder.

“Why are you guys asking me this anyway? How do you know?” I meet Paige’s eyes before they flick up to Sarah’s.

“She’s coming here.”

I jolt upward and stare at Paige, wide-eyed.

“What are you talking about?” I sputter.

Sarah starts to rub her hand up and down my arm to try and comfort me, but it doesn’t help. My blood is a rapid river that’s flowing through my blood stream with unimaginable force.

Paige grimaces slightly. “We invited her to come back to the US with us. She originally said no, which is why she wasn’t on our flight. But after Declan and I reached the airport, she changed her mind.”

My ma is coming here. I’m going to see her in person. I won’t have a way to avoid her. I take a deep breath in through my nose and release it through my mouth.

My nerves are shot, and I feel anxious.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Sarah whispers in my ear and kisses my temple.

I bite down on my lower lip until I taste blood. The pain helps distract me from the threat of a panic attack. I shouldn’t feel this. I shouldn’t feel the dread of being in my ma’s presence.