Page 44 of Admittedly For Me
I head inside and don’t fall asleep until she kindly lets me know I don’t need to hunt down her taxi driver. A fucking taxi service in Beechwood Falls. Who fucking knew?
Chapter13
Emery
“How wasyour night out with the girls?” My aunt hands me a cup of tea and joins me on the couch.
“It was fine. But it just proved how different life has been since we graduated high school.” I lift the mug up to my mouth, hiding the way my cheeks suck in. “How different our lives have become.”
“Different, yes, but you’re in control of how you react and respond to it.” Her voice is soft, and I can tell she’s skating around what she really wants to say. “You got home pretty late last night.”
“Mmhmm.” I sip of my tea and answer honestly. “I took a little detour after we finished. I needed help clearing my mind with someone who related.”
“I’m glad you have that here.” I can see in her eyes how she wishes she was that person for me. “What did you end up making?”
“Nothing worth taking home.” Ian can die with a coaster. I couldn’t care less. Our date better not consist of a cemetery picnic in an attempt to heal this wound. “Not like my parents can use it.”
My aunt sets her mug on the coffee table and picks at the thread coming off a pillow.
“You know, I miss them too.” Her voice is quiet as her focus remains on pulling a thread. My chest tightens as I watch her face fall. I didn’t mean to drop my baggage on her.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Quinn.” I sigh, as my aunt sinks farther into the couch.
“I also lost you months later when you left for Aspen.” My stomach bottoms out and my lungs deflate.
Instantly, unexpected tears sting my eyes. Why the hell is my body doing this? Yes, I’m aware of how selfish I’ve become. Not only did my aunt lose her sister and brother-in-law, but at twenty-three, she became a guardian to a teenager. One who shut her out and couldn’t wait to leave. I can’t imagine taking on that role at this age. And then to let me abandon her and this town? My head spins, realizing how I’ve acted over the past five years. I’d only see her and my friends when they’d come to visit me. How do I even still have friends at this point?
“I’m sorry for waiting years to come back.” My voice cracks, and I pray she doesn’t move closer. I really don’t want to fill this mug with tears. “I had been so absorbed in starting over that I didn’t think about your feelings.”
“I understand why you did what you did.” I could have used some tough love at that time and the only person who gave it to me was the one knew the pain of losing aparent. “I’m just glad to have you back.” Her eyes soften as she leans forward, taking my hand. “Even if it’s only for this month.”
Swallowing my nerves, I began to speak. “Ian and Savannah have been adamant about having an outlet.” Her eyebrows raise, half believing me. “Cooking hasn’t been helping the way it used to. Maybe it’s because it’s my job now, but I don’t know. I think they’re right and I need something else outside of that passion.” My stomach clenches as I stare at the coffee table and focus on zoning out.
“It seems Ian cares about you as much as your girlfriends.” She can sense my walls forming, and slightly alters the question to get me to keep talking. Damn her.
“He makes me confess things I don’t usually say out loud.” I pause, wishing he would have just kissed me and kept it at that.
“Confess things like?” Aunt Quinn leans forward with eyes full of hope, but my head shakes, shutting her down. “Whatever he got out of you, I’m glad. It’s a small step forward.”
“No promises there.” But he does have a way of making me feel comfortable enough to talk about what hurts. “He and I are actually going for dinner tonight.”Okay, Emery, you can stop talking now.
“Oh...” Aunt Quinn’s eyes light up before a grimace falls across her face. “For the hospital party?”
Shit. That can’t be tonight.
“Do I really need to be there? I’m not the one who is having the wing named after me. The ones who earned it aren’t even around to see it.” The words all rush out of my mouth at the same rate as my racing heart.
“Ones who earned it?” Okay, I deserve that scolding look. “They’re your parents, Emery Davis.”Were. But I don’t say that out loud. “You’re a big reason the hospital had funds to produce this wing.”She scoots closer to me as I feel my body stiffen.
“Call me humble. I don't need the recognition.” My stomach turns as I mentally count down the hours until I’m faced with this situation. “You know I don’t like getting attention.”
“You don’t have to make a speech or anything.” Her hand squeezes mine. “It would mean a lot to them to see you after all these years.” She pauses. “You can reschedule with Ian, or see if he will join.”
The front door opens before I reply. My friends always had perfectly horrible timing. Savannah has never knocked since the first time my mother told her she didn’t need to when we were kids. “You.” Savannah points my way and smiles, walking over to the couch. “You have some questions to clear up.” She sits right close to Quinn and leans on her.
“I don’t have time.” I give her a warning look, which is pointless, because my aunt can see something is up. I know the question. Which is why I didn’t respond to her text. “I need to get ready for the hospital thing.”
“We have plenty of time,” Aunt Quinn encourages. “Plus, you’ve been quite talkative today.”