Chapter 129 Part 129
Emerson
It was fleeting, just a breath or two, so fleeting that for a moment, she couldn't react. Asher Fitzgerald. He’d been standing right there, looking at her. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and turned her attention back to Steve, her publicist, as he touched her arm again.
“Are you really sure you want to move to some small town?”
Emerson smiled. “It’s time. I’m 32 weeks pregnant. I can’t wait any longer.”
“Let us know if you need anything, and call me so I know you’re safe,” he said.
“Thank you, Steve, I will.”
She was nervous. She’d never been so nervous before. She’d rented a house through a lawyer and she would pick up the keys to her new house tomorrow. The moving truck was already on the way there.
Shirley hadn’t been as supportive. She called Emerson crazy for going back, but she knew it was the right thing to do. Asher had a right to know that he was going to be a father, and their baby had a right to know his family. She knew that each and every Fitzgerald would love this baby.
Her nerves were shot. Why had Asher been there? Why hadn’t he talked to her? It didn’t matter anymore. She was bound to run into him sooner or later, and she knew it would be sooner. The moment she was settled into her new house, she would go see him, explain everything, and hopefully they could co-parent amicably.
From the bookstore, she drove to Shirley’s apartment. They would have an early dinner, and Emerson would go to sleep and leave at 2 a.m. It was a long drive, but she didn’t want to fly, and not have a car there.
In the early morning hours, Emerson and Shirley stood in the living room, tears welling up in their eyes as they said their goodbyes. It was an emotional moment as Emerson wiped her eyes and hugged her friend.
“Call me and if you need me to be there when he’s born, I’ll be there. I’ll fly down there to help you out,” Shirley said.
“I’ll be fine, I promise. His family is really great,” Emerson said, and took another breath. “He won’t stand by and do nothing. I know him, Shirley, he’ll be there for his son.”
“I hope you’re right, Emmie. I really hope you know what you’re doing.”
Emerson smiled, and grabbed her purse from the counter. “It’s the right thing to do.”
“I love you,” Shirley said.
“I love you, too.”
Emerson left her apartment, and when she was finally seated in her SUV, she took another deep breath. It was time to go back. She had water, snacks, and music. She was all set.
Emerson took her time driving back to Two Bear Meadow. She stopped frequently to stretch her legs and relieve her bladder. Her lower back was killing her but she only had an hour to go. She sent a text to the lawyer to make arrangements for the key, and smiled when he replied that the owner would meet her at the house at noon.
The town looked exactly the same, except for all the decorations, and she looked at a sign as she slowed down at the intersection. It was the town’s birthday, and Emerson started driving again when the people had walked past her car.
The GPS directed her out of town, and she could feel her pulse quicken when she turned onto the dirt road that led to the ranch. She parked her SUV in front of the house a few minutes later and climbed out.
She grinned as she opened the gate and walked down the little path toward the porch. The house was beautiful, the garden immaculate, and everything she could have wished for.
She peered through the window on the porch and peered inside. The house was empty but she could see that it would look beautiful once her furniture arrived.
She heard the car behind her, and the door closing, but she didn’t turn around immediately. She straightened and turned around with a smile on her face when she heard footsteps on the porch.
“Hi, I’m Em—”
Asher’s gaze searched hers, and his eyes lowered to her stomach, and back up to her face. “You’re the new tenant?”
“Are you the owner?”
“Yeah, Preston was busy, and asked me to bring the keys.”
Emerson swallowed, not sure what to say. This wasn’t how she’d planned on seeing him again. He tore his gaze away from her, and unlocked the front door. He stepped back and looked away from her.
“Thank you.”
She stepped inside and turned in a full circle. She turned her head to look at him, and smiled again. The kitchen was immaculate, new appliances, and she smiled as she envisioned herself cooking there.
“I saw you yesterday…outside the bookstore,” she said softly. “Why were you there?”
“It doesn’t matter anymore. This key is for the front door, and this one is for the kitchen door. You can call Preston if you have any other questions, but there shouldn’t be any problems,” Asher said.
He turned, and walked out of the kitchen, the two keys lying on the counter. She shivered involuntarily as he closed the gate behind himself, and drove away toward the ranch.
“Idiot,” she muttered. “I should’ve just told him.”
She heard another engine being switched off, and walked out of the house to the porch. The moving truck was there. She smiled, and walked to the big gate to open it for them.
A few hours later, the truck had been emptied and the furniture and boxes carried inside. The men had been nice, putting the marked boxes in each room where they needed to be unpacked.
By the time the men left, she was exhausted, but she headed to her bedroom, and unpacked her suitcases. She’d feel better knowing she could take a bath and sleep tonight.
She took a quick shower, changed her clothes, and headed to the grocery store. It was better to do as much as she could before driving out to the ranch to speak to Asher. If their conversation didn’t go as well as she hoped it would, she knew that she would just want to go home.