Chapter 52 Zoe Is Gone
Emma blinked several times as she continued to look into his eyes. The hardest part was getting her gaze away from him. And she wanted to stay there for a long time—until she heard Zoe speak.
“Oopies. Emma. Are you okay?”
Ezra balanced her and released her. "Are you alright?" He inquired, and she fell again, but she was caught in his arms for the second time. “Hey. Easy there,” he laughed, setting her on her feet once more.
She tucked her hair behind her ears, laughing nervously, hoping he would notice how much work she had put into her face and compliment her. He did not seem to notice. “So sorry about that. I mean, I am getting older, and these heels are making it so difficult. It makes my bones brittle. The leg bones.”
He looked down at her legs. "You do not have any shoes on."
“Really?” She laughed nervously staring at her feet then her gaze fell on Zoe. “Hey. Your dad is here now. Are you happy?” She instantly changed the topic not to look stupid
“Yes. I am.” Zoe said happily.
"I have got something inside the car for you." He told Zoe, smiled, and locked his gaze on Emma. "Are you prepared to leave?"
Emma nodded. “Yes. Come on, Zoe. Go get your things.”
“But I—”
Zoe was immediately cut off. "I already have everything with me." The presence of Zoe in the room jeopardised their chance of kissing. Oh gosh. How badly she desired that. “Ah ah. Daddy and I need to talk while you go get your things. Get my shoes on your way out. Yes, the black one in front of my closet." Zoe dashed away. Emma smiled when she was finally out of sight. “Do you want anything? Water?”
“I am good. Thank you.”
“Alright. Let me get my purse.” She turned to leave, but he stopped her. Emma came to a halt and turned, her gaze drawn to her hand, which he was holding. He had that smile on his face when she looked at him. The type that said, "I am comfort; come to me, and I will comfort you." Or was she misinterpreting the entire situation? This was her moment. She could daydream all she wanted and then came to regret it.
“You look beautiful, Miss Facer.” Ah, he’d noticed her hard work after all. He leant in close, and she thought he was about to kiss her. Her eyes closed and her lips pouted, ready for the moment, until she heard him speak into her ear. "But, we are off to the park." She blinked her eyes open. "To have a good time. Do you think wearing heels is advisable?” Emma's lips curled in a sneer. He assumed a proper stance and looked her in the eyes. “You look so beautiful; I am just worried that you won’t be comfortable at the park.”
So that was where they were headed? She nodded slowly, clearly understanding his concern. "I will go change my clothes." So much for making an effort. She even wore red lipstick. Red lipstick! Every other man would fall for it, so why not him? She was ready to seduce him, to have him all to herself while Zoe was out there playing with toys or other things, only for him to want her to take all of those things off and wear sneakers, casual tees, and joggers?
Anyway, it was for her comfort.
She returned a moment later in those. Her once-dropped hair was now tucked into a ponytail. Zoe twinned with her as well.
“I am ready.” Ezra smiled broadly as she broke the awkward silence.
He synchronised her from top to bottom before giving a satisfied nod. “Now you are ready.”
Out of the house, Emma and Zoe stared at the car he had driven over. It was not his usual flashy car, but something different. “A Mama’s Jeep?” Emma shifted her gaze to him. “You drove that over here?” She did not completely despise it, but she could not help but laugh because he had driven that car without a driver.
He gave a shrug. "I had to drive something that no one would notice. This neighbourhood is small and stories fly by so quickly, and I wanted to avoid it."
That was sound reasoning. She could not help but smile, and when her gaze returned to the car, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Let us get you buckled up, Zoe."
“But I am not a child.”
Emma took her hand in hers and led her into the car. When she opened it, she discovered that a baby seat had already been installed. She turned her head and saw Ezra beaming with pride. He must have done a lot of research. “Thank you.” She mouthed. He nodded and watched her fasten Zoe's seatbelt.
“I’ve got something.” Ezra reached for his chair and pulled out two caps that matched the ones he was wearing. He jiggled it. "I think you two would look great in this."
“Oh no.” Emma shivered. They would all dress as if they were a family. Which was both adorable and cringeworthy.
“Yeah!” Zoe, on the other hand, was the happiest.
Ezra correctly placed the face caps on Zoe’s head. “Now you look like a gamer.” He shifted his gaze to Emma. She shook her head. "You do not have a choice."
“Yeah. Wear it, Emma."
How could she avoid that innocent gaze staring at her? Even though she knew it was a trap, she... Fuck it. “Give me that.” She took the cap and put it on. “How do I look?”
“Badass.” Ezra thumbed up.
“Beautiful.” Zoe replied cheerfully.
Perhaps it was not all that bad. Right? She shut Zoe's door and hopped into the passenger seat, where she buckled her seatbelt and Ezra drove.
Emma blinked, holding Zoe's hand, and Ezra stood next to her as her head shifted from left to right. They continued walking, and it was as quiet as a graveyard. There was no one else around except a woman in uniform, who appeared to be in her late twenties. Blonde hair and an average build. Betty was her name, and she was happy. Emma assumed that she would be the one to take care of their needs. She spoke quietly to Ezra. "I did not realise you meant buying the place out when you said you would take care of it."
"You did not want to draw attention to Zoe. This was all I could do.”
Nice job, she thought. He had driven a Mama's Jeep to pick them up and had also bought the entire park for that day. He was getting better at this father thing. He might as well be named father of the Month. Or even the year.
“Hello. My name is Betty. Today, I will be taking care of your needs," the blonde lady said.
“Thank you, Betty. Is there somewhere for a three-year-old child to play? Somewhere not dangerous?”
Betty lowered her gaze to Zoe. “Yes. Of course. Would you like to play on the swing, little girl?"
Zoe jumped joyfully. “Yes. But…” She turned to face Ezra and took his hand in hers. "I would like to play with daddy and..." She met Emma's gaze and took her hand in hers. “And Emma.”
Emma looked at Ezra and nodded. "Can you really blame her? She had been looking forward to this day."
“Come on, babes.” He cradled Zoe in his arms and tickled her. She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, her head resting on his brow.
"While you are at it, I will get some drinks and popcorn, or is there anything else you would like?" Betty asked
"I would like some water," Ezra said.
"I would like some popcorn and a drink, please," said Emma.
"All right then." Betty turned and walked away.
“Daddy! Come and play!” Zoe yelled right from the slide she was about to slide down.
"Oh no, she does not expect me to climb that, does she?" he asked Emma.
"I am glad she called for you instead of me." Emma reached into her bag and pulled out her sketch pad. "I have something else on my mind." She exhaled a sigh of relief and looked around. “This place has a nice view. It will bring me more inspiration.”
“That is not fair. You will not be drawing today."
“Why?”
"Because today is all about her." They both looked at Zoe, who dashed to the slide for another go.
“Poor soul.” Emma stood up and returned the book to her bag. She and Ezra joined Zoe. Of course, they did not slide, but they enjoyed watching her slide.
Betty brought them water, drinks, and popcorn to snack on during their short break. Zoe returned to the slide after her break was over. Ezra pushed the swing slowly, his gaze darting over to the view seated under the shade. He was attracted. "Daddy will be right back, love," he said. "Be gentle and stay put." He kissed her cheek and walked into the shade.
“Hey. Bored already?” He settled in.
Emma laughed. “Yeah. I suppose it is because we are the only ones here."
“Not the only one. There is Betty.”
“You know what I mean.” She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I appreciate you doing this. I appreciate it. Right now, it feels like you, Zoe, and I are the only ones left in the world."
“Wouldn’t that be amazing? You won’t get to listen to the honking of cars on busy roads or some men yelling on the street.”
"That would be peaceful and amazing, but let us be honest: those people made it enjoyable."
He looked at her for a long time, watching her. Emma met his gaze and knew right away that the look in his eyes was what she thought he was feeling. Ezra leant in, her heart pounding furiously. He cupped her face and closed his eyes for a kiss when Emma's eyes landed on the swing. She gasped, backed away and stood up. Her eyes wandered.
He cast her a perplexed glance. “Whoa, what's wrong? Are you okay?”
“Where is Zoe?”
“What?”
She pointed to the swing. "She is no longer there! Zoe is gone!”