Part 14 (2/2)
”I hope so. I love him too.”
”Really?”
Emma kissed Addison's head. ”Yes, really. You are a lot like him in some ways.”
Addison chuckled. ”If you had said that a few weeks ago, I'd have been p.i.s.sed.”
”And, now?”
”I know I am,” Addison replied. She settled her new, sleeping puppy at her feet and turned in Emma's arms, and sighed. ”I guess that I realized how much like him I am when he told me about my mom tonight,” Addison said. Emma smiled and waited for Addison to continue. ”She was sick a long time, Em. A lot longer than I knew.”
”I'm sorry, Addy.”
”Yeah... At first, I was p.i.s.sed. Oddly, not a him. I mean, at them both.”
”What changed?
Addison sighed. ”I get it. I mean, I get why she didn't tell me. She knew I'd want to leave school and she wouldn't have wanted that. I loved it there. She knew that too,” Addison said.
”And?” Emma asked, sensing there was more.
”I thought about you.”
”Me?” Emma's surprise was genuine. ”How so?”
”If that was ever us... I hope it never is, but if it were Vicki or this baby? If you asked me to... I just... I would never betray your wishes, Em. I might try to convince you otherwise, but in the end? I just...”
”I think I get it,” Emma said.
”He loved her so much,” Addison said as her tears began to spill over.
”I'm sure he did.”
Addison nodded. ”I understand; I think... More than I did, I guess... I love our kids, Em. I do. I love them so much it hurts, and I haven't even met them both yet.”
Emma smiled and brushed away Addison's falling tears. ”I know that.”
”But, you? Emma, you are... You're the biggest part of all of it. Listening to him-I don't know-after spending that time with Sandra, I guess maybe I just realized that someday it will be one of us. I hate that, but I know it.”
Emma nodded. ”Not for a long time, honey.”
”I know,” Addison replied. ”It'll never be long enough, Em, not even if it was a hundred years from now. Maybe I just never wanted to think about it. I don't know; it's like if I did, I'd make it happen somehow or if I...”
Emma brushed her lips across Addison's. ”It's okay, Addy.”
”Yeah, it is. The thing is, Em... He was afraid of losing me. Crazy, right?”
”Not really,” Emma said.
”I don't ever want our kids to think that I'm not there for them. I mean, I want to make sure that they know they can talk to me. I just wish he would have...”
”Let it go, honey,” Emma said.
”What?”
”The wis.h.i.+ng. Let it go. Concentrate on where you are now. That's what your mom would want for both of you, I think.”
Addison smiled. ”Yeah, she would. She would have loved you. Even my dad says you remind him of her sometimes.
”That's a lot to live up to,” Emma commented.
”Nah. You're you. You just remind me of her... in a good way. But, I will tell you a secret.”
”What's that?” Emma inquired.
”Your cookies are way better than my mom's.”
Emma laughed. ”You are priceless, Addy.”
”Guess that means you should keep me.”
”Always,” Emma promised.
Addison closed her eyes and nestled into Emma. ”Em?”
”Yes?”
”My head hurts.”
Emma chuckled. ”Well, I imagine that's another thing you and your dad have in common,” she teased. Emma looked down at Addison and shook her head. Addison was asleep, and King had stretched out over her feet. ”Only you could get me to have a dog, Addy. Only you.”
Epilogue.
”They call yet?” Sandra peeked into the living room of Addison and Emma's house.
”No,” Tamara answered.
”What time did they leave?” Jeff asked.
Tamara added a block to the tower she was building with Vicki. ”I don't know. Em's Mom and Dad were here all night with Brody. Addy called me at 2:30 a.m. and asked if I'd watch King when her parents left this morning. I guess, Emma had kicked her out for a few minutes to go get some coffee, which means she was stressing Emma out,” Tamara laughed. ”So, before that.”
”That's a long time,” Jeff said. It was already noon.
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