chapter sixteen

I woke up the next morning with Justin wrapped around me and smiled up at him as I saw that he was watching me, “Morning.”

“Morning Em.”

I yawn slowly and rest my arms around his waist, “Thanks for last night.”

He leans down and kisses my lips softly, “Believe you me, it was my pleasure.”

I grin and kiss him back, giggling softly, “Remember when we used to hide up here together when your mom wasn’t here and fool around?”

Justin leans on one elbow and chuckles as well, “Yeah, those were some good times. So, you want to tell me what exactly happened between you and Chad that led you to call of the wedding and come running down the street in tears?”

I intertwine our fingers together and lean my head upwards, “It wasn’t him per say, it was the whole thing. People were telling me how perfect we were together and how my wedding should be, Kendal decided to tell me that Chad wanted to move to New England and didn’t discuss it with me and then my mother dropped the bomb that she has decided to sell Gram’s house since apparently she owns the house. It was a very long day.”

“I can’t believe she’s going to sell the house, you spent your whole life there and are living there at the moment.”

“Thank you. My mother doesn’t exactly want me around you, I think she’s afraid you would seduce me.” I smirk.

“She should be more afraid of you then me after last night.”

I shift underneath him, adjusting myself on the mattress and remember when I used to think this bed was huge, “I haven’t told her the wedding is off though. I haven’t told anyone yet, not even Chad. I think I should probably tell him face to face as apposed to my mother, who when I tell her I plan on being in another country, preferably somewhere where I can change my identity easily to avoid facing her wrath and inevitable murder.”

Justin shakes his head, “You have the driest sense of humor I have ever come across.”

“You think I’m kidding? Have you not been around her since we broke up? She would chop you up with a butcher’s knife if she could.”

“Well then I guess I’ll just have to run away with you.”

I run my fingers over his arm, “That would be nice.”

“So you are going to tell Chad then?”

I nod, dreading that conversation, “I’ll call him and tell him I’m coming to see him. After all the time we spent together, I think he deserves for me to tell him face to face.”

Justin nods but I can tell he’s holding back a smile. And oh what a beautiful smile it is too. We just lay together for a little while, enjoying the feeling of finally being together again. He’s my other half. My missing piece and when were together, everything is right again. After about an hour Justin sits up, stretching his arms over his head, “You want to take a shower?”

“Yeah, and brush my teeth.”

He gets up and throws me a tee shirt to put on as he grabs some boxers and walks out into the hallway to the bathroom. I slip the shirt on and for the first time realize that the weight that normally causes my right hand to feel pulled down is gone. I look down at my hand and sure enough, the engagement ring is gone. I get back in the bed and throw the covers off the bed, looking for the ring. If I plan on telling Chad that I don’t want to marry him, I had better give him back the perfect piece of jewelry. I do feel free though, as if I am no longer being compared the gem. I will no longer have to me as cold or hard or seamless no that it’s gone, and it feels wonderful.

How the hell could that thing have fallen of my finger? Normally I can’t get it off if I try. Only today would I lose something like that. I search some more, frantically searching the bed before I see a twinkling on the ground from the sun hitting the diamond. I pick it up and look it over. All that wasted time for this. I hold the ring in the palm of my hand for a minute before sticking it into the pocket of the jeans I wore the night before and head out of the room to the bathroom. I feel the soft carpet underneath my feet as I walk down the hall to the bathroom. I hear the shower running and I smile when a door opens. A certain door. Lynn’s.

I gasp as she does to see me in Justin’s shirt that barely covers my ass. I shriek and Lynn puts her hand over her chest, “Emily!”

“Hi?” I say quickly, wondering what the correct response is in there kinds of situations. I blush terribly as she looks over my choice of garment and looks at me with that motherly look of concern.

“I guess you spent the night.”

I cheeks burn as I nod my head sheepishly. The bathroom door opens and Justin comes out and starts to say something when he sees Lynn, “Oh shit.”

“Mmm.” is all Lynn says in response.

Justin looks between the two of us and I want to curl up in a hole and die. Never in the years Justin and I were together did Lynn catch us together. I’m sure she knew exactly when we started sleeping together given her relationship with Justin and seeing the way we acted towards each other after the first time. Crazy in love.

“Listen mom, Em just came over because-”

Lynn holds her hands up, “I don’t want any details. I’ll be downstairs when you two are ready for the Spanish Inquisition.”

I close my eyes in hopes that if I click the back of my heels together, I might end up anywhere but here. No such luck. Lynn goes downstairs and I move into Justin’s embrace, my hands over my face.

“It’s okay.” He says, smoothing my hair back.

“How is it okay? Your mom just saw me practically naked clad in just your shirt. What other explanation could there be except that we spent the night together?”

Justin grins, “None. Like she didn’t know we were shaking up before, this just reinforces it.”

I smack him in the arm gently and go into the bathroom. He follows me and closes the bathroom door, “Are you nuts? After that whole thing with your mom you want to shower together?”

Justin doesn’t respond, instead picking me up and pulling off his shirt before dragging me into the shower with him.

________________________________________________________________________

We eventually made in downstairs to my mother sitting in her robe with a cup of coffee in her hand awaiting our presence to bring us back to reality. Emily sits down across from mom and it is possibly the only time I can think of that Em actually looks afraid of my mom, or rather what she’s going to say. I’m a little nervous myself.

Mom softens her face as she addresses us, “Okay, what is going on with you two?”

Emily throws me a look as if to say that I should field this one. I sit down next to Em and swallow, “We are together now.” I say, taking Em’s hand.

Mom looks at Emily, “So you are not getting married?”

“No, I’m not.”

Mom takes a sip of her coffee, “Have you told anyone this? Chad perhaps?”

Emily looks down at her feet, “No, not yet. I plan on going to see Chad in New York and telling him.”

“So your mother doesn’t know?”

Em snorts, “No. She’ll be just thrilled when I tell her I’ve called it off.”

“I expected that much. She called last night in a whirlwind looking for you. She said you took off and weren’t feeling well.”

“She’s selling Gram’s house.” Emily whispers.

Mom gasps a little and comes over to the couch, “Oh honey, I’m so sorry.”

Emily sniffs, “I guess I’ll just have to accept it. There is nothing else I can do.”

“As for the two of you, I would tell Chad immediately and then call things off as soon as possible.”

I smile down at Em comfortingly as mom watches my expressions. I know what she’s thinking, “I’m happy for you two but what are you planning on doing with her Justin?” I don’t have an answer though.

________________________________________________________________________

Justin and I went to hang out at my house and I call my mom at the hotel she was staying at. God forbid she would ever spend the night here, not that I really want her too, but the fact that she detests the place where Gram and I lived has never really forgiven for without even thinking about it.

“Hello?”

I cringe, “Mom, it’s me.”

“Where the hell have you been? I had to tell the women that you had an emergency and had to leave. Do you have an idea how much you embarrassed me yesterday?”

Oh what I wouldn’t say to her if she wasn’t my mother, “Listen mom, I have something to tell you.”

“Well spit it out then Emily, I don’t have all day. We still haven’t talked about the location that this wedding is going to take place.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I don’t want to marry Chad. The wedding is off.”

I wait for my mother to say something, but there is silence on the other end of the phone, “Mom?”

Still nothing, “Mom, I know you are upset, but I just can’t do it. I don’t love him.”

Then the other end goes dead. My own mother hung up the phone on me. I look at the phone in my hand before turning it off and joining Justin in the family room.

“So, how did she take it?” he asks as I curl up in his lap.

“She hung up on me.”

“What?” he says, surprised.

“Yep.”

“You know, I don’t remember your mother ever acting like this when we were younger.”

I tilt my head back against his chest, “She wasn’t like she is now. When my parents moved to Chicago, it changed everything. My dad got a raise and my mother became a trophy wife.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

“Your glad you made the choice though right?”

“Mmm, yeah I am.”

Justin flips over so I’m underneath him, “Well that’s good. You know what I really miss doing with you that we used to?”

“What?” I smirk at the grin on his face.

“Playing doctor.”

________________________________________________________________________

Emily lays on my chest, curled up in a blanket from over the couch. Her back goes up and down slowly with her rhythmic breathing and I sigh with contentment. This is how life should be, void of complications or tough decisions, just peaceful.

Of course, we will have to deal with the complicated later. Erin is not a woman you want to mess with. She used to be so motherly towards both Em and me but when I saw her at the funeral for Marion, she was anything but that. The way she looked and addressed me made me want to duck for cover. I have never seen such an icy look in my life.

A noise comes from the kitchen and I assume Abbey has decided she wants to go out. I’ll get up in a minute and let her out, I just want to enjoy Emily just a little longer. I lean my head back towards the doorway leading to the kitchen and groan as my neck cracks a little from my previous position, “Hang on Abbs.”

“What the fuck?”

Startled I sit up holding Emily, who is still sleeping, against my chest.

Oh shit. Chad.

He’s glaring at me and I shake Emily a little until she groggily opens her eyes to see the jackass standing two feet from us.

“Chad!” she says shaking and pulls the blanket around our bodies as she searches for her clothes.

“I can’t believe you! I get a call from your mother saying the wedding is off and I come down here to see you and find out what the fuck is going on and I catch you naked with him?”

“Chad I’m sorry. I should have told you but I wanted to talk to you in person.” Emily implores, starting to tear up.

I manage to bet my pants on without flashing him and stand up to intervene, “Look man, it wasn’t her fault, it was mine.”

“Oh, I have no doubt about that.”

Chad goes over to Emily who still has the blanket wrapped around her and grab her arm, forcefully holding her inches from his face as his voice cracks, “How could you do this to me? I thought we meant more to each other than that.”

I swear if he doesn’t let go of her I’m going to kill him.

“Chad, it wasn’t fair to you. I’m not in love with you, but I do care about you.” Em says, placing her hands on his chest in a soothing manner.

Chad bites his lip hard, “Bullshit. Thanks so much Em. I have to say though out of all the guys you could have chosen to cheat on me with, you picked the one guy who doesn’t really care about you at all. I guess that’s what you get. He loves you as much as you love me and the way I love you is the way you love him. What a tangled web we weave.”

Before I can move out of the way, Chad pulls his fist back and slams it into my face as blood goes everywhere. Em wraps herself around me to keep me from going after Chad as she presses the blanket against my nose to stop the bleeding.

With that Chad stormed out as we both stare in the direction he left.

17