She rolled off me then lay beside me, her eyes closing and her body relaxing, like she wanted to sleep there and never leave.
Sometimes it bothered me, that we could never have that. We couldn’t do sleepovers like other couples, wake up and go to breakfast the next morning. We couldn’t do a long weekend at my penthouse, with no obligation to anything.
At least for another six years.
I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else, so if I had to wait six years for us to have what we really wanted, that didn’t seem so bad. I could avoid the relationship with Lizzie altogether. She could go off to college and be out of the house, and I’d see her on occasion for holidays and special events.
But then I felt terrible for thinking that way.
That wasn’t what Emerson wanted from me.
She wanted me to have a relationship with her daughter, for us to be a family, the way my mother had loved me like her own, loved me as much as Dex and Daisy.
It was a daunting task, but I’d promised I would try. So I had to get into that mind-set.
I just struggled to have a relationship with anyone, even Emerson initially, and now I had to force a relationship with a kid who was practically an alien to me. My dad seemed confident I could do it, but I wasn’t so sure.
She was staring at me.
I hadn’t noticed.
“What are you thinking about?”
I turned my head so I could look at her.
“Your mood dropped… I can feel it.” Her hand moved over my hard stomach, feeling me, her hair messed up from before when my hands were up in it.
I lied. “My best friend is proposing to his girlfriend in a couple days.”
“Really?” she asked with a smile. “That’s exciting.”
“Yeah, she’s my friend too. It’s been a long time coming, honestly. Ryan just needed to save for the ring, and living in Manhattan, it’s impossible to save for anything.”
She chuckled. “Like you would know.”
Not personally, but I could understand the concept. “You should meet my friends.” She would come to the wedding with me, so she should meet the people I was closest to. “You’re going to be my plus-one for the wedding, so…”
“Will you be in the wedding?”
I nodded. “Best man.”
“Aww, he already asked you?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s so cute. I’d love to meet them.”
“I’ll let you know. He wants to go out and celebrate the engagement.”
“I think that’s a great idea.” She got out of bed and started to get dressed since she couldn’t stick around for long. She had a whole life waiting at home, a daughter who was growing up fast.
I watched her pull on her clothes, disappointed she had to leave. I was alone in my penthouse most of the time, which wasn’t terrible because I was usually working, but it would be nice to have her there.
I got up and got dressed.
“So, I’ve got some bad news…” She came out of the bathroom after she’d fixed her hair.
“Yeah?” I pulled on a hoodie so I could drive her home.
“Astra Books loved your story. Like, really loved it.”
My eyes narrowed.
“So…they want to do that book tour we talked about.”
I released a loud sigh, regretting ever writing that first manuscript in the first place.
“And they want a few chapters of the next book, so they can include that in the back of this one. Also…they want the book done sooner, so the readers know they don’t have to wait as long for the sequel this time.”
“This is a lot of bad news to deliver at once.” I wanted to snap back and give my refusal, but I knew Emerson wasn’t the problem. All of this was happening because of my negligence. If I’d just delivered that manuscript on time, none of this would be taking place.
“I think it works out nicely. Since you’re being more available to the public, I think it’s just going to inspire people further. You’re a scientist, but you apply that knowledge to literature, and it shows people that they can literally do anything. You may not see the impact of your legacy for the next few decades, but you’re changing the world without even knowing it. Some young person is going to love your story, follow everything you do, and then be inspired to contribute to humanity the way you have.”
She always weaved the narrative beautifully, erasing my annoyance and replacing it with ambition. “Fine…”
She smiled. “Great. And you’ll start writing, or do you need my help?”
“I think I got it.” I had so much on my plate right now that the idea of taking time to devote to a book seemed ludicrous, but knowing me, I would just fill up that time with something else if it were vacant.
“Great.”
2
Emerson
After Derek went to work, I let the housekeeper into his penthouse and organized some of his things for him. Now that he completely trusted me, it was much easier for me to do my job, to get the place nice and tidy for him. I delivered his groceries, took care of his dry cleaning and laundry, and got everything perfect for his return.
Even though he was my man, he was still my boss and I still had to take care of him, but instead of finding it weird, it seemed normal. It wasn’t any different from a wife taking care of the house when her husband was at work.
Except he was paying me.
I guess that was a little weird, doing something for money when I would do it for free.
Maybe I would do it for free…someday.
I wasn’t in a rush to have a husband and settle down because I’d always been independent, but the idea of having a much more serious relationship with Derek didn’t scare me at all. Sometimes I pictured Lizzie and myself moving in here, coming home here every day, the three of us being a family.
But I had to shut that down—quick.
That was a looooong ways away…if it happened at all.
My phone rang in my pocket, so I pulled it out and checked the screen.
It was Cleo.
Not my old mentor…but my man’s mother.
Our dinner went well and everything felt comfortable, but I still felt a bit foolish for the way I’d spoken to her in the past. All the evidence was right in front of me, but I was too stupid to notice.
Whatever. What’s done is done.
I answered. “Hey, Cleo. How are you?”
“I’m great. How about you?”
“Just at Derek’s place right now, getting things tidied up.” I immediately reverted to our previous relationship because that was all I really knew.
“I’m going to be free in an hour. I was wondering if you wanted to get a coffee or something?”
Why? “Sure. I can do that.”
“I’ll text you. Talk soon.” She hung up.
I immediately called Derek even though he was working because I didn’t know what else to do.
He answered right away. “Hey, baby.” He was probably at his desk in the lab, going over the final schematics of the rocket even though he needed to move on to his next project.
“Your mom just called me…wants to get coffee.”
He was quiet for a long time. “Is that it, or…?”