Emma closed the front door and leaned against it. This had been the weirdest date of her existence, and the most memorable by far. Her head was still spinning, mostly from what she had learned tonight.
The strangest part was she felt anxious. Not for what Travis was but for the separation. The moment he left, the feeling began to trickle in her belly and spread the longer time spanned. She didn’t understand this at all.
“Emmy,” called Abigail’s tiny voice from the top of the stairs.
Abi’s little butt scooted down the stairs in her own little fashion, plopping her butt on the carpet of each one step.
Smiling tenderly, she scooped down and engulfed her into her arms, breathing in the fresh scent of her baby shampoo. Monkey had just had her nighttime bath. That sounded like a glorious idea.
A hot, steamy, frothy bubble bath.
Burying her face into Abi’s chubby neck, she nuzzled her, loving her squeal of delight. “What trouble have you been up to little monkey?”
Abi tossed her short arms around Emma’s neck. “Coloring!” she replied overexcitedly. “And dolls.” She jumped a little in her arms after each word.
“Wow. Sounds like you had an exciting day also.”
“I miss you,” she stated, and then planted a giant smack on Emma’s cheek, grinning widely.
“I missed you too,” Emma said, flicking the end of her perky cute nose.
Her mom rounded at the top of the stairs looking tired and frazzled. The front of her shirt was splashed with water stains. It looked like Abi’s bath had gotten a little wild. Monkey could be such a handful.
“Hey mom.”
“I wondered where she ran off to.” She watched her mom run a hand through her straggly blonde hair. “How was your day? Did you and your friend have fun?”
A small pit of guilt settled in her already tense stomach. She had no idea how much that small lie was going to come back and bite her in the ass. Before leaving the house this morning, she had informed her mom that she was spending the day with a new friend from school – Lexi. Well not an entire lie, because she had spent some time with Lexi. Just not under the pretense she had implied to her mom.
God this was messy.
She knew that sooner or later she wasn’t going to be able to hide what was going on with her and Travis. She didn’t want to. After all the secrets in Travis’s life, the last thing she wanted was to add another or for him to think that she was ashamed of him. Because that was anything but the truth, she couldn’t be more proud to be with him.
“It was fine. Nothing crazy.” If she only knew. Her mom would kill her for sure, and Lexi would be off limits.
Her eyes softened. “I’m glad you are making friends honey.”
“Me too.”
“Me too,” echoed a wiggling Abi, shinning a toothy grin.
Emma rolled me eyes. “I’ll put her to bed.”
Nodding her head, she watched her mom walk down the hall.
“Looks like you have worn out the whole house,” she said to Abi while tickling her. Abi giggled innocently breaking the silent house. “Let’s get you to bed.”
“Story,” the bossy three year old demanded.
After two bedtime stories and a gazillion kisses, Emma left Abi hugging her stuffed unicorn with droopy eyes and the nightlight illuminating her lavender room.
A bath never sounded so good.
Sitting on the edge of the porcelain tub, she drew a bath just hot enough to stand without scorching her toes. She was sure her skin was going to be as pink as a pig afterwards. Adding a generous amount of jasmine bubbles, she sunk in all the way up to her chin and sighed.
For the first time all day she was alone. Utterly alone with her thoughts. She wasn’t sure if she should cry for the near escape at death, cry for the emotional overdrive, or just cry because she was a girl, and that’s what girl’s do.
In the end no tears came. Instead she thought about Travis, trying to digest the intense and fast feelings he evoked. They hardly knew each other – obviously, but it didn’t seem like that. Not when they were together. It was harmonious.
Even after he told her he was half-demon it didn’t change the connection she felt to him. If even possible she felt closer because he had told her, trusted her.
She knew then that she was in love with him.
Crazy.
Hopelessly.
Loved him.
That complicated things, at least with her parents. Tomorrow she was going to have to break the ice (ugh that phrase brought bad memories) and broach the subject of dating. Baby steps. Then invite him to meet the parents.
Doom music please.
Padding barefoot in boxers and a tee from the bathroom to her bedroom, she softly shut the door behind. Her bed literally sang to her relaxed and tired muscles. Feeling high on love, she fell into bed and immediately reached for her phone. It was late but not ungodly late.