Chapter Thirty-three
Emerson woke feeling more rested and more at peace than she could remember in a long time. Ever, maybe. When Darcy stirred against her, she kissed the top of her head. “Morning.”
Darcy lifted her head and returned the kiss, but on her lips. “Morning.”
“I’m taking it Liam slept through the night. That’s a good sign.”
Darcy nodded. “Agreed. I don’t know if he’s up or not. Sometimes he watches television on Saturday mornings, but just as often he reads a book.”
“One of the million things I love about him. Why don’t we get up either way?” Emerson didn’t want to press her luck. The idea of Liam finding them in bed together seemed weird, at least until they had a chance to talk to him about being together.
Darcy climbed out of bed. “I’ll make coffee.”
“Should I get dressed?” Emerson looked down at the boxers and T-shirt she wore. She didn’t want to take anything for granted.
“You’re fine. I wouldn’t have asked you to stay over if I wasn’t ready for Liam to know.”
The matter-of-fact way Darcy said it made Emerson smile. “Okay.”
They walked down the hall. Darcy peeked into Liam’s room, then gently closed the door. “Still conked out.”
Darcy put coffee on and they stood in the kitchen. Emerson drummed her fingers on the counter. “I think I should talk to Liam.”
“About what?”
“Us. What it means for him.”
“What are you going to say?”
“I don’t know exactly. I mean, if you have it all set in your head, I don’t want to step on your toes, but…I feel like I owe it to him.”
“Owe it to him?”
“Yeah. Since he and I are friends, I don’t want him to get the wrong idea.”
“Like I’m stealing you?”
Emerson chuckled. “Not that, exactly, but sort of.”
Darcy took a deep breath and nodded. “No, I think you’re right. I don’t usually tell him about who I’m dating, so it’s not like I’m keeping a secret. But he might feel like you are.”
Emerson wouldn’t have put it in those words, but Darcy was exactly right. “Yes.”
“I think you should. And I’m glad you thought of it.”
“Thanks.”
When the coffee was done, Emerson poured cups and Darcy led them to the living room, which was a little farther away from Liam’s room. They sat on the sofa facing one another, legs entwined. Emerson realized she wanted to wake up every day exactly like this. Which wasn’t realistic, given that Darcy had work and Liam had school. But still. They’d have occasional Saturday mornings and Darcy’s days off. And on the mornings they needed to bustle around, they’d do that. Emerson wanted it all, the whole package. She looked at Darcy. “If I sold my place, it would give us enough for a down payment on a house.”
Darcy looked at her, wide-eyed. “What?”
“I don’t mean tomorrow. Sorry, I was thinking out loud.”
Darcy still looked alarmed. “You want to move in together?”
“Um…” Emerson refused to backtrack. “Not right away. I get that it’s complicated, especially with Liam, but eventually. Yeah.”
Darcy nodded slowly. Emerson couldn’t decide if she was mulling it over or forming an exit strategy. Eventually, she sighed. “Not in Provincetown.”
Relief washed over Emerson and she smiled. “It doesn’t have to be in Provincetown.”
“You don’t want to give up your place there. It’s your studio. And it’s in the middle of town. It’s perfect.”
It was perfect, a dream come true in a lot of ways. A dream that kept her afloat during the darkest time in her life, when nothing made sense and nothing felt certain. But that dream had changed. “Buying it was about living the life I wanted instead of the life I was supposed to want.”
“And you’re trying to tell me you’d let it go, just like that?”
“I’d be letting it go for something better, a different version of that life. A version that includes you. And Liam.” Saying the words aloud only reinforced Emerson’s certainty that she was ready for the next phase of her life.
Darcy let the idea of a life with Emerson sink in. If a small part of her brain screamed that it was too soon, too risky, her heart knew it was exactly what she wanted. And even if it was messy or hard sometimes, she knew in her heart it’s what Liam wanted, too. “Yes.”
“Yes, that’s what you want, too?”
Darcy smiled. “Yes, I want that, too.”
Emerson’s face grew serious. “I can’t promise it will be perfect, but I’m in it for the long haul. I need you to believe that.”
Before Darcy could respond, Liam’s door opened and he emerged, hair standing on end and wiping his eyes. She squeezed Emerson’s hand. “I do,” she whispered before turning her attention to Liam. “Hi, honey. Are you feeling better?”
“Yeah. I slept like—” His gaze landed on Emerson and he narrowed his eyes. “Did Emerson spend the night?” His tone held a mixture of excitement and suspicion.
Emerson shot Darcy a sideways glance. Darcy locked eyes with her before turning to Liam. “She did.”
Liam looked at Emerson, then Darcy, then Emerson again. “Cool.”
Emerson gave her a look that said, “Was that it?” and Darcy shrugged. “Are you hungry?”
“Starved. Can we have pancakes?”
Emerson jumped in. “I think maybe we should go easy on your tummy. How about toast?”
He sighed, clearly unimpressed. “Okay.”
“And a ginger ale?” Darcy added.
That helped. Liam smiled. “Yeah.”
Darcy stood. “You hang out with Emerson while I make it. Emerson, do you want some toast?”
Emerson smiled at her. “I’d love some. I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday.”
“You got it.” Darcy got up and walked to the kitchen. Because the spaces sort of flowed into each other, she could keep both an eye and an ear on the conversation.
“Hey, Liam. Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure.” He joined Emerson on the sofa, sat cross-legged and put his hands in his lap. Darcy chuckled. Even in dinosaur pajamas, he could be such a grownup.
Emerson mirrored his pose. Her expression was so serious, Darcy wondered if she was more nervous to talk to Liam than her. She couldn’t see, perhaps, that Liam was—had been for a while—completely in love with her. Not more so than herself, but without the burden of doubts and insecurities and all the boring adult things that get in the way. “I was hoping we could talk about something.”
“Okay.” The apprehension in his voice seemed to make Emerson even more uneasy. Darcy could have interjected, explaining that serious talks usually meant Liam was in trouble. She didn’t, wanting to give both of them the chance to work it out. Wanting, really, to see how Emerson would handle the conversation.
“We’re buddies, right?”
“Yeah.” Some confidence returned to his voice.
“What about your mom? Are you buddies with her, too?”
Liam furrowed his brow, wondering probably if it was a trick question. “She’s…my mom.”
“So, family.”
“Yeah.” Liam nodded. “Family.”
“What if I said I wanted to be more like your family instead of your buddy?”
Liam curled his lip. “Like another mom?”
The look on Emerson’s face was priceless. Clearly, not the response she was expecting. Darcy remained quiet. She wanted to hear Emerson’s answer, too. “Not exactly. You have a special relationship with your mom. I could never duplicate that and I wouldn’t want to try. But I’d like to be more than your friend.”
“More how?”
“I’d like to be around more, maybe even live with you guys. Kind of how Julien is with your dad.”
“Awesome!” Darcy could see that Liam was jumping ahead, imagining day after day of adventure and excitement.
“But it wouldn’t be all fun times. I still have to work. I’d be enforcing the rules, too.”
It was fascinating to watch Liam process what Emerson was proposing. His excitement tempered, but was not lost. Darcy wouldn’t have framed the possibilities that way, but she respected Emerson for not going for the easy sell.
“But you’d be around all the time?”
“That’s the plan. I want to count on you and I want you to feel like you can count on me.”
At the mention of being counted on, Liam sat up straighter. “I’d like that.”
Darcy’s heart, already full, pressed even more insistently against her ribs.
“I can’t promise that it will always be easy, or that you won’t get sick of me sometimes.”
Liam nodded. So serious. “I won’t get sick of you.”
Emerson smiled. “I’m sure you will. I’ll probably get sick of you, too.”
Liam’s face fell and Darcy took a step toward him, ready to intervene.
“But,” Emerson continued, “that’s part of life. We have bad days and disagreements. What I can promise is that I won’t give up on you or your mom. I’ll stick around so we can work it out.”
Liam stole a quick glance at Darcy before looking squarely at Emerson. “I won’t give up on you, either.”
“Even if I get on your nerves?”
Liam hung his head and squirmed a little. He clearly didn’t want to acknowledge that Emerson might get on his nerves. “Even if we get on each other’s nerves.”
“Good. I can get—”
“Wait.” After interrupting, Liam looked back and forth between Emerson and Darcy. “Does this mean you guys love each other? Like kissing and stuff?”
Emerson let out a small cough and even Darcy couldn’t suppress a smile. Darcy had no intention of answering, but Emerson shot her a pleading look. She relented. “We do.”
Liam wrinkled his nose in the way most little boys did regarding matters of romance. When the initial shock of the revelation passed, however, he nodded. “I guess that’s cool.”
Darcy crossed the room to join them. “I think this calls for a pact.” She stuck out her hand.
“Yeah.” Liam put his hand out, on top of Darcy’s.
They both looked to Emerson, who clearly had no idea what was happening. But she added her hand to the pile. “I’m in.”
Darcy thought about the words she’d use to seal the deal. “Good times and hard times. We’re in it together. Family.”
Liam’s nodded matter-of-factly. “Family.”
Darcy looked at Emerson, who used her free hand to wipe away a tear. “Family.”