04-17-2025, 02:20 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-17-2025, 02:29 AM by Emily Shale-Vanders.)
Emily was emotionally exhausted. She plopped on the couch next to Jared and took his hand in hers. Silence permeated between them. Silence was never awkward between them. Nothing ever felt awkward between them. For a moment though, she just needed to feel him by her side.
When she finally spoke, her words were laced with exhaustion. ”I just asked my sister if I could put a tracking device in her body in case she tries to run away because some bastard screwed with her head.”
Jared didn’t respond. He didn’t need to respond. He just pulled her close, his hand resting on her abdomen. She covered his hand with hers. ”Jared, am I ready for this.”
He planted a kiss on her cheek, eliciting a smile from her lips. ”You are. But I also think that it’s a healthy question to ask. I’d be willing to guess most first time parents at one point or another wonder if they’re ready.”
Emily nodded and her wallet buzzed. It was Andrew letting her know that he contacted Ana Vega about the Second Chance approval and that he’d get all the legal stuff taken care of with her. It also mentioned that he’d got a quote from Durante Securities and wanted her approval.
Approved. Get it taken care of. I usually don’t ask you to do personal life stuff for me, but if you could get a security package for my home too, I’d appreciate it. Today has just been too much and I can’t handle it.
Andrew responded in the affirmative and she reciprocated by ordering him and his husband a steak dinner delivery. He’d text back that it was unnecessary but would thank her for her thoughtfulness. She dropped her wallet on the couch next to her.
”When do we find out for sure?” Jared asked.
”Appointment is next week.”
Silence reigned for a few moments as Jared pulled her closer. ”You didn’t do anything wrong. We were all fooled by this guy. We all did our best, and we will keep doing so. We’ll make it, I promise.” her turned her face so she could look at him. ”You don’t have to be strong all the time. The weight you carry - you don’t carry it alone. Don’t let it make you feel like you’ll be a bad mom. You’re going to be great. We’re going to learn together. and you know how much Mara and Rachel are going to absolutely dote on the baby. We got this. One day at a time.”
She leaned back for a kiss. That was what she needed to hear. Because the past couple of days, it had been among the myriad of things she had thought about. One day at a time she could handle.
When she finally spoke, her words were laced with exhaustion. ”I just asked my sister if I could put a tracking device in her body in case she tries to run away because some bastard screwed with her head.”
Jared didn’t respond. He didn’t need to respond. He just pulled her close, his hand resting on her abdomen. She covered his hand with hers. ”Jared, am I ready for this.”
He planted a kiss on her cheek, eliciting a smile from her lips. ”You are. But I also think that it’s a healthy question to ask. I’d be willing to guess most first time parents at one point or another wonder if they’re ready.”
Emily nodded and her wallet buzzed. It was Andrew letting her know that he contacted Ana Vega about the Second Chance approval and that he’d get all the legal stuff taken care of with her. It also mentioned that he’d got a quote from Durante Securities and wanted her approval.
Approved. Get it taken care of. I usually don’t ask you to do personal life stuff for me, but if you could get a security package for my home too, I’d appreciate it. Today has just been too much and I can’t handle it.
Andrew responded in the affirmative and she reciprocated by ordering him and his husband a steak dinner delivery. He’d text back that it was unnecessary but would thank her for her thoughtfulness. She dropped her wallet on the couch next to her.
”When do we find out for sure?” Jared asked.
”Appointment is next week.”
Silence reigned for a few moments as Jared pulled her closer. ”You didn’t do anything wrong. We were all fooled by this guy. We all did our best, and we will keep doing so. We’ll make it, I promise.” her turned her face so she could look at him. ”You don’t have to be strong all the time. The weight you carry - you don’t carry it alone. Don’t let it make you feel like you’ll be a bad mom. You’re going to be great. We’re going to learn together. and you know how much Mara and Rachel are going to absolutely dote on the baby. We got this. One day at a time.”
She leaned back for a kiss. That was what she needed to hear. Because the past couple of days, it had been among the myriad of things she had thought about. One day at a time she could handle.