Page 116 of Blitzing Emily

Margaret shook her head again. “There are so many things I wish I could do over. You’re both strong women. I’m not sure how much I had to do with that.”

“Mom. We wouldn’t have known how to be strong if it wasn’t for you.”

She took Emily’s hand in both of hers. “How are you doing with the rehearsals forDie Fledermaus?”

“It’s fine. The role is tough, but I’ve been doing some extra practicing that’s paying off.” Emily had all kinds of time to practice, it seemed, since she was minus one fiancé. Her mother’s fingers lingered on Brandon’s ring, which sparkled in the sunlight coming through the kitchen window. After carrying the ring around in her pocket for a few days, she had worried it might fall out and jammed it back on her finger. She couldn’t bring herself to take it off again.

“Amy told me you were still wearing this.” Margaret raised one eyebrow. “Maybe you should tell me what happened, sweetheart.”

“I—I can’t talk about it.” Emily swiped at her eyes. Her misery threatened to engulf the earth, or at least her tiny part of it.

“The ex-girlfriend turned up pregnant, and you broke up with him.” Margaret took another sip of soda, regarding Emily over the rim of her glass. “Maybe you should give him another chance.”

“No. No, I can’t.”

“You’re being a little melodramatic. Emily Anne, you’re in love with that man, and he’s still in love with you.”

“Mom, can’t we talk about something else?”

“Do not tell me that you’re doing this because of what happened between your father and me,” her mother said. “What happened with us—you girls—I was stupid. We fought so much when we should have been pulling together. It’s mostly my fault.”

“How can you say that?”

“It’s the truth. When I was young, I thought marriage was one long candlelit dinner. Moonlight and roses, romance. I was spoiled and immature, and I never gave him a chance. Your dad’s not Mr. Warm and Fuzzy. Instead of realizing that the way he showed love was to provide, I thought he didn’t love us because he spent so much time at work. He wanted to make sure we had everything we needed. When your music teacher sent a note home about how talented you are, his response was to get another job. He knew we’d need the money for voice lessons. I thought he was rejecting us because he was gone fifteen hours a day.”

“He seemed mad all the time.”

“Honey, he was exhausted. It wasn’t just the work. We weren’t being kind to each other. He felt misunderstood, and I felt ignored. If we’d talked about it ...” Her voice trailed off. “You need to talk to Brandon about this.”

“I did.”

“Breaking off an engagement isn’t talking,” her mother said. “Would you rather have him, or would you rather end up alone and bitter? We wasted so many years, your dad and I. I was so angry for so long. If I would have talked to him about how I felt, instead of assuming what he thought and trying to hurt him the way I thought he was hurting me, we would have stayed with each other.”

“He cheated. End of story.”

Margaret rolled her eyes. “Amy says he didn’t.”

“But the paternity test—” Was she the only one who thought the test mattered?

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you. There is nobody else for him. He met with your dad when he had every indication that your dad didn’t like him. Brandon wanted him to know how serious he is about you.” She poured the rest of her can of soda into the glass. “He loves you. Sweetheart, love hurts. I’m not going to lie. At the same time, if you walk away from him, you will regret it for the rest of your life.”

The front door opened and shut, and Emily heard her father’s footsteps in the entryway. “Honey?” he called out. That was new, too. Even when they were married, her father called her mother “Meg.”

“We’re in here,” Margaret responded. Emily heard the joy in her voice and saw the love in her mother’s eyes. No matter how gruff her father could be, in that moment, she knew how much her mom still loved him.

He walked into the kitchen and laid a bouquet of mixed flowers in Margaret’s arms, wrapped in clear cellophane and tied with a springtime green ribbon. “Amy talked me into these,” he told her. Margaret inhaled their scent deeply, clasping them against her chest as if they were the most precious things she’d ever seen.

“Thank you, baby.” She got up from her chair, embraced him, and kissed his cheek. Emily saw his shy smile. “Why don’t you sit with Emily while I give these some water? How about a beer?”

“That would be great.” He sat down heavily in the chair, tugged his tie off, dropped it on the kitchen table, and regarded his daughter. “Someone’s been crying. Want to tell me about it?”

“I’m okay.”

Emily saw a quick flash of hurt in his eyes, and she realized something in a split-second that took her most of her life to come up with. They all tuned him out. Her mom, Amy and Emily banded together, and at some point maybe he gave up trying. Just once, she could give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Dad.” Emily’s voice quavered. “I need you,” came out before she could stop it. She pressed her hand against her mouth.

He held out his arms. “Come here.”

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