Page 48 of Marrying Emma

Emma was exhausted. She knew this was no time to bring things up, but the words came pouring out. “I could never give you what they have, Marty.”

His brows drew together in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“Before we…I don’t know if there is a we…I can’t have kids. I couldn’t give you a family. You deserve someone—”

“Whoa. Emma, where is this coming from?” He pulled his hands out of his pocket.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Marty interrupted her.

He put a hand on each of her shoulders and leaned in. “Before you say anything, Emma, I need you to know that I want there to be a ‘we’—I want a future with you.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. No. Not now. She couldn’t hear these words now when what she had to say might erase them completely. He needed to understand. She opened her eyes again, her gaze tangling with his. “I can’t have children, Marty. Ever. My heart condition is genetic, and I won’t take the risk of having a baby who has to go through what I did.” The words were coming too fast. She took a deep breath to try and slow them. “Even if that weren’t a factor, a pregnancy after my heart transplant is a huge risk…”

“I know.”

It took several heartbeats for his words to sink in. “What?”

“After I found out about your heart transplant, I read everything I could find about it. I wanted all the information I could so that I’d be in a position to help you. I wouldn’t want to put you in that kind of danger.”

He’d done research about heart transplants? He knew that having children would be dangerous? Then surely he could see why this wasn’t going to work. Why there had to be someone else out there for him. The idea made her feel sick. She focused on the buttons of his Henley shirt. “You deserve someone who can give you a family, Marty.”

“Stop.” His hands slid down to her upper arms where he grasped her gently. “Look at me, Emma.” When she didn’t, he used one hand to lift her chin. “Honey, please.”

Emma expected to see frustration in his eyes. Sadness. Hurt. All she saw there was a tenderness and love that had her feeling weak in its wake.

“I’m so in love with you, girl. Right now. Just the way you are.” He smiled, his eyes begging her to believe him.

She wanted to. But he’d talked about how much he’d wanted siblings growing up. Surely his parents were counting on him to give them grandchildren. “And what if you change your mind?”

“Then we can adopt. Or we can spoil your nephew. You know, make him grow up asking his parents to come live with us because we’re that cool.”

Emma laughed. “I’m sure Chrissy and Wyatt would love that.” She sobered again. “It’s not just that. With my transplant comes risks. Risks of the heart not lasting long enough. Risks of infection. I could need another transplant in the future.”

“I read the statistics. You also could live a long, full life with this heart and have no complications.” His left thumb brushed the space directly below her right collar bone. “You are healthy. Strong. There’s no need to borrow trouble.”

Annoyance flared. “I’m not borrowing trouble. I’m being realistic, Marty. You don’t need to be saddled with my health issues. Or my debt.”

The hospital door opened, and the shadow of Mom walked through. She crossed the parking lot and reached them in moments. Marty turned his head and noticed her, too. “For the record, you can’t saddle me with something if I choose it. Don’t push me away. We’re going to figure this out. I love you, Emma, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Emma wanted to tell him she loved him, too. But doubts assailed her along with an overwhelming exhaustion. To his credit, he must have sensed she couldn’t continue the conversation. Not tonight.

Instead of pushing the issue, he tugged her into a hug with a whispered, “Get some rest. If you need the day off, or even need to take vacation this week, I’m sure Caleb would understand.”

Mom reached them then. She gave Marty a hug. “Thanks for waiting with us. Now go get some well-deserved rest.” She released him then and went to unlock the car.

Emma opened her door but couldn’t make herself get in. Instead, she took two steps forward, rose to her tip toes, and pressed a brief kiss to his lips. “Goodbye, Marty.” She ducked into the car and watched the mirror as they drove away, his form disappearing from view. Tears stung her eyes, turning the streetlights into wavy lines. It was a good thing Mom was driving.

“What a day.” Mom kept her eyes on the road in front of them. Cars were few and far between as they traversed the nearly-empty streets toward home. “But a really good day.” She grinned. “I’ve got a grandson.”

“Yeah.” Emma forced a smile and tried to blink away her tears. “He is precious. It’s hard to imagine any of us started off that tiny.” She glanced at Mom. “His name is perfect, too.”

“It is. You know, your dad looked at you when you were born the way Wyatt looked at Zachary.” She gave Emma a watery smile. “I’ll never forget it. I wish you could’ve known him.”

“I wish I could have, too.”

Mom cleared her throat. “So, um, it wasn’t that I was trying to spy or anything. But I couldn’t help but notice a kiss back there…”

Emma groaned as she covered her warm face with her palms. “Mom. I’m too tired for this conversation.”

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