Page 61 of From the Courtroom to the Court
"WHAT?!" Emily exclaims, horrified. "Why didn't you tell me before? We could have gone on a different ride."
"I wanted to be with you, you looked so..." Leah smiles, embarrassed, and Emily hugs her tightly.
"I appreciate the gesture, but don't ever do something like that for me again. I can ride alone, Leah."
"I'm definitely never getting on one of those again, or any other type for that matter. I'll wait for you on the ground."
Emily bursts out laughing and tenderly brushes a strand of hair from Leah's face.
"We can leave and go to the beach, I like that too."
"No. If you don't mind riding the attractions alone, we'll stay here. I love hearing you scream," she smiles and takes the last sip of the slushie, which seems to bring her back to life.
When they return to the hotel, they're so exhausted that they decide to take a shower and lie on the bed to watch TV before dinner time. Leah reclines against two pillows, and Emily rests her head on Leah's shoulder while the tennis player wraps an arm around her. They watch a movie that Emily stopped paying attention to a while ago because she feels so happy with Leah that she can't stop thinking about how she's exactly what she needs. She's been with many women after Vanessa, but with none has she felt anything beyond attraction, except with Leah, for whom she's beginning to harbor feelings that are growing at a dizzying pace.
Suddenly, she grabs the remote, pauses the movie, and turns to Leah.
"What's wrong?" the tennis player asks.
"I want to be with you," she says, her voice trembling.
Leah blinks, not understanding, and sits up when she sees the seriousness in Emily's expression.
"I mean something serious," the lawyer clarifies. "We said we wanted to see where this would lead us, but I don't need to see anything more. I want to be with you. I'm falling in love with you, Leah."
Leah takes her hand and remains silent, letting Emily say what she needs to.
"You don't laugh at me, you laugh with me, and you have infinite patience helping me during training. I know it's your job, but you're the only one who makes me feel comfortable being myself both on and off the court. You organize matches so I can play despite how bad I am, you bring me to an amusement park and get on a roller coaster despite having vertigo just to be with me, to see me happy. No one has ever had those kinds of gestures with me, Leah, and I hope I can live up to what you deserve and make you as happy as you make me."
"What moves me is your smile, Emily, from the first day I saw you. You have the most beautiful and sincere smile I've ever seen in my life. I think it gives me energy; seeing you smile is enough for me," Leah says, looking into her eyes.
Emily's heart beats so fast that she breathes in short gasps as she crashes her mouth against Leah's, eager to feel the warmth of her body.
Chapter 32
Leah Walker parks her car a couple of blocks from the bar where she's meeting Emily for lunch. When she received the lawyer's call, the urgency in her voice seemed unusual, but Leah chose to focus only on her excitement about seeing her. The tennis player feels happy; the weekend marked the beginning of a relationship Leah has been waiting for years because, although she hasn't been alone all this time, she never felt as fulfilled as she does now. She thinks about Stella and the women who accompanied her romantically in one way or another and concludes that none of them transmitted the calm and that feeling of home that Emily Harris gives her. She crosses the street when the pedestrian light turns green and spots her girl waiting at the entrance of the establishment. Both smile when their eyes meet, and Leah feels a warmth in her chest that comforts her.
"I was looking forward to seeing you," Emily says as soon as she sees her, and they exchange a kiss as a greeting.
"Me too," Leah scans the lawyer's face, noticing something troubling her. "Is everything okay?"
Emily hesitates for a millisecond, though she quickly composes herself and takes Leah's hand to enter the bar.
"Let's go, I'll tell you inside."
The smell of freshly baked cornbread hits them both. The bar is a quiet place with a rustic look, wooden tables and stools scattered throughout the room. Waiters move skillfully carrying trays loaded with plates, beer mugs, and water bottles. The aroma of spiced beef also floats in the air, and both women salivate in anticipation.
"Today's special is pastrami and mustard sandwich with coleslaw," recites a young woman wearing a gray polo with a white embroidered logo that reads Jack's Tavern.
"I'll have the special and a bottle of water," Emily orders.
"The same for me," the tennis player chooses, just wanting the waitress to disappear so Emily can tell her what happened.
Just as the girl turns away and they're left alone, Leah opens her mouth to question the lawyer. Emily speaks first, without embellishment.
"They denied the custody request we filed for Mia."
The news hits Leah worse than that old injury that cost her an important tournament and kept her off the courts for several months. Her heart seems to stop only to immediately accelerate and beat so hard it causes pain in her chest. Her mouth dries up and she can't react. Emily notices and extends her hand to hold the tennis player's. She squeezes it affectionately and decides it's better for her to continue talking and give Leah time to recover.
