Page 81 of Interference
“You must be Emery. I’m Louise, you can call me Louise or Mom. I have heard such wonderful things about you. You were right, Brett. She’s gorgeous.”
I blush as I look over at Brett. He looks sheepish.
“She’s a nurse. I was worried about you throwing up all the time,” he says, as if that explains why he called his best friend’s mom.
I guess it kind of does.
“Don’t worry. I’ve seen it all. I work in the emergency room. Sit. Let’s eat. I want to get to know my newest daughter-in-law.”
Just like that, I’m adopted by yet another person. I find it wild that Brett grew up with little to no affection, yet he was able to build this family unit for himself.
I love that for him and for our child.
We chat as we eat, laughing about old stories Louise tells about raising her two children. It makes me feel more at ease.
When we are finished, the games start.
Peyton is the closest in guessing my baby bump size, while Beckett wins the baby bottle drinking challenge, but then complains about his mouth hurting.
The most surprising of all is Brett. While the other guys joked about how gross the diapers were as they stared at melted candy inside of them, trying to guess the candy bar, he had no issues at all. He smiled and said that he couldn’t wait for the first blowout. It would mean he was really a dad.
That warmed my heart.
“He is going to be a great dad,” Louise whispers to me as I watch him help his friends clean up after presents.
“He really is. I got lucky. I could’ve ended up with a deadbeat,” I tell her.
“You could have. Instead, you got a forever man. The question is, do you want forever? There’s no shame if you don’t feel what he does, but he does feel for you. A lot.”
I swallow hard. “I know he does. I think knowing he was a playboy before me still plays on my mind.”
“He was, but he’s changed. You changed him. You don’t have to tell me what you feel, but if you feel even an ounce of what he does, you need to tell him. He has gone his entire life without hearing the words. Sure, he gets them from his buddies from time to time, and I tell him every single time I see him, but it would mean something different coming from you.”
“How do you know I feel them?” I ask her.
She shrugs. “A mother knows, but I won’t fault you if you can’t or won’t go there with him. Either way, I will love you and that baby the same.”
“I…” I start to say, but she cuts me off.
“Not me, Emery. I don’t need to hear it. He does.” She nods at the man who is now staring in our direction with nothing but love in his eyes.
She’s right. He deserves to hear it.
And he will. Tonight.
Tonight, I will take the leap and tell Brett that I have fallen so deeply in love with him and beg him not to break my heart.
Emery has been shooting me these shy smiles most of the day. It’s like she doesn’t know how to be around me anymore, but in agood way. Driving back to the hockey house was silent, but it felt right. I didn’t know what to say to her, but I also feel like I didn’t need to say anything.
This afternoon said it all.
I cannot believe our friends threw us a baby shower. It was only the second time since Clay and Beckett got drafted that we were all able to be together. It felt good having the crew back together, even if it was temporary.
Then there was Emery. She was beaming the whole day. It was like they gave her all of this attention that she wasn’t used to having, and she was eating it up.
Which is crazy because she is a figure skater. She has had audiences scream her name and cheer for her.
It’s different, though. I get that. It’s not the same as at the arena when you have people doting on you who truly care about your well-being.
