𝙏𝙀𝙈𝙋𝙏𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 • 𝙇𝙍𝙃

29. i have to let you go

I HAVE TO LET YOU GO

distraught and blindsided, emma feels the ground shaking beneath her feet, the feeling of being on top of the world after her conversation with luke was fading fast.

what do you even say? what questions should you ask? emma was clueless, and definitely not ready to be a freaking step mom.

"how... how old is she?"

"she just turned seven"

the girl, probably feeling shy from being around a stranger, simply smiles. if she notices the hurt look on emma's face, she doesn't show it.

"hey sweetie, i think your mom is in her room. you remember where it is, right?"

maddie nods, squeezing her dads' hand and venturing down the hall to her room.

"look, emma, can we talk somewhere private... like my room, please?"

"why on earth would you hide this from me? a fucking kid? for nearly two years?" emma runs a hand through her hair, unbelievably stressed by all of the world breaking news she's heard in the past twenty minutes.

"i wanted to tell you, i just never thought the time was right.... and then luke found out and basically blackmailed me so he could stay with us—"

"hold on, luke knew about her?" emma is taken back by this, surely luke wouldn't have kept a secret this massive from her.

"yeah, for a few weeks now. i'm surprised he didn't tell you himself, honestly"

caleb conveniently decides to leave out the small part about him blackmailing luke first, hoping this will push luke out of the picture for good.

emma huffs, simply deciding to walk away in this moment.

"em, wait," caleb pulls her wrist, frowning as she turns around with a pissed expression. "i'm sorry for not telling you... i know you're here with friends but can you just stay with me tonight? i'll explain everything, i promise you"

she sighs, not sure if she should go with him. though she finds herself curious about his daughter and gives in, letting caleb pull her to his room which is ironically a few doors down from ashton's.

they talked for a while, with caleb filling emma in on the last seven years of maddie's life.

he met his high school sweetheart at sixteen, she was a grade below him. they dated through college, but she got pregnant her senior year.

caleb, nineteen and naïve, told his parents. and his parents didn't want this girl and her kid to ruin his life— or his image. so they paid her to leave him, to get out of town and never come back.

caleb was okay with that deal for a while, but over time he grew curious about his child, and he eventually reached out to the mother a few years back.

he had no parental rights, but he wanted to meet her, at least once. caleb saw maddie before he even met emma, and he loved her instantly.

no longer okay with never seeing his daughter, he worked out an agreement with the mother.

he could visit on birthdays and holidays, but that was it.