Opening the door, Emma was greeted with the warm smile of the person she didn't want see right now.
"You..."
"Yes. Me..." Brandan went past her and inside her home - her sanctuary like he freaking owned it and that definitely didn't sit well with the fury she had been feeling to be slowly crawling towards the edge of an explosion since the moment she had seen him with that woman last evening.
All clear logics to not feel so were acting futile for her worked up brain.
Emma watched as the kids sprung up from the couch when Brandan showed them the pizza and coke he had brought with him. Why hadn't she noticed them earlier? Because she was too busy glaring at him, she answered herself.
"Come here Emma, there'll be none left for you if you keep standing there and just stare." Brandan's voice made her snap out of her thoughts.
"I'm not hungry." Emma replied simply as Brandan picked up Sarah and sat her on his lap while Sammy was already busy snatching away a piece of cheese heaven, the little boy was close to drooling.
As she began moving towards the kitchen she heard Sarah notifying Brandan in a not so quiet whisper, "Mommy no hungry last night too. I think she got a stomach bug..."
Shaking her head she walked around the kitchen counter to pour herself a glass of water. Those children were such little smart observant things.
"What's wrong, Emma?" The voice came from behind her right at the moment she had just rested her hip against the counter lazily. She became stiff. Not answering him she kept the empty glass in it's place and stared at a picture hanging on the wall. In the picture, Sarah and Sammy were grinning broadly at the camera with a ice-cream in each ones hands.
Sighing, Brandan rested the palms of his hands on the counter. "You didn't answer me, Emma." He pointed out, a sharp edge to his tone. Clearly, he wasn't liking being ignored.
"Even if something is wrong with me it's none of your busin..." Before Emma could finish her sentence she was spun around to face Brandan, his hand around her upper arm in a tight but gentle grip.
"Oh no, dear... that - none of your business - shit is not going to work this time." He stated firmly, his hold around her arm never loosened no matter how much Emma tried to wiggle away. He leaned closer to her and narrowed his eyes as she glared at him. "You're going to tell me why the freaking hell you're ignoring me like a plague since last night. And with those glares, I can clearly see somethings going on in that crazy head of yours."
Emma pushed at his chest with her free hand which resulted for him to take a very tiny step back. "I'll do what I please Brandan and no, I don't have to explain anything to you for any of my actions. Now, why don't you just leave me be and go f*** one of your who**s instead of..." She stopped with her eyes widened by the words that had just slipped off her mouth.
In a matter of a second Brandan's expression changed from shock to anger. "Tell me Emma," his voice was grave. "When the hell are you going to see me for the man I'm now? How many times more do I've to prove myself? Because I don't know what to do anymore."
As he backed away Emma noticed that she was free from his grasp and it wasn't possible for her to feel emptier that this. He sounded so broken that it made her want to hug him but then she reminded herself of what she saw last night. And with renewed determination she turned around.
She knew he was standing behind her, there was no sound except of some cartoon playing on the TV from the living room. "I'm not a fool, Brandan."
"Maybe, I am." His voice was just a hushed whisper, but she listened it anyhow.
Closing her eyes, she clutched her one hand with the other as he left the kitchen. She listened to his quiet voice calling it a night to the children. And the soft slam of the front door announcing his departure made her finally slid down on the floor and rest her back against the counter. She just sat there for a while.
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It was early in the morning and Emma was busy making breakfast in the kitchen. She had one hour to deal with the food, the kids and the disheveled condition of the house after a late night pillow fight between the mischievous siblings and Elli. Then she had to get herself ready too and drag her own robotic self to the office.
"Sammy! Are you and your sister ready yet?" Emma yelled blowing on the hot pancakes as she placed the clean plates on the table. "Jenny would be here any moment to drive you guys to school."
Their school time was much later to the time she had to go to work, so it was Jenny who had been taking them to school. But most of the times it was Brandan who would take the responsibility insisting that he had no problem being late at work. After all, he was the boss, he couldn't possibly kick himself out of his own company for being late - that would be weird.
"What's taking them so long?" She mumbled to herself.
Right then, Sarah's frantic cry from outside the house made her sprung up from the chair in alert. She ran to the window to see Sarah sprawled across the ground clutching her knee, her face red and wet with tears as she sobbed loudly. Sammy was just a few feet away on top of the neighborhood kid Steeve, to Emma it looked like he was trying to strangle Steeve's neck whose chubby hands were flailing around maniacally.
Without wasting a second she flew out of the house and was running towards the commotion. She stopped right by Sarah to be greeted with another shock.
The woman from the other night - the one she had seen in Brandan's arms was pulling up Sarah to a sitting position.
Swatting the hands away of the woman unceremoniously Emma fussed over Sarah worriedly who just wouldn't stop crying. The little girl had gotten her knees scraped up pretty badly.
Emma turned to look at the boys, their loud grunts and groans as they rolled across the ground holding each other's collars made her concentration to divert from Sarah and to them in stead.
"You should stop them, you know. I'm here with your daughter, so don't worry." The beautiful woman gave a little squeeze to her hand which was upon Sarah's leg.
Guardedly Emma looked at the woman's face but saw nothing but genuineness and sincerity. She so wanted to hate this woman but failed to find a reason.
Nodding Emma ran over to the little wrestlers. It took her a good fifteen minutes to stop them from pummeling each other and get to the root of all the drama.
"Steeve was teasing Sarah, mommy, he shoved Sarah and she got hurt." Sammy complained angrily as he once again tried to lunge at Steeve but was refrained by Emma.
Emma gritted her teeth at the information. This Steeve kid was getting too much out of control day by day and she couldn't understand why the hell his mother wasn't even noticing this.
"I'll talk to his mommy Sammy, calm down and now let's go inside. And you Steeve," Emma pointed a finger at a scowling Steeve and warned, "Don't think that I'll let you off the hook easily if your mother decides to keep a blind eye on this incident too."
Sammy was about to throw a fit again but Emma managed to drag him back. She noticed Sarah was taken to her porch steps by the woman who was now tending to her scraped knees.
Emma sighed deeply, it looked like the woman had a very kind heart. It would have been easier if she were a vile, evil mouthed, ugly, plastic faced, high heel kind of female but as Emma approached a slightly hiccuping Sarah from crying so much as the woman cooed softly, she realized that the woman was none of those.
"What's your name?" Emma asked politely taking the first aid box from her hand and swiping away the cotton ball on Sarah's wounds herself. After all, how long would Emma keep calling her - the woman.
She was rewarded with a sweet smile. "Delilah."
Her voice was like honey, Emma thought. She kissed Sarah's forehead before handing her over to Jenny who took the children inside the house. Sammy had announced no power in heaven and Earth can send him to school - now that Sarah wouldn't go with him.
Delilah had begun to walk saying a polite bye to Emma at the direction of Brandan's house. And those feelings of burning was back in Emma's chest.
"Delilah..." Emma called her name and saw Delilah halting to a stop and turn around with a questioning look.
Emma smiled at her. "I wanted to thank you for looking after Sarah back there."
Delilah laughed, "Oh! It was nothing, Emma. Brandan keeps talking about the kids, now I see why. It is difficult not to love them - parent or not."
Emma's heart thudded as she asked the question under her breath but loud enough for the other person standing in front of her to hear. "So how long," she continued after a short pause, "How long have you and Brandan been dating?"
She watched as Delilah's lovely face scrunched up in confusion, then as if she had cracked up a joke the woman chuckled shaking her head. "Sorry, your question just caught me a little off guard there. I assure you that we are not dating."
Emma had her eye brows furrowed by then, she couldn't understand. "But I saw you two hugging the other night." Saying Emma blushed in embarrassment, what Delilah would think about her now - that she was spying on Brandan! Damn!
On the other hand, Delilah seemed deep in thought and then it seemed to have click in her head. "Uh! That night," sadness appeared in Delilah's teal eyes. "My mother was very ill, she was admitted to the hospital the day before with extreme heart conditions," then she blinked away the sadness, the pain and her lips curved in to a grateful smile. "But it was only because of Brandan that I didn't lose her, he took care of all the hospital bills and medicines. He was just comforting me that night like a big brother would. I assure you, Emma, there wasn't anything else."
Now Emma felt like shit and wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury herself. How could she be so judgemental!
"And I have this self made rule of not dating my employer, it would hamper my job as his maid."
And Emma thought she couldn't feel guiltier than this. "I'm," With an apologetic look, Emma said meekly. "...sorry for assuming something like that, Delilah."
Delilah just smiled and held Emma's hand, she gave it a quick squeeze before speaking. "Say sorry to your man in stead of me, he's the one brooding every moment since last evening. Now I know what's the reason..."
Interjecting her, Emma protested, "I'll, but he's not my man..."
Delilah cut in, "Sooner or later it's going to happen. Mark my words, I've seen enough chick flicks."
Emma was going to protest again and point out that real life is not a chick flick but a looming figure caught her attention from the corner of her eyes. Long before she turned to face him she knew who it was, the scent of that rich cologne floating and engulfing her had confirmed the identity.
"Brandan..." She took his name.
"Delilah." Completely ignoring her Brandan acknowledged his maid in stead.
That was like a dose of her own medicine, Emma thought. Getting ignored was not a good feeling she realized.
Delilah smiled at the both of them and left saying goodbyes.
"Sarah..." Emma began clearing her throat.
But Brandan cut in, "I know, took some time dealing with Steeve's mother."
Woww! Emma was amazed. He was fast. "But how?" Emma asked surprised.
"Delilah called me over the phone while she was with Sarah." He said simply and started moving towards the door to her house.
Emma took a couple of steps after him.
"Brandan, I'm really..." She began saying frantically but he raised a hand making her pause.
"I just want to see my children, nothing else."
Okay, he was furious. Emma got that, but that wouldn't stop her from apologizing. Time flows by and people change - for the better and sometimes for the worse. Emma was too tied up in the past to understand this. But right here, right now - the blindfold had certainly been lifted.
She caught his hand as he was about to walk away again. For a moment she thought he would yank away his hand but he didn't, he just stood there facing the other way.
"I'm sorry, Brandan." She said with utmost sincereity.
She stared at the back of his head and felt like she was looking at a statue and not a human being, he was that stiff.
"I shouldn't have assumed without knowing a thing." She added, her voice filled with guilt and shame. "And I shouldn't have said those things last evening. That wasn't fair. I'm so sorry."
Slowly... very slowly she felt the stiffness of his body loosening. His stiff shoulders relaxed.
"Are you going to hold me like this forever?"
"Huh!" She looked down at her hand holding his and jerked up to meet his dark eyes looking down at her intently as he added with a smirk. "Not that I mind."
The cocky, jerk, arrogant a** was back. Congratulations, Emma thought gritting her teeth. Now this man was going to tease her to death.
Before Emma could take her hand back Brandan entwined her fingers with his and dragged her inside the house and to the kids.
"By the way, you looked really hot being so jealous back there." He teased her but there was also this honesty in his words as well. That fierceness in her looks had successfully turned him on, but then again what thing related to Emma didn't turn him on!
Emma stomped trying to snatch her hand from his unsuccessfully. "I wasn't jealous, Brandan." She spat.
Brandan laughed loudly. Jenny and the children looked at his way hearing the booming sound of his laughter as they approached.
"Keep repeating that to yourself, Emma. My God! You were looking like you were already my wife..."
And with that he trailed off and fell silent knowing that he had crossed a dangerous line there. But a funny smile still stayed pasted on his lips.
Whoa! Where did that come from! Emma was dumbstruck. "... already my wife..."
Certain words kept ringing inside her mind continuously but she didn't have the time to clarify them and ask him what did he mean actually as they were engulfed by their children in a second and she was sure Brandan was purposefully avoiding to look at her.
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That's it for now. Please vote, comment and follow me. Share this story with your friends too. :)
I dedicated this chapter to @lovebrunettes . :)
Lots of love.
- Lara.