Song of the chapter: The Heart Wants What It Wants by Selena Gomez
Emily's POV
"How is that possible?" I exclaimed.
"I just got a text from Alex saying they've seen it," Taylor replied.
"This isn't happening," I groaned, flopping down onto the couch. "Now he'll definitely think I'm cheating on him."
"No, he won't. Austin's smarter than that. Alex just said he watched in silence."
"Yeah, and when Austin is silent, you know he's pissed!"
"Calm down, Emily."
"I hope he doesn't think I'm cheating on him. It's not like I can beg and plead that it wasn't what it looked like; he's not here."
"Emily, stop torturing yourself," Taylor said.
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are, and it's not going to help. Why don't we go out? You can bring Lucy if you want."
"I'll get her soon, yeah. Sure, it'll get things off my mind," I replied. "What do you want to do?"
"We can get Quinn and hit up Marnie's."
Marnie's was one of the many clubs in Miami. Typical Taylor would want to go there.
"Taylor, I don't really think it would be good to go clubbing in my current situation," I snapped. "Especially with a baby."
"Fine. But we're going to one soon; we haven't gone in so long. I need to get my freak on."
"Your freak on?" I repeated
"Yeah. That's what I said."
"Whatever," I sighed. "Can we just go to the mall?"
"If you want," Taylor said. "I'll get Quinn on the line." I waited for a bit until I heard a phone ringing.
"Hey Taylor," came Quinn's cheery voice.
"Hey Quinn, Emily's here, too."
"Hi Emily!"
"Hey," I said. "We were wondering if you wanted to come to the mall. I saw something on TV I really wish I hadn't, and I need to get my mind off it."
"Oh, yeah, I saw that, too. That's really awful. Things will get better, Emily. I would love to go to the mall, but I promised Sheridan I would take her to watch Leah's softball game. You guys are more than welcome to come if you want."
"You know what? That sounds great right now," I sighed. "What time?"
"Be at the ball park at the high school in a hour!"
"Sounds good," Taylor and I said. "See you later."
"Oh, Emily, Sheridan wants you to bring Lucy," Quinn added.
"Oh yes, she'll be coming," I laughed lightly. "See you."
"Bye!" Quinn hung up and it was just Taylor and I.
"I've got to go get ready. I'll pick you up in half an hour," I told Taylor.
"Half an hour? That's only enough time for me to pick out an outfit."
"Taylor."
"Okay, fine, I'll cut it down to twenty minutes. Bye," she said. We hung up and I set my phone down before heading upstairs.
I changed into jean shorts and a white t-shirt, throwing my hair in a side braid. See, that took me a minute. And Taylor takes thirty?
Slipping on flip flops, I went downstairs and out to the garage to get my car. I called my mom. "Hi, honey," she greeted.
"Hey, mom. I'm coming to get Lucy if that's alright with you. We're going to Leah's softball game and Sheridan wants to see her."
"Oh, sure thing. I think she's missed you."
"I miss her, even though it's only been four hours," I smiled. "I'll be there in fifteen."
"I'll have her ready. See you in a bit."
I hung up and continued down the highway. When I arrived at my moms, she was walking with Lucy down the porch stairs.
Lucy's eyes lit up when she saw me and she shrieked. "Momma!"
I smiled as she walked with my mom towards me and I bent down to hug her. "Hi, sweetie. Did you have fun at grandma's?"
She smiled in response and I picked her up. I turned to my mom. "Thanks again, mom. I really appreciate it."
"You're most welcome, honey. I always love having her here," she looked at me with sympathy. "I saw the news story."
I groaned. "I wish that never showed. I guess we should have been more careful; it didn't even cross my mind that we might have been followed."
"It'll blow over soon. Just focus on Lucy and everything will be fine," my mom told me. "Consider her your little supporter."
"I am, trust me. We better go; I've got to get Taylor still."
"Alright, honey. Call if you need anything." My mom pecked Lucy's cheek. "Bye, darling."
"Can you say bye to grandma?" I asked Lucy.
"Bye gamma!" She piped from my arms.
I smiled. "I'll see you later, mom."
"Bye, honey." I waved and put Lucy into her car seat in the back before sliding behind the wheel and pulling out of the driveway.
"Guess who you get to see today, Lucy?" I said as I glanced in my rear-view mirror. She was busy sucking on her thumb staring at me. "You get to see Sher and Auntie Quinn!"
We called Sheridan 'Sher' around Lucy because it was the only thing she could say when she tried to say Sheridan's name. Since Austin and I didn't have any siblings, we considered Quinn and her siblings, and Taylor and Alex, vLucy's aunts and uncles.
She clapped happily. "Sher!"
I laughed and continued towards Taylor's. She was waiting outside when I pulled up to the curb and she got in.
"Wow, I didn't think you'd be waiting already," I said. "That did not take you thirty minutes."
She shrugged. "I didn't have anything else to do."
"No jobs to get fired from lately?"
"I got fired yesterday from Jenna's Jewels. Apparently dressing up in the jewerly and taking pictures of myself on the job is frowned upon."
"Well, no kidding."
"Hey, I looked fabulous in those diamonds!" Taylor turned in her seat. "Right, Lucy? Auntie Taylor looks fabulous? Ha, she nodded at me."
I just shook my head. We got to the high school ten minutes later and parked close to the ball diamond. The teams were warming up.
"There's Quinn and Sheridan," Taylor pointed towards the bleachers as I pulled Lucy out of her seat and got her stroller out of the trunk.
"Perfect," I said, setting her inside and strapping her in. I passed her monkey to her. "Here, Luce."
"Ooooh," she gurgled, taking it from me happily.
"Will she ever grow out of that thing?" Taylor asked as we made our way to the bleachers.
"Eventually. She's not even two yet."
Quinn caught sight of us and waved us over. "Hey!" She greeted as we went over. Sheridan was sitting on a blanket on the ground in front of her mom, eating crackers.
"Hi," I said. I grabbed Lucy's hat and stuck it on her head gently. "Hey, Sher Bear."
"Hi!" She quipped. "Hi Lucy!"
"Sher!" Lucy said. I took Lucy out of her stroller and set her on the ground beside the three-year-old, who embraced her in a hug.
"Future best friends right there," Taylor commented, making Quinn and I grin.
Leah jogged over in her ball uniform, hair slicked back into a long brown curly ponytail. "Mom says Jace can't make it today. He's got a late class," Quinn told her younger sister.
"That's fine. Hey Taylor, Emily," Leah smiled before bending down to the two babies. "And hello to my favorite little girls!"
"Who are you playing?" Quinn asked.
Leah's mood darkened. "Cranston High."
Quinn winced.
"What?" Taylor wondered aloud at Quinn's gesture.
"Cranston always plays dirty. They have a history of injuring opposing players," Quinn explained. "And the captains are always total-" She stopped herself and glanced at the two babies before whispering, "Bitches."
"Oh, lovely," I deadpanned. "Try not to get hurt, Leah."
"I'll be fine, Emily," she assured me. "Besides, their captain Rebecca is out with a fractured wrist, thank god; they don't play as rough when the captain isn't playing."
"That's reassuring." I bent down and adjusted Lucy's hat.
Leah glanced behind her. "I better go; the game's about to start."
"Good luck," we chorused.
"Go Auntie Leah!" Sheridan shrieked, and Lucy clapped her hands before grabbing a baby cracker.
As the game progressed, I could see what Quinn meant when she said Cranston played dirty. Those girls were harsh! Thankfully, there were no injuries, and Leah was a really good ball player. She was definitely eligible for a scholarship.
Leah's team ended up winning, and when the game finished, Leah gathered her things and came over. "Let's hit up Maggie's. I'm starved."
"You're always hungry," Quinn said. Leah stuck her tongue out. "What are you, five?"
"Middle school insult much?" Leah shot back.
"That's something you don't see everyday," Taylor muttered to me.
We got into our vehicles and drove to Maggie's. When we arrived twenty minutes later, I cut the engine and we all piled out, heading inside.
"I didn't get a chance to tell you how good of a ball player you are, Leah," I smiled after we had ordered our food.
"Oh, thanks! People seem to think I have that scholarship in the bag, but I don't know," she said. "I guess I'll have to wait and see."
"I think you have a really good chance," Quinn told her. "It's obvious you're an athlete."
"Nope, not me. Well, I could get a gold medal in the Credit Card Olympics, but sadly, that doesn't exist," Taylor said, causing everyone to laugh.
Lucy said something, but I missed it. "What, baby?"
"Daddy?"
Everyone at the table froze. "W-what?" I stuttered.
"Where's daddy?"
Quinn looked at me with a helpless look that said I'm sorry.
I regained composure as I felt the tears threatening. "Um, daddy went away for a while, sweetie," I said quietly.
"Gone?" she asked, looking at me with her big hazel eyes, same as Austin's. This was killing me.
"He'll be back soon. He still loves you very, very much," I told her, stroking her hair.
She grabbed her monkey and played with him and I sighed. "I hope she doesn't ask that question again."
"Sheridan did the same thing when Cale left," Quinn told me.
"Cale?"
"Her ex. He's an asshole and will forever be an asshole," Leah spoke up, causing Quinn to elbow her. "Ow!"
"Watch your mouth," Quinn snapped before turning back to me. "Anyways, she eventually stopped asking, and it won't end the same way for you as it did for me. Austin's coming back; I knew Cale wasn't."
"I hope Austin's coming back."
"He will," Taylor said firmly.
Our food came and we ate while making small talk. We paid and left right away since Leah had an exam to study for.
"Thanks for coming to my game, guys!" She waved.
"Anytime," I smiled as she strapped Sheridan in the back seat of Quinn's car.
"I'll talk to you guys later," Quinn told me and Taylor. "Bye Luce," she said, gently tugging her shirt sleeve.
"See you," we said as I put Lucy in her seat.
As we were driving to Taylor's, my phone rang throughout the car. "Oh my god, maybe it's Austin!" I hit the talk button on the hands-free calling. "Hello?"
"Hey Emily."
I slammed a hand down on the steering wheel. "Everyone has called me except for the one person I actually want to hear from!"
"Uh, sorry?" Alex said hesitantly.
I sighed. "I'm sorry, Alex. I'm just...well, you know."
"Yeah, I get it."
"Hey Alex," Taylor spoke up.
"Taylor? What are you doing there?"
Taylor rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's idiocy. "I'm pretty much with Emily 24/7, you whack-a-doodle. We're on our way home from Leah's baseball game."
"Oh," he replied.
"Did you need something, Alex?" I asked impatiently.
"Oh yes, right! I was just calling to let you know that Austin's not mad about the article on TV."
"He's not?" I exclaimed.
"Well, he was at first, but he's not anymore."
"You have got to be kidding me. He gets mad at me when I say nothing happened between Jesse and I, but he's fine when it's plastered on TV screens all over America? Why isn't he calling me himself?"
"He's, uh, not ready to talk," Alex said nervously.
"Oh, for the love of-" I stopped myself and let out a huge breath. "You know what? Fine. I know you're listening to this conversation, Austin, I'm not an idiot. So I might as well say this since this is probably the only time I'm going to be on the line with you: if you don't want to come home and work this out face to face, and come back to me and your daughter, who both miss you very much, might I add, fine. That's your choice. You may not think we miss you, but we do. You know what Lucy said today? She asked where her daddy was." I felt a lump in my throat and let out a short, watery, sarcastic laugh. "I had to tell her you were gone! It killed me! I would never have thought I'd have to say that in my entire life." I took a shaky breath. "I'm done wondering, and I'm done waiting, Austin." And with that, I hung up the phone.
Taylor whistled low. "Bet that took a lot of guts."
"I'm just glad it's off my chest," I replied. "Maybe it'll knock some sense into him." I glanced back at Lucy. "I can tell she misses him."
"Well, yeah, it's her dad. And your boyfriend."
"I just want him to come home, Taylor. To sort this entire thing out so we can go back to being a normal family."
"You will, Emily. Don't worry. You guys belong together."
I sighed. "That's what I think, too."