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TESSA.
I hear my phone ring and I read the contacts. Landon! "Hello?"
"Hey, Tess. Just wanted to make sure you guys are coming this evening." He says, and I nod before mentally slapping myself. He can't see me!
"Yes, we'll be there." I say, neatly placing one of Auden's light blue shirts on his pile of laundry. "Do you want me to bring anything? A pie? Maybe a cake?"
"No, you're good. Nora has it covered— Nora! Do you want Tessa to— okay! I'll ask!" He shouts and I cringe. "Would you like for her to wait to cook so you can cook with her?" I think for a moment, "I think that's what she said..." he adds, and I chuckle.
"That would be lovely! Is there any ingredients she needs me to get on the way?" I ask and he huffs.
"I don't know. Text her. I don't want to scream through the house anymore." He complains, and I giggle.
"So, how are you?" I ask, changing the subject.
"Hm... I'm good. Addy has been having some nightmares recently, and that's actually one of the main reasons I called." He explains, "how do you deal with Hardin? It's so painful to wake up to her screaming and I- never mind. Just what do you do to calm Hardin down?"
I think for a moment. Hardin hasn't had a night terror since the day I told him I was pregnant with Emery.
I remember being woken up, not by his screams but his heavy breaths and kicking of his feet to help him sit up. I was quick to turn over and lay on his chest, my hands finding his cheeks and my hush voice telling him everything was okay.
"Well, I caress his cheeks and tell him everything will be okay. And..." I go silent as I think once more...
He turned our bodies around so he's on top of me and buried his face into my shoulder. I had never heard such a helpless cry when he muttered the dream into my shoulder. He told me that he had dreamt me in labor and I didn't survive and neither did Emery. It took him a while to calm down after that one. We ended up showering together, and he was so broken that he didn't even want me to join. I did anyways, because I was nervous for him. I didn't want him to cry alone, and I didn't want him to think that his dream would come true. And I was right. It didn't. Thank god for that.
"And... we take showers together. Maybe Nora could help her with that." I add, and Landon sighs.
"I'll try that. She's been through a lot lately. I'm not sure if she's ready to talk about it yet, that's why I haven't talked to you about it." He says, and I immediately understand him. We aren't as close anymore, and even if we were it wouldn't be his place to tell. There's an age your kids pass where their problems aren't yours anymore and you can't just vent to everyone to make you feel better.
"Well if you want to talk about it, I'm here." I answer simply.
"Thank you." He says. I hear a few mumbles from the background and I can tell this call is coming to its end. "Alright. I have to go, Tess. I'll see you when you get here."
"Alright! Bye!" And the line goes dead.
I finish folding the laundry as Hardin stumbles up the basement steps. He kicks the last step, almost tripping and falling on his face and I'm immediately on alert. The last step up is higher than the others. Hardin sometimes forgets that. "Shit!" He exclaims as he catches himself on the counter. "I really need to get that fixed."
I smile at him, and he comes over to kiss my lips. "Are you done with work for the day?" I ask to start up conversation and he nods.
"Yeah." He leans over the back of the couch so he can kiss my cheek and whisper in my ear, "last night was fucking awesome."
I giggle as I remember his head of hair between my legs. I squirm a little, "thank you for that."
Hardin hums, nudging his nose on my temple. "I like when you're happy."
"I like when the whole family is happy. You should've seen Emery's smile. I hadn't seen her smile and laugh like that since it happened." I know it's not best to bring up what happened, because Hardin is just as sensitive with the topic as Emery is.
He leans his head down, putting his forehead on my shoulder, his nose buried into the couch cushion. "I'm glad but let's not talk about it."
I rub my hands through the hair on the back of his head. "Okay."
◉‿◉
EMERY.
I walk into the house to see mom on the couch reading a book, and dad beside her writing. "Hello, honey." Mom greets, "be ready to leave in an hour."
I don't answer her, but keep her words in mind as I trail up the stairs. Auden is slower to get into the house because him and Cole are talking about stupid fucking fortnite. I roll my eyes, what's the point of fortnite? And why the fuck do they have to play together? Auden has friends his age who will be happy to play with him and his shitty fortnite skills.
Once I'm upstairs I crash down on my pillows and open my Jane Eyre book to chapter twenty-four. I am so close to being finished with the book. There's only thirty-two chapters.
I like to play this game... to read the book as quick as possible and beat my record. My record is reading the entire thirty-four chapter book of Wuthering Heights in ten hours. That was non-stop reading, not even for a bathroom break. I've been busy lately, so I haven't had the time to try and beat that record.
Before I can even finish one paragraph I'm thinking about my dad's book. I look over at the drawer that I hid it away in and pinch my bottom lip in between my index and thumb in thought. Should I just skim it? Just to get the gist of the storyline and maybe a slight understanding of my parent's past? I don't know if I should... I'm fucking terrified of the results.
"Emery! Get ready to go. Thirty minutes!" Mom calls from the hallway, and I mentally thank her for stopping my temptations.
◉‿◉
TESSA.
"Hey! Come on in!" Landon greets, opening the door wide for our family. "Christian and Kim should be here shortly."
I smile at him, and pass through the door. In my hands is an apple pie. I couldn't just not bring something. For mere seconds, I can see Landon's confusing eyes staring at the pie before shrugging it off and shaking Auden's hand. "Hey, little man. I'm glad you could make it."
Auden gives him a sweet grin, and nods his head. "Me too. I brought my iPad to play some games." Landon and Nora don't have a son and Addy is Emery's age. He is always bored at these get-togethers. I wish there was some way to entertain him socially, than him having to amuse himself with a screen.
"I'm going to go talk with Nora. Is she in the kitchen?" I ask, and Landon nods, pointing back behind him towards the kitchen. I thank him and walk my way through the swinging doors and into their large white and gray kitchen.
Nora is a professional chef, so they focus mainly on the kitchen in their house. Of course, their whole house is furnished and decorated to perfection, but the kitchen is the main attraction.
"Hey girl!" Nora squeals, placing down her dough roller. She walks closer and I quickly place the pie onto the counter to give her a hug.
"Hey!" I greet back. She quickly pulls away, gasping.
"Shit! I'm going to get flour all over your blouse." She frowns as she wipes some of the excess flour onto her apron from her fingers. I shrug, wiping off the bit of flour on my shirt.
"It's alright! What are you making? Can I help you?" I ask, getting closer. I then realize that there's an unfinished apple pie without it's top breading. "Oh! I got an apple pie already." I frown and she waved her hands.
"It's alright, one pie won't be enough anyways. Remember, we have Landon and Hardin here." She teases and I chuckle. She is right. Hardin could eat an entire pie if he wanted to.
"Hey girls!!" I hear a squeal from behind us and I turn around to see Kim. I briefly cringe at her high-pitch voice but then realize that I also do that when I am greeting someone. Maybe it's a girl thing.
Kim and I hug, and Nora just pats Kim's shoulder due to her floury apron. We catch up on some small talk, and I can't help but feel like I'm back in college. I remember when I was in Seattle and I would come home to Kim and Christian. Kim and I would have some wine, and we'd talk. It also reminds me of when Nora and I used to live so close to one another. We'd hang out all the time, and when Kim was in town we would party— well, as much as I would allow myself to.
Just as I expected, Kim gives us a sly smirk. "Nora, where do you hold your fine wine?" She says in a poor British accent. Nora giggles and points to the top cabinet in one of her vanities. There are multiple plates and cups and on the very top is where her bottles of wine are. Kim reaches for it, and places it on the counter.
"Guys, I don't know about this. The kids are here." I say, and Kim looks at me with a frown.
"It's alright! We aren't going to get drunk. Just a few sips." Nora assures and I shrug my shoulders. It's not like Emery and Auden haven't seen me drink. I drink some nights.
They haven't seen Hardin drink though, for obvious reasons. It's not that Hardin doesn't drink some wine, but he only does it when we're on a romantic date together on the couch while Emery and Auden are at a friend's house or even school sometimes. I'm okay with him drinking then. It makes me feel more comfortable that I'm not the only one drinking wine on a date. Not that he cares.
"Tessa?" Kim snaps me out of my hard thinking and holds out a glass of red wine for me.
"This better be cheap." I say, and Nora shrugs.
"I think it was a gift." Nora explains, taking off her apron and sipping some from her glass.
"So, how's your lives?" Kim asks, and I think for a moment. Right now, things are going pretty okay. Aside from my theory that Emery is going through something she isn't discussing with us, everything is going fine. According to what Auden said on the way here, he told each girl that he meant it as a friendly date. Of course, he made sure Mallory knew that their date was actually a real date. He said he thinks he's in love with her and her eyes. Young love is so adorable. And about what Hardin and I discussed yesterday, he seems better. It seems like all he needed to do was to get it off his chest and say his feelings out loud.
"I actually have something that's going on..." Nora speaks up, once again kicking me out of my thoughts. What's with me and thinking so hard today? We both look at Nora expectantly, and I have a feeling it has something to do with Addy's nightmares. "There's just... there's a lot going on with Addy. I promised her I wouldn't discuss it with anyone she doesn't want to discuss it with though. It's tough. You both probably understand."
"Oh, yes, dear. This age is most likely the hardest. Abby and didn't tell me anything when she was 17, and when she did, it was a couple months later." Kim explains, and I feel a little bit of relief that I'm not the only one. Nora shrugs, and traces the rim of her glass with her finger.
"She tells me things. This it's just really tough for her." Nora explains, and I can't help but be a bit jealous. Her daughter has always been a momma's girl. She tells her mom everything. I wish I had that with Emery.
"I'm sure it'll get better." I reassure, although I'm not really sure how I can comfort her. "Whatever it is. It'll get better."
◉‿◉
𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛'𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎
What do you think happened with Addy?
Describe Emery in three words.
Chapter nineteen: Nov. 16, 2020