Page 80 of Emma

Carmen lifted a shoulder. “The picture and your surname. You still use your maiden name at school. She put two and two together.”

“And I didn’t put two and two together because she was never a Bradley. She’s a Fields, which is my mum’s maiden name.” Emma sighed and sank back in her seat. “I can’t change the past, but I can certainly make sure she has the perfect future.”

“And I look forward to watching it unfold.” Carmen drew her hand away and lifted her bag from the floor. “What do I owe you for the coffee?”

Emma waved a hand between them. “Nothing. Don’t be daft. Even if you weren’t Freya’s parent, I’d have still covered it purely because our nurses need all the fuel they can get.”

Carmen softened entirely. “I think you and I are going to get along just fine.”

“Me, too.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

The front doorclicked shut just after six, the familiar sound of Emma’s keys landing in the dish on the table following seconds later. Vanessa set her book face-down on the arm of the couch and listened to the faint rustle of a jacket being shrugged off, and then the quiet shuffle of trainers on the hallway rug.

She rose and crossed the living room, leaning against the doorframe just as Emma lifted her head. She looked beautiful in that unintentional way she always did after work, her hair loose from its ponytail and a scarf slung haphazardly around her neck.

“Hi,” Vanessa said softly.

Emma smiled. “Hi, babe.”

“Well?” Vanessa tilted her head, searching her wife’s expression for clues. “How did it go?”

Emma dropped her bag onto the stairs and joined Vanessa in the living room, taking her hand and guiding her back to the couch. “Better than I expected.”

“Sit. Tell me everything.”

They settled on the couch together, one leg tucked under Emma as Vanessa sat side on. Vanessa knew how important that meeting had been to her wife, and right now, she hoped something positive had been taken from it.

“I was nervous,” Emma admitted as she smoothed her palms over her thighs. “But Carmen was…lovely. Given how previous encounters have gone with one another, it threw me a bit, but she was. She was great.”

“That’s good.” Relief flooded Vanessa. “It’s great, even.”

“We both agreed that we don’t want Freya to feel overwhelmed with anything, but she seems to be on board with the idea of me taking Freya out for dinner.” Emma’s face lit up as she relayed that. “I don’t know when it’ll happen, but the fact that it’s a potential is huge, babe. Don’t you think?”

“I do.”

“She asked me about myself, mentioned you as well, and she admitted that initially she’d been scared that I would take Freya away from her.”

“I hope you put her mind at rest.” Vanessa could understand why Carmen had been fearful, but neither of them had any plans to take anyone from anywhere. It just wasn’t in their nature to do such a thing. “And I hope it created some kind of connection between the two of you.”

“I think it did. It feels that way, anyway.”

Vanessa reached for Emma’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “God, this is huge, Emma.”

“I know.” Emma’s smile wavered, emotion threatening in her eyes. “It feels like a door has finally opened. It feels like Icanfinally get my hopes up.”

Vanessa nodded. She felt the very same way. “Did Carmen say whether Freya has brightened up at all or if she’s become quieter?”

“She actually said Freya’s been more open and honest since the truth came out. That she’s asked if she can call them Mum and Dad.”

“I think,” Vanessa cupped Emma’s cheek and kissed her. “That you’ve made more of an impact than you realise.”

“It’s starting to feel that way.” Emma lounged back on the couch and took Vanessa with her. Once her head was resting on Vanessa’s shoulder, she sighed. “It’s all going in the right direction. So long as I don’t fuck up, I don’t see why this can’t be amazing for us both.”

“You’re not going to fuck it up.”

“No pushing. No overstepping. Everything I plan to do, I’ll run it by Carmen and Ben first.” Emma took Vanessa’s hand and toyed with her fingertips. “That’s all Carmen wants, I think. To fully understand and be included in anything I put forward.”