“I’m sorry,” he mutters. “I had a really weak moment. I wasn’t feeling so great after you told me that you had moved on. I just want to let Felicity know—”
She cuts him off icily. “There’s nothing you could say to her right now to explain that and don’t try to pin this on me moving on.”
“I have a right to see—”
“You have no fucking rights,” she snarls, and while I can’t see her face, I bet it’s contorted in fury. I stand tensed at the sink, not knowing what Shane might do but ready to act if he does something. Emory continues on. “I have full custody. You have nothing. I only let you see her out of the goodness of my heart and the sincere hope that you’d stay sober, but you couldn’t do it. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let her be a part of the roller coaster of pain that comes with loving you. She’s seven years old and can’t handle it.”
“So you just cut her off completely?” he asks astounded.
“No,” she replies, and her tone has leveled out a bit. “But I’m going to let the courts decide what time you can have with her and the circumstances surrounding it. I’m also going to get a therapist involved to help me navigate how in the hell I explain all of this to her. She has to be prepared for you to fail her again.”
“Doesn’t sound like you have much faith in me,” Shane says bitterly, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek so I don’t snort with laughter. The man truly doesn’t get it.
Has no clue that he’s ruined every bit of trust where Emory’s concerned.
“You need to leave,” Emory says softly, but still loud enough I can hear it as I stare down into the sink.
“And if I refuse?” he asks snidely. “If I insist on seeing Felicity to apologize?”
I have no clue what this man may or may not do. I have no clue how pissed Emory might be if I intervene.
But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let him think he can muscle his way toward his daughter when Emory has made the boundary clear.
I turn from the sink, and the movement catches his eye. His expression darkens.
“You try to take one step past where you are in an attempt to get to Felicity and I’m going to make you swallow your teeth.”
Shane’s expression turns thunderous, but he also pales under the weight of my threat. Emory stands her ground, crossing her arms over her chest and never taking her eyes off Shane to look back at me.
“Leave,” she merely says.
“Fuck you,” he growls leaning in toward her but before I can start his way, he pivots and stomps out the door, slamming it shut behind him.
In five long strides, I’m across the living room. Before she can even turn around, my hands go to her shoulders, and I feel her shaking.
“Everything okay?” Jenna asks and I look over my shoulder to see her peeking around the edge of the hallway, concern etched all over her face. She heard the door slam.
“It’s good,” I assure her and she disappears to go handle Felicity.
“Are you okay?” I ask Emory, gently turning her to face me. The expression on her face is one I’ve never seen before and it makes my stomach drop. Her blue eyes are rolling with turbulent tides of angst.
And yet at the same time, her face is slack and expressionless.
If I had to put a word on it… she looks… broken.
Without thought, I pull her into my arms and she comes willingly, but her body feels stiff and unrelenting. Her hands press against my ribs but she doesn’t hug me or cling to me for comfort. She merely accepts what I give her.
“I can’t do this,” she whispers, a shudder running through her.
“Yes you can,” I murmur, pressing my lips to the top of her head. “You sent him on his way. You have time to figure things out with your attorney, and it’s a great idea to get a therapist. It will take—”
“No,” she cuts in over me, head tipping back so our eyes meet. “I’m not sure I can do this with you.”
I blink in surprise, stunned by her words. I knew she was feeling out of sorts about the whole Shane thing. She told me she felt fragile… like paper being torn.
But I told her I was here for her.
“I’ve got your back, Emory,” I remind her. “Lean on me however you need to. I won’t let you falter.”
The smile she bestows on me causes my heart to squeeze painfully. “I know all of that. But it’s also a complication and you know me, Jett. I don’t want complications.”
“How is this complicated?” I ask, dropping my arms away from her and taking a step back so she doesn’t get a kink in her neck from looking up at me.