Incredible Beauty (So Many Reasons 2)

"How was your afternoon?" I asked, crouching down beside her. I lifted her top enough to expose her stomach and kissed her bump. She laughed, her cheeks flushed with happiness. This was the side of Em I loved seeing. Carol, who sat beside Em, glared up at me.

We had an understanding, Carol and me: we stayed out of each other’s way. I had nothing against cats, in fact I quite liked them, but Carol really was a one of a kind and not in a good way. She seemed to hate me, in fact, the only person she’d even slightly tolerate was Em.

"Good," she smiled, "not that I've done much." She glanced around the living room and rolled her eyes at the mess.

"And you shouldn't be doing anything," I reminded her.

Doctors’ orders were that she do minimal activity until the baby was born. Em didn't like that and I seemed to be constantly reminding her to slow down. She made a face at me when I turned around thinking I couldn't see. I did see. Just like I saw lots of things, she thought I didn't. Like the empty bed next to me in the middle of the night, or the closed bathroom door muffling the sound of her crying.

She was slowly getting on top of her agoraphobia. I don't think it's something she will ever truly overcome, just something she can get under control. She will go outside, but always at my or someone else’s insistence. She will shop with me, at night, during the quietest times and sometimes I can even talk her into going out for dinner, which is a huge difference from the Em I’d met a few months ago. I can tell she is uncomfortable and anxious and I can't stand to see her like that, but I know the more she does it, the easier it will become. I also know how easy it would be for her to slip backwards to how she was; like a recovering alcoholic. And I knew that feeling all too well.

"What do you feel like for dinner?" I asked, picking up the selection of menus next to the phone. "Pizza or Chinese?"

"Chinese," she smiled. "I have a craving for honey chicken."

I laughed, at least honey chicken was relatively normal compared to some of the things she'd been craving lately. Like last week when she had me drive out to buy some chicken drumsticks and a liter of triple chocolate ice-cream…which was fine until she started dipping the chicken into the ice-cream like a spoon.

Walking over to the phone I ordered our dinner for delivery. I couldn't be bothered getting it on the way home and I sure as hell wasn’t going out again. Commuting from home to work was hell and even

more so because it meant being so far away from Em all day. I wanted to be close just in case something happened. It was that same overwhelming urge I’d had to protect her since we met kicking in again.

"I was thinking," Em began. Uh-oh. I stiffened at the hesitation in her voice, which suggested whatever was coming was going to be something I didn't like.

"Well, you know what I want to do now that I've finished my course," she continued, holding up her hand to stop me from interrupting. "And I know you don't want me doing anything until the baby is born, but what if I reached out to Mandy?"

"The girl Derek attacked?" I said, surprised.

"I'm sure she is going through hell and at the very least, talking to her might help me move on," she added.

How could I argue with that? How could I say no to anything that might help really put the past behind her?

"Okay," I agreed. Emma gawked at me in surprise. I chuckled, she'd obviously been expecting more of a fight. Grinning, she leaned over and hugged me.

"How long ‘til dinner?" she asked, her hands slipping under my shirt and onto my bare skin. Her touch instantly aroused me, as it always did. I glanced down at her and noted the gleam in her eyes. I didn't need to ask her what she was thinking, I could tell by the way her hand was moving toward my groin. I positioned myself over her careful not to put pressure on her stomach. My mouth found hers, tasting her sweet, soft lips, the faint scent of strawberry lip gloss hitting my senses as she dragged me under her spell.

My kiss intensified as she moaned softly. I unzipped my pants, already erect. She reached for me, her touch sending me into overdrive. God, she drove me crazy. I'd never felt such a connection so intense with anyone.

My hands roamed over her body, finally resting on her breasts. They had grown with her pregnancy and like any red blooded guy, I wasn't complaining. I ran my hands down to her rounded hips and thrust myself inside of her. She gasped as I gripped her ass, forcing myself deeper inside of her. I groaned as my orgasm heightened. She was so damn tight, her muscles gripping hold of me like a vice.

“Fuck, Em. You're so amazing,” I groaned, nearly collapsing on top of her. She smiled, her cheeks flushed with red and her eyes glowing. She opened her mouth to speak and the doorbell sounded. Rolling my eyes, I reluctantly eased myself off her.

“Typical,” I grumbled, not at all happy, that our moment was interrupted. Emma laughed, enjoying my frustration.

“To be honest, I'm starving,” she said, grinning wickedly. She slid off the sofa with ease. “You get the door, I will get us some drinks.”

Sighing, I went to collect our order. After I had paid and tipped the delivery boy, I carried our food into the living room.

“Smells nice Em, hurry up,” I called out to her. Sitting on the floor, I began to unpack the bag. Emma walked in carrying a soda for me and a glass of juice for her. I handed her the chicken and a pair of chopsticks. I shook my head as she tried to eat. She was hopeless with chopsticks, yet insistent that she could only eat Chinese with them. Why, I don't know, it was one of the many things that made her who she was and what drew me to her.

“How is it?” I asked, enjoying my chili beef stir-fry.

In the rush that was my day, this was the first I'd eaten. That was happening a lot lately, the whole having no time to do anything. As much as I hated leaving Em alone so long every day, I couldn't just up and leave. If I did that, I wouldn't have a new job to go to. I was still on thin ice with the department over the student/teacher thing with Em, so I didn't have the luxury of leaving without any notice.

“Really good. I'm so glad this town has a few nice places to eat,” she said, her hand covering her full mouth. I laughed, getting the joke instantly. It was hardly fine dining.

Chenny Changs had been the home of Emma's first meal out, in almost ten years. It was the day I’d convinced Em to come and see the house we had put a deposit on. She had been so excited about the house that somehow she had said yes to stopping at the deserted Chinese restaurant. The food wasn’t fantastic, but Chenny Changs now held a very special place in both our hearts. One thing I was trying to do was get out in the community a little more. More than anything I wanted us to have a life here and that included making friends and joining clubs.

Claire lived less than five minutes away and while she and Emma until recently I thought they got along pretty well. I wasn't blind to the fact that Em sometimes felt uncomfortable with how close I was with my ex-wife. I understood her insecurities but at the same time I appreciated that I had such a civil relationship with Claire for Maddie's sake. I also loved the fact that Maddie lived so close to me now and that anytime I wanted to see my little girl, I could.