Incredible Beauty (So Many Reasons 2)

That was a luxury I hadn't always had.

Emma grimaced next to me. Glancing her way, I watched her closely for a moment.

“Are you okay?” I asked, ready to spring into action, though not entirely sure what I would do if there was a problem. It worried me and if something did go wrong, I hoped to god I wouldn't freeze.

“Yeah, just a cramp,” she smiled. Behind the smile I could see the worry. I knew every cramp, every ache and every pain scared the hell out of her. She thought she hid it well, but I knew that she worried about everything, to the point where she worried about worrying. Not that I ever let her know that I knew. If it were easier for her to think I didn’t notice, then I’d pretend I didn’t notice.

“Do you want me to run you a bath?” From the way her eyes lit up, I knew the answer was yes.

“That would be awesome.” She grinned as I made my way toward our bedroom. “Then maybe we can have an early night?” she said hopefully. I cocked my head and rolled my eyes. As if I could refuse her anything.

“That sounds perfect, honey.” And it did. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my night than in bed with her curled up in my arms.

Chapter Five

Simon

Washing up after dinner while Emma was in the bath, my phone rang. Glancing at it I saw it was Claire. I quickly dried my hands. I smiled knowing I was about to speak to Maddie

“Hey,” I said, throwing the dishcloth in the sink.

“Hi Simon. How are you guys?” Claire asked, in her usual friendly manner.

“Good, tired, but well. She had a check-up today and all is going really well,” I said, wondering if I could have squeezed a few more ‘wells’ in that sentence.

“That's great news,” she said, sounding genuinely pleased. My relationship breakdown with Claire had been difficult. After issues with my family, I'd withdrawn from Claire. We had been fighting all the time, never seeing each other and then she began sleeping with my best friend, Jason. We agreed divorce was the best thing for us and for Maddie.

A smooth transition for Maddie was the only thing on my mind back in those days and it was for that reason I'd forgiven both Claire and Jason. They stayed together for a few months, then split. Jason ended up moving overseas and Claire and I gradually repaired our friendship. The boundaries of our friendship had been very clear, with both of us wanting the best for Maddie and that meant keeping things clean. Only once had that line been crossed, shortly before I met Em. It had been one night and we both agreed it had been a mistake. It had taken a lot for me to get over my feelings for Claire and that night had left me confused.

Meeting Em had changed everything and I knew Claire was happy for me. She loved Em and she knew how much I loved her. Besides, I knew Claire well enough to know she’d never mess with that.

“It is, things are going well. I just hope it's not too well, you know?” I added quietly, not wanting to risk Em overhearing.

“Don't think about that, Simon. Things are going well, enjoy that. Anyway, Maddie wanted to say goodnight. Say hi to Emma for me,” she added.

“Claire,” I said hastily, catching her before she gave the phone over to Maddie.

“Yes?”

“Could you do me a favor and drop in on Em tomorrow? I hate that she is alone all day. I worr

y about her.”

Claire hesitated. “Sure. I'll drop in before lunch. Are you going to tell her you asked me?” she asked curiously.

“No,” I said, making a face. Emma would freak out if she knew I was asking Claire to keep an eye on her. “Maybe bring Maddie around or something? So it doesn’t look weird?”

“Okay,” she answered, “hold on for a second.” I listened to the muffled sound of the phone being handed over.

“Daddy?” A little voice asked, her voice full of hope.

“Hey honey. How's my little girl?” I smiled, my heart aching for not having seen her in over a week. This job change really couldn't come soon enough.

“I'm good, daddy. Do you know what I did today?” she asked, her little voice dripping with excitement. “I patted a snake! A big one too and I wasn't even scared!”

“Really? That’s pretty exciting. Where did you see this snake?” I asked.

“At pre-school. They bought snakes and lizards and even a spider!” she cried. A spider? To a group of four year olds? Maybe I was losing touch with the world.