Kicking Reality

“Emerson. I didn’t raise you this way,” Abbi begins, then stalls, a look of discouragement spreading across her tired face. “I’m disappointed in both of you. After what happened with Ashley, I thought you knew how I felt about secrets in our family. What did you think I would honestly say to you?”

“It’s my fault,” Wesley jumps in, quick to defend her. “Things got out of hand in Amsterdam and I let it ruin our relationship. Just don’t blame Em, everything she’s done is in an act of revenge against me, not you.”

I remain tight lipped. Angry that we were even here. All of this could have been avoided if she had fucking left him. He was the reason we were here. His fucking dick running loose with whores. Yet if he didn’t hurt her to begin with, you wouldn’t have realized that the person in front of you is the only woman you want to be with.

“And you?” Chris points again at me. “I still don’t get why you’re here.”

“Chris,” Abbi raises her voice in frustration. “They’re sleeping together.”

“Who?”

“Emerson and Logan.”

Emerson keeps her head low, then raises it to meet mine with a tear falling down her exhausted face. Wesley moves over to where she sits, comforting her as I stand here watching, wondering why the fuck am I allowing this. His hands are all over her again. My anger paralyses me, my emotions wild and out of control.

“Is that true?” Chris questions, disturbed by the reality.

“I love her.”

In the arms of the man that offered her a life of happiness, her conflicted gaze confuses me. Isn’t that what she wanted to know? And isn’t that what all women want a man to confess? There’s nothing else I can say or do. That’s all my cards, laid flat on the table for everyone to see.

“You damn right you better love her if you were willing to jeopardize your goddamn career!” Chris shouts. The sound echoes through the apartment until Abbi asks him to keep it down. “Your whole life you worked to get where you are. Ashley is back home training his ass off to win this game and you are here because of what?”

“Because I fucking love your daughter and watching her be with someone else is torture!” I stand, raising my hands as I yell in frustration. “The game means nothing to me if the one thing I want is fucking engaged to someone else.”

Abbi moves her gaze to meet mine, a look of astonishment mixed with relief. Chris is not so receiving, still full of rage and no empathy for our fucked-up situation.

“Now you listen to me.” That pointed finger comes out again, stern and warning me that I had no say in what he was about to command. “You will go back to England. You will win your games and prove you are still the best. I did not spend the last fifteen years raising you as my son for you to let me down despite who the girl is.”

“Chris, you don’t get it—”

“Oh, I get it alright,” he interrupts unapologetically. “She’s my daughter. You want my respect? You want my approval to date her or whatever your plan is? Then get the hell out of here and leave her alone. Focus on your game and then deal with this when you’re done winning. That’s the end of it.”

Chris tells Abbi to grab her bag and pack Tayla’s belongings so they could fly back home. The two of them disappear into the bedroom leaving the three of us alone.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I struggle to even think about walking away right now. How the fuck did he expect me to focus on the game? My fingers are restless, moving on their own accord till they bunch up into a ball, clenched and ready to smash into something for relief.

“I don’t have words for either of you.” Emerson removes herself from Wesley, moving towards the balcony with her back facing us. She had changed into sweats and a tank; her hair propped up into a messy ponytail.

“Did you try to pay him off?”

I nod at the same time she turns around. There is nothing but hatred in her expression. No signs of love or any compassion even though I told everyone in this room that I loved her.

Her angered stare shifts to Wesley. “And you so willingly would accept that?”

Wesley tries to move towards her but is stopped as she holds her palm up and demands that he does not take another step forward. She bows her head, focusing on her hand, and removes the diamond ring from her engagement finger. She extends her hand and motions for Wesley to take it.

The tension releases from my muscles. The sudden lightness curing the doubt that washed over me only moments ago. Her ending their relationship for good in front of me, meant only one thing—she is ready to commit and I could walk away and win our finals knowing the woman I love is waiting for me.

Wesley takes the ring from her, silently with his shoulders slumped. His body shakes, again, his reaction to the drugs I knew he took quite often despite Emerson thinking he was clean.

Finally, she meets my stare. I wait, holding my breath for her overdue smile and words to ease my insecurity.

“I want you both out of my life.” She grits her teeth with an arctic glare. “I don’t care what happens with the rest of filming. I almost lost my sister today because of this mess. It’s not worth it. Neither of you is worth losing my family over.”

“Emerson,” I call, panicked. “I am your family.”

“You.” The fire burns in her eyes, wild and out of control, fueled by exhaustion and anger. “Especially you.”