Page 36 of Something Like That

Nick!

Alex rolled off the bed and rushed downstairs, her heart thudding against her ribs with every thundering step. He had to still be here. She’d find him stretched out on the sofa, looking all disheveled and rumpled and yummy.

He wasn’t there.

She sank down onto the sofa, disappointment radiating through her, and tilted her head back to stare up at the ceiling. When had he left? She hadn’t heard him, but that wasn’t surprising. Snuggling with Em had been far too comfortable. She’d fallen asleep quickly.

“Mom?” Em shuffled into the room, her comforter wrapped around her.

“Yeah, baby?”

“What’s going on?” Em was lucky she understood the question through another yawn.

“Nothing, really.” She patted the seat beside her. “I was just checking to see if Nick was still here.”

Em snuggled in beside her and rested her head on Alex’s shoulder. “Nick was here?” She spread the comforter over Alex’s lap. The two of them snuggled under the blanket was very reminiscent of when Em was younger. It was nice.

“Yeah, he tweaked his knee yesterday and we ended up getting him an MRI. I wanted to monitor the swelling, so he came back here.”

“And?”

“And, I accidentally fell asleep with you.”

Em turned to stare at Alex. “Let me get this straight.” She scrunched her eyebrows together and pursed her lips. “Your date consisted of a trip to the emergency room and then, when you asked him back to your place, you left him sitting in the living room and went and fell asleep with your daughter?”

“It wasn’t a date and we didn’t end up in the ER.” The declaration came out smooth and controlled. Although, she wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince. Herself or Emily. “But, if it was, would you be okay with that?”

“Mom…” Em dragged the word out, an exasperated whine that made Alex’s eye twitch.

“I’m serious, Em. Please answer the question.” Alex’s anxiety ratcheted up a couple of thousand notches. She and Emily had never talked about this stuff before. Mostly because it’d never been an issue before. Making sure her daughter had a good life despite the circumstances of her birth and Alex and Kevin’s relationship, had always been the most important thing.

Romance had been so far down on Alex’s list, it had fallen off the end some time ago. Relationships were messy and unnecessary. Since she and Kevin had split, she hadn’t been interested in anyone.

Until Nick came barging back into her life.

Em rolled her eyes—there was that sass again. So much for the sweet girl from last night. “Of course, I’m okay with it. I don’t expect you to stay a nun, you know.”

“I’m not a nun.”

“Whatever.” She snatched the remote off the table and flicked on the TV before resting her head on Alex’s shoulder. “But, seriously, I’m totally okay with you and Nick… you know, dating… or whatever.” The tips of Em’s ears turned pink at the whatever. It was the cutest thing Alex had seen in a long time.

She completely understood Em’s embarrassment. This was never a conversation Alex would ever have had with her own mother. They’d never had an easy relationship. She was glad Em felt comfortable enough to talk about this stuff with her. And she hoped that, after their conversation the other day, that Em would be comfortable enough to come to her with anything that may be bothering her.

“He and I knew each other when we were kids, you know.”

“What?” Em pushed herself into a sitting position, her mouth dropping open.

“We went to high school together. I was his biology tutor when he was a senior.”

Em sank back against the couch. “How come you never told me that before?”

She shrugged. “It never seemed relevant.”

“Did he remember you?”

“Nope.”

“Oh.” Em’s lips turned down into a frown. “That sucks.”