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“No one gets my mother’s approval,” I snap. “I’ll inform Ember on this. But still… Ms. Evans… she can’t leave the house! It’s not safe.”
“She needs to be let out of the cage.” The woman refuses to back down, and it infuriates me.
“I trusted you to watch over her!” I boom, turning to storm out of the house and hunt her down.
“I don’t need a babysitter,” I hear Ember’s voice say as she enters the living room. “I was perfectly fine and am now home safe.” She motions to her body to indicate she’s all intact and smiles. “As you can see. I’m here in one piece.”
I rush to her side and take her into my arms, grateful to see her back. “Jesus. Why did you leave? If you wanted to go there, all you had to do was ask, and I would have taken you.”
“It was fine. I had a really nice time, actually. I went to see the Alice in Wonderland statue, spoke to a nice gentleman—”
“Who?” I interrupt, breaking my hold of her to stare at her eyes. “You can’t just go talking to strangers. It could be a reporter or… you can’t just talk to complete strangers.” I turn to glare at Ms. Evans. “See? This is why she needs to be with me. She doesn’t understand the way people act yet. She could get chewed up and spit out.”
Ember takes the step that separates us and goes on tiptoe so she can kiss my forehead. “You’ll get permanent wrinkles if you keep furrowing your brow like this. Stop being angry at Ms. Evans. She was right in helping me. I needed to get out and explore a little, and no harm came of it. And you can’t always be with me, Christopher. I needed to get out, and nothing bad came of it. So calm down.” She briefly pecks my lips and winks at Ms. Evans. “Thank you for the suggestion. It was fun. I want to go back when I have more time to really explore the entire park. I only had time to take a short walk.”
“With me next time,” I say, glaring at Ms. Evans and then at Ember. I can tell I’ve lost this battle and being angry isn’t going to get me anywhere, but I still want my wishes known.
Ember giggles and nods. “Whatever you say, husband. Whatever you say.”
I can tell she’s mocking me, but I have to admit I like it. She does seem refreshed and happy. Yes, I want her safe… but more than anything, I want her happy.
14
Ember
I’m happy to see Christopher getting back to work, but a selfish part of me doesn’t like it when he leaves, especially after the awful dinner I had with Louisa the other night. Luckily, I hadn’t seen her since, so I’m doing my best to act as if nothing happened. I don’t want to tell Christopher about the dinner, because I don’t want to upset him. I believe it’s best to just ignore and move on. The woman needs time to adjust.
Papa Rich used to tell me that an injured animal is dangerous. Pain can make even the nicest creature vicious. And that is exactly what Louisa Davenport is. Hurt. I can understand that. She missed a milestone of her son’s life. Hurt has made her mean to me. I have to rise above that. I have to.
But I do miss Christopher. There have been long days where he’s gone from the time we wake up until after I’ve already fallen asleep. He’s in demand now since the interview. His “fame” has helped his career even more, and he’s getting freelance offers that he’s struggling to turn down. People want him to travel all over the world, and when I tell him to take the opportunity, he brushes off the idea. He tells me that he doesn’t want to leave me for so long and doesn’t feel I’m ready for international travel.
He’s probably right.
I’m adjusting, but not well. The sounds of the city are loud, and the constant movement has me jittery. Taking a simple walk gives me anxiety, and though I try to hide the feelings from Christopher, I know he sees it. He feels it.
And then there’s Papa Rich.
I know he’s alive. I can feel it in my bones.
Christopher tells me over and over again that even if he’s alive, he can’t hurt us again. He can’t reach us.
I don’t believe him.
He doesn’t know Papa Rich like I do, and even though I’m practically locked away in Louisa’s tower like Rapunzel, Papa Rich will find a way to reach me. It’s just a matter of time.
“It’s one night,” Christopher says as he throws some clothes in a small black suitcase. “The shoot is in LA, and I can’t make it a turnaround trip like I want to. One night, and I’ll be home.”
