AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He chuckled and eventually handed me the purse. “In all seriousness though, I’m glad you’re with Grant. He’s been needing someone, and I haven’t seen him happy in a long time.” I started to explain that Grant and I were certainly no couple, but I knew how that might look in this situation, and I didn’t want to give Beau any more ammunition.
“He’s had a hard time ever since Emma. I had a bet that he’d be single for the rest of his life. The guy hasn’t taken a day off forever.” Emma? Emma. Emma.
The name rang in my ears as I tried to think who that could possibly be. He had never mentioned anyone named Emma before. I racked my brain to think of anyone he could have possibly brought up in our casual conversation, but nothing came to mind. I attempted to keep my face as neutral as possible.
“Right, yeah.” I took a deep breath, the silence in the air said more than my words. “Well, I’m just gonna head out.” I quickly grabbed my purse and walked out to my car, avoiding any eye contact. My throat felt tight, and my eyes were no longer dry.
I just needed to be rational here. Emma could be anybody. An ex, an old friend, a cousin, a random girl at a coffee shop…the girl from the pictures? Grant made a point not to bring up his previous love life and I never really felt the need to ask him about it. Whoever she was, she was clearly the one who caused a ripple in his life.
I wanted to talk to him about it and crack the code, but I was running on three hours of sleep, and my mindset wasn’t right. I would talk to him when the timing played out, but for now, I just needed to be alone.
On the drive back I heard my phone buzz several times in the passenger seat, but I was too tired and felt wrung out like a wet towel. I reached over and turned my phone on airplane mode without checking any of the notifications.
I pulled up to my apartment, parking in my special spot, and made my way to the elevator, purposefully avoiding Al or any neighbors. The elevator felt like it was slower than ever, my mind was racing, and I felt sick to my stomach.
I felt guilty for leaving Grant by himself, confused as to who Emma was, lost on if this house was the right thing to do. Every bit of me was being pulled every which way, and I was mentally depleted.
I immediately opened my laptop and ran a search to find the old picture of Grant. After looking for almost ten minutes, I found it. The picture of him, his friends, and a girl. Emma? I clicked on the picture, and it brought up a link at tributes.com. There, in large print:
EMMA HANSLEY, 26.
An obituary? My stomach dropped, and heat rose to my neck.
I scrolled down the page, there were different pictures of a beautiful young girl in different places. One was her in a volleyball uniform, another was of her at a construction site with an older man by her side, and a few more of her dressed up for prom. Finally, at the bottom was the same picture I had seen before.
It was labeled across the bottom ‘from right to left: Beau Adams (friend), James Hansley (father), Grant Dawes (boyfriend), and Emma Hansley. I was sure all of the color had drained from my face, and I was shaking when I saw boyfriend by Grant’s name. With rocky hands, I scrolled back up and read the description at the top beside her picture.
“Emma Hansley, expectant with child, has passed away at the young age of 26.” The description continued, but I had already closed the laptop shut and threw it on the opposite side of my couch.
Everything clicked in my mind. It all made sense. Why Grant refused to be with anyone, why he didn’t want a relationship, and why he denied letting anyone wanting to be close with him. I felt so sick, chill bumps ran down my arms, and my hair stood up. I felt a rise from my stomach and rushed to the bathroom. I leaned over the toilet, holding my hair back and vomiting. I emptied my stomach, but it somehow only made me feel worse.
Grant’s ex-girlfriend died at 26, and she was pregnant.
I face-planted on the bed and passed out before I could even change clothes or get under the covers.
