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She gave me a sad smile and a nod. “Right. I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you like that. It wasn’t your fault and totally uncalled for and I’m…I’m sorry.”
Her words took me totally off guard. I wasn’t expecting an apology because I wasn’t in the position to receive one. I was the one who was in the wrong. But, I also wanted to show her what I’d been working on to prove to her that I wasn’t the same man I was six weeks ago.
“I should’ve went after you that night,” I told her. I hadn’t even admitted that thought to myself so it cam as a surprise that I said it out loud. “I wasn’t thinking straight, Emma. I was being selfish. I should’ve apologized then, but I’m going to make it right now.”
“You weren’t,” she said, her voice too sad. “And these past six weeks, I could’ve talked to you at any time, but I didn’t. I don’t even know what I’m doing any more. I don’t want to be mean to you.” Emma wiped a tear from under her eye and my heart wrenched.
I pulled her into a hug and she clung to me like she missed me every bit as much as I missed her. But, then the elevator came to a stop with a ding and broke apart like we were about to get caught.
That was another issue our relationship was going to have to face. This heat, this love had been building between us for all these months, years really, and no one knew. It was going to surprise some people, Krista included, but I didn’t mind. I’d tell everyone in our lives personally that we were in love if Emma wanted that.
If Emma was in love with me.
We stepped off the elevator and Emma did a double take at the floor we were on, then at the plaque at the entrance of my newly built center.
“Kyle,” she said, a mixture of surprise and delight in her tone. “What is this?”
Chapter 20
Emma
Thewholefloorhadthat distinct smell of new construction. There were hints of freshly cut wood, drying paint, and new carpet. I knew what I was seeing, but I wasn’t quite comprehending it.
I had to double and then triple check my surroundings. We were on the sixth floor of the Beckford Group building. Granted, I rarely, if ever, during my employment in the building ever came to the sixth floor, but I was positive I never saw a day care center before.
“Kyle. What is this?”
I almost didn’t believe my eyes. It appeared as if nearly the whole floor had been transformed into a child care center. The colors were bright but tasteful, appealing to both children and adults, and the there was an archway leading down the hall that looked like a storybook with pages and pictures from classic fairytales. There was even family restrooms and breastfeeding rooms right in the lobby.
“Do you like it?” Kyle asked.
“I—I think I’m speechless,” I said with a laugh.
“Well, let me do some talking.” Kyle led me further into the center and I followed, taking everything in. “Over the last six weeks, I’ve been working on this in secret.”
“How’d you keep this off your calendar? I can’t believe I didn’t notice,” I said, almost disappointed in myself.”
Kyle opened the door and led me into one of the classrooms. It was fully of tiny furniture, toys that sparked imagination like play kitchens, puppets, and all different kinds of building blocks. There was even a digital play center with music making technology and educational games. I hadn’t looked into day care for Lily before simply because I couldn’t afford it, but I knew this place was top of the line, something that only the wealthiest people would be able to afford.
“It wasn’t easy, but made easier by the fact that we weren’t speaking.” He smiled, but it was a cover. Us not speaking really hurt him. “I spent a lot of late nights dealing with this, but I wasn’t doing anything else so…” Kyle looked at me pointedly. Those dark blue eyes always id something to me.
“So, that means you haven’t slept with anyone?” I asked.
“No. Of course not, we had an agreement.” Kyle took my hand in his. “Have you?”
“No!” I said a little too emphatically. “Kyle, you have to understand, I’ve only been even thinking about you over these weeks.”
“Emma.” Kyle took my face between his hands. “Don’t worry. I know. I know how it is between us without you even having to say anything because I’ve felt the same way. I think we’ve let our past and worries about the future keep us from enjoying the present. And for right now, I want you to see all the good work you’ve inspired.”
I nodded and Kyle kissed me. It was pretty chastised as far as our kisses went, but that did nothing to lessen the feelings. All my resolve, all the made up and silly reasons we had for not being together vanished and I knew, deep down, we were going to be okay.
“Okay,” I said, trying my hardest to shed a happy tear. My emotions were all over the place lately, but it wasn’t entirely my fault. “Show me everything.”
“Well, I worked with some of the top child development specialist in the country. We took all the most popular day care and kindergarten programs and studied what made them successful and what was holding them back.” He led me through a few more classrooms, some for younger children, some for much older kids but all were equally impressive. “Money was of course no object for our center, so it’s the best in the country.
“This is amazing, Kyle. Truly. But how could your employees afford something like this?” I asked.
Kyle furrowed his brow at me. “It’s free for employees. My hope is to have enough space for everyone who needs it, but we’ll have to see how sign-ups go.”
