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“Hi, Rosie,” I say as she comes up to us, my eyes flicking between Rosie and Em, still concerned with Emily’s face. “I was hoping you could read me another few pages of Cinderella.” Bending down to her level, she reaches out her hand and rests it on my shoulder. She is quiet for a beat before she whispers, “Can I touch your face, Ben?” My eyes flick up to Emily, who looks shocked, and her eyes look a little glassy.
“Sure.” I grab her hand from my shoulder and place it on my cheek. Remaining still, her little hand pats my cheek, my nose, my eyebrows, and although she can’t see me, I have a feeling she knows exactly what I look like now.
“You have a big nose!” She giggles, breaking the tension. It is a small gesture, but again, my cold heart defrosts a little more. These two women will have me completely melted if I am not careful.
“It is a very handsome nose,” I jest, and she laughs again.
“Let’s go find Cinderella,” I say, then take her hand, and we walk toward the reading nook in the corner of the room, but not before I sneak a quick kiss to Emily’s cheek. I see her neck blush slightly, and I smirk. But my thoughts are quickly brought back to the discoloration beneath that blush, and it turns my stomach.
After a few pages of Cinderella, I sit with Rosie and look around the room. George is helping some of the bigger kids, while Emily is sitting with two smaller boys, reading to them. Her facial expressions are hilarious, and the boys are a giggling mess by the end of the book. The school bells ring, and the noise level in the room increases as each child, including Rosie, starts packing up their things and walking out of the class to be collected from the front office.
As Emily is busy helping the kids out the door, I walk across to George.
“George,” I say and extend my hand.
“Can’t stay away, huh?” he says with a small sigh and shakes my hand. I begin to help him put the chairs on top of the desks, the whole ordeal reminding me of when I was at school, although the chairs are a lot smaller than I remember.
“I was hoping to take Emily out next weekend, in the city,” I say to George. I’m not really asking his permission, but I want to let him know my intentions. That I’m serious about this.
George stops and looks at me, his expression stern. “I’m not sure that is a good idea…”
“I will take good care of her, I promise. You don’t have to worry.” I try to make light of it, but his face doesn’t even twitch.
He sighs again, and I watch as his gaze moves over to Emily before resting back on me. “I will have Rosie, that’s no problem, but just protect her, Ben. Please.” I’m confused at his response, but I file that away for another day as Rosie and Emily come back into the room.
“Rosie, Ben has done all our work for us!” Emily says with a little clap. She walks over and curls into my side, and my arm instinctually wraps around her waist as I kiss the top of her head. This is what I like. She fits, she just fits perfectly. She is perfect.
“Thanks, Ben, I hate doing the chairs,” Rosie adds, smiling up at us.
“Come on, Rosie, I think I have a lollipop in my office,” George says, taking her hand and leading her out of the room.
“So…” Emily starts, a smirk lifting her lips, “you haven’t run out the door to another meeting… Is this now a work or personal visit, Mr. Rothschild?”
“Hmmmm…” I pull her to me and bend down to kiss her. “A little bit of work and a whole lot of personal,” I growl as her arms curl around my neck and kiss her gently. Pulling back, I look at her. “Are you sure you are okay, Em?” Searching her face again, my finger traces the small red cut above her eye. It looks sore, a little angry, and like she really hit something hard.
“Yes, I’m sure. Thank you for making sure, though,” she says sweetly, but then she’s stepping back, letting her hair fall across her face again. I bite my back molars, still not liking this distance she puts between us whenever I broach the subject.
“So, work, tell me what you came to say.'' Her arms cross in front of her chest, protective mode and sass in full effect.
“Beasley is still keen to buy the school. He is not going to stop, Em, and as his law firm, I need to help him in his business dealings,” I tell her regretfully, swallowing roughly.
“And?” she prods, her hip jutting out, starting to get defensive.
“And we will be calling meetings after meetings and throwing everything at it. I want you to know in advance that it is not personal. Michael is the lead on this, but I have to be present. You need to know that anything you say or do while I am around, I will use. I just want to make it clear. Draw a line.” My mind flicks to the file that Michael put on my desk this morning. A file of information he has found on Emily. I sat looking at it all morning. He went through his police sources and found out a lot of details about her history, but I left it unopened. I’m not sure I want to delve into her life as thoroughly without her knowledge anymore.
“Okay,” she says with a sigh, staring up at me. She doesn’t seem to be closing me out, so I take the opportunity.
“But anything not case related…” I say as I walk toward her, my arms grabbing her hips and pulling her close. “I am totally up for.” I kiss her again, moving gently, not wanting to hurt her face. She kisses me back, her stance softening as her hands move up to grab my suit jacket and we deepen the kiss.
Pulling away, our lips now only inches apart, I look her in the eyes. “I want you to stay with me next weekend, in the city. I have a charity function that my mother is organizing, and I want you to come with me.” I’m not sure what her response will be, what to expect. She remains quiet as her eyebrows pull together. She looks concerned, but hasn’t said anything, so I continue. “Michael and my brothers will be there. Plus, a few other business associates. It is a fundraising gala, so it should be fun.” Honestly, it will only be fun if she’s on my arm.
She still doesn’t say anything, but I see her mind ticking over, thinking about it. “I will look after you, Em. I know you don’t come to the city much, so we won't stay long, and then we can go back to my place. I will bring you home first thing Sunday if you want me to, so you don’t have to be away from home. Oh, and George said he will take Rosie…” I add, trying to get her over the line.
“I don’t have anything to wear…” she says in a considered whisper. I exhale a breath, relieved that’s the only thing holding her back.
“I will organize it all, so don’t worry about that. I will come over and swim with you and Rosie Saturday morning, and then I will bring you to my place and have hair, makeup, and an outfit ready for you.” I want to make this as seamless as possible because I also know she hates being away from Rosie.
“Well, it is part of our agreement.”
