No Denying You (Danvers #5)(52)
Emma had been working steadily for an hour when she looked up to see Ella open the door. She dropped the pen she had been holding and grinned at her friend. “Hey, Els, what brings you to my side of the building?”
Ella’s pregnancy was more noticeable now and she looked so freaking adorable with her small baby bump. Even though she had never really thought about having kids, Emma had to admit to feeling a pang of longing at how her friend glowed. She had tamed the wild Stone brother and she had never looked happier. Emma was thrilled for Ella and envious all at the same time. She wondered idly if that made her a horrible person. When Ella settled into a chair in front of her desk, Emma realized that she had been so occupied thinking of all that was going right for Ella that she had missed the signs that there was also something wrong. It was there in the worry lines around her mouth, her eyes and in the smile that didn’t fully reach her eyes. “Is . . . something wrong?”
Ella sighed and rubbed her eyes. Emma sat up straighter in her chair. Were those tears in her friend’s eyes? “I just talked to Beth. I know you had been trying to reach Suzy yesterday. I think we all had at some point. It’s not like her to just not show up, right? I was worried when I found out that Gray, Jason and Claire all seemed to have disappeared as well. Beth tried to call them several times during the day. We were both concerned. When Beth arrived this morning, she pulled me aside to let me know what had happened.”
Emma wondered if Ella was aware that she had placed a protective hand over her stomach before continuing. “Suzy was pregnant. I don’t know all of the details, but the pregnancy was ectopic and she had to have emergency surgery to remove one of her tubes.”
“Oh my God,” Emma whispered. “She was pregnant? I had no idea. I didn’t . . . She didn’t tell me.”
“She didn’t tell anyone. She had lost other pregnancies, but she didn’t want anyone to know. She didn’t want anyone to feel bad that she was having problems.” With those words, the tears that Ella had been holding back slid down her cheeks. Emma handed her a tissue. She remembered asking Suzy whether she had received the results yet and she had said no. Now Emma understood why she had seemed evasive. “I’m sorry for blubbering all over you; damn it, I never stop crying now.”
“I think it’s probably normal, and this is upsetting to me, too, so I understand how you feel.”
“Yeah, but at least you’re not over there leaking all over the place,” Ella sobbed. “I accidentally washed Declan’s white T-shirt with my red shirt and turned it pink last night. He laughed and I cried for an hour. He even insisted on wearing it to dinner afterward, which made me cry again because it was just so sweet of him.”
Again, Emma felt a flicker of jealousy at the relationship between Declan Stone and his wife. What was wrong with her today? One of her best friends was in the hospital after losing another baby and all she could do was feel jealous of their other friend’s good fortune? When had she ever been so petty? She couldn’t be happier for Ella and her heart was broken for Suzy.
Was this what love turned you into? Someone who could concentrate only on her own problems and didn’t care about anyone else? Geez, she was starting to feel like an emotional wreck. There was no need for Ella to feel bad about her own emotional displays. Emma was right there with her, only hers were manifested into something of the green variety. Where were all of the things that those damn Hallmark cards promised you? Instead of basking in her feelings, she had turned into an insecure, paranoid, jealous wreck. A shell of her former careful self, it seemed. Sure, Brant’s ex-fiancée moving in with him completely out of the blue was enough to push almost any woman to the edge, but poor Ella hadn’t committed any sins other than being happy. She really needed to get a grip. She had already been caught this week doing a drive-by of the object of her affection’s house—where did it end? Ugh.
She walked around the desk and gave Ella a hug. “I remember Beth not too long ago complaining about crying in McDonald’s when they brought the McRib back, so I think it’s normal. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Caring about people isn’t a crime, so you shouldn’t have to feel like it is.” Yeah, and I need to be more like Ella and stop thinking about myself.
Mark DeSanto, Brant’s ten o’clock appointment, walked in just ahead of Brant. Both she and Ella seemed to take a deep breath as the testosterone level in the room skyrocketed. She heard Ella make an appreciative sigh and she was right there with her. She was surprised when Mark walked over to her and threw an arm around her shoulders. “Ah, sweet Emma, it’s been too long.”
She laughed. “It’s been what . . . a day?” She saw Brant frowning at them and wanted to stick her tongue out in response.
Mark gave her a sexy grin. “Even a day without seeing your face is too long.” Mark had just turned to say hello to Ella when Brant motioned her impatiently into his office.
“I’m flying to Boston with Mark this morning. Gray is going to be out for a few weeks, so I’m taking over his obligations until then.” He kept his head down as he continued to pack his briefcase. “Things are going to be tight time wise. I’ll probably fly straight from Boston to Dallas instead of coming home for a day.”
Surprised, Emma asked, “When are you going to be back?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Probably the end of next week, but I don’t know for certain. Gray had a full schedule and added to mine, I’ll be traveling a lot in the next month.”