Raising Ema-Lyn

Chapter 12 - "He's not gonna hurt you anymore. I'm not gonna let him."

                Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Brad and Ashley had shown up finally and were being very nice and civilized. Doug did not like that I was letting them over here, but he kept his mouth shut about it the whole night. I knew his concerns, especially after he found out about everything. I wasn’t surprised to see that Brad still had a black eye.

                The kids played until dinner was ready. I set them at a table with their food and put Ema in her playpen. Then I sat down with everyone else at the other table. I sat between Drew and Anita. To say this dinner was going to be a little awkward was an understatement.

                “So,” Uncle Dave started as I was getting my food sense everyone else had gotten theirs. “Drew, tell me, how do you plan to support my niece and her daughter?”

“Dave,” I growled, giving him a warning glance.

“What? I have the right to know.” He flashed me a smile.

“No, no you don’t.” I glared at him.

Drew chuckled and squeezed my leg under the table.

“With all due respect sir, Dani and I just made it official today. So we have not discussed anything yet.”

“Really? And you haven’t told me yet?” Anita practically yelled.

“Ma! It was today!”

“Well I am very happy for you Dani,” Aunt Tina interjected. “It’s about time you found someone who will treat you with the respect you deserve.” She continued throwing a glare at Brad. She never really was fond of him from the beginning.

My hand tightened around Drew under the table. Everyone went quiet, except both Dave and Ashley had confused looks. So Aunt Tina hadn’t told Uncle Dave yet. And when I noticed Ashley, I looked at Brad. He was frozen, almost begging me with his eyes to stop the conversation before Ashley could be told.

“All I’m saying is that you deserve this, Dani. You work hard and shouldn’t have to-“

“Okay!” I cut her off. “Okay, Aunt Tina. That’s enough. I know what you’re saying. And I appreciate it. Let’s talk about something less awkward please.”

Everyone was silent for a few minutes. I looked up and Doug looked at me.

“So Dani, how is school going?” He asked.

I smiled. “Great. I’ve just got a semester left. I’m so close to finishing. I only need 6 more credits. And Kimi had straight A’s last semester. She’s really trying hard. I’m very proud of her.”

“That’s awesome!” Anita commented.

Everybody then launched into a conversation that I’m not quite sure what was about, but I was glad the heat was off me. Drew gave my hand a small squeeze then rubbed my back as I leaned my head on his shoulder. I was so tired. I felt someone staring at me so I opened my eyes and found Brad glaring at me. He looked away when he saw me look at him. But that wasn’t it. It was Ashley. She was staring at me, but not really me. She was concentrating on my neck, like there was something there. When I realized what she was staring at I quickly covered my neck. When she realized what it was she sat back with wide eyes and finally looked me in the eyes. I looked away and went back to eating. Thankfully everyone else was so deep in the conversation that no one had noticed our exchange; except Brad.

After everyone finished eating, they had moved to the living room with their wine, coffee and other drinks. I had told Drew to go ahead and join everyone else and I would clean up. I had taken everything to the kitchen and put everything into bags and bowls. I was just finishing up washing the dishes when she came in.