Captain Swan - Falling for the Bad Boy

Chapter 8

“So, what’s new with Emma?”

Emma wrinkles her brows at her sister-in-law from across the table, feigning confusion. “You know what’s new with me. We live together.” But that’s a lie. There are so many things she doesn't know. Like the countless times she and Killian have been together over the past month, or the internal war Emma’s been going through recently.

Mary Margaret arches her brow. “Do I? Because I don’t remember you telling me about the hickey on your neck.”

Emma’s cheeks heat as she pulls up the collar of her turtleneck and takes a sip of her hot cocoa. She had noticed the mark there this morning but hadn’t done a particularly decent job at hiding it. It’s not the first hickey she’s found since she met Killian but she usually uses a pound of makeup to hide them. She had been in a hurry this morning though and just threw on a turtleneck because she was running late for a job interview.

Mary Margaret leans in, her lips tipping into a hint of a smirk. “Look, I already know you and Liam got together.”

Emma chokes on her drink, grabbing a napkin to wipe her mouth, her eyes wide as she stares at Mary Margaret. “What do you mean? Where did you hear that?”

Mary Margaret tilts her head. “I didn’t have to hear it. You and Liam have been secretive about who you’ve been seeing, so it’s not hard to put the puzzle pieces together. You’re both terrible at lying and so is Ruby. I know she’s been covering up for you two. Whenever she says you’re at her place, she gets very adamant about making sure I don’t go over there to check.”

Emma’s mind goes blank for a second. She’s not sure what to say to that. She is seeing a Jones brother, just not the one Mary Margaret thinks. But if she denies it then her sister-in-law either won’t believe her or will keep digging until she uncovers the truth. “What does…what does Liam say about it? Did you ask him about me?”

“Well, no, but you’ve been hanging around each other a lot, and he just seems much happier now.” Mary Margaret reaches across the table and takes Emma's hands in hers, offering a small smile. “Honestly, you both do. You both have recently been cheated on so it totally makes sense you two would get together.”

Emma’s conflicted, her mind now spinning. Should she tell her sister-in-law she’s seeing Liam just to get her off her back, or will that cause more trouble than it’s worth? Mary Margaret is a lot like a gnat. She’s small but she can be very annoying and persistent. “How does David feel about us getting together?”

“Honestly, I don't think he would be happy with anyone you were with. Liam’s his best friend though. I think he’s coming around to the idea.”

She sighs in relief. “That’s good to know.”

Mary Margaret’s eyes light up, her jaw dropping. “So it’s true? You and Liam?”

Emma forces a fake smile on her lips. She feels terrible for lying to her sister-in-law but this is the only way the small, persistent gnat will ease up. “You guessed it.” Emma grabs her mug and takes a sip. “Me and Liam.”

~*~

Killian has been working for five hours at the bar, and he’s been continuously checking his phone. It was Thursday when he last saw Emma, and now it’s Sunday, so he can't help but think she’s been avoiding him. Before that, things were great. Granted, it couldn’t really be bad when all they did together was have sex. They talked occasionally and Emma stayed over for breakfast after spending the night with him, but he wasn’t trying to get ahead of himself or get his hopes up when he had no idea where what he and Emma had was going. He’s content taking things step by step. Not that their relationship has exactly started from the more traditional route of getting to know each other first. Well, they got to know each other the first night, just not what they’re hobbies are and what their favorite flavor of ice cream is.