Finally Feel Good (Book 2)

Chapter 33 - Brighter Than The Sunshine Pt 2

Shannon and Emily had found a lovely bistro to go and have breakfast. They were enjoying their meal at West Side Market Cafe.

Emily was bust tucking into some French Toast, with syrup, strawberries, and cream, whilst Shannon tucked into a classic omelette with scrambled egg.

It looked like another gorgeous sunny day was on the cards, and they were planning on a small walk down by the Chatanooga River to just relax and chat.

Emily was scrolling through her phone, and a headline from the UK caught her eye.

There were photos of James and Lacey abroad somewhere that looked like Italy.

Lacey was busy sunning herself on what looked to be a private yacht in a florescent pink string bikini, whilst James was in black boardshorts and an LA Lakers hat.

They were with a few other people who looked as though they were all friends. Emily knew she'd never be able to compete against Lacey and what she had to offer in the looks department, even if it was all fake tan and botox.

It seemed as though James had a penchant for that type of girl from what she had seen from Googling a couple of times out of boredom; why? She had no idea, and each time, she had regretted it dreadfully.

There was a particularly nice photo of James that made Emily smile. It was just a close-up of him smiling, but he looked peaceful. However, as she looked close, she could detect sadness in his eyes.

Her mind was working overtime, trying to work out what could be wrong, but Shannon's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Are you OK? You haven't eaten much of your breakfast." He slid a hand across the table and reached for her hand that she had resting by her glass of orange juice, taking it in his hand and running a thumb across her knuckles.

"Sorry. No, I'm fine. I was just miles away, thinking."

"I noticed."

"Sorry, I'm not really being much fun today."

"Anytime with you is fun. We don't need to be doing anything. You don't need to keep apologising. "

"I love spending time with you too, Shannon. Thank you for fixing it so I could come and join you on tour. I hope it wasn't too much hassle?"

"Emma's delt with a hell of a lot worse with Jay, trust me. This was just a dip in the ocean to her."

"I really like Emma. She's so warm and welcoming, I'm glad we've managed to rekindle our friendship again since the last time I saw her, when I found out I was pregnant."

"You should have just told me when you found out. You know I wouldn't have been mad with you, especially as there was a chance it could have been mine as we didn't actually use anything." He lowered his voice suddenly.

"I know. I'm sorry. We were still getting to know one another. My life was a whirlwind, and I was scared, Shannon."

"You don't news to be scared anymore, Little One. You know I'm all in with this." He brought one of her hands up to his mouth and kissed it.

She smiled back at him softly.

"Jay told me that you've been telling your Mum a lot about me."

Shannon blushed.  "Um...yeah I have. I hope you don't mind? I-I just thought that since the photos were out and everyone now knows about us, Mum was going to find out and start asking questions.

And if I hadn't. I know Jay would have gone and blabbered his big mouth to her." He told his eyes at his words.

"I-I should have consulted with you first, Em. I'm sorry." He looked worried about what she would say next.