The Family We Choose

Chapter 54

Emelia opens the door quietly, throwing her keys onto the table and takes a few steps deeper into her home to find Eddie and Ana cuddling up on the couch with Chris in between them. She wants to smile, she wants to be happy for them. She wants to join them but there is a tug in her chest that causes her to freeze.

It stings, a lot more than she can explain and the pain exploding her heart isn't something she can explain. Maybe it's because she misses her mom and she wishes it could be her sitting there on the couch or maybe it's because it isn't the person she wants being with her dad.

She doesn't know but she still comes around the couch and pulls a blanket over the three and turns the tv off, before she makes her quick exit to her room and calls May.

"Not that I'm complaining but I dropped you off literally 2 minutes ago." She can practically feel her smile through the phone and for a second her heart heals.

It had been their first date night, a movie night before walking down the street for coffee. It was nice and probably the first real quality time they've spent together in what felt like forever. They were finally starting to feel like them again.

"How did you feel when Bobby first started seeing your mom?" May can hear the despair in her voice.

"Ana came over?" she asked and contemplated turning back around. She decided against it, baby steps she decided. Emelia even calling her about this was enough for her. "It was weird at first but my mom was happy so I made it work. Now I can't imagine not having Bobby here."

She is honest and she appreciates that because Emelia is so confused right now. Having May to be her sounding board makes it all so easier, even if she had to work extra hard to push the fear in her heart away. Promising herself that May wouldn't use this against her again.

"But not everyone is like that. My dad's first boyfriend never clicked. Sure we were civil but it wasn't like Bobby or David."

"I don't know if Ana's clicking. She's great I guess but she's not Mom and she's not Buck." she adds hesitantly, because Buck has been there for her and Chris in every way Eddie and Shannon had been. She's known Ana for months now, she has been inside her home and in her life but she still didn't fit right.

There was something missing on movie nights and Ana had a weird dislike for marvel movies. Ana cooked but it was different, she had her own recipes that she didn't know of or tweaked the ones Emelia already knew and loved.

"I want my dad to be happy but I don't think he'll find that with her."

"He's going to make mistakes, everyone does." It was true, her life was proof enough but sitting back and letting her Dad's heart be broken was a tough pill to swallow. "All you can do right now is be there for him and be honest. This is your life too."

"How do you always know what to say?" Emelia takes May's advice, because she is not sure if she'll be able to hold that honesty up with her dad. She smiles and lays back onto her pillows.

"It's one of my many talents." Emelia can only imagine the smile on her lips, the crinkle in her nose and the sparkle to her eye.

"It's also one of the many many reasons I love you." More of that honesty leaves her lips and she doesn't flinch when she says the words.

"You're so cheesy," May shakes her head, biting her lip with a smile. "But god is it cute."

"Goodnight." Emelia whispers. "Text me when you're home safe."

"Always."

And she does, 15 minutes later and only then does she shut her phone off and lull herself to sleep.

–

Emelia is woken up by the giggling coming from the living room. Slipping into a pair of leggings and a hoodie, Mays hoodie to be precise, she stumbles through the hallway and toward the living room.

The three she had left the night before are giggling, presumably at something Chris said and that ache in her heart is back and she lazily waves at them before heading to the kitchen for breakfast. May's words rang through her ears and through her fake smile.

Luckily she had a busy day ahead of her to distract herself from not only the guilt but the pain in her chest. Saturday meant an early practice on zoom followed by her weekly Nintendo tournament with Buck. After that she was at the studio again for class prep, meaning it would be late by the time she was home.

Eddie followed closely behind her, "You up for brunch with us?"

Emelia shakes her head and hates the frown that comes onto Eddie's face.

"I have practice and then Buck and I are going to finish our tournament." It is the truth or a half truth anyways, because her plans were true but she was more grateful for her plans that she would like to admit.

"We can wait and go for lunch." he offers but she easily slips out of his offer once again.

"It's fine, Chris will just get grumpy anyways. Next time though." she lies, there probably never will be next time. She wants to like Ana she really does but it wouldn't be fair to them if they had to haul around a sulking teenager.

"We'll bring you home a tea." he kissed the side of her head and left her to make her toast.

"Thank you," Emelia pushes down her guilt and finishes making her breakfast. Her toast is dry and her tea isn't as good without the honey she forgot to put on the grocery list. She would have regretted not going if Ana had not been part of the group.