Mismatch Lovers

Chapter 31

*Emma's POV*

I was disoriented when I woke up, part of me panicking thinking I'd imagined my reunion with Killian, but then I heard his voice. It was muffled by the ceiling since I was in the basement, but I could tell he was upset. He'd apparently changed me into one of his tshirts and pajama pants when we got home, so I just wrapped a blanket around myself and went in search of my human furnace.

I stopped in the kitchen when I heard voices I didn't recognize, feeling oddly like a child sneaking out of bed. It was pitch black outside, so people over in general was unusual, let alone people I didn't know. This was a tiny town after all, how could I not know them?

"You can't just spring this on her," Killian said with frustration, pulling my attention from my thoughts. "What did you expect showing up here out of nowhere in the middle of the night? That she'd just welcome you with open arms? After what you did to her?"

"We had no choice," a woman's voice argued. "We were just kids, we had to give her her best chance."

"I don't think she's going to see it that way," he snapped back. "You have no idea the kinds of things she's been through because you left her behind."

"You grew up in this town," another man's voice tried. "You know how it can be as a teenager."

"Aye, I do," Killian answered simply. "This town tore Emma and I apart once, but if she'd gotten pregnant then, we would have grown up and been parents. Not abandon our child and think we can just show up after almost thirty years!"

From what it sounded like, my parents were in that room. The people who left me on the side of a highway right after I was born. I couldn't even breathe. I hadn't noticed my feet moving backwards until I hit the stairs, suddenly tumbling down them and landing in a heap in the basement.

"Emma!" Killian called, the sound of feet pounding down the stairs before he was next to me, gently lifting me half into his lap. "Bloody hell, love, are you alright?"

"Fine," I nodded, wincing a bit as I sat up. "I just, uhm, tripped on my way up the stairs, but I'm okay."

"Alright, just let me get rid of these, erm, sales people," he said as he lifted me up and brought me back to bed. "I'll b-b-be right b-b-back."

We both knew the other was lying but said nothing. He kissed me softly and went upstairs, the house filling with yelling again before the door slammex and he came back down. I watched him strip down to his boxers, letting him pull me close when he got into bed so I was laying on his chest as he flipped on the TV.

"They weren't sales people were they?" I confronted him first, my voice soft. He sighed and muted the TV, staring at the ceiling. "Killian? Who were they?"

"Your parents," he sighed, not even bothering to try to lie and finally meeting my eyes. "They were just parked out front when we got home. They wanted me to wake you so they could talk to you, but I didn't think it was a good idea to just bombard you like that. I guess I failed anyway."

"Thank you," I said quietly, confusion covering his face when I leaned up to kiss his cheek. "For trying to protect me and for not trying to lie to me about it. I know it'd be easier to hide it and wait, but I'm really glad you didn't, so thank you."

"I would never hide something like that from you," he said genuinely, concern still in his eyes as he brushed my cheek with his thumb. "I just didn't want to overwhelm you, though I clearly underestimated you again."

"You keep doing that," I teased him with a small smile and his face softened, his lips quirking up as well. "But you were right, I don't want to see them. I'm finally getting everything I wanted, I don't want them to screw it all up."

"I'll support whatever you decide," he assured me, continuing after a bit of hesitence. "But I will say that I think you should at least talk to them."

"I'll think about it," I allowed, not wanting to argue with him. I slid my hand up his chest to toy with his chest hair, seeing his eyes darken when I bit my bottom lip and looked up at him through my eyelashes. "For now, I think its bed time."

"Bloody siren, I swear," he shook his head before leaning down to capture my lips. I sighed happily, letting him tug me even closer as my hand slid into up to fist in his hair. There would be a time to focus on the thing that had haunted me my entire life, but right now I wanted to just let my one happiness consume me.

I got up the next day like any other, jumping in the shower and just letting Killian sleep. Today was the day to find a job, so after grabbing a quick breakfast I pulled out my laptop. After I'd found out who my parents were ten years ago I stopped looking, finding I couldn't handle it at the time, but now I had research to do after I finished my job hunt.

The only jobs I could find open in town were for people I knew, a manager at Ingrid's store, a waitress at granny's, a secretary at the garage Killian now owned. But then I saw an ad for a deputy sheriff. Sure, Killian would hate it, and my father worked there ten years ago, but what we're the odds he still did? Besides it was the only thing even kind of in my field.

I unpacked my nice clothes and pulled on a professional looking dress, getting ready as quietly as I could. I left Killian a note and grabbed my jacket on the way out, walking the few blocks to the station across the street from the garage.

"Hello?" I called hesitantly as I walked down the hall towards the office, finding it strangely quiet. Suddenly I was face to face with a man maybe twenty years older than me, taking me off guard. "Hi, I was just answering the ad for a deputy? My name's-"

"Emma," he interrupted me, looking like he was in total shock. "Emma Swan."

"I..." I was at a loss for words, trying to figure out how he'd know me. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"My name's David Nolan," he started but as soon as I recognized the name I turned and left, hiding in the side alley when he came out after me.

I'm on my way to work so this will have to do for now. I have tomorrow off though so I'll do my best to update at least one of my stories. Later, loves.