With Me Through Troubled Times (With Me - book 2)

Chapter 51

2 YEARS LATER (2027) (40-years-old)

Joe's POV

Standing in the back garden with Connor and Matthew, I watch my 18 month old daughter, Emery, run about the back garden with the dogs. The wind catching her perfect dark blonde hair every time she ran after one of the dogs, making me smile.

I was so happy the day Mia told me that she was pregnant again because I wasn't expecting it. Trying for so long and nothing happened. So to have another little baby in the house again, made us both happy.

The day of the birth went as well as it could have went. Emery was born 6 weeks early which was the middle of May and also my last game of my playing career as a footballer. Matthew and Connor wanted Mia to have another boy and so did Odette because she didn't want to share anything she had with another girl. But the day they all saw Emery, was they day they all fell in love with her.

She was nothing like Odette in anyway. Odette is so much like Mia but Emery is just so much like me. The only thing she has taken from Mia is her style choices. She refuses to let anyone dress her other than Mia and only wears every outfit she has once. That equals a lot of shopping trips and money but she's worth every penny.

"When does mum and Odette get back from New York?" Connor asks me, folding his arms over his chest.

"Today," I answer while looking at Emery as she hugs one of the dogs.

"Were they away because of mums-" Connor starts.

"Connor, I don't know! I didn't ask! You learn not to when it comes to women," I snap, looking at him.

"Okay..." he murmurs, turning to look at Emery.

"Dad..." I turn to Matthew and look at him. "She's..."

I don't let him finish before I turn my attention back to Emery just as she falls on the path leading up to the basketball court. She sits up and looks over at us before starting to cry. I quickly run over to her and scoop her up into my arms. She puts her head on my shoulder as I carry her back up into the house.

I walk into the living room with her and sit her down on one of the couches. I kneel down on the floor in front of her as she sits crying her eyes out.

"Where does..." I start before she leans forward and puts her tiny arms round my neck.

"Dadda," she mutters through her tears.

I hold her close to me as the front door opens.

"Joe," Mia calls from the hall.

I stand up and hold Emery close to me in my arms as I walk out into the hall to see my wife.

"Joe...what's happened?" Mia asks, coming over to me.

"She was playing with the dogs out the back and fell on the path."

"Coming darling?" Mia asks Emery as she reaches out for her.

Emery turns her attention to Mia and reaches over for her. Mia takes her in her arms and carries her into the kitchen. I watch her walking away from me and she still looked amazing for a women that was forty. Her high heels and skinny jeans making her legs look longer than they actually are.

I follow her into the kitchen as she stands in front of Emery who was sitting on one of the counters.

"She's scrapped her arm and got a bruise coming out on it. Other than that, she'll be fine," Mia smiles as I walk over and kiss her cheek.

"So my little girl is feeling a little better?"

"Lolly," Emery says, pointing to the fridge where all her sweets are kept.

"Okay," I smile, walking over to get her a lollipop.

You just gotta love your family but happiness with us never lasts, we've come to know that.

Normal POV

"So, how was it?" Joe asks me as he walks over from the fridge with a lolly for Emery.

"It was okay. I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible though," I explain to him as I hug Emery close.

She lays her head on my chest, looking at Joe as he takes the wrapper off the lolly. After a few seconds of just looking at him, she sits back and reaches out for lollipop as he hands it to her. I watch her put it in her mouth and hold the stick with both hands as Odette comes into the kitchen and goes straight to the fridge.

"And how did you find it?" Joe asks her.

"It was okay, I guess." She shrugs, taking a bottle of water out the fridge. She closes the fridge door and turns to us. "I'm going out shopping tomorrow for some new clothes, so can I get..."

"I don't think so. I took you shopping in New York for new clothes. Tomorrow, you will be taking care of your sister while I go to a meeting," I tell her as I lift Emery up off the counter and hold her in my arms.

"Mum, that is so unfair! Why can't dad or..." She starts shouting.

"We're off to London tomorrow with dad, so we can't." Connor says as he walks into the kitchen with Matthew.

"So I'm left to watch the little brat?"

"Odette, stop calling her a little brat. The only brat around here is you!" Connor retaliates at her before I walk out the kitchen with Emery.

"Don't listen to her," I whisper to Emery as I head towards the stairs. "She's just annoyed that she can't get her own way."

When at the top of the stairs, I walk along to the master bedroom. I close the doors over and walk over to the bed, sitting Emery down in the middle of it and she looks up at me, lolly still in her mouth.

"You are just so cute," I smile, kneeling down on the floor and resting my elbows on the edge of the bed so I could look at her. She looks down at me and takes the lolly out her mouth and offers it to me. "No, darling. That's yours, not mine. You have it."

"You," she says, still handing the lolly out for me.

"No, you keep it." I smile before she puts it back in her mouth.

I sigh before standing up and walking off into my walk-in wardrobe to get changed.

I come out 10minutes later in my jogging bottoms and a white vest top. I walk over to the bed and lay down in front of Emery as looks at me while now holding the lolly stick. I run a hand down her hair and she leans her head into my hand as I rest it on her cheek.

She takes the lolly out her mouth one more time and holds it out to me. "Finish."

I take the lollipop from her and get up, walking into the en-suite bathroom and putting it in the bin. I walk back out and lay back down on the bed as Emery crawls over to me and lays down. She turns her head to face the wall and I run my hand over her hair again and down her back as she starts to drift off to sleep.

I smile as the bedroom door opens and I look up at Joe as he walks over to me.

He sits down at the top of the bed and looks at me. "She's missed you."

"I know. Just like I missed her and my three favourite men," I say, looking at him.

"How did it really go over there?"

"Odette ruined the whole thing. She kept saying that she hated every design that was put in front of her. Everyone else loved the designs but she didn't. I honestly don't know why I even took her," I confess with a loud sigh.

"Was she that bad?" He asks, laying down in front of me.

"Yes! Hence, why I need to go to Lisa tomorrow and tell her what happened. I was furious at her and now I have to come up with completely new designs! She's ruined it."

He takes my hand in his and runs his thumb over my knuckles. "Well, lets just pray and hope that tomorrow goes well."

"Hope so," I exhale as he leans over Emery and gives me a kiss.

I smile at him as he moves back and looks at me. I look down at Emery and my smile softens slightly. My perfect angel.