What's Forever

Chapter 11

We pulled up in front of a white craftsman style house, very bright and stylish. It definitely isn't what I expected, lots of big, sparkly windows with matt black trim. I don't know why I expected something darker, more manlier but it definitely suits him. Stylish and manly at the same time.

"Esme is an architect, she does interior design as well. Everything you see will have been planned, purchased, and placed by her." he smiled.

"That's definitely a lot of trust." I said when he parked and came to open my door.

"I think she did your house too, but yeah, she knows my style perfectly. Come in." he said, holding out his hand.

I placed my hand in his and let him pull me inside, smiling at the idea that his mother might have decorated my house. Whatever he cooked smelled amazing, he gave me a quick tour of what I consider the public areas and I saw the cutest dinner setup. The decoration is manly in a simplistic sense, stylish for sure, but not the in your face a single man lives here kind of way.

"If I ever decide to make a change I definitely want Esme to do it, but it's honestly perfect the way it is."

"She'll like that, wait till you see their house." he said as he hung my coat up. "You really look stunning."

"Thank you." I blushed. "You think I'll see their house?"

"Yeah, I mean if you want to of course. I met your family, half of it, and you've met some of mine. I would like for you to meet the rest depending on how this all proceeds. I might have mentioned you once or twice." he smiled.

"You don't way . . . you made a salad?" I laughed.

Every time he has lunch with me I have a salad with whatever I'm eating. Emmett always has a Bugs Bunny joke or some sort of a health nut crack, so seeing the salad is quite funny.

"That's just for your sake. You know I don't eat green anything."

He put music on, something soft and slow that floated on the air while we ate. Emmett knows that I'm not a heavy eater so for dinner he made a thick and rich tomato bisque with fresh brown bread, said his mom helped because he burned the bread the first time. It's cute, a very nice thing to do.

I don't know if it was me seeing things though, hell, maybe even the candlelight messing with my perception, but I swear his soup looked darker than mine. I didn't pay too much attention to it because I was enjoying myself. Truly enjoying myself with a wonderful man and I haven't done this since before I got pregnant.

After dinner we sat outside on the back patio. Thankfully, the weather is still nice so I didn't need a coat or anything, we just sat on the patio sofa and talked. The sun was mostly set, dark blue with pink, red, and orange streaks. It was really beautiful.

"I wish I could paint, this would be a beautiful scenic painting." I said.

"It's really nice, a lot better given present company." he replied.

"What's wrong?" I asked, noting a sudden sadness in his voice.

"THere's something I want to ask you but I don't quite know how to broach the subject." he sighed.

"Is it important?" I asked him as I turned to look at him.

"Very much so, I just don't know how you're gonna feel about me after I say what I have to say."

"Are you secretly married?" I asked.

"No." he chuckled.

"Got 15 kids running around somewhere?"

"I wish but no, I can't have kids."

"Oh . . . I'm so sorry, is that . . ."

"No, that's not it."

"Are you on America's Most Wanted list? Top 10? Here under an assumed name?"

"You're funny, but no." he half smiled.

"Did you kill someone?"

"Maybe."

"Whatever it is can't be that bad." I told him, placing my hand over his and ignoring the temperature change.

"Do you believe in the supernatural?" he asked, surprising me. That's not where I thought this conversation was heading.

"Like spirits, resurrections,and ghosts?"

"Like the undead, vampires." he replied, his eyes staring straight into mine.

"Vampires? Emmett, where are you going with this?" I asked.

"Do you believe?" he insisted.

"I saw Queen of the Damned and Interview with a Vampire. Salivated over the male leads but no, I don't believe. Why?"

"Valentina, I'm a vampire." he said and I cracked up laughing.

"THat's really funny but what is this all about?"

"Val . . ." he sighed and then he was gone.

My heart is racing and fear is starting to creep in. What the hell is going on?

"Emmett! This isn't funny, where are you?" I shouted, getting up and moving away from the back deck.

"Over here!" he shouted, standing predator-like by the tree-line some 20 feet away.

"What's . . . how did . . . what's going on?"

"Believe me now?" he asked, suddenly standing in front of me.

I took a few steps back, getting away from him as I started to hyperventilate.