Trinity glanced at Emmy, who watched them closely now. “I need to get Emmy to school.”
Jon lifted his head and looked at his daughter, then back at Trinity. “I’m sorry.”
“I know you are. Forget it.”
“Will you? I really don’t want to mess this up, and I feel like I did because up until five minutes ago you had no idea what I did or how much I’m worth.”
“I don’t care. I just wanted to know more about you.”
He sighed and looked completely dejected.
She took mercy on him. “I’ll see you later tonight.” She kissed him softly, hoping to ease his mind.
Distress and sorrow still filled his eyes when she stepped back.
Emmy hugged his legs and stared up at him. “How come I can’t come back tonight?”
“It’s your mother’s turn,” he said, brushing his hand over her hair.
“I don’t want to go there. I want to stay here.”
“The painters, landscapers, countertop and carpet guys will be here all week. By the time you come back on Friday, the house will be all done. Don’t you want new carpet and your room painted?”
Emmy shook her head, tears gathering in her eyes. “No. I just want to stay in my room here with you and Trinity.” Her bottom lip trembled.
“Please don’t cry, baby. I know things with your mom are hard right now, but I spoke to her yesterday.” He’d informed her that he’d spoken to his lawyer. “She cleaned the house and bought groceries, including all the things you like. She promised she won’t leave you alone ever again.” If she did, Jon would defy his lawyer and the custody agreement they had in place and keep Emmy, damn the consequences.
His lawyer answered Jon’s early-morning email, telling him to go along with Steph so long as she proved she had done those necessary things until they filed the full custody papers and a judge ruled in his favor. So he’d made Steph send him pictures of the clean apartment and stocked fridge, giving him absolutely no reason to deny her right to see her child.
Emmy rolled her eyes and released her dad. “She promises stuff all the time.” With that, Emmy walked out of the kitchen to the entry to pull on her backpack.
Trinity retrieved Bunny from the table and stopped in front of Jon as he stared after his daughter with a frown and sad eyes of his own. “She’ll be okay.”
“I hate making her do something she doesn’t want to do.”
“You’re following your lawyer’s advice. You’ll work through the process and hold Steph accountable. If she doesn’t keep her promises, there will be consequences.”
“I feel terrible that Emmy doesn’t want her mother. That bond should be unbreakable.”
Trinity put her hand over his heart again. “All you can do is listen to Emmy. She is telling you she needs you more.”
Jon walked over to Emmy and crouched in front of her. “I want you to know I’m working on changing things with your mom. The last time you stayed with her, you got scared. I don’t want that to ever happen again, so I’m going to call you when you get to Mom’s place tonight and check on you. We’ll video chat and you’ll tell me all about your day. I’ll know you’re all right. And you can tell me if you need anything.”
Emmy nodded, some of the hurt leaving her eyes. “Okay.”
“Are you okay with Trinity taking you to school? Because if you want me to do it, I will.”
Emmy shook her head. “I’ll go with her.”
“Give me a hug, sweetheart. I am going to miss you bunches this week.”
“I miss you, too.” Emmy squeezed Jon around the neck, then walked to the door and out onto the porch.
Jon stood and kissed Trinity. “Do you have all your stuff?”
“Afraid I’ll leave something here and it will look like I’m trying to move in?” She teased to help ease the tension and his mind.
Instead of teasing back, he asked, “Do you like the paint and carpet color I picked for the house?”
She glanced at the different colored squares he’d painted on the living room wall and the one that had a penciled X in the corner. She liked the soft gray. “I’d have gone a shade lighter with the darker hardwood floors in here. But that’s just me. The new silver carpet is going to be thick and lush and will brighten those back rooms a lot. Why?”
“I want you to be comfortable here.”
That made her smile, but he had to know the truth. “I’m only here for you.”
Emmy called out, “Are we going yet?”
“And her,” she added.
“But will you like the changes I’m making?” He seemed so earnest about it.
“You’ve seen my place. Your taste and mine complement each other perfectly.”
That seemed to ease his mind and put a slight smile on his face. “Now that you say that, yeah, I see that now.”
She chuckled under her breath, really not getting his strange mood this morning. “Good. Now will you let me go so I can take Emmy to school?”
For the first time, he seemed to realize that he’d taken her hand and linked his fingers through hers. He raised their joined hands and kissed the back of hers. “I can’t wait to see you tonight.”
“Me too. Don’t forget it will be late.”
“I know. You close. I wish you could get someone else to do that.”
“Me too, but for now, it’s me.” She turned to go, but he tugged her back for another kiss she accepted and sank into because he seemed to need a little extra affection after their little tiff and Emmy’s near meltdown about going to her mother’s.
Jon still didn’t release her, but walked with her out to the car so he could make sure Emmy buckled herself into the booster seat correctly and gave her one last kiss goodbye, too.
He waved to them as Trinity drove out of the driveway. She watched him in the rearview mirror, hoping they had more days like this, with him waving her off for the day and her driving their children to school.
“Can you make him let me stay with him?” Emmy stared hard at her in the rearview mirror, her eyes and voice intent on getting what she wanted.
Trinity gave her the truth. “No, sweetheart, I can’t make him do anything. You know your dad loves you, right?”
She nodded and stared out the window, a sad frown on her face.
“He loves having you at the ranch. He’d like to have you there all the time. But he has to work that out with your mom, and it’s hard to make happen right away, because she wants to spend time with you, too.”
Emmy didn’t look at her. “If you say so.”
“Maybe it doesn’t seem like it sometimes.”
Emmy let out a loud and exhausted sigh.
“Emmy, if you don’t feel safe when you’re at your mom’s, you can call your dad anytime just like you did last week. Day or night. Doesn’t matter. You know that, right?”
She nodded, but didn’t stop looking out the window.
Trinity hoped she hadn’t stepped over some line, but she wanted Emmy to know she had a lifeline in Jon. He would always be there for her.
Too bad Emmy didn’t have her own phone to call Jon if she needed him.