“Shit!” he exclaimed and ran from the room, drawing his weapon.
Jake threw the library doors open, and he sagged against the door. Butch, Briggs, and Jacobs had their weapons drawn as they ran into the room. The women all had jumped when he burst through the door. Emma had her hand on her chest.
“What’s wrong?” Emma quickly walked to him.
“I must have a short in my monitors.” His forehead was wrinkled as he looked up at the monitor. “When I was in my office, I looked up on the screen to check on you, and there was nothing but snow. I thought something was wrong.
Emma put her hand on his chest. She could feel his heart racing under her palm. She put her arms around him and whispered, “I’m fine. I’m right here, and everything is okay.”
Jake put his gun in the waist of his jeans in the back and threw his arms around her, pulling her in close. He kissed the top of her head before whispering, “I think we need to go to bed.” He turned his head toward her sisters. “Goodnight, ladies.”
Emma felt ready to hurl. Her stomach was doing summersaults thinking about how she was going to explain all of this to Jake.
Claire stopped him before he made it to the door with Emma in his arms. “Jake, I need to say this.” She paused and looked at Emma then back at him. “Don’t you dare hurt her.”
“Claire, stop,” Emma pleaded. “Jake and I will figure things out. I’ll be fine. Everything will be fine. I promise.”
“Claire, just for the record, Emma isn’t a game to me; she’s important.”
Her sister stood there with her hands planted on her hips.
Butch broke the tension in the air as he put his hand out for Abby. “Come on, princess, it’s time to get you home.”
“I’m not your princess, jerk,” she said, ignoring the outstretched hand as she pushed herself to her feet.
“I guess that is our cue to leave,” Briggs said to Claire as he escorted her out.
Jake and Emma followed them to the door, locking it before trudging up the stairs.
Emma collapsed on the bed. Jake pulled some PJs from her suitcase and helped her undress. He surprised her when he didn’t make a move on her, just placed a chaste kiss on her lips. Emma thought he was trying to avoid the talk and sat up when he lay on the bed next to her, fully clothed.
“Emma, what do you know about John’s dad?”
She looked at him with her brows drawn. He pulled her down to his chest and ran his thumb across the lines on her forehead to smooth them out.
“It’s a long story.”
“Please tell me.”
“Why is it important?” she asked.
Jake stroked her back. “Emma, I will always be honest with you, and I’ll tell you why I’m asking after you tell me the story. Please, angel. If I didn’t think it might be important, I wouldn’t ask.”
She snuggled in for the long story. “John was conceived from a summer fling Abby’s last year of high school. We were on vacation in Florida when she met Ryan.”
“His name’s Ryan?”
“Yeah, Ryan Douglas. Well, that was the name we knew him by. He and his dad were renting the beach house next door that summer. Abby fell in love with our handsome neighbor, eventually giving up her virginity.”
“Why did you say that was the name you knew him by?”
“Well, at the time, we only had our mom. After we got back home, Abby found out she was pregnant and told our mom. My mom didn’t freak like most moms would have. She tried to take care of the situation. She took Abby back to Florida two months later to look for Ryan so Abby could tell him. Except when they got there, there was no trace of Ryan or his dad. She checked with the rental people, and they didn’t know anything that we didn’t already know.”
“What did your mom and Abby do?”
“My mom used every available resource she had to help Abby try and find him. She contacted my dad’s old partners, and they searched too. We bought the beach house, and every year we go back, hoping he shows up, that maybe there is the slightest chance she meant something to him. The bastard had given her a fake name. He single-handedly destroyed Abby’s trust in all men. She won’t admit it, but she never got over him.”
“How long did you look?”
“I think she still looks. Douglas is a pretty common last name, but I don’t think she’s given up.”
“So he doesn’t know about John.”
“No, but I swear to you, if I ever see him again, I’m going to kick his ass. Every year we went back to the beach house, Abby’s heart broke a little more.” Just remembering those times with Abby made Emma’s heart clench. She wished there was a way to take some of the pain from her. If one of her abilities had been to do just that, she would have done it and not thought twice about it.
“That couldn’t have been easy for her or your family, having a baby around when she was still a teen and the rest of you were only in your early twenties.”
“My sister is resilient. Of course, we helped her as much as possible. But she put herself through college and raised a wonderful young man. She was a great mom. I’m very proud of how they both turned out.” Emma paused while the images from the past went through her mind. She shook her head. “Your turn. Why do you ask?”
“I think I might know who he is.”
Emma shot upright, and her heartbeat sped up. “You’re kidding!”
“Well, I’m not sure until I talk to him, so please, don’t say anything to Abby just yet. I don’t want her to get her hopes up. If it does turn out to be him, I’ll let you decide what you want to do.” He pulled her back down to his chest and ran his hands through her hair.
“Jake, promise me if something should happen to me before we find out, promise me that you’ll tell her if it’s him.” She’d never be able to live with herself if that bit of information was taken to the grave with her.
“Emma, nothing is going to happen to you.” He pressed another tender kiss on her lips.
Momma Mae appeared in the chair Jake had slept in the first night. “It’s time, baby girl.”
She pulled out of his embrace and got up to pace at the foot of the bed. “Jake, do you remember when I said we need to talk?”
“Come back and lie down with me and we’ll talk.”
“I can’t. I’m too nervous to tell you what I need to. I need to move. Besides, when I’m in your arms, I lose my train of thought. And then where would we be?”
He sat up and scooted to sit at the end of the bed. “It’s okay, Emma. You can tell me anything.”
“I’m not sure what you’ll think when I get finished.” She wrung her hands before stopping in front of him.
Jake took her hands and pulled her toward him so she was standing between his legs. “It can’t be that bad, baby. Just say it. Quit thinking about it and tell me.”
She sat next to him and just blurted it out. “I have special gifts. Well, at least that’s what my sisters and I call them.”
He opened his mouth to say something then closed it again without uttering a word. He took a deep breath. “Emma, what kind of gifts are you talking about?”
“Jake, just hear me out. I need to tell you everything all at once, or I won’t get through this.” Emma rose again and walked to the window.
He sat straighter. “Okay, I’m ready. Just tell me everything.”
She proceeded to tell him about her intuitions. How they warned her of danger. How she had slipped up in his presence a few times. And then she dropped the bomb on him about Momma Mae.
His face was pinched, in the same fashion her third grade teacher’s had been when Emma had tried to tell her. He had the same look as her teacher. He didn’t believe her; she could see it in his eyes.
“Is she here right now?”
“Yep, she’s sitting in that chair.” She pointed to the chair by the bed. Jake looked in the direction, and Emma knew he wouldn’t be able to see her. It would take a leap of faith.
“Emma, this is a little hard to believe. Maybe you hit your head harder than we thought.” He stood and reached for her.
Emma backed out of his embrace, so he plopped back down on the bed. She needed to be clear.
“Jake, I’m not delusional.” She looked to Momma Mae for help.
“Baby girl, tell him Jane misses him, but she’s happy, and she doesn’t blame him.”
She looked back to Jake. “She wants me to tell you that Jane misses you, but she’s happy, and she doesn’t blame you.” He hadn’t told her about another woman. She was beginning to think he was keeping his fair share of secrets too.
Jake jumped up from the bed and pulled away from her when she tried to touch his arm.
So much for working through our problems.
He was already shutting her out.
“Jake, who’s Jane?” Emma whispered.
“Why don’t you ask your ghost?” he sneered.
Emma turned to Momma Mae, who said, “His sister.”
“Oh my god. She was your sister.” She turned accusingly toward Momma Mae. “Couldn’t you have told me about a pet instead of his sister? You should have known that would freak him out,” she said, talking to what Jake must see as an empty chair.
“Are you talking to her?” he asked.
“Yes, and she hasn’t answered me,” Emma snapped, and turned back to the empty chair.
“Baby girl, I needed to give you proof he would believe. There are a bunch of boys that have dogs named Spike. If I’d said he was fine and chasing cats, he wouldn’t have believed you.”
She turned toward Jake. “You had a dog named Spike that chased cats?” she asked.
“How did you know that?”
Wasn’t it obvious? His brain must have quit functioning. Emma had already told him how she knew. She didn’t know what to expect from trying to convince him she was telling the truth, but she would try, just for him. He was worth the effort. One way or another, she had to make him believe.
“I told you. Momma Mae just told me.”
Jake looked at his watch. “Emma, I have to go meet Mike.”
She approached him again, and he backed out the door. “I need time to digest all this. Please try and get some sleep and I’ll check on you when I get back. I’ll send someone to watch the house so you’ll be safe while I’m gone.”
“Jake.” She took tiny steps in his direction.
“No, Emma, just get some rest.” He left her standing in the room alone with nothing but her thoughts and the old ghost.
She stood there even though she heard the door close down below.
He’s gone. He didn’t believe me, and he left me.
A tear trickled down her face. The boulder on her chest didn’t just feel heavy. It felt as if it was crushing her. She no longer felt the aches in her body from the accident. All the ache she could feel now had settled into her chest. More tears escaped her eyes as she shut them.
Momma Mae appeared next to her. “Give him time, baby girl. He’ll come around.”
“He left me. I trusted you and told him my secret, and he left me!” she shouted.
“You two will work through this, baby girl.”
Emma let out a breath and looked around the room before turning to face Momma Mae. “Momma Mae, I believed you, I trusted you, and now I’ve lost him. How could you do that to me? He thinks I’m a freak. Just leave me alone. Just go, please.” She closed her eyes.
Momma Mae disappeared sometime before she opened her eyes. Tears streamed down Emma’s face, and she collapsed to the floor. She cried until she couldn’t cry anymore. She hadn’t felt so deflated since, well… since, her mother had died. Jake had left and taken a piece of her heart with him. She’d never trust the ghost again. He’d said they’d talk tomorrow, but she was sure it was just his excuse to get away from her. His lie about meeting Mike was proof of that.
Emma stood up and grabbed her suitcase and started shoving her things in it. She crossed the room to her purse on the table and pulled out her cell. She needed the only people she could trust; she wanted her sisters. She wanted to kick her own ass for trusting him. For believing he would understand. She should have known better than to put her faith in anyone other than her family. What the hell had she been thinking?
Emma called her sister. Abby picked up on the first ring and whispered, “Hello”.
“Why are you whispering?” Emma asked.
“I swear Butch has supersonic hearing. Did you tell him?”
“Yeah.” She let out a breath of resignation. “He thinks I’m a freak. He pulled away from me, and now he’s left the house. I need you to come pick me up.”
“That asshole!” she screamed. All pretense of her being discreet vanished.
“I need you to put Butch on the phone, please.”
“Why? He’s friends with him. How about I give him the slip and come get you by myself?”
“Abby, I’m not going to risk your life over my love life or lack of it. Please, Abby, just put him on the phone.” Emma pulled the phone away from her ear as Abby yelled for Butch.
“Yeah?”
“Butch, I need a favor.”
“Oh, hey, Emma, sure. What do you need?”
“I need Abby to come get me, and I want you to bring her.”
“Where’s Jake?”
“Butch, please. Just come get me. I need to get out of here.” She closed her eyes. Every time she did, she remembered the disgust on Jake’s face as he backed out the door, scared of her. Emma started sobbing.
“I’ll kill him. What did he do to make you cry?” Butch shouted into the phone.
She could hear her sister in the background through the phone. “He’s an ass. Now grab your keys or I’m leaving without you.”
“Emma, we’ll be there in ten minutes. It’s still not safe so don’t leave until I get there. I won’t call him if you keep your ass in the house until I get there. If you open the door, all bets are off. He’ll know you left, and something is wrong.”
“How?”
“The alarm system is set to warn him through his watch; besides, I’m sure he’s got someone watching over the house.”
“How do I turn it off?” He had her trapped. She couldn’t have left if she wanted to.
“I have the code. I’ll turn it off when I get there and deal with the security detail. Just sit tight.”
“Promise me you won’t call him, Butch. I can’t handle any more right now. I just want to leave. Please promise me.”
“Emma, you have my word,” Butch said before Abby grabbed her phone from him.