Chapter 32Emir

Chapter 32 Emir

I set down the blender pitcher as I heard the door, wondering what it would be like to be a husband. A house husband. Far from home, with no one around to cast judgment, it didn’t feel that odd. I wasn’t embarrassed. I only wanted to make her smile. Nothing could beat that feeling and I kept seeking it like a high.

“Lunch is served,” I announced as I met her at the doorway.

That definitely sounded odd.

“What?” She blinked at me, dropping her handbag and a bag of groceries next to her shoes.

She wore a pale purple wrap dress I wanted to unwrap like a present. But her expression told me she wasn’t in the right headspace for any of that. So, I picked up the groceries before Gru could investigate them further.

As she saw the bread and dips on the table, she turned to me. “This is too much.” Her gold earrings swung as she shook her head in disbelief.

“It’s just lunch.”

“Emir.” Eyes wide, she took a step closer, examining the hummus and beetroot dip. “You made these? You made these!” Her voice rang with warning.

I shrugged. “I found chickpeas in your pantry. There was beetroot in the garden. It’s no big deal.”

“This is so nice, but you can’t… I can’t…” Her face contorted in pain and eyes filled with tears.

I heaved the groceries on the counter, crossed the floor and pulled her into my arms. “If I could have one wish, it’d be to keep cooking for you until you take it for granted. Until you just smile, sit down, and eat.” I stroked her hair, feeling like I’d won every contest on earth, only to be told I had one day to live.

“Nobody should ever take this for granted.” She hiccupped.

“Maybe not but imagine being able to rely on someone to be there. With no end in sight. No sadness.”

“When’s your flight?”

I tensed, despite my best efforts. “Next Sunday.”

“Are you going to take it?”

My jaw tensed. “I have to.”

There it was. Our end, very much in sight. I released her and pulled out a chair. “Josh should be back soon. He’s great with Molly.”

Janie wiped her eyes and smiled. “I know! I’m so glad you found her! He said you got her out of Mr Pattison’s garden without him noticing.”

“He’ll notice the damage, but unless he has cameras pointed that way, there’s no hard evidence.”

“I guess we’ll see.”

The front door clicked, and Josh appeared, hovering over the table. “Wow! What’s this?”

He reached for a piece of bread, but Janie slapped his hand away. “No grazing! Wash your hands, then come and sit at the table.”

He flashed us a cheeky grin and disappeared down the hallway.

“He looks so happy.” Janie threw me a questioning look. “What did you do?”

I took a breath, wondering what I should say. How she’d react. Last time I’d had to choose my words this carefully, I’d been negotiating a multimillion-dollar deal.

I sat next to her, keeping an eye on the doorway for Josh. Words rushed out of me, quiet yet strained. “Janie… I don’t want to cross you, but I wanted to get to know him. He’s family. And he was happy to talk to me.”

“He was?” I saw the internal conflict twitching her facial muscles. “What did he say?”

“He told me about school and Auckland. It sounds like bullying. Not physical, but almost worse. These mind games the guys are playing about who has what and who’s being cheap. I think it comes from the lives their parents are leading. It’s so competitive. The kids reflect that, but more blatantly.”

She nodded, looking miserable. “I should never have let Shaun take them up there.”

“For what it’s worth, it sounds like his big brother is doing well. I think he fell into a different crowd with arts. It’s not so brutal I suppose. Less showing off with the latest toys and labels, more weirdos, like Josh says.” I smiled, thinking back to our conversation.

“He told you all this?” Janie’s voice wobbled with hurt.

“Sometimes, it’s easier to talk to a stranger.”

“But Josh has always been—”

“What?” Josh stood at the doorway, his sharp eyes regarding both of us. “What are you two whispering about? Sounds sus.”

Janie turned to face him. “Sorry, Josh. I’m just worried about you.”

Josh took a seat. “Well, if it’s about me, I get to be part of the conversation, right?”

“I think he takes after you,” I said with a wink. “Coffee?”

“Yes, please!”

“Yes, please,” Josh echoed.

Janie glared at him. “Since when do you drink coffee?”

“Since Dad banned energy drinks from the house. Kelly’s addicted to Monster and she’s not allowed any during pregnancy. And since soda rots your teeth and the sugar free stuff has neurotoxins…” He drew out the word, rolling his eyes. “We only have decaf coffee.”

“But I don’t have decaf! Regular coffee has twice as much caffeine as any energy drink. Not that I want you hooked on those, either.”

“I’ll make him a single shot,” I offered, and she gave me a reluctant nod.

“Sounds like Kelly’s on a bit of a health kick?” Janie muttered. “Good for her.”

I retreated to the other side of the kitchen island, as Josh launched into a detailed account of his stepmother’s eating habits. “…and we can’t have any dairy in the house because apparently it makes her bloated even if she’s looking at it in the fridge. Like… it couldn’t be the baby making her bloat? Has to be the dairy! And since she has zero self-control, we can’t have anything in the house because she will accidentally eat it. Once, I hid a bag of Milky Ways in my room and she found it and went nuts.”

“She got angry with you for having chocolates?” Janie’s voice rose in concern.

“No, she ate all of them! I found her on the floor with the empty bag, crying.”

“Oh, dear Lord.”

I turned on the coffee machine, happy to drown out their voices. This was none of my business, as much as I disliked Janie’s ex-husband and his new partner, based on that newspaper article.

But I had to admit I liked her son. He reminded me of myself at that age—observing the adults’ crazy behavior, trying to make sense of the world. Longing to fit in, fighting a growing realization that I wasn’t destined to. And it was okay.