7. Emma

Protect me?

What is this, the fifties? I can protect myself. I don't need a man to do anything for me. I'm perfectly capable of doing it all myself.

Independent woman. He's going to learn quickly that I'm not some weak female.

I'm used to training for eight hours a day. With my injury I can't train like that anymore, so I'm mindful of that when I eat. I chose to walk to the rink today. There's no need to use my car in town, really.

The walking gives me exercise and will clear my head from the crazy that's trying to seep in. Being back in Willow Creek is wild and it's bringing a lot of old wounds that I thought I had worked through.

I walk through the quaint streets of Willow Creek, a town where secrets are as rare as a summer rainstorm. The scent of freshly baked bread wafts through the air, and the local shops display their wares, beckoning to passersby. The bell above the door of Willow Creek Treasures jingles as I step inside.

The owner, Mrs. Higgins, a plump, rosy-cheeked woman with a halo of silver curls, spots me immediately. Her eyes light up, and a warm smile spreads across her face. "Emma, darling, congratulations on your engagement! You and Drake make such a stunning couple!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Higgins. It still feels a bit surreal."

"Oh, nonsense! I"ve known Drake since he was knee-high. You"ve found yourself a real gem there. He"s a great man, that one. Always so polite and charming. The entire town is buzzing about it!"

I chuckle, grateful for her kind words. "Well, I"m lucky to have him."

Mrs. Higgins leans in conspiratorially, her eyes twinkling. "Did you know he spends his weekends volunteering at the local animal shelter? Such a big heart! The animals adore him. Willow Creek is fortunate to have a man like Drake. You know they regularly get large anonymous donations too, there's only one man in town who could do that. He's so humble."

Surprise flickers in my eyes, and a warmth spreads through my chest. I had no idea about Drake"s involvement with the shelter. I want to hate him, but I'm finding it hard to do so.

The sex alone has me forgetting all of his transgressions.

"I didn't realize he helps out there. He's humble for sure."

"It's not public knowledge and mostly just hearsay, but he's used a lot of his own money to help Willow Creek be up to par for the Battle Hawk's home base. He wanted to make sure everyone benefited from the team coming to town. Such a good man. You've really got yourself one of the best."

"I do," I murmur.

As I leave the shop, the town"s familiar faces greet me with smiles and waves. Congratulations pour in from every direction.

"Good old Willow Creek," I sigh out loud.

Where everyone knows your business before you do.

Turning the corner onto Elm Avenue, I pass by the Willow Creek Gazette, and Mary, the newspaper"s editor, steps out with a camera in hand. "Emma! Word is spreading fast about your engagement! It's going to be the event of the year, for sure. I'd love to do a piece on you now that you're back and marrying our most eligible bachelor."

"I would love that, I'm not quite sure I'm completely prepared for an interview."

"Nonsense, it'll just be two old friends catching up," she waves me off dismissively.

The woman always says that and then broadcasts your deepest secrets to the world.

No thanks. I see you, Mary. I see you.

Arriving at my apartment, I climb the stairs, lost in a whirlwind of thoughts. The people of Willow Creek are genuinely happy for me, and the sense of community is heartwarming. It"s been years since I lived here, and the familiarity of everyone knowing each other"s business, like a tapestry woven through the years, is overwhelming.

As I unlock the door to my apartment, my phone buzzes with a message from Drake.

Hockey game tonight. You'll sit in my suite. I'll pick you up at 5

I'm not going to a hockey game

I haven't eaten today, and I haven't gotten groceries yet. At one in the afternoon, I realize I'm starving and there is nothing to eat in my house.

"I guess I'm going downstairs to have my dad cook for me," I murmur out loud.

I blow out a breath and make my way down the stairs and into the back door of the restaurant.

"Hey, kiddo!" Dad calls out with a giant grin.

"Did you come down for lunch?" Uncle Hal asks.

"I did," I smile.

"You're in luck. Your dad just made up a batch of shrimp gumbo. You have to try it."

"Shrimp gumbo?"

"Yup, special request of Drake's," Dad answers.

Drake walks in the back door of the kitchen at the same time. "Something smells amazing."

"Why don't you two go out into the restaurant? Susie will bring this out to you. Our gift for the happy couple."

"I was just going to take it to go," I answer.

"We'll throw together a to-go box for you two," Hal says. "We close early for the Battle Hawk's game tonight."

"Listen to your uncle."

I narrow my eyes at Drake, but he doesn't pay any attention to me. He takes my arm and leads me through the kitchen doors and out to the floor. Aunt Susie grins at us both.

"Pick a seat anywhere," she says as she gestures to a few empty tables. "I'm sure the guys have whipped up something amazing."

"Drake Baron," a female voice gushes. "Well, I'll be, I never thought I'd see you with someone other than a business associate."

I turn to see a gorgeous older redhead smiling back at us. She gives me a quick once over before winking at me and turning her attention back to Drake.

"Hey Soph, this is Emma."

"Your fiancée? Word travels fast, as you already know."

"Like wildfire," he laughs.

Drake pulls a chair out for me, and I sit. He takes the chair across from me and orders us both glasses of water.

"I can order my drink."

"Did you want something other than water?"

"No, but …"

"Then what does it matter?"

I narrow my eyes at him. Aunt Susie brings us out two plates of food as well as a basket of rolls.

"This smells amazing."

"Hank makes a mean gumbo."

"I didn't even know my dad could cook. He never cooked for me."

Susie smiles and walks away. Drake cocks an eyebrow and looks back at me.

"I understand that your dad was not a good dad when you were younger. He had a lot of trauma and demons that he was fighting and that's in no way an excuse for his behavior. However, he's done a lot of work to become a good man. He's a successful business owner. He's been sober for five years. Maybe you should get to know him now."

"You have no right to say anything to me. You don't know what I went through."

"You're right, I don't. I know that you were over at our house a lot. I know that for the longest time, I thought your aunt and uncle were your parents. But I don't know any of what you went through. I'd like to know though."

I shake my head. "I've moved past it."

"You haven't."

"What would you know?"

"Are you going to take a bite of your food or sit there and pout because your father never cooked for you as a child?"

My jaw drops open as I look back at him in shock.

Douchebag.

Tears prick at my eyes.

He has no clue what my father put me through. How dare he?

I take a deep breath and glance down at the food. As I replay my words, I realize how ridiculous my anger sounds.

I pick up my fork and take a bite. The flavors are amazing and it's better than anything I've ever tasted before in my life.

I close my eyes and I hear a deep chuckle come from Drake.

"It's good, right? Better than anything I've ever had on Bourbon Street in New Orleans."

I open my eyes and glance up at him. "You've been to Bourbon Street?"

"One of my favorite places to go."

I nod. Mine too.

"You're right, this is good."

"Your dad will be thrilled to hear you say that."

I nod again. I'm not sure what to say or what his point of all of this is.

"I'll tell him."

"Care to get into the beef between you and Chasity?"

"Did I piss you off or something?"

"No," he laughs. "I'm trying to learn more about you though."

"Whatever."

"I"ve been meaning to ask you about Chasity"s wedding. Why weren"t you there? I was expecting to see you, and I missed you."

His words catch me off guard, and my mind races to concoct a plausible excuse. I consider the classic ‘no phone service' or a fictional emergency surgery that kept me away. However, as I steal a glance at Drake, his eyes filled with genuine curiosity and concern, I find myself unable to spin a web of lies.

"Oh, um, yeah," I stammer, a nervous laugh escaping my lips.

I blow out a breath, my knee-jerk reaction trying to form the perfect story to absolve why I was such a horrible human being. I couldn't lie to him though. There's something about those eyes of his that makes me feel safe.

Caught in the act, I let out a defeated sigh. There"s something about Drake, a sincerity that demands honesty, and I find myself unable to maintain the fa?ade. "Okay, okay. I was excited to go, but then I found out my dad was invited."

"Did you tell Chas that?"

"She knows about our relationship. She knows how many times he passed out or got belligerent and embarrassed me."

"But did you tell her you didn't want him there?"

"It wasn't my place. I didn"t want to face him at the wedding and risk him getting drunk and making a scene. I didn"t want to be embarrassed again."

Drake nods, a thoughtful look on his face. "I"m sorry you had to go through that, Emma. Family dynamics can be tough."

"Yeah," I murmur, my mind wandering back to the countless family gatherings tainted by my father"s erratic behavior. "I didn"t want to ruin Chasity"s special day or draw attention away from the celebration. If I was there, depending on the day and how blasted he was, he'd start in on me, telling me that I was a failure and whatever else. My presence would agitate him and cause a huge scene. I didn't want to take away from Chasity's day. It just seemed easier to stay away."

"I appreciate your transparency. You know, you can always talk to me about anything."

"I never had the balls to apologize to Chasity."

"It's never too late."

"Maybe," I shrug. "I was a coward."

"We all do things that we are not always proud of."

"Chasity hates me, and I don't blame her."

"Her feelings are hurt. Why don't you talk to her about it? Maybe send her a text or write her a letter explaining and apologizing. She misses you."

"I miss her."

"It would also help to have my sister actually like my fiancée for believability purposes. I'm not saying she'll forgive you. I'm not even saying she's going to be an easy nut to crack, but at least you tried to make amends."

"Apparently I need to do a lot of that."

"Don't be like that."

"Like what?"

"Don't get attitude. I'm trying to be helpful."

"You're being rude to me and pushing me on things you know nothing about, but I'm the one getting an attitude? You can't be shitty to me and …"

"Lower your voice when we're in public, we're trying to maintain an image," he says calmly as he leans forward.

I gasp and sit back. "I'm not going to be talked down to."

"I'm not talking down to you. I'm not raising my voice so there's no reason for you to raise yours. The whole town will be talking about us getting into an argument, we can't have that happen. Remove your ego and you'll see that I'm not attacking you or talking down to you. I'm simply trying to help you fix relationships before it's too late."

"Why would it be too late? Do you know something I don't know?"

"No, I simply have been in your situation before and wasn't able to fix the friendship before the other person passed away. Guilt is a killer."

I don't respond. I continue to eat and avoid the hard conversations.

Drake didn't use to be like this. He didn't use to be such an ass to me. Growing up he was always kind and caring, without speaking to me. I was his little sister's annoying best friend, nothing else.

Is he right? Was I responding with ego? Was I letting all of my unresolved issues respond to his help?

I blow out a breath.

Why does he have to be right and so mature about things?