I set my suitcase down quietly and walk over, lowering myself beside her on the rug. Nova shifts so I can fit, her big black head immediately nudging into my leg. I rest my hand on Emma’s shoulder, rubbing slowly.
“You okay?” I ask gently.
She sniffs and pushes herself up into a sitting position. She wipes under her eyes with the sleeve of her pajama top. “I’m trying to be,” she says.
I nod. “Yeah. I get that.”
She presses her lips together. “It’s just…I keep thinking he’s going to text me. Or walk through the door. Or call. And then I remember.” Her chin trembles just slightly. “And it feels stupid to be this broken over someone who told me that we wouldn't work. He tried breaking up with me and I…” she huffs. "I didn't let him. I refused to let him go again."
“It’s not stupid,” I say immediately. “You love him.”
She gives me a small, tired look. “You love him, too.”
I exhale slowly. “Yeah. Can you forgive me?"
"For what?"
"For not doing more."
Her eyes soften. "I don't blame you, Micah."
That stabs me in the heart. I swallow past the lump forming in my throat.
We sit in that for a second. Nova nudges Emma’s hand until she starts scratching behind her ears again. The dog leans into her, as if she knows her mom is upset.
Emma clears her throat. “I knew you were a good man, you know. From the night in Portland. After he got too messed up,you stayed up talking with me. I could tell you cared a lot about him, and it gave me some comfort. But me, being who I am, wanted to try to help him.Fixhim, even. I was used to helping so many others that I thought I could do it.”
I smile faintly at the memory of that night.
“You told me things I never thought I’d hear. Especially about the man I loved,” she continues. “You looked exhausted. But you still defended him. You just…cared. And I'm—I'm happy he had someone who loved him when I couldn't.”
My heart clenches. “I did,” I say quietly. I look down at Nova, running my hand over her sleek black fur. “You know, I thought it was kind of crazy finally meeting you,” I admit. “He talked about you a lot over the years.”
Her eyebrows lift slightly. “He did?”
“Yeah.” I bump my shoulder against hers lightly. “You were the one that got away. The one he screwed up with. The one he never really stopped thinking about.”
Her eyes fill again, but this time she smiles through it.
I wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her into a side hug. She leans into me without hesitation, her head resting briefly against my chest.
“We’re going to figure this out,” I murmur. "We'll get him back. I'm looking into some shit."
She nods against me, though I can feel the doubt in her.
I pull back just enough to look at her. “First, though? You need a shower.”
She huffs a weak laugh. “What?”
“Wash all the tears off. Reset. Then we’re going to sit down and talk about what we’re doing next.”
Her expression shifts. A flicker of determination through the sadness as she studies me for a second. “We need to help him,” she whispers.
“We will,” I promise.
Nova lets out a low sigh between us like she agrees.
Emma nods once, then pushes herself up off the rug. I watch her head toward the hall, shoulders still heavy but not quite as bad as before. When she disappears from view, I sit there for a moment longer, petting Nova. When we all sit down for dinner, I’ll tell them about the flights I booked this morning.