Chapter Six
A few weeks later, Grey tracked Emily down in the kitchen. He stood back and watched her interact with the staff, and he couldn’t be prouder of her. She was settling in well, but she’d been there for three weeks, and he still hadn’t seen a smile. The fear was still present in her eyes sometimes.
“Hey, baby.”
She looked up with a pucker between her brows.
“Can you come with me?” he said and held out his hand. He loved how she automatically took his hand or looked to him for comfort. She was quickly becoming the most important thing in his life, and he could see instances where she looked at him with interest and maybe yearning, which gave him hope. He did know she liked to touch him and have him touch her, and she hadn’t gone back to her bed since that first night. The pillow between them had disappeared after the third night.
He led her down the hallway. “Remember I talked to you about speaking to a counselor?”
She nodded.
“I have one here now.”
She balked. “Now?”
“Yes. I thought if you had time to think about it, you’d get worried.”
“Where will you be?”
“I’ll be near. You two will sit in the living room, and if that’s not private enough, you can use the family room or my office.”
She shook her head. “No. It’s fine.”
Grey had met and talked to the lady before going to get Emily. The jury was out on if he liked her or not, but she came highly recommended.
The woman stood when they walked into the room.
“Baby, this is Susan Thomas.”
He hated how her hand tightened in his.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Emily said.
“You, too dear. Your father called me—”
“Father?” Emily asked.
“I’m not her father,” Grey said. He didn’t have to explain to the woman what they were because he didn’t know yet, and frankly, it was none of her business.
“Oh, well,” Susan said. “I was told you were her father.”
“No, I’m not. Our relationship isn’t what you’re here to talk about.”
Susan’s lips tightened. “How about Emily and I sit over in the corner? It gives us some privacy.”
Grey squeezed Emily’s hand. “What do you think?”
“I … it’s okay.”
“Remember, I’ll be right here.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead and smiled down at her. His brows puckered at the way Emily was shaking and the stiffness of the woman watching them. He thought she’d dealt with different types of relationships in the past, but she seemed surprised and, if he wasn’t mistaken, a little disgusted that he and Emily might have a relationship together. Yes, there were sixteen years between them, but that didn’t matter to him. There was still a chance she wouldn’t be able to have a relationship like the one he was thinking about.
He’d wait until later and talk to Emily to see how it went.
****