Leave the Pieces (Strawberry Inn Book #5)

Chapter 26

EMORY

“For you and Callum I will, Butterfly. I don’t need my career as much as I need your love.”

His words were so powerful that I had to press my hand against my heart to keep it from beating out of my chest. This world is such a funny place and sometimes the pieces to our puzzles just fall into place out of nowhere. Had you told me the first night I met Glenn that I’d desperately want him to love me the way I loved him, I would have told you that you were crazy. Yet here we are. I don’t know exactly when it happened. All I know is when I drove away from his place my heart felt like it was being torn in two. It should have been a sign that I loved him, but it took seeing him bust into that hospital room yesterday to knock some sense into me.

The list of reasons I shouldn’t love him was a mile long. We had a bit of an age gap. He was exponentially smarter than I was. He had way more life experiences. I was just starting on my own while he was established in his career and personal life. We had barely spent time together since being reunited under such an extreme circumstance, but my brain didn’t care. He brought me safety, and security, and made me feel whole.

“I don’t want you to have to give it up, Glenn.” I was wearing nothing but his t-shirt, but I strolled into the living room anyway. Callum was too young to care, all the blinds were closed, and Glenn didn’t mind my look one bit. He set Callum down in his bouncer and opened his arms to welcome me onto his lap. “We can make things work the way they are.”

I settled in, straddled on his lap and Glenn pressed a kiss to my forehead and then encompassed me with his arms. “We could try all we wanted, Emory, but I don’t see it working if we’re apart.”

The beating in my chest did ease at all. I heard the words he had spoken to his father, but I didn’t believe that he’d actually leave his career for a woman he barely knew. I was just waiting for the truth to come out, for him to admit he didn’t mean exactly what he said. “If this is about the visitation plan we made, we can look at it again. I know my mom is fine with my working out of the office and we could spend longer stints of time there.”

“Emory, babe, you’re not hearing me.”

“You said that this won’t work if we’re apart, so I’m trying to figure out ways that we don’t have to be apart for much.”

Glenn pulled me away from his chest and held me at arm’s length, his brown eyes bore into mine, nothing but truth could be said or I would see right through him, “I refuse to have the same relationship with Callum that I have with my dad. Even if you stayed at my place in the city for a week or two, you wouldn’t see me often. Callum would see me even less. It makes no sense that I’d ask you to come to me when I couldn’t be with you.”

“There has to be a way,” I pleaded. 

“I’m telling you the way. I’ll step down from my current position.”

I shake my head, “You can’t do that.”

“Why not?” He chuckled in disbelief, “I don’t understand you, Butterfly. I thought you wanted to be together, did I misread this entire thing?”

“That is what I want Glenn, I just don’t want you to make such a sacrifice.”

“Why?” I looked down, refusing to make eye contact with him. That wasn’t acceptable, so he took my chin and lifted it until our eyes met again. “Answer me, Emory. Why don’t you want me to make the sacrifice? Didn’t we just have a huge fight about this? You didn’t want to leave your job, I didn’t want to leave mine. I’m pretty sure I said something about lawyers and your brother punched me in the face later on.” I cringe remembering that night, but Glenn just laughed. “It is different now, Em. I’ve seen the light, so to say. I don’t want to be my dad. I want to make better choices for my family, for you.”