Miles To Go

Chapter Thirteen

Somehow they found themselves inside the cottage and sitting at opposite ends of the well-worn couch. Regina smoothed her dress over her thighs, a habit whenever she chose to wear a dress or a skirt, which was more often than not. Emma sat sideways on the couch, her legs partially tucked under her as she held a warm cup of coffee with both hands, balancing it on her right knee and she stared right back at Regina.

While she had only read Emma's letter once while she'd been in Dr. Hopper's office, she still had many of the words that were written swimming in her mind. She knew she should've been more prepared, but she had confidence in herself, in her feelings and thoughts that she had figured she would just speak with Emma and let it come out naturally. What she hadn't anticipated was the situation they now found themselves in.

Emma had been stood up and she had cried because of that. Regina's stomach was twisting in knots because she knew Emma was angry too. She had every right to be angry. She'd been stood up and then sought out and she wasn't happy about any of it.

"I felt a lot of different emotions when I read your letter," Regina began, speaking softly almost as if she was unsure that was the right way to start. Emma sat there watching her, emotionless as she nodded her head. "At first I could hardly read it, but I did. The more I read, the more it hurt."

"It wasn't meant to make you feel that way."

"I know," Regina replied, smiling softly. "It hurt because it made me realize how much I had hurt you when I didn't give you the chance to explain what had happened. You deserved more than that from me, Emma. You still do."

Regina inhaled slowly and she could feel her heart racing hard and fast in her chest. She glanced down at her dress and while she always took pride in her appearance and her choice of clothing, she was suddenly wishing she had chosen something else to wear. The dress fell to mid-thigh in length and it hugged her curves, fitting her like a second skin and the neckline was low despite the fact she'd bought the dress because it flattered her breasts in a spectacular yet professional way.

She watched Emma swallow hard and watched her eyes as they quickly looked over her for the hundredth time in a way she knew Emma thought she didn't see. She fought the smile, the urge to lean across the couch and kiss Emma, to continue where they'd left off the night before. It wasn't why she was here and with the state of mind that Emma was in, she'd surely be kicked out of the cottage if she tried such a thing.

"When I saw you in town that day for the first time in eleven years with that boy—your son, I fell right back into a place I hadn't been in a very long time. I was angry with you, so angry, and I jumped to conclusions."

"What kind of conclusions?"

"That maybe he wasn't yours, perhaps you were watching him for a friend, but the way he laughed reminded me too much of you. I thought you had gotten married and had a son together," Regina replied and she still had to fight the smile itching to curl over her lips as Emma laughed dryly. "And then, just from guessing that he was nearly ten, I had an inkling that perhaps the boy was...Neal's and that you had become pregnant that night. That thought alone had felt devastating to me. I couldn't understand why you would want to have a baby born in such consequences."

Emma stayed quiet and Regina knew why she didn't say a word. She had already explained everything in the letter and she wasn't going to explain it again.

"I don't know what compelled me to drive out here the next morning, but I was still angry that you had shown up in my town out of the blue. I thought it wasn't a coincidence that you were here, of course, and as you told me otherwise, I realized that I had made a mistake in coming to you and by telling you to leave in the manner that I did, especially when I learned that Henry was in fact your son."