Arrow in the Heart

Chapter 21

Emma's P.O.V.

"I still can't believe we're doing this." I said, blowing a piece of hair out of my face as I set down the box I had been carrying.

Roy laughed and kissed my forehead, tucking my hair behind my ear before pulling me to his chest in a sweet kiss. I kissed him back, enjoying the safe feeling that enveloped me.

"You practically live here anyway. I just wanted to make it official." Roy said.

It had been a little over three weeks since I had been discharged from the hospital and Roy and I had decided to officially move in together. I had been switching between staying with Roy and staying in an apartment that I had rented for a few weeks until I found a house.

"I'm happy that it will be official. It will be nice to be closer to you and Riley." I said, pulling out a framed photo of the three of us.

We stood there, looking at the photo. It had been taken at a party for Palmer Tech, so Roy was in a suit while I was in a floor length red dress. Riley was in a dress that was similar to mine. A photographer had been taking pictures of people interacting and had caught Roy and I mid-laugh. Roy was bent over slightly and my head was tilted back in pure laughter while Riley was tucked in my arms, grinning up at Roy.

"I love this photo of us." Roy said.

"We look like a family." I said.

"We are a family."

I kissed him softly before pushing him away and headed to grab the last box from the back of my car. When I had brought it in, Roy was almost done unpacking the first box. There was a soft cry over the baby monitor as I set the last box down on the coffee table.

"I've got her." I said.

"Thanks. I'll keep unpacking." Roy said, kissing my cheek as I walked past him.

I headed upstairs and opened the door to Riley's room. She was sitting up in her crib, her stuffed whale sitting next to her.

"Hey there, lovebug! Did you have a good nap?" I asked, flicking on the light and opening the blinds.

"Mama!" Riley screeched, reaching up for me.

"Roy, come here!" I yelled.

I heard Roy's footsteps racing up the stairs and he burst into the room.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, worried.

"She called me 'mama'. Riley called me 'mama'." I said, tears spilling down my cheeks.

Roy pulled me into a hug, rubbing my back.

"You are basically her mom, Ems. Please don't cry." he whispered, pressing his lips into my hair.

"I'm sorry. I just dreamed of this moment happening with Noah and now it's happening with Riley. I'm so happy." I said.

"Don't apologize. I'm glad this makes you happy." Roy said.

He let me go and picked Riley up out of her crib. He changed her diaper while I picked out a clean outfit for her. We tag-teamed it while getting her dressed. I held her while Roy put on her shirt and he held her while I stuffed her chubby legs into a pair of baby jeans.

"There. All dressed and ready to go to Uncle Oliver and Aunt Felicity's." I said, balancing the baby on my hip and tossing her pajamas into the hamper.

"Are we still going to that gala tonight?" Roy asked, following me downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Yes. It's a big deal. I'm presenting an award to one of the neurosurgeons." I said, pulling a bottle down from the shelf.

"Do I have to wear a suit?"

"Babe, if I have to wear a fancy dress then you're wearing a suit." I said, pressing a kiss to his lips.

I dumped a few scoops of formula into the bottle with my free hand before adding water to the bottle. Roy screwed the lid on and shook it while I settled Riley on the couch so that she was propped up against a bunch of pillows. I tucked the bottle into Riley's mouth and held it with one hand while I answered my ringing phone with the other.

"Emma, it's Captain Lance."

"Hey, Captain Lance. What's going on?" I asked.

"I was just wondering if you'd heard from your father lately."

"No, sorry. I haven't seen him since he kicked me out of the house. Why? Is everything okay?"

"He's missing. Your mother called us yesterday saying that he hadn't come home."

"Knowing my father, he's probably off screwing his secretary." I said, putting my phone on speaker and setting it on the coffee table.

"Emma, this is serious. We've checked everywhere your mother could think of. He didn't even make it to work yesterday. He may have been kidnapped." Captain Lance said.

"Well, if that's the case, I'll see if the team can start looking into it. Have you talked to Laurel yet?" I asked.

"No, I haven't. I wanted to talk to you first."

"Okay, thank you. I'll talk to her then. Thank you, Captain Lance. We'll keep you updated."

"Sounds good. Bye, Emma."

I hung up and sighed, leaning back into the couch. Roy came over and stood behind me, massaging my shoulders.

"What's going on, baby?" he asked.

"Captain Lance thinks my father has been kidnapped. I still think he's off screwing some prostitute." I said, pulling the empty bottle out of Riley's mouth.

"Maybe you should try calling him." Roy suggested, taking Riley and setting her on the carpet next to her stuffed whale.

I dialed my dad's number on my phone and waited for it to ring.

"It went straight to voicemail." I said, ending the call.

"Do you want to get the team involved?"

"I'm going to head over to the lair and see what I can dig up. I'll take Riley with me. Can you go pick up my dress from the dry cleaners and bring it over to the lair with you incase I don't have time to come back here and change before the gala? I'll just bring Riley's stuff and my shoes with me."

"Sure. Are you sure you want to take Riley with you?" Roy asked, taking the empty bottle into the kitchen.

"Yeah. I need her moral support right now." I said, scooping up the baby and kissing her cheeks as she giggled.

"Alright. I'll see you at the campaign office then. I love you."

"I love you too." I said, kissing him deeply.

I went upstairs and set Riley on the floor of her room while I packed her baby bag and grabbed my heels and makeup bag. I tossed some bobby pins and my curling iron along with my wallet and phone.

"Are you ready to find some bad guys with mommy?" I asked, scooping Riley up off the floor and tossing her blanket over my shoulder.

"Mama!"

"That's right, lovebug."

I headed downstairs and handed Riley to Roy while I tossed everything in the car. When I came back in, Roy had buckled Riley into her carseat.

"Thanks, babe. I'll see you in a few hours. We need to be at the venue by 8 at the latest." I said, wrapping my arms around my boyfriend's waist.

"I'll be at the lair by 7:15. I love you. Good luck. Call me if you need me, okay?"

"I will. I love you too." I said, pressing a sweet kiss to Roy's lips before grabbing Riley and heading out the door.