Her Brother's Best Friend - Aching Hearts Series #2

A lot to process

CHAPTER 54 - A LOT TO PROCESS

"I still haven't gotten used to this." Vanessa breathed out, ecstatic, leaving her head on her best friend's shoulder. "I mean, I know I should have, but ... it's so incredible!"

Emily half smiled, gladly entwining the other girl's fingers in hers as much as their arms were hooked to each other. "I haven't gotten used to it either. Nor will I for quite some time."

"I wish you'd let me tell them, though. It's so horrendous to be the only one allowed to be happy."

Emily bit her lips, sighing, as they walked around the park, the same as they'd been doing every day for a week now, taking the same route at the same hour. "I know. I just ... need time to adjust to the situation, and bringing in too many people would ... confuse me. Seth says the same. I'm sorry."

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "I'm already sick and tired of this Seth. He doesn't know you like we do."

"He's my therapist." Emily reminded her in a sigh. Her new yet old friend had met her therapist, but it hadn't gone exactly well ... Vanessa had taken an instant disliking on him, without a real reason, or at least not a reason she'd admitted to Emily. Emily who was barely starting to get acquainted with these new discoveries, therefore needed to not burn the bridges so fast, as Seth convened. It was just hard to convince Vanessa of it.

Vanessa who snorted, not liking that that Seth guy had such a huge influence on her best friend. "There's nobody that knows you better than Riley and I, Emily." She claimed firmly. "You need Riley, not ... Seth."

That name again. It didn't matter how many times did Emily ask her friend to slow down, to keep her (ex) boyfriend out of the equation for now, Vanessa still kept on bringing him up, in an attempt at convincing her to put him out of his misery, as she said. Emily so gladly would ... but she didn't feel ready.

There were too many things to consider. Starting from the 3-years-old boy that brought the same name as that omnipresent guy ... Emily hadn't found the courage to tell Vanessa about baby Riley, she'd focused on recording every single detail the girl recounted, and trying to memorize them all when unable to use them as spark to light up old memories. Bringing her baby boy into the equation would mean necessarily involving his father, and ... Emily wasn't ready.

She was ashamed of herself for being so selfish, but she couldn't do any different. Vanessa and all of her rants were already a lot to take in, with all the info the girl dished out relentlessly. Emily wanted to be prepared when she'd meet her baby daddy. If he'd meant that much to her, if their relationship had been as intense as Vanessa put it, then she needed the most time possible to get used to the idea of having him back into her life.

If he ought to be, that is. Ever since she'd stumbled upon her old life via Vanessa Hastings, Emily's mind had been spinning and spinning more than ever, wondering about the future, what did it bring, what could and would she do, which people would be in it ... there was one particular dilemma that haunted her.

If her little boy's dad was to regain his place in her life, what would be of Seth? What place would her therapist slash friend slash sort of flirt have in her life the moment Riley Evans waltzed back to her? Would he still be there? Or would he discreetly bow out of it? Would he remain as therapist, or would he just leave everything out of sense of professionalism?

Was she bound to her baby daddy? Did she have to be with him even though she couldn't remember a thing about him nor what she'd felt for him? It was horrible to say, but as of now, she felt nothing for that Riley guy. Or nothing she remembered.

On the contrary, she did feel something for Seth ... maybe not much deep, maybe not too committing, but there was something. So how would it go? Knowing Seth, Emily was sure he would probably back off the moment he sensed that little Riley might finally have his dad, but ... she wasn't quite sure she wanted that. Seth had come to mean more than she'd ever imagined, and, as a matter of fact, he meant more than that Riley. It was an awful situation, but there wasn't much to dwell on.