Dirty Little Secret

Chapter 9: A Discussion

Emma's POV

    Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I sit up and take in the room around me. It's been a few years since I've stepped foot in this room. I come to my dad's house all the time, but I never venture past the first floor. The walls of the room are still a light shade of green, my favorite color, and the floral curtains still hang over the tall windows on one side of the room. The little bed I am laying on is made up with a floral bed set that matches the curtains and beside the bed is a small purple table with a lamp centered on it. Across the room is a desk complete with an entire office like set up. I remember when I graduated high school my dad bought all that stuff and put it in here so that I could go to college from home. His disappointment when I told him I didn't think college was for me and that I wanted to move out, still seems fresh in my head. Turning back to the side table, I notice a plate sitting there with a grilled cheese sandwich on it; that explains the smell. As a kid, anytime I was upset, my dad would make me a grilled cheese, the only thing he knows how to make, and it would always make me feel better. I smile to myself as I pick up the plate and bring it to my life taking a bite of the sandwich. Just as I go to take another bite, there is a soft knock on the bedroom door.

    "Yes?" I call out. I know it's my dad and I'm pretty sure he wants to talk about earlier, even though I would much rather forget about it right now. The door opens slowly and I see my dad standing in the doorway, his eyes searching my face, worry covering his own.

    "Hey sunshine. It's good to see you awake." he walks in and comes to sit beside me on the bed. I suddenly realize that I have no idea what time it is.

    "How long have I been asleep?" I ask looking around for my phone to check the time and see if I've heard from anyone. "What did I do with my phone?" I groan. My dad reaches into his pocket and pulls out my phone, handing it to me.

    "You've only been asleep for a few hours, but it was very restless and I was worried about you. I hope I was intruding with the phone. You left it on the seat of the car when you fell asleep and the police called you for a follow up. I answered all of their questions and then got the information from those text messages from your phone and had it sent off with to one of my investigators."

    "That's okay daddy. Thank you for handling everything. Do you think it was all really Carla?" I set my plate to the side and turn myself on the bed to look at him straight on.

    "With what little information we have right now, I can't be positive, but I do have a strong feeling that it was her." his head drops with the last few words. "I'm sorry sunshine. I promised to protect you and then this happens."

    "It's okay daddy. You are protecting me and I'm safe. I may have lost everything I own, but I have my life and I am thankful for that." I push up on my knees and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug.

    "Speaking of which. I am going to order another bed for delivery for Amber and both of y'all can stay here for a while and I will get everything replaced for y'all."

    "Thank you daddy. I'll definitely take you up on the replacing everything, but Amber and I are going to live with Noah and Liam." I pull back from him and sit back on the bed.

    "Okay sunshine. That's fine with me as long as I know you are safe and I can put a couple extra body guards around you and your friends." 

    "Sounds good to me. At this point, I think we will all feel more comfortable that way."

    "Well good. Now," he reaches for his wallet, pulling out a credit card, "take this and you and Amber go shop the rest of the day away and get anything you need or want. There is no limit, just have fun." he smiles placing the card in my hand before standing from the bed. "I love you sunshine and I'm so thankful that you're okay." he leans in and kisses the top of my head and then turns to leave the room. Just as he is about to walk out, he stops at the desk and picks something up, throwing it across the room to me. "Here's your keys. Your car is parked out front with a full tank of gas. Have fun and be careful. I love you." 

    "I love you too daddy. Thank you for everything." I lay the credit card and keys on the bed as he leaves the room. I stand up from the bed and straighten myself out. I slip my phone and the card in my back pocket and grab up the keys and the plate with my half eaten sandwich and head out my old bedroom. I walk down the stairs to the kitchen and clean my plate off, placing it in the sink and then continue out to the front door. As soon as I am in my car, I call Noah to check on them and let them know I am on my way to their place. 

    It's just after 12 in the afternoon when I pull up in front of the guys apartment. I grab my phone from the seat beside me and climb out of the car and head to the front door. I knock once and wait for the door to open. After I moment or two, the door swings open and I am met with a smile that takes away all of my worries.

    "Why in the world did you knock, crazy woman?" Noah asks, pulling my through the doorway and into his arms. "This is your home now too, so just walk in and get comfy." he kisses my forehead and gives me one more squeeze before letting me go. "I know you said you and Amber are going to go shopping, but I figured you would want to shower and get into something a little more presentable before you did." he chuckles lightly. For the first time all day I look down at my appearance and realize that I am still in my tank top, with no bra and my old worn pajama shorts. A deep blush covers my cheeks and I laugh at how crazy I must look to the rest of the world.

    "I didn't even realize that I was still in my pajamas. Today has just been crazy." I sigh and walk past him to the living room and sit on the couch.

    "No worries babe. I laid out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt for you. I know my clothes will fit you a little big, but at least you'll be comfortable and match Amber. She is wearing some of Liam's clothes and it's pretty funny because they are HUGE on her." he comes and sits beside me laughing at the image of Amber in his head.

    "Thanks babe. I guess I probably should go jump in the shower. I'm sure I stink and it'll be nice to put on something that isn't pajamas on." I lean over and place a kiss on his cheek and then stand from the couch and walk to the bathroom that is in his room. I take a longer shower than normal, letting the steamy water run over every inch of my skin, hoping it will relax some of my muscles. Eventually the water starts to run cold, so I cut it off and step out. After wrapping my wet hair in a towel, I walk out of the bathroom and over to Noah's bed where he laid the clothes for me. I slip on a pair of his boxers and then his sweat pants and shirt before walking back into the bathroom. I quickly towel dry my hair and run my fingers through it, trying to get as many tangles out as I can since I don't have a hairbrush. I check myself over in the mirror making sure I am at least presentable for public and then walk out, heading back to the living room where I can hear Noah, Liam, and Amber talking.

    "Hey guys." I say as I walk into the room, walking over to the little couch were Noah is and sit in his lap, his arms wrapping around me.

    "Hey gorgeous." Amber says from her spot on the other couch in the living room. "I hear you and I get to go shopping today with a limitless credit card." she smiles at me.

    "Uhh, yea. You know how my dad is. Told me to buy anything we want and to have fun."

      "He called me while you were in the shower and told me everything because he figured you would try to lie and use your own money." she smirks at me laughing.

    "He knows me too well I guess." I laugh back. "Well we should get a move on. Don't want to waste any precious shopping time." I stand from Noah's lap and lean down, kissing his lips passionately. Amber does the same and then joins me as I walk to the front door.

    "You girls have fun, but please stay out of trouble." Liam calls after us. "Noah and I will cover dinner tonight, so be hungry when you get back." 

    "Will do babes." Amber calls back to him as we walk out the front door and out to my car.