I knelt on the ground, so we were closer to eye level.
“Your mom, mother, mommy?”
“Mama?”
“That one,” I pointed at him, “She sent me to come to pick you up. I’m going to take you to a doctor that can help make your head feel better, okay?”
“Okay,”
“And then your mom, Mama, will come and meet us. Is that okay?”
“Sure,” He shrugged. He seemed a bit tired, maybe dazed. He did seem sick, and it worried me.
I stood back up.
“You’re tall,” He noted.
“Yes,” I replied.
Emmett nodded and walked toward me, reaching out his hand. I took it in mine; it was so small and warm. He definitely had a fever. I’ve heard of some minor illnesses, especially with pups, but this seemed like it could actually be something. He had to show me how to buckle him into the booster seat, and once we were off, he settled in, leaning back into the seat.
“So,” I started, even Willa didn’t make me this nervous, “What do you like?”
“Dinosaurs, coloring, pasta, blue.”
I nodded, making a note of that assortment, “How are you feeling?”
He shrugged again, “Fuzzy.”
I smiled at that, “Well, the doctor will make you feel less fuzzy.”
“Where are we going?”
“To my pack house, my house. It’s at the top of a building.”
“Like one of those,” He pointed out of the window at a small skyscraper, his eyes lit up.
“Even bigger,” I leaned towards him.
“Wow,”
“I know,” I agreed.
He started to doze off in the car, he was actually adorable, and that word wasn’t something really in my vocabulary.
Emmett was still asleep when we parked outside of the pack building, so I picked him up and carried him to my private elevator. He popped his head up, rubbing his eyes as soon as the doors closed.
“Wow,” He looked at the buildings outside the elevator, “We’re going over them.” He reached for the window, and I took a step closer so he could touch it.
“It’s one of the tallest buildings in the city,” I explained, “And guess what?”
His green eyes turned to me, “What?” He whispered as if it was a secret.
“We’re going to the very top,” I whispered.
His eyes went wide, and he did a little squirm, possibly a dance. He looked back toward the window as we crept closer to the top, leaning forward, both of his hands splayed on the glass.
The elevator stopped, and he looked at me as if he couldn’t believe it. I liked how easily entertained he was and how he was intrigued by simple things. I couldn’t remember the last time I really looked at the cityscape, except on my first date with Willa. I set him down when we reached my floor. He seemed to feel better as he barreled out of the elevator, looking around.
“This way,”
I lead him to the door and opened it for him. He walked in confidently and spun in a slow circle studying the place. I waited nervously for a kid’s opinion on my interior decor.
“It’s clean,” He noted, and I looked around.
Two stories of windows overlooked my sitting area around a tall steel fireplace. It was clean, modern, and minimal, with primarily black furniture and white walls. I hired an interior decorator and didn’t really have much input. I lived here, sure, but I had so much work to do and multiple offices that this didn’t really feel like home.
“What’s up there,” He pointed to the second-floor landing above the sitting area.
“Bedrooms,” He nodded, “Do you want to choose one?” I asked hesitantly, “For today?” I added I didn’t want to overstep bounds with Willa.
“I just got me own room; it’s blue,”
“Your favorite color,”
“How did you know?” His eyes went wide.
“Lucky guess,” I smiled, “Also, you told me.”
“Oh,”
Emmett bounded up the stairs peeking into the open doors of the guest rooms.
“This one,” He ran into one that faced the tallest buildings, “Can I keep it?” He asked and turned back, frowning.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s white,” I looked around the room, white walls and matching sheets.
“There’s that painting,” I pointed at a wall, the painting cost me thousands, and he frowned at it, “How about we make a deal?”
“Okay,” He walked back toward me; his steps were slower now, his energy gone.
“We ask your mom,”
“Fine,” He shrugged, “But she’s going to say yes,” He gave me a knowing smile.
“Wait here for one moment, okay?” He nodded, and I went to grab some stuff from a closet.
Emmett was fading again and slumped against the bed when I returned.
“Let’s go back downstairs.” I motioned towards the door and he walked towards me.
He reached his arms up, and it took me by surprise. I lifted him into my arms, and he nuzzled into me. It made me feel really nice, actually.
I sat him on a chair and put the sheets and pillow I grabbed on the couch. My mom used to make me a couch bed when I was sick, which basically consisted of my favorite sheets and cartoons all day.
“There,” I lifted him onto to couch, “This is your bed for the day, and we can watch whatever you want. The doctor will be here too. Are you hungry?”
“I don’t know,” He settled into the pillow, and I covered him with a blanket.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.