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Emma smiled as she near the end of the row, watching the parents and children apple orchard. She watched as one dad picked up his daughter onto his shoulders so she could reach the ripe apples on the tree. The little girl plucked the apple from the tree and showed it to her father, a wide grin on the youngster’s face as she held it out to him. The father inspected the apple, wiping it across his t-shirt before handing it back to the girl. Her face lit up as she took a large bite out of it.
Every year, Emma looked forward to coming out to the orchard to pick apples, enjoy the many craft booths and purchase cider that the orchard restaurant sold. She would pick enough apples to take back to her apartment to bake the next day. Whatever she backed she would take to the police station on Monday to share with everyone along with the cider.
Her eyes strayed back to watching the children playing in the small petting zoo. They were enjoying themselves as they threw scratch out to the chickens, fed carrots to the goats and horses, combed the sheep. All smiles and giggles as they interacted with the farm animals.
Brushing her dark brown hair back from her face, she tucked a stray lock behind her ear and sighed heavily feeling a little ashamed of herself as she stood there. She couldn’t believe that she was actually feeling jealous as she watched the parents interact with their children.
For as long as Emma could remember it had always been just her and a variety of nannies until she graduated high school. Leaving for college was the first time that she experienced life on her own away from the constant watch of someone other than her own remaining parent. Even when she left for college her latest nanny, Dorian, had insisted that she find a school closer to Wayhaven to attend so she could remain at home. But Emma finally convinced him that she would be fine and that she needed to do it on her own. The family home was packed up and placed in storage. The house was sold to help her fund her education and what was left helped her by her car.
Her mother, Rebecca, had “tried” to be there as often as she could growing up but that was not always true. It would be weeks, more often months before she would see her mother for a day or two if she were lucky before she was gone again. If she was home her time was occupied with frequent phone calls, always a meeting with the mayor, or some other town official. More often, Emma would still find herself alone even when her mother was there. She remembered on more occasions than she could count, seeing the empty reserved chair for her mother vacant.
Dance recitals. School functions. Graduation from high school and even college. She wasn’t there when she had spent nearly two weeks in the hospital with pneumonia. The best she got from her mother was a greeting card that always read “Love, Rebecca” on it no matter the occasion.
“Penny for your thoughts,” she heard from behind.
Her heart raced as she heard the soft words coming from the man that was now wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her back against his chest. Lowering his head, he rested his chin on her shoulder and kissed her cheek lightly. Raising her hand, she cupped the side of his head as she leaned her head back against him.
“It’s nothing, Nate,” Emma said.
Urging her to turn in his arms, he pulled her closer to him as he stared down into her emerald eyes. Worry etched across his face when he saw the sadness in her typically happy eyes. “What is it? Is something wrong?”
She closed her eyes, shaking her head. “Nothing’s wrong. It’s…” She paused as she opened her eyes again to look up at him. “Really, it’s nothing.”
“It must be, Emma. You can tell me anything, you know that.” Nate looked down at her, watching as she turned her head slightly to watch the children, the people wandering the main area surrounding the orchard. He could feel the change in her posture even though it was faint. “Did you get to do this as a young girl?”
Blowing out a heavy breath, she shook her head. She should have known that he would have known what she was thinking even though she tried not to think about anything.
“Not really. I had one nanny, Beatrice, she would bring me here for apples in the fall. During the summer she would do the same so we could pick strawberries or peaches.” She smiled as she turned to look at him again. “She loved to bake so we’d take everything back home and spend the next day baking all sorts of pastries.”
Lifting his hand, he ran his index finger across her cheek. “You often speak of your nannies when you talk about growing up but – “
“Never about mum?” She shook her head. “That’s because she was never there. My mom has been part of my life more now that you’re here and even that’s sporadic.”
“I’m sorry, Emma.”
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault, Nate. You have no control over what my mother does and doesn’t do.”
“No, I don’t. However, if I could change things for you I would.”
She smiled as she rested the side of her head against his chest again. She could feel the faint beat of his heart against her cheek as she embraced him. “I know. Sometimes I wished things had been different growing up.”
“Tell me,” he said, tilting his head to rest his cheek against the top of her head. “What would you have changed?”
Thinking about it, Emma inhaled the musky scent of Nate. He always had a way of calming her, coaxing her to talk when she didn’t want to. “I would have liked to have had her home more. To share experiences with me that most parents do.” She pulled away from him and looked up at him. “I know it sounds selfish. She had her work; I know how important that is to her and I respect it.”
“I know she has been trying to repair that,” Nate told her, smoothing his hand over her back. He knew it wasn’t the same, they had briefly talked about this when she first found out the truth behind her mother’s occupation and discovering the truth that Unit Bravo’s members were vampires. “She has tried.”
Shrugging, Emma looked away. “Sometimes things just can’t be fixed, Nate. It leaves a scar on a child that they carry for a long time.”
His head turned to the direction she was looking. She watched the children playing on the playground, others sitting at picnic tables enjoying their bounty of freshly picked apples. Parents laughing as they watched their children.
“Have you thought about it?”
“About what?”
“Children?”
Her brows furrowed as her head turned quickly to look up at him. “What?”
“Children,” he said. His attention still towards the playground. “Have you ever thought about having children?”
Her eyes widened when he repeated the question. Pulling away from him, she wrapped her arms around herself to hide her suddenly trembling hands underneath her arms. “Children? Wow? I…um…”
Chuckling, Nate shoved his hands down into the pockets of his jeans. “That wasn’t quite the reaction that I was expecting,” he said, smiling widely as he looked at her surprised expression.
The gentle wind blew between them, tossing her hair about. Running a hand through her hair, she brushed it back out of her face as she tried to gather her senses. “Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting a question like that. I mean considering you’re a…” She shook her head. “Well, we know what you are.”
He laughed. “Yes, I know what I am. It’s not saying I can’t have one.”
“A child? You want one or have one?”
“No, I don’t have any children,” he said. Shrugging, he smiled. “I’m not saying that I don’t want to, just never really was an option before.”
She was taken aback by his words. “Not an option? After 300 years?”
He rolled his eyes, a smirk on his face. “Now, Emma. Really?”
“You’re telling me after all this time you’ve never thought about having children? Not once?”
Tilting his head back, he stared up at the clear, blue sky above. “Maybe a passing thought but I guess I never acted on it because I never really had anyone that I wanted to share that with.” His eyes lowered to look at her again. “I mean, until now.”
Emma’s lips parted to speak but quickly closed. The words that she wanted to say would have came out with a stutter and most likely incoherent. Stepping forward to be just a breath away from her, his warm brown eyes stared down at her as he smiled.
“Have you?”
Clearing her throat, she nodded. “I have. But I don’t want to put my child through what I went through. I want them to have a home with parents there for everything.” She stared at him, studying his expression. “Why do you ask? It’s not something we’ve ever talked about before. Why now?”
“Being with you has made me think about things that I haven’t thought about before. Children. Marriage. A future spent with someone I love.”
“Nate…” His name came from her in a whisper.
Pulling his hands from his pockets, he reached up to cup her cheeks in his palms. “I’m not saying now but maybe soon. Having you in my life is the most important thing that has happened to me in a long time. I want to share everything with you, whatever that may be.” He lowered his lips to place a soft kiss on her forehead. Pulling away, he continued to see the confused look on her face. “I’ve broken you, haven’t I?”
It took her a moment to finally find her voice again. “No, you didn’t break me, Nate. I guess I really hadn’t thought about my future much. I’ve never had a reason to.”
“I would like to think that we will be able to spend many years together. However, you chose to do so.” Pulling her against his body again, he embraced her tightly. “We have plenty of time to talk about it, but right now we have something more important to do.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Retrieve Felix from the petting zoo. He’s been playing with the bunnies too long. If we leave him there much longer he’ll want to take one home,” he said.
Emma laughed, shaking her head. “I don’t think Adam would appreciate having a bunny at the warehouse.”
He moved her to take her hand so they could walk beside each other. “Maybe we do need a pet around the house? A cat maybe?”
“I really don’t think Mr. Regulations and Protocol would allow a pet, do you?”
Frowning, he looked down at her. “I hope someday that the two of you get along.”
Emma gave a half-hearted shrug. The Commanding Agent preferred to keep his distance around her. She assumed it was because she wasn’t skilled enough or strong enough to be part of the team. If it were up to Adam she would remain at the warehouse whenever Unit Bravo was on a mission or be under constant guard. On more than one occasion the pair would have disagreements leading to Nate stepping in between them to ease the situation.
“He doesn’t like me. I mean, I get along with everyone I meet…” She sighed, shaking her head. “Except Adam. He tries to stay away from me every time he gets near me.”
“He likes you,” Nate said as they approached the fencing around the petting zoo. “He just has a hard time expressing it with you. It’s been along time since we’ve had a new member to the team.”
They found Felix sitting among the children, playing with the animals. He was laughing with the children as they pet and fed the bunnies.
“Felix is new?” she said.
Nate nodded. “He is but he’s different because of who he is.”
She looked at him, nodding. “Maybe someday he’ll like me.”
He kissed the top of her head again. Turning away, he looked at Felix. “Come along, Felix. It’s time to go home.”
The youngest member of Unit Bravo looked up from the bunny he was petting, frowning. “I’m not ready.”
Emma smiled. “We’re ready to go. I promise you I’ll make you an apple tart as soon as we get back to the house. And I even bought some extra cider, too.”
Reluctantly, Felix handed the bunny to a young boy that was taking turns petting the bunny he was holding. “I’ve got to go,” he told the little boy.
“Bye!” the boy said, waving as Felix stood up to leave.
Nate and Emma waited for him to come out of the corral and approach them. He reached into the basket to pick up an apple, taking a bite out of it. She wagged a scolding finger at him.
“I can’t make tarts if you eat them before we get home.”
“It’s just one,” he said, taking another bite.
“Silly boy,” she said, ruffling his hair a little.
Felix laughed as he straightened his knit cap and fell instep with her as they made their way to the parking lot.
Nate watched as Emma and Felix talked and laughed as they walked towards the Agency SUV that Emma was more than excited to drive. It was something much different than her little hatchback that barely fit her much less his long frame and Felix in the backseat.
He couldn’t help but feel that he had scared her when he mentioned having a family. And when he said marriage, he had expected her to run away, screaming. It wasn’t a lie; he had thought about it frequently over the last couple of months. The prospect of spending his life with her made his heart swell.
“Maybe some soon we’ll talk about it again,” he thought to himself. “Next time it will be much different.”
His hand found the small, velvet covered box that he had been carrying in his jacket pocket and held it tightly in the palm of his hand.
“Are you coming?” Emma asked as she turned back to look at him over her shoulder.
“He’s watching your butt, Emma,” Felix said, nudging her with his shoulder.
She sat the basket on the back seat of the SUV and shut the door. “Felix, behave. Now get in and don’t touch those apples.”
“You okay?” she asked, looking up at him.
“Wonderful,” he said, reaching around her to open the driver side door. Helping her into the vehicle, he leaned forward to kiss her. “Thank you for bringing us. I can’t remember when I’ve had this much fun picking apples.”
“Good,” she said sliding the key into the ignition switch. “Now get in. We have a lot of baking to do.”
Nate pushed her door shut and walked around to the passenger side to get in. Squeezing the box one last time, he told himself they would talk soon. Today wasn’t that day but when he did, he would make sure it was perfect.