"Hey, Payson, sit up here with me," Emily suggested as they boarded the bus that would whisk them away from the busy airport and to the more tranquil setting of their Disney resort.
The blonde gymnast paused. Austin and Kaylie had just settled next to Luke who was in the second row of the bus. This trip was supposed to be a chance for the group to reconnect, and they had yet to be a group larger than four at any one time.
"Go on," Kaylie said softly, and then smiled as she added, "I did get to see you a lot more recently than Emily has."
"Ok." Payson hurried past what appeared to be a large family reunion and then a honeymooning couple to slide into the seat next to Emily.
"Thank you," the young mother whispered, her face serious. "I just needed a little space for the ride."
"Space?"
Emily looked a little sheepish. "Seeing Kaylie so happy with Austin. I thought I was over all the Damon drama that went down between the two of us, but-"
"You're still upset with Kaylie?" Payson felt her stomach twist.
"No!" Emily replied quickly and took a deep breath. "No, I am over the drama. I don't blame Kaylie for all of it like I did before. Damon made choices, I made choices, she made choices that all contributed to the mess. It's just that sometimes I wish things had turned out differently. That he had stepped up to be the man and father that we needed. That I got my happily ever after."
Emily and Payson both smiled at the irony of that statement as the video above them flashed to scenes from inside the Magic Kingdom.
"So are you going to be ok for this trip?" Payson asked. A part of her hated the prodding and yet if there was going to be trouble, she wanted to be prepared.
Emily's eyes focused on the back of the seat in front of her. "I think so. I mean, I'm not going to go crazy and attack Kaylie or Austin if that's what you're worried about." She chuckled as she looked back at Payson.
Payson rubbed her friend's shoulder. "No, I'm worried about you. We haven't seen in other in a long time, but I still want the best for you."
"Thanks," Emily hugged Payson back. "I won't let Damon overshadow this trip. He's not even here!"
"Exactly."
"Besides," Emily's eyes gleamed. "I noticed that we have a new guy in our group."
Payson's stomach lurched again but since their bus driver was giving them a smooth drive, she couldn't blame it on hitting a pothole. "You mean Luke?"
"He's Austin's cousin right?" Emily leaned up in her seat to try to take a peek of the occupants of the front of the bus. Payson looked right along with her but leaned out of her seat into the aisle—just as Luke stuck his head into the aisle and glanced back. She felt her cheeks flame but Luke simply shot her a grin and settled back into his seat.
Emily tilted her head at her seatmate. "I'm guessing I'm not the only one carrying some ex baggage?"
Payson stifled a groan. "We didn't date."
Emily raised an eyebrow. "I always admired your honesty, Pay."
"We didn't," she shrugged. "We both worked in the same place last summer. There was interest but nothing came of it."
"So Luke's on the market then?"
Payson ignored how much she disliked the sound of that. "As far as I know. He hasn't mentioned anyone since last summer."
"But you haven't asked."
"Why would I?"
"Because you're interested!" Emily said, her voice rising.
"Shh!" Payson hushed her friend and glanced towards the front of the bus. Thankfully no one up there appeared to be paying any attention to the conversation going on rows behind them.
"You always amazed me with your ability to be so good and determined about going after your gymnastics goal but then floundering when it came to other parts of your life," Emily mused.
Payson glared. "I'm not interested in a long-distance relationship, Em. You of all people should understand."
Emily's eyes drifted off again. "Yeah, I know."
Payson felt like an idiot for allowing her annoyance to get the better of her. Emily had been through so much more than her, than probably any of them. Bringing up a crucial factor in why Damon and she had not worked was not fair. However, before she could apologize, Emily spoke up again.
"Enough drama gossip. Want to see some pictures of my son that I took at the splash pad last week?"
"Of course!" Payson shifted so she could see the screen of Emily's phone better. From the close resemblance to Emily, Payson figured little Gavin looked a lot like Emily's brother Brian had when he was toddler-age. Then Emily scrolled to a close-up of the boy grinning widely.
"Oh!"
"I know." Emily's expression was wistful as she gazed on the shot. "He was a calm baby but not crazy happy. Not a giggler."
"Sounds like his mom."
Emily smiled. "My mom commented on how much he has some of my mannerisms. Isn't that funny when he's still so young? Anyway, he's started smiling a lot more in the last year, and it still catches me every time how much of Damon is in that grin."
"Is he," Payson paused and then pushed forward with the awkward question. "Is he involved at all?"
"He calls once a week, sometimes texts from the road," Emily answered. "He actually seemed pretty interested in this trip even after I told him that Gavin was staying with Mom."
"Well, it is Disney World," Payson replied. "Most people like Disney."
Emily chuckled. "I can bet. Damon must be one of them. He started giving me some advice on what I had to go see until I cut him off, practically in mid-sentence."
"You cut him off while he was talking?"
That wistful look was back, this time tinged with sadness. "I want him to be part of Gavin's life but it's better for me if he's not part of mine beyond our son. I may be over the drama from when I was pregnant but I'm not quite over him."
