Here's the ending...ENJOY!!!
Jay approached Emma's house tentatively. He had no idea what he was about to say. He just knew that this was where he had to be. Jay climbed the front steps slowly. Spike and Snake had been at his wedding only a few hours earlier. Now here he was, trying to correct a wrong he'd made over a year ago. He hoped their reaction to his presence wasn't too bad
He rung the antique doorbell and waited for someone to open the green door, hoping it would be Emma. No such luck. Snake stood there, hand on the door, smiling at Jay in a mocking way that made him cower.
"Mr. Simpson," Jay greeted without a smile. "Is Emma home?"
Snake was still smiling. He stepped through the doorway and out onto the step. He closed the door behind him. "Come and sit, Jayson."
Jay hated when Mr. Simpson called him by his full first name. He knew he was in for it when he did.
"Sorry about earlier today," Snake said.
"I get the feeling like you're really not...sir. But I guess you probably think I deserved the humiliation, huh?"
Snake laughed heartily. "I guess a bit. But that's not why I wanted to talk to you. I know why you're here."
Jay looked puzzled. "So tell me what you think you know."
"You and Manny have obviously decided to go your separate ways. What I want to know is if you're here to fill the void Manny left or if you're here to step up to the plate; to be here for Emma and to be a father for Sarah?" Snake asked.
"I don't know how you figured out that I'm Sarah's father, but I guess that's not worth anything now anyway. What I want you to know, sir, is that I've always been a father to Sarah. It was Emma's choice for me not to be a presence in her life, not mine. Emma wanted to spare Manny the pain of all of this drama. I just went along with it to make Emma happy. These last four months have been torture for me. I'm not the type of guy to talk about my feelings and stuff, but becoming a father has changed me. I'm not ashamed to admit that I've missed being here for Sarah every single day since she's been born. Whether you and Miss Nelson like it or not, I'm gonna be here for Sarah, and for Emma, if she'll let me."
Snake looked at Jay, smiled, hit him on the back, and got to his feet. He signalled for Jay to follow him into the house. Jay did so, but he still didn't feel secure being here, even if Simpson was on his side. He felt most certain that Spike wouldn't be.
Spike looked at Jay when he entered her house. She eyed Snake and Jay felt sure that if looks really could kill, they'd be attending church again today, for a funeral. As Jay had suspected, Spike was obviously not happy to see him in her home.
"Jay's here to see Sarah," Snake smiled. "They're downstairs, Jay. Go ahead down."
Jay nodded his head and slunk through the basement door, closing it quietly behind him. He took each step slowly, not sure what to expect. He hadn't been down here since before the baby was born. When he reached the bottom of the stairs he smiled.
Emma had sectioned off a small area for Sarah. Snake had obviously done some construction work down here, because Sarah's makeshift room was newly drywalled and painted pink. Someone had spray painted Sarah's name in bright yellow on the wall. There was a brand new crib, change table, and dresser, all painted white with pink accents. There was a padded rocking chair in the corner and Jay pictured Emma sitting there, holding Sarah and singing her sweet songs to put her to sleep. He couldn't believe he was missing all of this.
"Jay?" Emma whispered. "What are you doing here?"
Jay stepped forward slowly and approached Sarah's crib where she was tucked under a quilted blanket and snoring soundly. "She's beautiful when she's sleeping, isn't she?"
Emma smiled and stood beside Jay, looking into the crib. "I have to say that by the end of some days, I'm looking forward to her sleeping. She can be a little busy."
Jay turned to Emma and smiled, but doubted she could see him in the semi-dark. "Can we talk?"
Emma took his hand and led him out of Sarah's space. She pulled the curtain hung from the ceiling until it had almost covered Sarah's space. She walked over to her bed, sat down, and patted a spot beside her. "How are you?"
"Embarrassed," he admitted. "I talked to Manny."
"Me too."
Jay nodded. He sat down. "She was okay."
"Yeah. I was surprised by how okay she really was. I just wanted you to know that I really thought she was showing up."
"I know. I deserved it."
"No one deserves to be hurt, Jay."
"No but Manny needed her closure and I can't blame her for how she chose to get it. I'm just glad she wasn't too hard on you. Did she tell you she's moving away?"
Emma nodded slowly. "I'm really gonna miss her."
"I want to be Sarah's father," Jay blurted suddenly. "I need to be in her life."
"I know."
"So you won't object?"
Emma shook her head. Her hair was still curly from earlier today and it bounced when her head moved. "You have every right and it was wrong of me to try and take that away from you. Sarah will be lucky to have you in her life."
Jay smiled and grabbed Emma's hand. "Thanks."
He got to his feet and headed to the stairs. Emma looked at him curiously. She'd been expecting more, but then again, it had only been a few hours since he'd broken up with Manny. Jay turned at the bottom of the stairs.
"Is everything okay?" Emma asked.
He hesitated. Taking a shaky breath he asked, "Can I take you on date? You and Sarah?"
Emma grinned widely. "I'd...we'd like that."
"Not now, but soon, okay? I need a little time to get adjusted, but then I'd really like that."
"In the meantime?" Emma asked, expectation hanging in the air.
"I'll be busy learning how to be a dad."
The two smiled at each other. Emma watched Jay climb the stairs and then disappear. She threw herself down on her bed and sighed heavily. Then a smile crept onto her beautiful face. She pushed herself up off the bed and stepped behind the large curtain. Gingerly, she approached Sarah's crib. She looked down on her angel and bit into her lower lip.
"Sweet dreams, my little angel. Your daddy loves us..."
Thanks so much for the glowing reviews and helpful suggestions. I hope you like the story and that I've fulfilled your expectations. I wanted to make the ending somewhat realistic and having Jay and Emma completely together seems too rushed. I also wanted Manny to have some justice and not be totally crushed. Even though I chose not to put it into the story, Spinner and Emma decided just to be friends after Sarah was born. I'd like to think that Spinner realized a girl with a baby is a lot of work (that way he's not hurt either).
Please keep an eye open for my next story Beaten Into Love (another Jemma).
Kisses,
Kerr
