Marriage Ever After Read online

  Marriage Ever After- #MeetTheEmersons

  By: King Ellie

  Prologue

  Kash

  Watching your best friend walk down the aisle to meet you and marry you is the best feeling ever. Marrying her and seeing how happy she was, is something I could never wish to see on anyone else’s face but hers. This woman, Mila was the love of my life. She changed life for me and always had my back through the ups and downs. We grew up together, the girl and boy next door except throughout high school, we were different people, age being the biggest factor adding the fact that we were never friends. She was the freshman that hid her face, body and all-around beauty, as for me, I was the senior hipster nerd. Neither of us could really say we were popular, but we couldn’t say we weren’t.

  I was, Kash Emerson, the infamous Judge Rick Emerson’s son so it wasn’t like they didn’t know me at the private school that we both attended. As for Mila, she was the girl whose mother cussed out my father calling him the biggest jackass there is. I couldn’t even be mad at her mother; she was the reason why I wanted to become a criminal defence lawyer. She was charged with murder for protecting not only herself but her daughter when her rich ex-boyfriend came back in their home. The only issue was that it looked like the murder was pre-meditated. She should’ve just killed him right away when he first hit her, but she didn’t, she waited then she struck leaving him for dead. In a town like Brunswick, Georgia, things weren’t fair sometimes and neither was my father.

  Anyways, years later, when I was done with law school and I saw her again, we reconnected over a drink and I had the best sex of my life. After that, I couldn’t let her go. I didn’t care what she was doing or who she was doing it with.

  Our vows still rang loud and true in my ear each night.

  “I will love you forever now, forever forever and until I can’t anymore….which will be never because I’d be a fool to stop loving you.”

  Those were part of what I said to her.

  “Kash the boy who has no middle name Emerson, you are my world. Through the ups and downs, I’ll be here. We are it for each other through the bullshit, the banter and even though I could do more push-ups than you.”

  I had laughed hard at that because Mila hated push-ups with her entire being. I looked at her; she was beautiful from her almond-shaped brown eyes, full lips, a button nose, a mahogany complexion that shined, even more, when the sun hit her skin and her body to me was a work of art. She had all that I’ve ever needed. Her ass, her tits, and what I loved was that she was not the typical build like an ant shaped woman. Everything on her was all hers even if she didn’t like that she wasn’t as thin as other women. I repeated to her every single day and night that she was the epitome of beauty to me. I would never look anywhere else because she was the only one who had my attention.

  Attention… That was what I promised her yet, here I was reading a fucking note left by her telling me some utter bullshit about spending the night at her friend, Larissa's house. It made no sense. I was here for her no matter what. I dedicated my life to her. I knew that I fucked up when I couldn’t make it home late at night to not only tuck our baby girl, Jordan in but to also fuck the doubts out of my wife’s mind.

  I.Fucked.Up.

  Chapter One

  Kash

  My heart was beating out of order as I pulled my cell out dialling my wife’s number. I didn’t care that it was three in the morning, I needed to hear her voice. Fuck!

  “Hello?” Her sweet but groggy voice picked up. She sniffled.

  Had she been crying?

  “Bunny? Where are you right now? I’m coming to get you.”

  I already knew where she was, but I wanted her to tell me herself.

  I had no right, but I was still going to try. I raked my hand through my hair for the umpteenth time. I was still in the dark blue suit that I wore this morning to one of the craziest court cases I have ever faced then after I finally won that case, I went back to work. I was sorting out my cases then I went to dinner with my partner to celebrate another victory. Emerson & Grant was doing good for being on its own feet for six years now.

  “Did you read my note, Kash?”

  “That was very cowardice of you, Mila. A note, really?”

  She sighed.

  “I’m not fighting with you anymore, Kash. When would I have had the time to talk to you? You’re never home and today, you fucked up. That was the final straw. I repeated to you time and time again that if you didn’t figure your shit out, we were going to be done.”

  The word done shut everything down for me. Right now, any sane man would be apologizing to his wife and begging for her to come back home especially with the way that I loved her, but I wasn’t sane. Never have been. I laughed, a cold bitter laugh that chilled me right to my bones.

  “How the fuck can you be done with me, Mila? Does that make sense to you? You up and leave then you say it’s my fault because I don’t listen to you. I fucking listen to every word that you say. You even left with Jordy not giving me the chance to kiss her goodnight. Are you fucking serious!”

  I knew my voice was louder than it should’ve been but there was no calming this temper of mine when it got like this.

  “Fuck you, Kash. You forgot!” She harshly whispered. “It was my birthday and you know how much I try to never remember that my mother passed away on this day in jail but no, you made this about you again. It’s like I don’t even know you anymore. I don’t know who you’ve become but find the man I married because he isn’t you.”

  “What does that even mean, Mila? I didn’t miss your birthday. Your birthday is next week. I have it all set in my calendar.”

  I snatched my phone from my ear, checking my calendar and my words caught in my throat because she was right. I missed my wife’s birthday. One of the most important ones for her because it was her mother’s death anniversaries. Five years married and I have never forgotten but this year, I blew it. She turned twenty-eight, the age that she was supposed to hug her mother as she came out of jail but instead, she had to bury her a couple of years ago. Fuck.

  “Bunny…” I came back on the phone trying to figure out what to say or do.

  “Fuck you, Kash Emerson.” Then she hung up on me.

  She actually hung up on me.

  “Fuck!”

  I threw my iPhone across the room not caring where it landed as I took in how big this house was all of a sudden. She wasn’t here neither was Jordan. I was what I wished to never become. Alone.

  Mila

  Hearing Kash’s voice almost broke me and had me going back to lay in his arms but I couldn’t do that. I needed to stay stronger and be stronger. Yes, he was my husband and I loved that man with every part of me, but he had to learn. He needed to not just be a husband but a father to our child. For the most parts, he was there but lately, he just wasn’t. The worst part wasn’t even him missing my birthday, it was that my own husband didn’t show up to my surprise party that my best friend, Larissa planned for me. I didn’t know about it until I got to her and her husband, Channing’s house.

  To me, it made no sense at all. Channing was a lawyer in Emerson & Grant’s law firm but yet he made it out to my birthday party. I know that comparing is stupid but what more could I do? This man claimed he loved this family of his yet every day he was turning into the one person that he despised, his father. He was becoming more and more like the great honorable judge, Rick Emerson and it made me sick to my stomach.

  Jordan whimpered in her sleep causing me to stop thinking about what was going and frantically wipe at my tears so that she didn’t see me crying. She didn’t get why we stayed here and instead thought that we were just having a sleepover with Larissa's kid, Lela. I looked down
at the wonderful creation we made, Jordan was a spitting image of Kash; While she had dark curls that stopped down her back, he had dark hair that was shorter at the nape of his neck and when it wasn’t gelled back in some style, the front fell past his glorious hazel eyes. Jordan got both our eyes, a perfect mixture of hazel brown. Her complexion was a rich, golden color that looked like she tanned permanently and watching my baby girl every day, seeing how she grew, I knew she was going to be tall like her father. Kash was over six feet stopping at six feet three inches while I was a measly five feet and barely making it to three inches. He had a swimmer’s body which fit with what he did to stay that way. Kash loved the water more than he loved himself, I teased him a lot telling him that his father was Poseidon at how much time he’d spend in the water. His shoulders and back were my favorite things about his body besides the obvious. Watching him as he changed into another shirt whether it was the front with a display of his abs or as his back muscles expanded when he turned around to take his shirt off, it was a sight to behold.

  “Mommy…”

  Jordan’s little voice brought me back from going to a place where I lusted after my husband’s body while I was supposed to be mad at him. Damn, I really wish she didn’t wake up or hear what was being said.

  “Yes, baby?”

  She opened up those big, beautiful eyes as tears fell down her face.

  “I want daddy, I wanna go home. I heard his voice on the phone. Can you call daddy? Please, mommy?”

  I sighed trying my best to maintain the poker face that I put on all day today. I nodded not able to deny my daughter the one thing she really needed. I picked up my cell dialing Kash, he picked up on the first ring.

  “Bunny?”

  His voice was always my kryptonite. I clenched my teeth trying my best not to break down.

  “Jordy wants to see you; can you pick up your facetime?”

  He sighed,

  “I can’t. I smashed my phone, so half of the screen is broken. I have to get another one.”

  This was always Kash’s issue. Smash, smash, smash then replace. I shook my head at him. Years of therapy for his anger management got him to where he is now.

  “Okay, hold on, here baby, daddy’s on the phone.”

  When I passed Jordan the phone, she began crying a river. I turned my head so that I could roll my eyes in peace. This was utter bullshit. She was using her charm so that her father could get his ass here, but I didn’t want to see him. I sighed as I got up out of the bed and headed to the bathroom for a moment to myself with my daughter crying to her dad how much she wanted to go home.

  In hindsight, I understood. She hadn’t seen her dad for three days. When he came back home, she was asleep so that she could go to school the next morning.

  “Daddy…” I heard her call out to him. “Can you come get us, I want a lullaby from you? Please, daddy?”

  Why was this kid so fucking dramatic? I don’t know where she learned it from, but I realized that it wasn’t her fault. It was mine. I was keeping this little girl from her father, the first man that she’s ever going to love. I shut the bathroom door thinking about how much I loved that he was there for her. My father, a man I never knew wasn’t there when I cried myself to sleep because I was terrified of my stepfather or when my mother was gone, and I was in the system with no one to adopt me.

  It was terrifying being alone, but I made the most of it. I made sure to go to school, graduate high school then off to college I went. Luckily, I had a mentor, Kash’s uncle, Graham Emerson, who gave me a chance at his marketing company the moment I got out of high school. He put me through college making sure I learned everything and now, I had just gotten a promotion. I was doing things on my own.

  Jordan got me out of my thoughts again as she softly knocked on the door,

  “Mama?”

  “Yes?”

  “Daddy’s coming to pick us up. I’m ready, are you?”

  I wanted to scream because I couldn’t even get a day without seeing Kash. I just wanted to sleep and think about all the things that were going on with us. I wanted one good night sleep without worrying about my damn husband. I covered my face and muffled my scream as best as I could hoping that Jordan was away from the door. I felt the fresh tears as they marked my face once more. I wiped my tears gaining composure again then I made my way out of the bathroom catching Jordan as she grabbed the stuffed turtle that Kash got her, she already had her sweater on over her pajamas and I don’t know when she went to go get her shoes but everything including her little backpack was ready to go.

  “Can we go wait for him outside, mama?”

  Her eyes were full of joy when at this time of the night or rather the morning, she shouldn’t be this excited.

  “We can’t wait outside right now Jordy, but we can wait downstairs. Let me just go tell Rissa that we’re leaving, okay? Wait right in here for me.”

  I walked out of the room leaving the door ajar so that I could make sure Jordan didn’t sneak downstairs just because she was this excited to see her dad. I made it down the hall to Larissa and Channing’s room, I felt bad for having to wake them up at this time but I’d rather they know, or else Larissa would be knocking down doors to find out where we disappeared to in the middle of the night.

  I softly knocked,

  “Rissa…” I whispered hoping that I was low enough but loud enough that she heard me.

  She was not going to like me if Lela woke up. I heard footsteps then Channing opened the door.

  “Hey, everything okay, Mils?”

  I gave him what I thought was a reassuring smile and from the look in his eyes, he wasn’t convinced.

  “Kash is coming to get us. Jordy started balling and she wanted to go home. Thank you for having us over. Tell Rissa, I’ll see her at work, okay?”

  Channing Montgomery was one of Kash’s best friends besides Gregory Grant since I could last remember. They were friends in high school, they both went to law school then when Kash opened up his own practice, Channing was the first to say he believed in him and would work under him. He was about the same height as Kash, with blonde-like features as well. His eyes were blinding blue, his hair was cropped short close to his scalp, courtesy of a military father, and he had the most adorable smile I had ever seen. I knew that’s what got Larissa's attention the first time she met Channing.

  “You sure?” His voice was filled with concern for me. He saw the crestfallen expression I had on my face when the party ended, and my husband was nowhere to be found. “I know that asshole is my best friend, but it doesn’t make it okay, I’ll talk to him. I promise.”

  I weakly chuckled,

  “Thanks, Channing. Just make sure Rissa has her coffee before she hears of this. You know she’ll bite Kash’s head off even more than she already was going to do when he didn’t show up,” I laughed at the thought. “I’ll text when we leave.”

  He shook his head.

  “Nah, hold on. I’ll come downstairs and wait with you.”

  He shut his bedroom door and not a minute later, he came out accompanying me to get Jordan and then we went downstairs to wait for Kash.

  Chapter Two

  Kash

  When I showed up, my best friend Channing was glaring at me and giving me a stern look the moment he opened the door. I furrowed my brows at him,

  “dude…”

  Channing narrowed his eyes at me.

  “You’re a fucking idiot.”

  I sighed, not really in the mood to sit here and have Channing give me a lecture.

  “Not the time man, not the fucking time. Where’s my wife and kid?”

  Channing shook his head.

  “Mils is getting Jordy; she fell asleep again. She tried calling you and telling you to forget it, but she couldn’t reach you.”

  I averted eye contact for a second as we stood in his foyer.

  “My phone, it’s fucked. I emailed Jamie to get me a new one, but she’ll have it ready for me in the mornin
g.”

  “Makes sense. Your anger is still fucked till this day. I can’t believe you fucking missed her birthday. I literally told you that I was going home to get ready. What the fuck, dude?”

  I sighed, exasperated.

  “You don’t have to ride my ass man, I literally forgot, and it wasn’t on purpose. I was making sure all the other cases were caught up then Greg wanted to get drinks to celebrate.”

  Channing shook his head.

  “Are you not the same dumb-ass who drilled me on how a husband was supposed to behave? I know that you’re not wandering nor are your feelings changing for Mils, but can you consider the fact that your wife spends her nights without you? Greg is my boy too but he’s single, you can’t go on his shitty timeline.”

  I wanted to say something foul, but Channing was right, I couldn’t go off Greg’s schedule, he didn’t have those kinds of responsibilities. I had a wife and kid but at the same time, I felt like my wife didn’t even want to be with me. The feeling of resentment, some hardened truth and realization hit me.

  “I just… I don’t know. I needed a break, Chan. I know it’s not her fault, but shit’s been tough and rocky with me and her. I love this woman, but she makes it hard sometimes, I told her that I wanted another baby…”

  I whispered this part as though it was some kind of secret but really I wasn’t ready to rehash it all with her again. It was the biggest argument we have ever had. I said some nasty things right along with her.

  Channing’s eyes widened.

  “Whoa! You finally had the conversation with her? What did she say?”

  I shrugged my shoulders placing my closed fits in my hoodie’s pocket.

  “She fucking laughed. She thought I was joking. I love being a father man and I wouldn’t want to have another child without her wanting one too, but you know me, I’ve always wanted a big family. Mila and I talked about this but now, she says she’s too busy and they’ll get in the way of her career. I get it, I fucking do but still. I just really love being a dad.”

  I looked away, staring at the wall instead of looking at the pity in Channing’s eyes.