If she was doing the right thing, why did she feel so miserably bad about it? Sometimes it would be so much easier to be a child and not have the reservations you developed as you got older. She knew she really was doing the right thing; she just had to convince herself of that.
She didn't see Mark the rest of the day. They both were managing to avoid one another, which was best for them right then.
Chapter Four
It took a few weeks but things got back to somewhat of a normal routine. Emily and Mark could be in the same room once again without too much tension and even began some of their earlier teasing.
Emily was feeling more and more secure. She would still find her eyes drawn to Mark and seemed to always know where he was but she cared far too much about him to risk losing him with a cheap romance.
Her body ached each night wanting him badly but she was used to denying herself for the sake of others. In this case she was putting her son's needs ahead of her own, which made the sacrifice worth it. She at least thought it was worth it, or hoped it was.
What made the aching even worse was every day she was around Mark she was finding she fell a little bit more in love with him. How could she not love a man who was so gentle with her son and so compassionate to all those around him? He was even a saint when it came to his animals.
She had yet to find a single flaw. She didn't understand how he wasn't already married with ten kids. He would make the perfect father and husband. She dreamed more than once of herself in the role of wife and mother with Mark.
Emily and Trevor were playing a game of Candy Land in the den when Mark came in. "Mark look, I'm beating my Mom again," Trevor said as he beamed at his hero.
"Great job, buddy. Edward just brought in some chocolate cake. If you hurry to the kitchen, you can get some before he puts it away," he added.
"Yeah," Trevor yelled and took off running down the hallway.
"You know you're spoiling him," Emily admonished but the smile she gave him took away any sting.
"I really love having him here. He brings so much light to the house."
"Thank you," Emily said, as tears stung her eyes. She was a sucker for anyone who loved her son.
"Emily we need to talk about Trevor's school. The year starts in a few weeks," Mark started out carefully. He was prepared for a minor battle with the stubborn mother.
"There's a great school here. I was going to go talk to them next week," she said, thinking the discussion would be over.
"Lucas told me all about the school Jasmine's enrolled in and it's not much further from this area. He would have a lot of opportunities there you can't get from a regular school and he'd get to go with Jasmine," he told her.
"Mark there's no way I can afford to place Trevor in a private school."
"You wouldn't have to pay anything. It would be a part of your employment."
"There's no way I can accept that, Mark. You already sneak things to Trevor all the time, like the dirt bike you got him last week. He will be fine going to the local school here," she added stubbornly. She already owed Mark far too much and didn't want to be indebted to him any further.
Mark was prepared for her argument. He'd already discovered she wasn't a greedy person. As a matter of fact, she was the complete opposite. It was downright frustrating trying to give her or her son anything.
"Just let me explain myself before you start getting all defensive and completely close the idea off," he began.
"Fine. Go ahead and explain yourself but I'm telling you the answer will still be no. You're wasting your time," she said, while crossing her arms.
"You are the most infuriating woman. I also said not to get all defensive," he almost shouted.
They both stared, neither willing to back down. Emily finally folded and shrugged her shoulders. "Go ahead," she mumbled.
"Thank you. As I was saying, the school is top of the line and if Trevor went there he would be provided far more opportunities than a public school could give him. The public school system has had far too many budget cuts. Heck, he wouldn't even be able to learn another language or participate in any good clubs. Those are things he really needs to secure his future."
"But the money … " she began.
Mark held his hand up. "You can talk to many different employees of mine personally and of the company's. We have added benefits where we pay for college tuitions and extended leaves. We believe in taking care of our own. I paid for Edward's kids to go to college and they didn't fight me on it, so please put Trevor above your pride and allow him to take this opportunity," he said. He knew that last bit was a low blow but he also knew she was willing to make just about any sacrifice for her son, even if that sacrifice was accepting something from another person.