Book 3 Line Change
Alek’s eyes filled with tears. “That’s beautiful.”
“And if it was a boy, maybe ‘Franklin.’ To honor Grandpa.”
“Franklin Volkov. I like that.”
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They cried together then, for the child they’d never meet, for the names they’d never use, for the future that had ended before it really began.
“Will we try again?” Emma asked eventually.
“Do you want to?”
“Not right now. But someday, yes. When we’re settled in Toronto, when our marriage feels solid again.”
“It feels pretty solid right now,” Alek observed.
“Solid-ish,” Emma corrected with a small smile. “Grief has a way of putting things in perspective.” <fn33e2> Find the newest release on find?novel</fn33e2>
“True. Our fight seems pretty ridiculous now.”
“Not ridiculous. We had real issues. We just handled them badly.”
Alek nodded. “So how do we handle things better going forward?”
Emma thought about it. “Moremunication. Less assumption. And maybe we stop trying to protect each other from difficult truths.”
“You mean like you trying to handle the pregnancy news alone?”
“And you trying to handle the board pressure alone.” Emma looked at him directly. “We’re partners, Alek. That means we share the hard stuff, not just the easy stuff.”
“Deal.”
They shook hands solemnly, then dissolved intoughter at the formality of it.
“Are we really going to be okay?” Emma asked.
“Better than okay. But it’s going to take work.”
“Good thing we’re both used to hard work.”
The next morning brought a return to normal routines. Emma worked from home while Alek went to the NHL offices to finalize the Toronto timeline. Charlotte and Frankie seemed to sense the improved atmosphere between their parents, ying more peacefully than they
Book 3 Line Change
had in weeks.
“Mama work?” Charlotte asked, finding Emma at herptop in the study.
“Just for a little while. Then we’ll read books.”
“I help?”
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Emma lifted Charlotte onto herp, letting her “type” nonsense on the keyboard while she reviewed emails. Her assistant had handled things well in her absence, but there were still decisions that needed Emma’s attention.
One email made her pause. A message from a Toronto-based sportswork, asking if she’d be interested in consulting on their women’s hockey coverage.
“What do you think, Charlotte?” Emma asked. “Should Mama explore new opportunities?”
“Yes!” Charlotte said decisively, hitting random keys for emphasis.
“Good advice.”
That evening, Emma showed the email to Alek.
“They must have heard about the Toronto move through industry contacts,” he said. “Are you interested?”
“Maybe. It could be a good way to get established there before we officially relocate.”
“And it would give you something exciting to focus on instead of just grieving.”
Emma nodded. The grief would always be part of her, but she was ready to start building something positive alongside it.
“I think I’ll call them tomorrow,” she decided.
“Good. And Emma? I’m proud of you.”
“For what?”
“For choosing to keep building instead of letting loss stop you. That takes real courage.”
Emma thought about Franklin, about how he’d faced his own losses and kept building anyway. Maybe that was the real Mitchell legacy – not the businesses or the money, but the refusal to let setbacks be endings.
“I learned from the best,” she said simply.
Outside their window, New York sparkled with possibilities. Soon they’d leave this city behind
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for a new adventure in Toronto. But tonight, they were exactly where they needed to be – together, healing, and ready to start writing the next chapter of their story.
This time, they’d write it as true partners.
This time, they’d get it right.
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