My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 809

Emma George’s voice brimmed with urgency. “You’ve been through so much these past few days. Honestly, if Tristan hadn’t been around, taking care of you and handling all those little crises, I don’t know what I would’ve done. He’s been wonderful—he’s looked after you while you were unconscious, fussed over every detail, cooked, cleaned, and he even lives nearby.”

“Men like him are hard to find, sweetheart. You need to seize the opportunity.” Emma gave Emily Blair’s hand an encouraging pat. “If you have even the slightest interest in him, I’ll talk to him for you. The sooner you settle down, the better. Don’t wait until some other girl snatches him away.”

Emily’s heart skipped a beat. She abruptly set down her toothpick. “No, Mom, please don’t do that.”

Emma’s anxiety seemed to spike, her nerves still frayed from the recent string of misfortunes. “Then what do you want me to do?” she pressed.

Emily bit her lip, her mind a tangled mess of thoughts she couldn’t quite grasp. The confusion made her want to run and hide. She deflected, “Mom, you don’t have to worry about this. If I meet someone I want to marry, I’ll marry him. But if I don’t meet the right guy, then I’d rather just stay single. Please don’t push me—I’m not willing to settle.”

But Emma wasn’t having it. “But Tristan is great. Don’t you like him at all?”

Emily felt her face grow hot, a prickling discomfort crawling across her scalp. “Mom, please, just stop.”

Emma chased after her words. “So you really don’t like him?”

Emily’s thoughts spun out of control. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but couldn’t find the words.

After a moment of internal struggle, she gave in with resignation. “I don’t like him, so please, just drop it.”

Emma’s determination didn’t waver. “Well, even if you don’t like Tristan, I’ve got other options.”

This time, Emma was relentless. In the past, Emily had managed to dodge these marriage talks—usually, a bit of reluctance was enough for Emma to let the topic drop. But not today. Today, Emma looked like she wouldn’t give up until she got her way.

Emily felt a headache coming on as she watched her mother, out of nowhere, produce a thick stack of photos and drop them in front of her with a flourish.

For a moment, Emma fell silent.

When Emily finally peeked through her fingers, she saw her mother staring at the photos, brow furrowed in deep thought, as if facing some impossible dilemma.

“Mom,” Emily said softly.

Emma looked up, her voice strained. “Emily, I’m really scared this time. You’ve had a car accident, a kidnapping—you’ve been in and out of surgery more times than I can count. I know you’re capable and independent, you don’t need anyone’s help. But I just want to find someone who can be there for you. Maybe he can’t help you with your career, but at least he could look after you, protect you. At least you wouldn’t be dragged off from a hospital parking lot. At least I’d have someone to help me figure things out.”

Emily lowered her gaze, fingers tightening around the hem of her shirt. Her voice was quiet. “I’m sorry I made you worry, Mom.”

Emma turned to her, eyes full of longing. “I don’t need you to get married just for the sake of it. I just want someone by your side. If you don’t like Tristan, and you don’t want to marry him, then he can’t be the one to stay with you forever.”