“I’m in the bail bonds business.”

“Is that dangerous?”

Emma dabbed at her lips with a napkin. “I used to be a bit more reckless with my decision making—so yeah, it can be. I’ve had the tar beaten out of me a few times when I overestimated my abilities. Now, though, I don’t take on risks I know I couldn’t handle if needed. Most guys show up in court, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“And the others?”

“Ditch out. I mean I get it—who wouldn’t want to run instead of facing potential prison time? Still, they’re pretty scummy for leaving their spouses and children to deal with their debts. I’m not so gentle when I bring them in.”

“Do you think you’ll do this forever?”

“Well, I figure that one of these days I’ll have to retire. There’s only so long I’ll be nimble enough to keep up, and my luck isn’t so great that I’ll never get hurt. I’ll probably get out in the next few years, circumstances permitting.”

Regina couldn’t keep her relief from entering her voice. Emma’s current occupation made her fret, and she knew she’d worry whenever she knew Emma was out on a job. “What will you do after?”

“I’ve been thinking private security, maybe. Like, I don’t want to be a mall cop or something like that, but I could probably work at some corporation or another. If I worked night shifts, I could still be around during the day for Henry.”

“I suppose that’s better.”

“I don’t know what to tell you.”

Emma let Regina take her hand but remained stiff. Emotionally speaking, she wasn’t ready to let her walls come down, especially now that she knew Regina was hesitating. She knew that believing Regina would just leave Leo and walk back into her arms was foolish, but she couldn’t help but feel a bit let down that her fantasy wouldn’t become reality.

“Tell me that you’re taking this seriously. Tell me that you’re not just doing this to hurt me.”

“I am, and I’m not.”

Regina clutched her hand. “Say it, Emma. I know it’s hard, but we have to be open. I can’t just leap without looking. I have nothing if I leave him and this doesn’t work out.”

“I’m taking this seriously.” Emma looked her straight in the eye and grimaced. “At first, I did want you to hurt as much as I did before. But… you looked like trash when we ran into each other. Like your body was moving around, but your soul just wasn’t there anymore. I thought, maybe you’d been punished enough for your shitty choice. And when you’re around me—you don’t seem so dead anymore. I’d rather see you smile than cry, even after everything that’s happened. So no, I’m not doing this to hurt you.”

“Thank you.”

“Will you leave him?”

“As you said before, we’re different people now. I want to make sure that this thing between us lasts—that who I am now is compatible with who you are. Surely you can understand that.”