Harper's Hill, Chapter 15: The Hands We Fall Under

Ever since Emily had been welcomed into Nicole's house for dinner, she had been finding herself spending so much more time at the Leigh household, especially getting to know her Uncle Nathan and Aunt Eliza.

She was still getting to know them entirely, but she had missed having parents around, and Nathan and Eliza took her in as one of their own. She wasn't living there, but with the amount of nights she had been sleeping under their roof, she might as well have been.

Nicole's siblings had been gracious to her as well — Liam and Sophia. Liam was the oldest, but that didn't mean he was self-assured. Emily found that Liam often questioned his own decisions, even after he had already made them. Sophia was the youngest, and she was like a mini-Nicole, but cranked up to 15. She was cheerful and sweet, free-spirited and creative.

When it came to Nicole, Emily had found that she had formed an unbreakable bond with her cousin, who was now more like a sister. She had never been so close to anyone before, not even James, so this was new for her. However, it was also comforting because Nicole somehow felt like everything she needed right at this time in her life.

On one of the many nights that Emily found herself passed out in Nicole's bed while they watched movies, she got up and went downstairs to the kitchen. She had always loved a midnight snack, and her aunt and uncle had made it clear that she was welcome to grab whatever food she wanted and make herself feel at home.

Scouring through the cupboards, she found a Pop Tart and took it to the table, planning to open it up and eat it right out of the package. She was startled to suddenly see that someone was already sitting at the table — her Uncle Nathan.

"Oh!" Emily exclaimed, trying to be quiet still because she knew everyone was sleeping. "You scared me. Sorry. I can leave you."

"No, it's okay," Uncle Nathan said calmly, and he took a sip of his tea. "Sit down." He pulled out the chair beside him for Emily and then sat back. "Midnight snack?"

Emily sat down and held up the Pop Tart package. "Guilty," She chuckled. "What about you?"

"I already ate mine," Nathan laughed softly. "But a nice cup of tea always helps me calm down at night when I can't sleep." He took another sip and then set his cup down. "Actually, midnight snacks run in the Leigh family."

Emily smiled. "Really?" She asked. She had never felt like a Leigh, or a Pierce, she was just Emily. Maybe it would be nice to actually feel like someone for once.

Nathan nodded. "Your mom would always make the mistake of eating something sugary in the middle of the night and then it would wake her up," He explained.

Emily looked down at her half-eaten Pop Tart and laughed softly. "Oops." She kept eating, and then said suddenly, "It's been really nice to have a real family again."

"It's been nice to have you," Nathan said, failing to mention the confrontation that had taken place between himself and Raymond. He wasn't trying to be manipulative, but he was trying to protect her. He had always felt a very strong desire to protect everyone he cared about, and the fact that he saw so much of his late sister in Emily just made her seem like an even bigger part of the family.

The room was quiet, so Nathan spoke again. "You know," He started, "If it weren't for all of life's messes, your mom and your dad, they might have actually been good for each other..."

Emily looked up at her uncle. "You think so?" She asked, so shocked by the statement that she didn't realize she still had food in her mouth. She swallowed quickly and then asked, "why?"

"Well, I mean, I feel like they could have been a good match," He explained. "It seems like he just ruined her... or maybe they ruined each other in the end... but they made great children — they just didn't know how to nurture them."

Hearing that her Uncle Nathan thought that she was great made her feel warm, but then she was replaying what he was saying about them ruining each other, and she started to think about how her parents probably ruined her and James a bit, too.

After a moment of silence, Emily asked, "How does being such a good dad come naturally to you?"

Nathan shrugged his shoulders, taking the final sip of his tea. "Even though I don't talk about my own emotions a lot, my mom was warm and very thoughtful for many years," He explained. "Through her, I saw that small and meaningful actions, and even words, can make a big difference. My wife is the same way, coincidentally."

Emily didn't say anything, looking down at the crinkled wrapper of her food, and picking apart the edges a bit.

Nathan stood up, picking up his cup, and then paused. "I just want you to consider something, Emily," He started. "Just as God has His hands on some people's shoulders, so does the devil. And some people don't realize whose hands they're under until it's too late."

Emily looked up at Nathan like he had said something that had finally made a world of sense for her, and he patted her shoulder with a small smile. "Goodnight, Emily."

"Night," Emily murmured, looking back down at the table as her uncle walked out of the room. She heard him walking back upstairs. Sitting in the kitchen of her mother's oldest brother, she considered that maybe it was time to talk to her Dad.

How bad could it possibly be?