Thoughts Like that were the biggest causes of her stress. As crazy as it all was, she'd experienced too much in the last three days to deny pretty much anything Robin had said.

On that note she hoped to slip into the house and avoid Eric, at least for the time being. She needed to get her head together before she talked to him. As much as she was convinced she knew the answer,

Emma was going to flat out ask him if he had thought of her.

Odds are even if he had he'd deny it, but Emma had spent years taking depositions and grilling witnesses. Eric was nowhere near an accomplished enough liar to fool her. Not to mention he was his father's son and had the same exact nervous tics when he was lying or dodging an issue.

Emma slipped quietly into the house and a quick glance into the living room showed Eric sitting on the couch. The TV was on, but the sound off. Emma was going to call out that she was home, but wasn't feeling well and was going to lie down. That way he wouldn't come looking for her for anything and she could have some privacy while she figured out how to ask her son if he'd ever wanted to fuck her.

Before she could say anything, she heard Eric laugh and then say something. She wondered who he was talking to. Eric had literally cut himself off from all his former friends; even the ones that took his side in the Ashley debacle.

He was taking a new beginning to an unhealthy extreme so if he was talking to one of his friends from back home she'd be thrilled for him. Emma walked up behind him in time to hear,

"You really think you could come out here?" A pause.

"That would be great, but I'll have to talk to my mother." Eric stiffened on the couch and turned his head to look over his shoulder. His eyes widened when he saw her and he spoke quickly into the phone.

“Hey, gotta go. Talk to you later."

“Hey, mom." He addressed her as he lowered his phone.

“How was the meeting?"

"It went really well," she told him.

"How did you know I was home?"

Eric smiled sheepishly.

"I think this house has made me kind of jumpy, I heard your heels when you walked into the room. He laughed."

I figured out back at our old house you can't sneak around on hardwood floors in your shoes."

“My boy sneaking around? Never." Emma noticed his phone was still in his hands and he was staring at it as he spoke.

“Who were you talking to?"

“Oh, that was Rob."

“Really? I thought you were through with everyone."

"Yeah, well he called out of the blue yesterday so I called him back and we've talked a couple times."

"That's great, Eric!" Emma came around and sat on the arm of the couch next to him.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well," he paused and ran his fingers through his hair, causing her to frown. Either he was about to lie or just not tell her everything.

"I wasn't sure if I'd be able to talk to him and that we could be cool again. So I didn't bring it up."

"Sounds like he wants to come visit you so I guess that means you're cool again?" Emma tousled his hair.

"I told you that he was your one real friend through all that bullshit."

“Yeah, I guess you were right." He wasn't looking at her as he spoke.

Instead his eyes had gravitated to her legs.