Emma's POV~

After that week in Indiana, and after my mom's funeral, I was so happy to be returning to Nashville. There was a sad part though, I don't have any more connections to Kendallville.

Sure, I had Spencer's family, but we were no longer together. And even though he said he'd take me back, I doubt he will. Just the way I've treated him in the past couple of days.

I didn't talk to anyone. I barely talked to my own father.

Sure, she was my mother. I should care, but I felt numb about it. She never loved me like a mother should. She despised me and my father, for making her go through it. I almost didn't have a chance at life.

I was ripped through my thoughts by Leah walking in. I was the only one at the office, so why would she be here?

"May I help you?" I muttered sadly.

"I need to talk to you." She grumbled.

I turned my chair, facing her. "What do you need?"

"I want you to stay away from Spencer." She snapped.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion, "What did I do?"

"I know what you and Spencer did while y'all were in Indiana. I have friends back there." She huffed.

I rolled my eyes, "Good for you. We didn't do anything."

"Bull!" She screeched, "I know you two were kissing and sharing the same bed!"

I stood up, feeling fed up. "I kissed him, he had nothing to do with it. And for sharing the same bed? We stayed at my grandparents house, the only had a twin mattress." I snapped, "What I did, is none of your business!"

She laughed, "It is, because he's my boyfriend. Last time I checked, you broke up with him."

"Just leave, Leah. I'm not in the mood for this." I muttered.

"Oh, yeah. Your precious mommy just died, didn't she?" She smirked.

I bit my lip, and tried to keep the tears back.

"Just leave!" I shouted.

Joey and Spencer walked in carefully, seeing part of mine and Leah's dispute. Joey gave me a questioning look.

"What's going on here?" Spencer asked.

Leah turned around, probably smiling sweetly, "I was just talking to Emma."

Spencer scoffed, and pushed past Leah as he dropped his stuff on the floor. Tears were already falling as he wrapped his arms around me.

"You need to leave. Now." Joey demanded.

"Sure. Anything for you, honey." Leah replied.

Spencer kneeled down with me as I sunk to the floor. He kept me close to his body as I cried.

"Hey, hey. I'm right here. Shh." Spencer whispered, "Emma, babygirl, it's okay. I'm not leaving."

I fought to breathe as sobs wracked my body. I clutched onto Spencer as I tried to calm myself. I just couldn't.

It was all overwhelming. Losing my mom, losing Spencer, fighting Leah.

Eventually the tears stopped. I could only try to keep my breathing even as I whimpered. Spencer stayed with me during my entire breakdown, rubbing my back.

"Hey, Em." Joey mumbled, kneeling down beside us. He gave a sympathetic smile and place his hand on my shoulder, "If you want too, you can go home. Take a break a while."

I shook my head, "No. I need to keep my mind occupied." I whispered, my voice becoming hoarse.

Spencer resituated himself to where he was sitting on the floor, and then pulled me into him. He refused to let me go as I buried my face into his neck. He was silent, just comforting me.

"Woah! What's going on?" Chad asked. I looked up, seeing Chad and Caleb standing there. They looked confused as ever.

"She's just having a rough time." Spencer answered.

Soon enough, I felt their hands on my back. "Can we pray for you, Em?" Caleb asked.

I nodded, not wanting to speak. I listened to their whispers of prayer. I snuggled closer to Spencer as he tightened his grip on me. He sighed and pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

"You're not alone in this, baby. I promise, I'm not leaving your side." Spencer reassured.

~*~*~

I laid in the dark, clutching my pillow. I turned off my phone, and my laptop. I wasn't in the mood for socializing at this point in time. It was silent, except for Donald's and Morgan's voices.

I didn't understand why I felt like this. I never really knew her, she never loved me, but my heart still hurt. Was it because I longed for a good relationship with my mom? I didn't know.

I watched as Avery nudged the door with his head, letting in little streams of light. He perked up when he noticed I was just laying there.

His tail wagged a little, then fell. His paws patted against the floor as he came over. He stuck his face in mine, sniffing. I sighed as Avery gave a high-pitched whine.

He jumped onto the bed, and circled three times before lying down. With his nose, he nudged my arm, wanting attention and cuddling my body.

I brought my hand up, petting his head gently.

"Who's a good boy, Ave?" I asked. His head perked up, as usual. I smiled slightly, "You're such a good boy, Ave."