AshtonIsNotHere/wikitext_bookcorpus_clean · Datasets at Hugging Face

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just as he went for the doorknob , emma shocked him with her next statement .
`` oh , if you 're seeing someone , please feel free to bring her with you . ''
pesh could n't help the burst of nervous laughter that escaped his lips .
`` that was n't obvious at all . ''
`` but i thought ... at least i hoped you would be dating someone by now . ''
`` well , i 'm not . ''
shifting noah to her other hip , emma shook her head .
do you walk around with a bag over your head ?
`` no to the bag , and i guess yes to a hermit . ''
`` i 'm always here . ''
emma 's gaze left his and took in some of the nurses passing by them .
he could imagine from the looks they were giving him , and more particularly the envious daggers they were shooting emma , that she knew what was on their minds .
`` do you have any idea what effect you have on women ? ''
`` no , but i suppose you 're going to remind me again . ''
`` i just want you to be happy , and i know that deep down you are n't . ''
`` please , just let it go for now , okay ? ''
although she nodded , pesh could tell she was far from agreeing .
somewhere within that pretty head of hers the wheels of matchmaking were turning hard and fast .
`` see you soon , '' she said , before starting down the hall .
as he watched emma and noah walk through the mechanized double doors into the waiting room , a pang of sadness reverberated through him as he wondered what his child might have been like .
in the months before her death , his late wife , jade , had been on fertility medication .
she 'd miscarried once , but she had great hopes that their latest baby making attempts would be successful .
she died never knowing if she was pregnant or not .
when the autopsy had come back , pesh refused to read whether she had been .
shaking off his morbid thoughts once again , he went into the room where a patient needed him .
chapter two `` where the hell is my dress ? ''
megan mckenzie demanded , as she rifled through her closet .
the one formal and demure dress she owned had been dropped off at the cleaners earlier in the week to prepare for her godson , noah 's , baptism .
as the godmother , she wanted to look mature and responsible .
most of the dresses in her closet were from her former life-in other words , her life before her son was born .
that meant they were too short , too tight , and too revealing .
she cut her eyes over to the couch to check on mason .
sitting stock still , he was enraptured by the cartoon on the tv .
`` be right back , sweetie . ''
she pounded up the basement stairs and into her parent 's kitchen .
she hoped she would find the dress hanging in the hall closet .
as she started into the living room , the mere sound of a voice on the television caused her to freeze .
her stomach churned , and her heart raced .
it belonged to the man who had shredded her heart , crushed her spirit , and left her broken almost beyond repair .
her nineteen-year-old-brother , sean , lounged on the couch , watching espn .
on the screen , her ex-boyfriend , davis durello , gave an interview outfitted in his falcons jersey and pads .
becoming enraged that he was invading her home , megan stalked across the room and snatched the remote out of sean 's hand .
she flicked off the television and tossed the remote at him , smacking him in the chest .
`` are you that big of an insensitive ass**le that you even have to ask ? ''
`` i 'm an ass**le because you 're getting pissed i 'm watching some old interview of davis ' ? ''
`` are n't you perceptive ? ''
`` i thought you were over him , '' sean countered .
megan did n't even bother trying to explain to sean that even after two years , it was hard getting over the man who left you knocked up and refused to have anything to do with his son besides signing a check .
as a teenage male , sean just did n't have that much emotional depth to understand that a wound like that may look like it has healed , but it was always festering just below the surface .
`` i am , '' she lied .
`` but that does n't mean i want to see him .
most people get to leave their ex-boyfriends behind , but i have to have mine thrust into my face during football season .
but even when that 's over , he still seems to be creeping around . ''
crossing her arms over her chest , she shot a death glare at sean .
`` it would be nice if you cared enough about me not to want to watch him . ''
`` can i help that your douchebag ex happens to play for the falcons , and espn is doing an interview ? ''
`` you do n't have to be watching it in my presence ! ''
at her outburst , sean held up his hands in defeat .
i did n't know it got to you that bad .
i 'll turn the channel next time , okay ? ''
feeling slightly psychotic after her outburst , she kept her head down as she headed for the hall closet .
thankfully , her navy blue dress hung on the rack still in the plastic from the dry cleaners .
when she turned around , she found her mother outfitted in her finest pale pink suit .
she eyed megan 's robe-clad form disdainfully .
`` megan , we leave in half an hour .
why are n't you dressed yet ? ''
closing her eyes , megan counted to ten so she would n't bite her mother 's head off .
`` i left my dress up here after i picked it up at the dry cleaners .
`` would you like me to get mason dressed ? ''
`` i 've already taken care of him .
it 's just me that needs to get her act together . ''
without another word , she brushed past her mother and went into the kitchen .
wearing his best suit and tie , her father stood at the bar , putting on his cufflinks .
at his expectant look , she held up her hand .
`` i know we leave in half an hour .
pounding down the steps , she tried calming down .
she did n't know what it was about her parents ' seemingly good intentions that grated on her last nerve .
of course , they had n't bothered her as much when she had lived alone .
now that she was back under their roof , they seemed to forget she was twenty-five , a mother , and not their little girl to boss around anymore .
with clinicals looming to enable her to finish her nursing degree , she 'd known she would n't be able to work fulltime .
although she loved the freedom and independence of having her own apartment , there was no way she could afford it and daycare for mason .
so , she 'd packed up , tucked her tail between her legs , and moved back home to her parents ' finished basement .
she had her own kitchen and bathroom , not to mention she and mason still had their own rooms .
with her father recently retired , she had a great male role model on site for mason .
she found him exactly as she had left him , lounging on the couch watching his favorite movie , despicable me .
she smiled at the sight of him in his khaki pants , black , button down dress shirt , and red clip-on tie .
he looked just like a little man sitting there , even though he had just turned seventeen months the day before .

just as he went for the doorknob , emma shocked him with her next statement .

`` oh , if you 're seeing someone , please feel free to bring her with you . ''

pesh could n't help the burst of nervous laughter that escaped his lips .

`` that was n't obvious at all . ''

`` but i thought ... at least i hoped you would be dating someone by now . ''

`` well , i 'm not . ''

shifting noah to her other hip , emma shook her head .

do you walk around with a bag over your head ?

`` no to the bag , and i guess yes to a hermit . ''

`` i 'm always here . ''

emma 's gaze left his and took in some of the nurses passing by them .

he could imagine from the looks they were giving him , and more particularly the envious daggers they were shooting emma , that she knew what was on their minds .

`` do you have any idea what effect you have on women ? ''

`` no , but i suppose you 're going to remind me again . ''

`` i just want you to be happy , and i know that deep down you are n't . ''

`` please , just let it go for now , okay ? ''

although she nodded , pesh could tell she was far from agreeing .

somewhere within that pretty head of hers the wheels of matchmaking were turning hard and fast .

`` see you soon , '' she said , before starting down the hall .

as he watched emma and noah walk through the mechanized double doors into the waiting room , a pang of sadness reverberated through him as he wondered what his child might have been like .

in the months before her death , his late wife , jade , had been on fertility medication .

she 'd miscarried once , but she had great hopes that their latest baby making attempts would be successful .

she died never knowing if she was pregnant or not .

when the autopsy had come back , pesh refused to read whether she had been .

shaking off his morbid thoughts once again , he went into the room where a patient needed him .

chapter two `` where the hell is my dress ? ''

megan mckenzie demanded , as she rifled through her closet .

the one formal and demure dress she owned had been dropped off at the cleaners earlier in the week to prepare for her godson , noah 's , baptism .

as the godmother , she wanted to look mature and responsible .

most of the dresses in her closet were from her former life-in other words , her life before her son was born .

that meant they were too short , too tight , and too revealing .

she cut her eyes over to the couch to check on mason .

sitting stock still , he was enraptured by the cartoon on the tv .

`` be right back , sweetie . ''

she pounded up the basement stairs and into her parent 's kitchen .

she hoped she would find the dress hanging in the hall closet .

as she started into the living room , the mere sound of a voice on the television caused her to freeze .

her stomach churned , and her heart raced .

it belonged to the man who had shredded her heart , crushed her spirit , and left her broken almost beyond repair .

her nineteen-year-old-brother , sean , lounged on the couch , watching espn .

on the screen , her ex-boyfriend , davis durello , gave an interview outfitted in his falcons jersey and pads .

becoming enraged that he was invading her home , megan stalked across the room and snatched the remote out of sean 's hand .

she flicked off the television and tossed the remote at him , smacking him in the chest .

`` are you that big of an insensitive ass**le that you even have to ask ? ''

`` i 'm an ass**le because you 're getting pissed i 'm watching some old interview of davis ' ? ''

`` are n't you perceptive ? ''

`` i thought you were over him , '' sean countered .

megan did n't even bother trying to explain to sean that even after two years , it was hard getting over the man who left you knocked up and refused to have anything to do with his son besides signing a check .

as a teenage male , sean just did n't have that much emotional depth to understand that a wound like that may look like it has healed , but it was always festering just below the surface .

`` i am , '' she lied .

`` but that does n't mean i want to see him .

most people get to leave their ex-boyfriends behind , but i have to have mine thrust into my face during football season .

but even when that 's over , he still seems to be creeping around . ''

crossing her arms over her chest , she shot a death glare at sean .

`` it would be nice if you cared enough about me not to want to watch him . ''

`` can i help that your douchebag ex happens to play for the falcons , and espn is doing an interview ? ''

`` you do n't have to be watching it in my presence ! ''

at her outburst , sean held up his hands in defeat .

i did n't know it got to you that bad .

i 'll turn the channel next time , okay ? ''

feeling slightly psychotic after her outburst , she kept her head down as she headed for the hall closet .

thankfully , her navy blue dress hung on the rack still in the plastic from the dry cleaners .

when she turned around , she found her mother outfitted in her finest pale pink suit .

she eyed megan 's robe-clad form disdainfully .

`` megan , we leave in half an hour .

why are n't you dressed yet ? ''

closing her eyes , megan counted to ten so she would n't bite her mother 's head off .

`` i left my dress up here after i picked it up at the dry cleaners .

`` would you like me to get mason dressed ? ''

`` i 've already taken care of him .

it 's just me that needs to get her act together . ''

without another word , she brushed past her mother and went into the kitchen .

wearing his best suit and tie , her father stood at the bar , putting on his cufflinks .

at his expectant look , she held up her hand .

`` i know we leave in half an hour .

pounding down the steps , she tried calming down .

she did n't know what it was about her parents ' seemingly good intentions that grated on her last nerve .

of course , they had n't bothered her as much when she had lived alone .

now that she was back under their roof , they seemed to forget she was twenty-five , a mother , and not their little girl to boss around anymore .

with clinicals looming to enable her to finish her nursing degree , she 'd known she would n't be able to work fulltime .

although she loved the freedom and independence of having her own apartment , there was no way she could afford it and daycare for mason .

so , she 'd packed up , tucked her tail between her legs , and moved back home to her parents ' finished basement .

she had her own kitchen and bathroom , not to mention she and mason still had their own rooms .

with her father recently retired , she had a great male role model on site for mason .

she found him exactly as she had left him , lounging on the couch watching his favorite movie , despicable me .

she smiled at the sight of him in his khaki pants , black , button down dress shirt , and red clip-on tie .

he looked just like a little man sitting there , even though he had just turned seventeen months the day before .