by Laura Burton
Amelia stared at Toby with wide eyes as a faint memory came to her. She remembered seeing the name Elliott in the press. She frowned and inwardly reprimanded herself for not being more thorough in her search.
“Why didn’t you just—”
“Call?” Toby interrupted with his brows raised. “I did. I tried to call several times, but you hung up on me and blocked my number.” Amelia’s mouth flew open again.
“You called? I’m so sorry. I was getting all these hoax calls….”
Toby laughed. “It’s okay.” He cupped her face in his hands. “I found you at last.” His breath tickled Amelia’s lips, inviting her to lean in closer. “I found this place and I knew it was where we met. I recognised it instantly. And somehow I knew that Fate would bring you to me again.”
Amelia glanced around and noticed the familiarity of their surroundings. She wondered how she didn’t notice it before.
“I’ve been staying with my mom at a house nearby. We’ve owned it for a long time, and she was going to sell it, but I’m glad she didn’t. It’s been a great place for me to chill out and wait for you,” Toby continued.
“Wait for me?”
“I’ve been here for a while,” Toby replied sheepishly.
“Oh, Toby! I wasn’t even going to come here today. I was just on my way back from Birmingham—” She stopped mid-sentence. A lump grew in her throat as her mind processed the situation—she’d originally met Toby in just this place and while she was on the way to Birmingham then too.
Toby smiled at her as he appeared to follow her line of thought. “And you still don’t believe in Fate?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Girl of My Dreams
Toby pulled Amelia into a bear hug and she wept into his shoulder for a long time. Her body heaved as she cried, and Toby stroked her hair as he held her protectively. All this time, she’d convinced herself he was not real.
“Ten years?” Amelia asked weakly, tears brimming her eyes as she sat back and looked at Toby. He had fine lines around his eyes and his face looked skinnier than she remembered. He nodded sombrely and cleared his throat.
“Wait,” Amelia added, wiping her eyes with her hands as she did the maths. Toby’s face broke into a wicked smile, obviously knowing where her mind was taking her.
“So, you’re not nineteen?” she asked, breathless.
“Nope,” he said as he shook his head proudly.
“So, you’re—”
“Thirty!” he announced with his arms spread open.
“You’re older than me,” Amelia said faintly. All the grief she had given him over being younger than her, and he was older than her, after all.
Toby’s face turned serious as he looked quickly around him. The garden was quiet, and the sky grew dark as the sun disappeared behind the trees. “I have a question for you.”
Amelia leaned in and kissed him fully on the mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in close as they kissed and she lost herself in a moment of passion. All of the hurt, fear and pent up frustration of not knowing where Toby was or if she’d see him again came out in that kiss. She clutched the back of his shirt and moaned falling deeper into his embrace. His scent enveloped her and stirred a feeling inside that spurred Amelia on. She wanted to kiss him for as long as she lived. Who needs to breathe? Not Amelia. Kissing Toby was the new breathing, and she was hooked. Toby laughed against her lips and pulled back.
“Easy, tiger. I want to ask you something,” he said. Amelia laughed breathlessly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her lips tingling.
“Sorry, I just wanted to kiss you, knowing that I was kissing a thirty-year-old and not a teenager.”
“Does it make a difference?” Toby asked with a brow raised and a wry smile. Amelia nodded with a grin.
“Massive difference.” She looked him up and down hungrily and licked her lips, ready for more. Toby shook his head and got to his feet.
“Where are you going?” Amelia blurted out panicked. “You can’t leave… you can’t leave me ever again!” Did he not get it? They should be kissing right now and keep kissing… forever.
Toby’s eyes glinted as he appeared to be following her line of thought. “I was hoping you’d feel that way,” he murmured. “So, you don’t mind me being damaged goods?”
Amelia cocked her head to the side and eyed the black cane resting against the bench. Apart from the bruising on his arms and the fatigue behind his smile, she couldn’t see what made him damaged. She shook her head. “You don’t look broken to me,” she gushed out, her face immediately heating again.
Toby smiled warmly at her as he sat in silence for a few moments. Amelia’s heart pounded in her chest and she took deep breaths to calm herself down. Then he took her hand and her body reacted with excitement again. “Listen, my mom is staying with me at the house and I have a big question for you.”
Amelia held her breath. Yes, whatever it is yes. Can we just get back to kissing, already?
Toby inclined his head and took a deep breath. “Amelia Smart, you are the woman of my dreams—literally. Will you… come and meet my mom?” Amelia threw her head back and laughed. She wrapped her arms around Toby’s shoulders and hugged him so tightly he moaned in pain.
“Sorry.” She loosened her grip and then cupped his face with her hands and gently brushed her lips over his, their noses touching briefly. “Yes, I would love to,” she whispered. “Now kiss me.”
A Note From The Author
So, I was walking my dog one dewy morning… the air was crisp and my nose was redder than Rudolph’s. None of that mattered, of course. Because I was listening to the Catching Fire (Hunger Games) soundtrack and one of the tracks just made me stop. It’s called Mirror, if you want to listen to it and see what I mean.
I was listening to this song and suddenly the gravel path disappeared beneath my feet, I could no longer see the billowing trees around me or even feel my Poochon puppy tugging on her lead. It was transcendental. Within a few moments, an entire plot came into my mind and along with it, emotions.
The thought; what if a young woman met the man of her dreams… while she was in a coma? And what if he turned out to be REAL? What if he was across the globe lying in a hospital bed in a coma too? Is it possible for our unconscious mind to connect with another?
I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for reading stories about near-death experiences and I have often been fascinated with what people go through while they’re in a coma. This storyline really hit me. I nearly ran all the way home - but obviously got out of breath, because this lady does not run. Once I got back to my laptop I wrote the words “A young woman sat on a bench.” Not the most gripping first line, eh. But that scene––where Toby meets Amelia for the very first time… it was such an iconic, powerful scene for me to write. I can just picture it in a movie.
And perhaps maybe one day this story will be picked up by someone and be brought to life. I LOVE movies. Even more than books. (Don’t shoot me.) For now, I am so happy to finally bring this book to fruition. Toby and Amelia are so special to me. Their story really is one-of-a-kind.
I want to thank you for reading this book, it means the world!––Yes, I know that sounds so cliché. But it’s the truth. It has been my lifelong dream to be a writer. Getting the words out into the world is fun, but having people reading them… playing out those words like a little movie in their head… well that’s just mind-blowing to me.
If you enjoyed the story, it would mean a lot to me if you could take the time to write a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews help potential readers decide whether to give a book a try. As a new author, I don’t have a big name to rely on. Word of mouth is more powerful than marketing. Lend this book to your friends or family. It all helps!
You might be thinking, Laura what’s next? Is this it for the Love Me, series?
No, it’s not the end.
My next book “Who wants to date a Billionaire?” will be published in th
e Seven Sweet Billionaire Romance boxset. It’s already up for pre-order so take a look on Amazon for that.
And my Christmas romance is due out in November, again in a boxset with some other amazing authors. The Christmas romance will feature Amelia and Toby––and follow two new characters who live in Swindon. Their love story revolves around Ada and Daniel’s shop “Something Cheeky.” You can read Ada’s story in Love Me, Sweetie. All of the couples from the Love Me, series will unite in this romance, you can read about Dee and Jack in Love Me, Crazy.
As for other works coming up… I do have one more up my sleeve. It depends how fast I can type. My goal is to have one more book ready before Christmas, a YA Fantasy. This will mark the beginning of a whole new series, and I’m beyond excited about it.
Well, I think that’s it for now. If you would like to keep up-to-date with my writing, news and releases, feel free to sign up to my VIP newsletter, or find me on Facebook.
Until we meet again,
Laura Burton
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