“I’m fine,” Amelia replied, giving him another smile.
“You know,” Liam said, his face suddenly looking a little more serious. “It’s okay not to be fine. Everyone understands that this is a scary thing that is happening to you. But I just wanted you to know that today is your day; forget about that asshole. We have an army of people here to protect you, so you really have nothing to worry about.”
“I know,” Amelia replied, grateful for his reassurance. “And I’m so grateful.”
“You’re family now, Amelia,” Liam replied, smiling once more. “And Landen is a very lucky man.”
He leaned forward and softly kissed her on the cheek once more before he stood up.
“I will leave you to get ready,” Liam said, as he walked towards the door. “Today is going to be amazing.”
Amelia smile, nodding, knowing that if nothing else were true, that was. This was going to be the best day of her life.
The next few hours passed by in a blur of make-up, curling tongs, and champagne. Amelia somehow remained relatively calm despite having Nikki and Eloise there, squealing like two teenage girls at every little thing.
“How are you doing, Sweetheart,” Nell said as she sat down next to Amelia while she was having her nails done. “You’ve been very quiet today.”
“I’m good,” Amelia replied as she gave the woman a reassuring smile. “Looking forward to seeing Landen.”
“I bet he is feeling exactly the same,” Nell replied with a giggle. “I was talking to Finn, he said it was everything he could do to stop him from coming straight here first thing this morning.”
“That really doesn’t surprise me,” Amelia laughed as she imagined Finn trying to stop Landen from leaving to come and see her.
“I think part of him still can’t believe that he actually has you,” Nell sighed and smiled. “He loves you so much.”
“I love him too,” Amelia replied. “So much sometimes it’s scary.”
“Why is it scary?” Nell asked, and Amelia knew she was surprised by her comment.
“Because for the first time since I lost my dad,” Amelia explained. “I feel like I belong to something once more. For the first time since all this crap with Pete, I feel like I really have something to lose.”
“You know that you’re never going to lose Landen,” Nell said as she gave her forearm a squeeze. “And you have a family full of big, strong men who will make sure that will never happen. You are part of this family now, Sweetheart.”
“Thank you, Nell,” Amelia replied, as she gave her a grateful smile.
“Oh, Sweetie!” Nikki exclaimed as Amelia stared at herself in the long mirror Nell had brought into the bedroom. “You look simply breathtaking.”
Amelia didn’t reply. All she could do was stare at her reflection; she could barely recognise herself.
She had chosen a simple dress. It was a strapless dress, with a full tulle skirt, the only real detail was the Swarovski crystals waistband that was hand stitched to the dress. Her hair was swept up into a bun at the back of her head, with some tiny white flowers at the side, and a floor length veil at the back. It was simple but elegant.
“You’re Beautiful,” Eloise said as she too stood, staring at her friend.
“You think so?” She asked as she turned, looking at her two friends.
“Landen is going to die when he sees you,” Nikki replied, giving her a reassuring smile.
“Then I guess we should get this show on the road,” Amelia said, now longing to see Landen.
Suddenly there was a soft tap on the door, and Nikki hurried over to open it.
“Wow!” Sean said when he saw Nikki. The bridesmaid’s dresses were simple too. They were lavender satin, floor-length dress, with a simpler version of Amelia’s waistband, but like Amelia dress, they were very elegant. “Look at you!”
“You like?” Nikki asked as she posed for him.
“You’re beautiful,” Sean said with a smile. “Um… Can I talk to Amelia for a moment?”
“Sure,” Nikki said, giving him a worried look as she stepped back, letting him into the room. “Is everything okay?
“Of course,” Sean said as he stepped through the door, but the moment he saw Amelia he stopped and smiled, as his smile widened. “Wow! You’re simply stunning, Amelia.”
“Thank you,” Amelia replied, as her face blushed a little. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, as he looked from Amelia to Nikki and Eloise. “But I was wondering if I could have a word?”
“Sure!” Amelia said as she took looked at Nikki and Eloise expectantly.
The two girls walked towards the door, leaving Amelia and Sean alone.
“Do you want to sit down?” Sean asked as he pointed towards the bed, as he walked across the room, sitting down himself.
“Sure,” Amelia said feeling a little unsure about what it was he was going to say. “Are you sure everything okay?”
“Yes! Sorry, yes it is,” Sean quickly replied. “It’s just; I’ve been thinking. I know that you and your father were very close before you lost him, but I know if he were here today, he would tell you how incredibly proud he was of you, and the beautiful young lady you’ve become. I’m sure nothing would have given him more pleasure than to walk you down the aisle.”
“Thank you,” Amelia replied, touched by his words. She blinked back the tears that were suddenly stinging her eyes. She missed her father more than anything else in the world, she would have loved to have him there with her. She wished that for just a moment, she could talk to him and have him tell her everything was going to be okay.
“Amelia,” Sean continued nervously. “I know I can’t replace your father, nor would I ever want to. But I would like to think that I could be someone you could learn to love and trust like a daughter loves and trusts her dad. So I was thinking, and if you say no, then that’s perfectly okay, but I was wondering; well, hoping actually that you would allow me the honour of walking you down the aisle?”
“Sean,” Amelia said with a smile, as tears trickled down her face. “There is nothing I’d love more in this world than to have you walk me down the aisle.”
“Really?” He asked as his smile grew bigger.
“Really,” she replied as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Sean beamed as he patted her hand before he stood up. He coughed to clear his voice before he continued. “Then I guess we should get out there. I know Landen is fit to burst.”
“Can I just have a few minutes?” Amelia asked as she gently wiped the tears from her face, taking great care not to destroy her make-up. “I just want to fix my face.”
“Of course,” Sean replied with a smile. “I’ll just go make sure everyone is ready to go.”
“Thank you, Sean,” Amelia said, smiling once more before Sean vanished out through the door.
When Amelia was alone, she smiled to herself as she thought of Sean’s words. They had meant more to her than even he knew. She missed her father, and the relationship she had with him.
She knew no one could replace her father, but she liked the idea that maybe she and Sean could have a version of a father/daughter relationship.
She walked to the dressing table and sat down. She was grateful that the make-up artist had used waterproof mascara. All Amelia needed to do was dab a little powder on her cheeks, and she was ready to go.
Amelia looked at her reflection in the mirror, as her eyes fell to her mother’s locket hanging around her neck. She reached up softly touching it, as she prayed that her parents were watching over her right at that moment. Her father had bought it for her mother, and now she was honoured to wear it on her wedding day.
Landen had wanted to buy her something new, but she explained that wearing the locket would be like having a little bit of them with her.
There was another soft tap on the door, and Amelia stood up. She was ready to do this; she was rea
dy to become Mrs. Murphy.
When she opened the door, she expected to see Sean standing there, instead, she froze, her heart slammed against her chest to see Pete Reynolds standing there.
“Hello, Millie,” he said before he pushed her back into the room and slammed the door behind them.
Chapter 25
Landen stood in his parent’s garden trying to block out the buzz from the small gathering of friends and family that were there for the wedding. He was running through his vows in his mind over and over again. He was nervous but focusing on them helped. He wanted them perfect in his mind, so they would be perfect when it was time to say them.
He glanced down at his watch, wondering how much longer Amelia was going to be. He laughed to himself that she was usually the punctual one of them both, but then he knew most brides were a little late to their wedding.
“Are you okay?” Finn asked pulling him from his thoughts.
“Just ready to do this now,” Landen replied, giving his brother a smile.
“She will be here soon,” Finn assured his brother, and Landen gave him a grateful smile.
“Unless she got sense and ran for the hills,” Liam added from next to Finn.
“Funny,” Landen replied with a sarcastic laugh, as Dylan slapped Liam on the head.
“I’m kidding,” Liam said as he rubbed his head, scowling at Dylan.
Landen checked his watch once more, when he saw it was already ten minutes past two, Landen got an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach. He turned. Looking back down the aisle to where he spotted Nikki and Eloise standing, waiting for Amelia to join them.
Nikki was laughing and joking with Eloise, and this settled him somewhat, but still, he just wanted Amelia to get there, and for this to begin.
He knew that Amelia was with his father, that also gave him some comfort.
When Sean arrived at his penthouse that morning, for a moment, Landen thought that there was something wrong, but when his dad asked if it would be okay to offer to walk Amelia down the aisle, Landen was completely blown away.
He knew that Amelia had loved her dad, while she hadn’t actually said, he knew him not being here was hard on her, so having his father step into that role for her, meant a lot to Landen.
Suddenly a low hum of talking began behind Landen, but then everyone seemed to go quiet. He instinctively turned around and saw his father walking towards him. Landen knew just by the look on his father’s face that something was very wrong.
“Dad!” Landen exclaimed as he took a couple of steps towards his father. “What’s wrong?”
“I need to talk to you inside for a moment,” Sean said without looking Landen in the eyes, and Landen knew at that exact moment it was something to do with Amelia. He looked around at everyone gathered there, and all eyes were fixed on him.
“Dad,” Liam said, as he suddenly appeared next to Landen. “What’s going on?”
“I just need to talk to Landen inside for a moment,” Sean said. It was at that point, Landen spotted the piece of paper in his father’s hand, so he nodded, following Sean back into the house, followed closely by Liam, Finn, Callum, and Dylan.
“Okay,” Landen said, as he looked into his father’s eyes. “What’s happened?”
“I went to get Amelia,” Sean said as his voice cracked a little, and Landen knew he was upset. “She…she wasn’t in the room, but I found this. She…she’s gone, Son.”
Sean handed Landen the note he was holding. Landen stared at his dad for a moment, while his head was working overtime.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the piece of paper and began to read the words as his heart broke in two.
My dearest Landen,
I know you won’t understand why I had to do this, but I need you to try. I love you, but I don’t think that love is enough. I need more. I’m sorry for hurting you, but I just can’t be who you think I am anymore. Let me go.
Millie.
The minute Landen read the last word; a sickening feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.
“What does it say?” Liam asked as he looked at his brother, but Landen didn’t answer.
“Where did you find this?” Landen asked, remaining focused on his father.
“It was on the bed in her room,” Sean replied as he gave Landen a worried look.
Landen quickly pushed past his father, running flat out until he reached the room that Amelia had been in a short while earlier. He found his mother sitting on the bed, tears running down her face. She looked up the minute the moment Landen hurried through the door and cried a little harder.
“Landen,” she sniffed as she stood up. “I’m so sorry; I should have known…”
“Amelia didn’t leave, Mom,” Landen said as he searched the room, unsure of what he was looking for. “Something isn’t right.”
“Landen, maybe it was just too much for her,” Sean tried to reason with his son from the doorway.
“Maybe it was, Dad,” Landen sighed as he continued to search. “But she didn’t leave.”
That’s when he spotted it; what he had been looking for. The one thing he knew that confirmed she didn’t leave him. There sitting on the dressing table was the locket that belonged to her mother. Landen knew Amelia would never leave without her locket. She said it herself; the only two things she had left of her mother and father was the watch and the locket. Landen had the watch, and now here was the locket. He knew there was no way she would have left them both behind. This was the sign he was looking for.
“Reynolds has her,” Landen said as he picked up the locket, turning to look at his dad, and his brothers, who were now all standing behind their father.
“How do you know?” Liam asked as he stepped past his father, into the room.
“Because this is all Amelia has left of her mother,” he said holding up the locket as his heart hammered rapidly in his chest. “There is no way she would have left this behind if she left by her own will.”
He walked toward Liam and handed him the note.
“And she signed it Millie,” Landen said as he pointed to her name on the paper. “Reynolds was the only one that called her that.”
“Fuck!” Liam exclaimed as he quickly pulled his phone from his pocket.
“I don’t understand,” Nell said as she stood up from the bed, while Liam began to make calls. “How could he even get in here? There is security everywhere.”
“I…I don’t know,” Landen said as the realisation of what was going on finally hit him, He doubled over, as it felt like all the air had been suck from his body. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Just breathe, Son,” Sean said as he hurried to his son’s side. “We will find her.”
Landen blew out a sharp breath. He didn’t have time to fall apart. He needed to find Amelia before it was too late. He stood up straight at looked at Liam.
“You know Reynold’s probably even better than I do,” Landen said, giving his brother a pleading look. “Where would he take her?”
“I’m not sure,” Liam replied honestly. “Somewhere where they can be alone, but he couldn’t have gotten far.”
“Detective Murphy,” one of the security guys said from behind the rest of Landen’s brothers, who were still standing in the doorway, waiting for instructions. “The caterer said that one of his vans is missing.”
Liam looked at Landen before they both hurried out of the bedroom.
Ten minutes later, the house was heaving with activity. There were police everywhere, as Liam set up command in his mother’s kitchen.
“The caterer said there is a Lojack on the van,” Liam told Landen and Sean, as he spread out a map on the countertop. “We are running the number now, but in the meantime, we have roadblocks set up in these locations.”
He pointed to places on the map, but Landen could barely focus on what he was saying. All he could think about was Amelia, and what she was feeling right at that moment.
“What can we do to help
?” Callum asked Liam as he, Dylan and Finn looked at him expectantly.
“Callum,” Liam said as he looked at his brother. “I need you to stay with Mom. Most of the guests have left, but Harriett and Jill are still here. They are in the living room with Mom, Nikki, and Eloise. I don’t want them in the way.”
“What about me?” Dylan asked, as Liam turned his attention to him.
“I need you to come with me when we roll,” Liam replied with a nod. “Just in case we need a doctor on the scene.”
“I’ll get my bag from the car,” Dylan replied before he turned at hurried out of the kitchen.
“What do you need me to do?” Finn asked, and Liam knew that Finn was the most important one of them all. He looked at Landen and sighed.
“I don’t suppose there is any way you’ll stay here while we go look for her?” Liam asked Landen.
“Not a chance in hell,” Landen replied.
“That’s what I thought,” Liam sighed before he turned back to Finn. “I need you to stay with Landen. When we find where Reynolds has taken Amelia, I want you to stop this idiot from being a hero and doing something stupid. Even if you need to body check his ass.”
“Got it,” Finn nodded.
“Detective Murphy,” an officer said as he walked up to Liam, handing him a phone. “They want to talk to you.”
Landen watched Liam as he talked on the phone, praying that finally there was some small piece of news. Liam hung up the phone moments later; the turned back to the counter.
“We’ve got a location,” Liam announced, and Landen could feel his heart race even faster. “The van is stopped here.”
Liam point to a location on the map.
“It’s an abandoned warehouse about ten miles from here,” Liam explained before he looked at his brother. “Landen, we’re going to get her, I promise you.”
Ten minutes later, they were approaching the old, derelict building from the back. Liam had instructed everyone to go in quietly, meaning that there were to be no sirens. The last thing he wanted to do was let Reynold know that they were coming, and push him into doing something stupid.
Landen (The Murphy Boys, Book 1) Page 24
