"Clay?" she said softly as they pulled apart, breathless from the amazing kiss.
"Yes?" he said smiling.
"I think I am falling in love with you too."
Clay has a stunned look on his face at her honesty. "Good."
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Absolutely. There is nothing I'd rather do with the rest of my life than fall in love with you, Amelia Devin."
"Are you cooking me dinner?" she asked giggling as he pulled her in close.
"Yes I am. Chicken Marsala, as requested," he said laughing.
"I should've known you’d try to surprise me with that. Well, let's go downstairs so we can enjoy dinner."
"Wait a minute. The chicken won’t be done for a little while, so I thought maybe we could continue practicing."
"Practicing what?" she asked.
"This," he said as he pulled in for another kiss.
Chapter 13
The next couple of weeks were a whirlwind for Amelia. Never in her life had she felt so complete and so loved. Olivia got out of the hospital, and Christy continued to stay with her. Since the holidays were coming, Amelia had asked Christy to stay so they could celebrate as a family.
She and Clay prepared Thanksgiving dinner together with Christy and Clay’s kids. Gracie and her family had also come over to share in the festivities since Gracie's sister, Eva, was spending the holidays with her love, Brice. Amelia was so glad to finally feel like she was in a family, and she was starting to settle down when it came to worrying about losing Clay.
“I’d like to propose a toast,” Clay said as he stood up in front of the turkey.
Everyone held up their glasses, including little Sophia and Riley.
“A few weeks ago, I came to the this town looking for a new start. My family has been welcomed in a way that I couldn’t have imagined. Fresh from the loss of my beloved wife, Molly, I didn’t think it was possible to fall in love with anyone again. I worried about my kids and what they would think about a new love in my life. I worried about losing that person one day just as I had lost Molly,” he said, tears welling a bit in his eyes. Amelia held her breath as she hung on his every word. “And then I met Amelia…”
“Awww…” Gracie said clapping her hands quietly as she grinned from ear to ear.
“Amelia was supposed to keep my kids for me while I started my new job, and she fought me on that at first. She didn’t want to keep my kids, and she didn’t really like me too well…”
“Not true!” Amelia said turning red and putting her hand over her mouth.
“Totally true. Anyway…” Clay said smiling at her. “I eventually wowed her with my amazing wit and charm. And we fell in love. She is the most amazing gift, and we are so lucky to have her in our lives. Some days, I feel like the luckiest man alive to have found two women in my life who have loved me with everything they have. So, this Thanksgiving, I would like to say how truly thankful I am for this wonderful creature named Amelia who challenges me, loves me and loves my kids as if they’re her own. Thank you, God, for bringing her into my life.”
Gracie, Christy and Amelia were all wiping tears from their eyes as Clay finished his toast. He leaned down and kissed Amelia as he took his seat at the head of the table.
“Man, you just made me look bad!” Randy, Gracie’s husband, said laughing.
“Amelia, you are so lucky!” Christy said shaking her head.
“He’s mine, Christy,” Amelia said with a sarcastic laugh. Christy, at first offended, laughed as well when she got the joke. The animosity the sisters shared over Tate had long since disappeared after Olivia’s medical crisis and the time they’d spent together.
“Okay, I guess it’s my turn,” Amelia said with a smile as she stood up. “Clay, I was a royal pain in the butt when you met me a few weeks ago. I argued and pushed and fought over every little thing, but you hung in there. It was when I met your kids that I realized what an amazing man you were. Your kids are so sweet and so smart, and I knew any man who was raising them had to be fantastic. I also knew that Molly must have been one fabulous lady to have landed you and raised these kids,” she said pointing to Sophia and Riley. “I told you I thought it was too risky for us to fall in love, and it was. And it still is. But the risk is worth the reward of getting to see your face every day. I realized after falling in love with you, I was never really in love before. I never loved Tate the way I love you, and I’ve never been loved the way you love me. So, on this Thanksgiving, I am thankful you never gave up on me and that you’ve loved me right through my craziness.”
Everyone clapped, and Amelia planted a big kiss on Clay’s lips.
“Gross!” Riley yelled putting his hands over his eyes as he peeked through his fingers.
Laughter. Amelia sure had missed the laughter in her life.
***
As dinner finished up, the men went into the living room to watch football, which was a common occurrence in Southern households on Thanksgiving. The women sat around the kitchen table laughing, drinking coffee and gossiping about the men. Amelia was so happy to feel like a normal woman doing normal things again. No more hatred for her sister and no more missing out on being in love.
“Have you heard from Ian lately?” Christy asked.
“Not in a few days. He said he couldn’t come home because he couldn’t get a flight in time. I sure missed having him here today,” Amelia said with a frown. “My baby boy is all grown up, I guess.”
“They are never all grown up,” Gracie said pointing in the living room as the men screamed at the television.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Amelia said laughing.
“Is that your cell phone I hear?” Christy asked looking around the kitchen.
“Yeah. What did I do with it?” Amelia asked as she looked around before realizing it was behind a potted plant on the breakfast bar. “Hello? Yes, it is. What? Oh, my God? Is he okay?”
Amelia hung up her phone and started running around the house gathering up her purse and keys. The women followed her, but she was mumbling and not making sense.
“Amelia! Slow down! What’s going on?” Christy asked as she handed the baby off to Gracie.
“Ian…” Amelia said as she frantically searched for her coat.
“What about Ian, honey?” Clay asked as he rushed to her side.
“He was in a car accident just outside of Martinville…”
“Martinville? That’s only a half hour from here. What was he doing that close?” Christy asked.
“I don’t know, but I have to get to the hospital,” Amelia said as she finally found her coat, and Clay helped to slip it on her.
“I’m coming with you,” Christy said as Gracie nodded.
“I’ll keep all the kids. You guys just go,” Gracie said.
“Did they say how bad it was, Amelia?” Clay asked as they headed for the door.
“They wouldn’t tell me anything,” she said with tears rolling down her face. “Nothing at all, and that’s what scares me to death. I can’t lose my baby brother.”
“Don’t think that way,” he said as the loaded up in the car. “Everything is going to be all right.”
They drove in utter silence all the way to Martinville Memorial Hospital. Amelia and Christy stared out their windows, looking at passing scenery, both fighting back tears. As they pulled into the parking lot, the car had barely stopped before Amelia jumped out and ran inside.
“Ian Devin,” she said to the front desk receptionist.
“Are you his next of kin?” the woman asked.
Amelia’s heart sank. They only ask for next of kin if someone is dead, right?
“Is he dead?” she asked, starting to sob.
“Ma’am, you’re going to have to calm down,” the woman said in a loud whisper. “I can’t let you back there unless I know if you’re his relative.”
“I’m his sister, and I was his legal guardian for twelve years, so yes I am his next of kin.”
�
�And I’m his other sister,” Christy chimed in as Amelia nodded.
“Okay, then you can go back to see him. He’s still in emergency waiting to be admitted into a room. Go on back,” she pointed at the double doors swinging open beside the reception desk.
“I’ll wait here, Amelia,” Clay said as he squeezed her shoulder and backed up into the waiting area. She barely looked at him and then rushed through the doors.
***
It seemed like hours, but it was only about forty-five minutes before Clay saw Amelia reappear in the waiting room. She looked exhausted, and her face was pale and sad.
“Amelia, are you okay?”
“I’m okay. Ian’s going to be fine. He broke his arm and has some cuts and scrapes, but he’ll be released tomorrow.”
“I’m so glad to hear that. You look so tired, sweetie. Come here,” he said as he pulled her into his embrace. She didn’t return the hug, instead keeping her arms by her side.
Clay pulled back and looked at her with his hands on her shoulders. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“I can’t do this, Clay. I just can’t…” she said with tears rolling down her cheeks. Before he could ask her what she was talking about, she ran out the front door of the hospital into the night.
“Amelia!” he called as Christy came into the waiting room.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Amelia came out here and wouldn’t hug me or talk to me. She said she couldn’t do this and ran outside,” he said with a confused look on his face.
“Oh, no…”
“What?”
“I think this sent her over the edge. She looks at this as almost losing Ian, and that probably makes her worry about losing you. She’s so fragile when it comes to loss, and I feel like I caused a lot of that by cheating with Tate…”
“I have to go find her,” Clay said as he ran out the door.
The hospital was in a remote area to say the least, so there were few places that Amelia could go without a car. Clay walked the perimeter of the hospital with no luck finding her, so he went down a hill behind the medical complex since he knew there was a small pond there. It was a clear night with a bright moon reflecting off the water, and he could see Amelia sitting on the tiny dock.
“Amelia?” he said softly as he walked onto the dock.
“Go away. Please, Clay.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I love you, and I’m not leaving you.”
“I can’t love you, Clay.”
“You already do. You said so today.”
“I take it back,” she said through a sob that overtook her body. She leaned over and cupped her face in her hands as she cried uncontrollably. “I almost lost him, Clay. Every time I start to get happy, I lose someone…”
“No, honey. Is that what you think?” he said as he sat beside her and pulled her head into his chest.
“It’s true… Mom, Tate, Ian…”
“You didn’t lose Ian. He’s going to be fine.”
“I know, but maybe the Universe is saying I don’t deserve love. As long as I stay alone, everyone will be safe.”
“You can’t be serious,” Clay said pulling her back to look at him. “Oh, my God. You are serious.”
“I am. Every time something good happens in my life, the other shoe drops. I can’t live in constant fear of what bad thing will happen to me next.”
“You’re right. You can’t. Life happens, Amelia. People die. People cheat. People lie. People betray you. And it doesn’t matter if you have twenty boyfriends or sit in your house alone like an old maid for the rest of your life - because life will still go on. The question is do you want to have support there when life happens? Do you want to build wonderful memories that will last you a lifetime or do you want only the memories of sitting alone wondering what might have been?”
“Of course I don’t want to be alone, but…”
“Listen. Take it from me. I lost my wife, but I wouldn’t trade our time together for anything in the world because I have wonderful memories of Molly. No one can ever take those from me. I watched her take her last breath, Amelia, and I didn’t regret being with her. Do you understand?”
Amelia sat there for a moment taking in his words. She knew he was right. Being alone and shutting down wasn’t going to keep hurt from getting to her. It was just going to let fear win, and she didn’t like to let anything get the better of her.
“You’re right. I’m so sorry I ran away like that. You must think I’m a complete fool.”
“No. I think you are the most amazing woman I know, and you love hard. But please don’t run from us, Amelia, because losing you really would break my heart. One of us will pass away from this world one day, but that isn’t what would break my heart the most. My heart would only break if you walked away willingly and deprived both of us of a lifetime of love.”
“I love you, Clay,” she whispered as he leaned in to kiss her softly.
“I love you too, Amelia,” he said.
Epilogue
Christmas was Amelia’s favorite time of the year. The sights, sounds and smells of the holidays made her smile, and she was looking forward to this Christmas more than any other. With her brother, Ian, at home for the holidays and her sister and niece living with her, Amelia felt good having a family to surround her again. Now, she had the added benefit of Clay and his kids who she loved like they were her own.
“How are those cookies coming?” she asked Riley and Sophia as they decorated sugar cookies on her kitchen counter.
“Good. Look at this snowman I made!” Sophia yelled back, holding up a cookie she’d doused with so much icing it was dropping on the floor. Amelia didn’t care about the mess.
“Having fun?” Clay asked from behind her as he slipped his arms around her waist and buried his mouth in the crook of her neck.
“Tons of fun. I love watching them. Kids are so innocent.”
“I love watching you with them,” he said as he hugged her closer. “When Molly died, I worried my kids wouldn’t have the female guidance they needed. Little did I know that I would move across the country, give up my career and find a woman who would surround my children like you and Gracie and even Christy. I am truly blessed.”
“Aww… That means more to me than you will ever know,” she said as she turned around and put her hands around his neck. “You know, I gave you quite a problem early on when it came to keeping your kids.”
“Yes, I know. Thanks a lot for that added stress, by the way,” he said with a laugh as he kissed her nose.
“Sorry. I just thought I wanted this big life with a career because everyone said that’s what I should do. Get on with my life. But my life was happiest when I was taking care of kids, and when the kids were gone I was lost. And then you found me.”
“I found you,” Clay said kissing her neck.
“And you showed me something I didn’t even know I wanted or needed.”
“What is that?”
“A bigger family. More kids. More love.”
“Are you saying you want to have kids with me, Amelia Devin?”
“Maybe one day,” she said with a sly smile.
“Sorry. I can’t do that.”
“You can’t?” she said with the smile falling off her face.
“Not until you marry me.” Clay grinned at her.
“Marry you?”
“When you are ready to say yes, I will buy you a ring, but I know better than to spring anything on you.”
“You would marry me?” she asked, incredulous.
“Of course, my love. I’m here forever, whether we’re married or not. You are all I need and all I want. Say the word, and I will meet you at the church on time.”
“Okay,” she said looking at him.
“Okay what?”
“I will marry you, Clay Barnes. Anytime you want,” she said.
“Are you serious? Just like that?”
“A woman
knows when she’s got a good thing, and we both know life is short. So, let’s do it. Let’s get married!” she said grinning from ear to ear.
“Shhh… Don’t let he kids hear you,” Clay said through gritted, yet smiling, teeth. “We might need to break it to them a little easier…”
Finding Love (A Mill Creek Crossing Romance) Page 8
