by Sakwa, Kim
He helped her up but couldn’t stop from grabbing her a second later as she stretched. He hugged the hell out of her, just because he could. Rubbed his face in her neck and breathed in deep.
She whispered, “I love when you do that to me.” Then she did the same and whispered again, “I love doing it to you more, though.”
She grabbed the monitor and made her way to the kitchen as he headed for the stairs. And as he went to fetch his son, he had the distinct thought that in the grand scheme of things, where he and Amanda happened to be right now, in this “middle” they’d found together, he was actually quite content.
At five o’clock on Saturday evening, the day of the gala, Amanda and Sam finally made it downstairs dressed and ready to go. It had taken two hours, four outfit changes, and one additional blowout. While she had the means to have a makeup artist and hairdresser on call, Amanda liked doing it herself. Well, she and Sam did, anyway. They’d perfected hair and makeup over the course of boarding, undergrad, and grad school. So, more times than not, they ditched the professionals and took care of it themselves. As they headed to say goodbye to Callie, and to grab Stephen, Amanda was struck for a moment that she couldn’t remember if she had ever left Callie for the night. Not recently, of course, but before. She’d spent some time in the evenings with Alex, but that was always after Callie’s bedtime, and she’d always woken up in her own bed.
“You’re wondering if you left Callie for the night?” Sam repeated when she asked her, in true sarcastic Sam fashion. “Are you frigging kidding?” She made a ridiculous face, lips pulling in opposite directions. “You wouldn’t let her out of your sight, much less think you were entitled to a”—she used air quotes—“girls’ night out.” She softened it then with, “Not that I blame you, Ammy, ever. We managed.”
Amanda was ruminating on what Sam had said, trying to retrieve…well, anything, as they stepped into the kitchen. Stephen was sitting at the table playing cards with Callie, while Rosa finished getting dinner together.
“Fish or war?” Amanda asked.
Callie, deep in concentration, pursed her lips, and whispered, “Crazy Eights, Mama.”
“Good choice,” she said, bending to kiss the top of her head. Helen was feeding Zander, but handed him to her, bottle and all at her gesture. It was a smooth pass and the baby didn’t miss a beat. “Sorry you have to wear a tux tonight,” Amanda said, turning to Stephen. As she did, Amanda caught Sam flicking her eyes in his direction, too, and blushing. It looked like she was about to say something but changed her mind. Interesting, she thought with a small smile. It looked like her suspicions were right.
He looked up from his cards for the first time. “Christ, Amanda,” he said, his accent a little thicker in playful aggravation as he took in her dress. Then his eyes caught Sam, and Amanda had the pleasure to get a glimpse, albeit only for a second, of what this man clearly felt for her friend too. Wow. How had she not seen this before? Because you’ve been freakin’ obsessed with analyzing Alex, DUH. Okay, that much she knew. And now wasn’t the time, but Amanda let herself wonder for a moment if something was going on between her best friend and Alex’s brother.
Sam’s dress was off-the-hook hot and Amanda winked at Sam, and then at Callie, who had placed the swear jar next to her uncle with a meaningful thump. Amanda rubbed her fingers and thumb together in the universal sign of “pay up” before setting the bottle down and patting Zander’s back. After a quick kiss, she deposited the baby back in Helen’s outstretched hands.
Stephen had already taken his wallet out, shrugged, and dropped a twenty in the glass container painted with beautiful lettering by none other than Callesandra Eleanor Montgomery herself. She’d never forg—
“Shut the front door!” Amanda exclaimed aloud, leaping out of her chair. Stephen started swearing again when he saw the slit that ran up the entirety of one side of her dress and tossed his whole wallet in the jar before reaching for his gun.
She and Sam chuckled. “Really?” Amanda asked, momentarily distracted from the memory that had just hit her like a ton of bricks.
“Yeah, really, Amanda. Between you and the princess,” he said, jerking his head toward Sam, “I’ll have my work cut out for me tonight.” Having already taken his gun from the holster, he removed the clip, looking at it carefully before clicking it back into place. “When Alex gets a load of you in that I might as well just shoot any poor bastard who looks at you wrong.”
“Listen,” Amanda said, breaking in, “it’s my first real night out in forever. And I have to say, I’m really looking forward to it. So no trouble, okay? And that’s only going to happen if Sam doesn’t have to do some fast-talking on your behalf.”
Sam did a double take. “Why? Isn’t Chris coming tonight? You can be represented by none other than Calder Defense’s finest.”
“Are you saying you wouldn’t represent me?” Stephen asked.
Sam leaned over the table. “Listen, pretty boy, while I haven’t practiced in a while, I pity the poor bastards who try to keep you down.” Wow, for Sam, that was…revealing to say the least. And Callie jumped up again, moving the swear jar over to where her aunt was. Then Sam asked her, “Wait, what was ‘shut the front door’ about?”
Amanda shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal anymore. “Oh, nothing, I just remembered when Callie painted that,” she said, pointing to the swear jar. “We were sitting outside, and I was so big and pregnant with Zander, you had to provide leverage as I sat down next to her.”
Sam started laughing too. “Oh my God, Am, remember how we got to the ground?” She came over and they relived the moment.
Amanda had to wipe her eyes from laughing so much. “And then when you tried to help me stand—well, we couldn’t.”
Sam started talking before Amanda finished. “And we were laughing so hard, we couldn’t catch a breath, and Stan had to help you up a few minutes later.”
“Wait a minute,” Amanda said, looking at Sam. “There was something else too. Not just the painting of the jar, but Callie’s name. I thought in my head, ‘Callesandra Eleanor Montgomery,’ like I knew it. Isn’t that right, baby?” she asked, turning to Callie, who beamed, clapping her hands.
“Yay, Mama,” she cried.
Amanda tried searching for more, but came up blank. At Sam’s and Stephen’s inquiring looks, she just shook her head, shrugged, and said, “That’s all I got.” On the bright side, it was the biggest moment that she’d had in a long time, and the nicest. This was no horrifying flashback or vivid snapshot that freaked her out. Just a pleasant memory. She motioned with her head then toward Stephen. “You really should fish your wallet out of that jar before we go.”
Sam, who was closer to the jar, reached in, muttering, “Don’t forget who has your back,” and grabbed the wallet as Rosa and Helen came in to set the table for dinner, which was going to be small tonight, given that everyone else was going to the gala. Amanda hugged Callie goodbye, told Rosa she’d check in later, and skipped out of the room, actually feeling excited for the night.
An hour later, when Stephen pulled into the hotel parking lot where the event was being held, Alex was already standing outside among a cluster of hotel staff, Calder Defense employees, and partygoers. Between his mysterious appeal, business acumen, access to the stars, and his ridiculous good looks, the man was fast becoming a celebrity himself.
Sam grabbed her hand as she and Stephen both asked if she was okay. She shrugged, grinned, and said, “I can’t explain it, but I feel great.” She fingered the exquisite diamond chain that Alex had given her the other night. A night that had included a late-night walk on the beach. Not one to act nervous, his behavior had taken her by surprise. She had enough anxiety to deal with lately, so she’d just asked him flat out what was up. He’d turned to her and grabbed her shoulders to bring her in close. What could she say, the man liked her there. Then he’d grinned and said, “I kn
ow you don’t care much for jewelry, Amanda, but I saw something the other day and I simply couldn’t not get it for you.” She was so surprised, mostly by his sheepish expression.
“Really?” she’d said.
“Yeah,” he’d answered with a nod.
She’d hit his chest. “Then show me,” she’d laughed and he’d fished the rather large box out of his front pocket, watching nervously as she’d opened it. Her jaw almost hit the sand when she saw the beautiful long thin delicate chain of diamonds. It shimmered stunningly in the moonlight. Not gauche or over the top, just simply the most incredible piece of jewelry she’d ever seen. “I love it,” she’d told him, meaning it. “I’ll wear it to the event this weekend.”
Stephen and Sam started bickering then about which valet lane to get in, drawing her attention back to the present. “Ser-i-ous-ly,” she drawled out while rolling her eyes to stop them. They both smirked, obviously not that upset with each other. Then Stephen pulled up right next to the entrance, reached into the center console, grabbed a small leather pouch, and got out of the truck. He waved off the attendant, opening her door himself.
“Remember how this works?” he asked, handing her the earpiece Alex had gotten for her the other day. As he slipped it in place, she repeated what he’d told her before.
“You’ll be able to hear me, even if I whisper.”
“Smart girl.” He waved off another attendant eager to move the SUV next to the others belonging to Calder Defense. There had to be twenty parked alongside the circular drive. Alex wasn’t kidding when he’d said there’d been an uptick in business lately.
Sam started giving her the rundown of the who’s who of the night’s guests, snorting as one couple in particular walked by.
Amanda’s head snapped to Sam. “Really? They’re back together?”
“Seriously, Ammy.” Sam shook her head. “I’ve missed the hell out of you.”
Amanda crinkled her nose in response, feeling truly light and free. “It feels good to be back.” She really had virtually been underground for quite a while now. And while she hadn’t jumped back into writing or recording, much less performing, she had started to reach out to a select few from the industry. She and Alex hadn’t announced their relationship, whatever it was, either, but they had been seen in and around town a few times recently. Twice, sans the circus, though she knew Alex had told his men where they’d be, so they had protection, they just weren’t sharing a table. Gregor drove them, and they’d snuck into one of her favorite restaurants for a late-night supper after putting the kids to bed. It was kinda like a first date, at least one that was out and about. The maître d’ had been thrilled to see her, the waitstaff too. That night, she’d had the most amazing time. He was so frigging smart she could talk to him all night long. And they did, well after closing. She was sure they’d been photographed on the way out, but Alex just shook his head at her, and said “Don’t worry, beautiful.” So she hadn’t. Later, when she’d searched her name, she came across a few articles, things like: “A Modern-Day Fairy Tale: Alexander Montgomery Puts Amanda Marceau Back Together Again,” and another, “Beauty and the Billionaire: Look Who’s Coaxed Amanda Marceau Out of Hiding.” The pictures weren’t bad, either. She had to admit, they made a stunning couple.
And now here he was standing outside her door, taking up a considerable amount of space, and looking ridiculously handsome. “Hi, sweetheart.”
“Hi.” The smile was completely reflexive and one thousand percent unstoppable. He just had that effect on her.
He stepped closer. “I missed you. How’s my girl?” Since no one knew which way this would go, as in how she would feel being in such a public forum, she knew everyone was a bit cautious.
She nibbled her bottom lip as she looked at him, thinking that there was nothing better than getting all dressed up for that guy, being a part of an amazing group of people and going out to enjoy stellar company, great food, a lovely atmosphere, not to mention an outstanding cause. She really couldn’t remember—all kidding aside on the remember part—feeling so carefree. Like ever. And looking at Alex, something clicked, one of those pieces that hit her on such a deep level, she was almost overcome by the wave of emotion that accompanied it. She knew they were connected from the onset, knew she was comfortable with him, knew so many things as to why being with him felt right, but what she felt now, what she knew now, was that she loved this man. Deeply. She may not remember him, or them, but she knew without a doubt she loved him. She felt it in her bones. She shook off the overwhelming part of it and embraced the pure rush of adrenaline that came with the certainty that this was where she belonged, with him, here, now. And tonight was going to be a celebration of it all. “Alex,” she said, “I’m frigging amazing.”
He threw his head back and laughed, like a full-on booming fill-the-room-with-sunshine laugh. “Yeah, you are,” he said, stroking her face. “You ready to light things up, beautiful?”
He reached for her hand to help her down. Then, upon seeing her dress, a litany of swear words lit the night, making all of her nerve endings zing to life.
“Thanks,” Amanda said with a sly smile. Though she was wearing four-inch platform stilettos, her head was level with his chin, and she looked up to tell him, “You look incredibly handsome yourself, Alex Montgomery.” She reached out and straightened his perfectly straight bow tie. She couldn’t help it. She loved touching this man. While her arms were still extended his large hands circled her waist, holding her still as he stared down. She shivered in reaction, and when he bent his head to kiss her, she met him halfway, wrapping her arms around his neck. Flashes went off as photographers and paparazzi alike started taking shots. She didn’t even care, she leaned in and let him take the kiss deeper. God bless the man, he did.
Of all the scenarios Alexander envisioned for tonight, Amanda’s joie de vivre was wholly unexpected and so infectious he had difficulty concentrating. Something had changed since he’d seen her this morning, and he couldn’t say he minded. He wasn’t sure they’d ever had an opportunity to be completely at ease and carefree. When she’d first come to him in his time, there had always been the underlying worry that her stay may not be permanent. And, well, case in point, thinking about what had ultimately happened. He heard swearing in his ear from the men stationed around the perimeter as more flashes lit the night. They were just trying to keep his and Amanda’s life as private as possible. An impossibility for sure, but at least until they had things—like their life—figured out, it would be simpler to not have to worry about what was being bandied about in the press. While they could still sweep things from the internet as best they could, they really hadn’t been of late. Amanda wasn’t hiding anymore. Not that he presently didn’t wish she was. She looked spectacular tonight. When she gave him a nod to let him know she was ready, he laid a hand on her bare back and led her inside. Bloody hell, there wasn’t a man present who didn’t turn as they passed. Benefactors, patrons, and employees. Her full-length dress was classy as hell and fit like a glove. The plunging halter in front was held by a measly tie behind her neck and was entirely backless, not to mention the slit up the side, which ran the length of a long, beautiful leg.
Once inside, they grabbed drinks from the bar and mingled with some of the guests. Amanda and Sam did their best to provide color commentary before making introductions. He knew some of the guests, having worked with or for them, but anytime Amanda wasn’t sure, she was quick with an introduction. His wife excelled in the art of etiquette. A few times she looked surprised by his own display of social graces. Coming up in eighteenth-century Britain had its advantages.
Why he’d expected trouble he wasn’t sure. Everyone was happy to see Amanda and only a few people asked questions that crossed the line, using exaggerated hushed tones and referring to the video. Nosey and obnoxious, yes, but in light of Amanda’s present state of mind, seemingly harmless. They laughed the questions off m
ore often than not that night. After an extended period of hors d’oeuvres, the dinner bell rang as was apparently custom at these events. Alexander scanned the room, conducting a visual check-in with the crew. Stephen was alongside Sam, who was laughing at something someone said, and he clearly couldn’t take his eyes off of her. After a moment, he did look at Alex, giving a bashful nod when he caught his eye, confirming he was walking the line between business and pleasure. Alex turned to Gregor, who smirked, taking in the entirety of the room from where he stood against a back wall, sipping a drink. Yeah, Gregor loved this shit. Stan gave him a salute, and the boys were doing their best to look serious while checking out girls. Alex chuckled as Evan and Chris walked by them, giving each a knock upside the head.
“Hey,” Amanda said, drawing his attention back. She placed her hands on his chest, fingering his lapels. Jesus, no pun intended, but Jesus Jones’s “Right Here Right Now” was playing, and its lyrics about how there was no other place he wanted to be mirrored his sentiments exactly. And for the first time, he suddenly didn’t care if Amanda remembered. Maybe everything that had happened, everything they’d been through was leading to this. Right here, right now.
People were still finding their seats when they reached the ballroom. Between himself, Art, and this year’s cochairs, they had three tables. The crew was divided among them and each table welcomed an honoree of tonight’s affairs, their family or guests as well. The rest of the room was filled with a few celebrities, mostly local but a few other headliners, too, besides Amanda. That left a mixture of the town’s socialites, law enforcement, and retired military. Most of the latter either trained with or worked for Calder Defense in various capacities.
Being used to large dinners, Alex considered tonight’s table of ten an intimate gathering. The conversation flowed easily as they moved through three courses before the main entrée was served. At one point, he was laughing at something Rick, the honoree sitting at their table, said. When he glanced at Amanda, she wore an odd look on her face, her smile faraway. “You okay?” he asked.
