by Tami Lund
“What about you?” Elliot asked. “Have you dated much?”
She toyed with the hem of the sundress she’d chosen to wear for both comfort and ease as a result of her bad knee. “Not really. I’m not very good at relationships, so they tend to crash and burn before they ever really get started.”
“Why is that?”
“Oh, any professional will tell you it’s a result of my upbringing. My mom loved my father, and I’m sure he loved her, in his own way, but whether he loved her or his business more, well, that’s a hard one to call. And then you throw me and Duane into the mix, and he definitely loves that company more than he loves us.”
“I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that for your entire life.”
She lifted one shoulder, let it drop again. “It wasn’t for my entire life. I mean, it was, I suppose, but I didn’t realize it until after Mom died.”
“Which was when?”
“I was fourteen.”
“I’m sorry. It sucks to lose a parent at any age, but when you’re a teenager overflowing with brand-new hormones, I’m sure it’s a thousand times worse.”
She smiled. He understood her, which was a novel sensation. “It was rough, that’s for sure. And then Dad and Duane both just shut down, retreated into themselves, so I was basically left alone to deal with my grief and also all the drama of high school. For that first year after her death, I spoke more to our housekeeper than to either one of them.”
Elliot’s hand snaked back over the console to squeeze her thigh again. This time, he left it there. It felt good.
It also felt good to talk about this subject, which was weird. She’d never spoken of that period of her life to anyone, mostly because she was convinced it would hurt even more if she did.
Instead, she was finding it cathartic. Was that because she was finally opening up or because of the person she was opening up to?
“When he was in college, Duane eventually got help. Started going to a counselor. I was starting to see glimpses of the old him, but at the same time, he was also pulling away from our father, from the business. And the more he pulled away, the more Dad tried to tie him down, force him to get involved with the company. Until he received his master’s degree and hopped on the next flight out of the country.”
She spread her arms wide. Elliot knew the rest of the story. Duane was now back and about to steal away everything she’d worked so hard for in his absence.
“We aren’t supposed to be talking about work,” Elliot chided in a teasing tone.
“I know, but it’s okay. I’m not as freaked out as I was. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I still feel like my life is about to end on Thursday, but the initial shock has worn off.”
“Tomorrow, we need to reach out to every single board member. Tell them what’s going on. Just be blunt about it. I have a feeling we can convince the majority of them to be on your side.”
“Why do you say that? Seriously. You’ve known me for one full day. And you don’t know them at all.”
“I had a couple of email conversations with them today. I know most of their lunch preferences.” He flashed a charming smile. “And I know how much you’ve impacted that company, positively, by the way. And it’s obvious how much you care. We take that, we exploit it, and we lead them to believe your brother doesn’t care, considering he’s been off galivanting around Europe instead of helping them all make money, and I think you have a real chance of staying in charge.”
She stared at him. “That’s… that’s very encouraging. Thank you.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
She wanted him to be here for a lot more than simple encouragement. And she was beginning to wonder if by more she meant more than even physical gratification.
Except if he was right and they did manage to convince the board to overrule her father’s decision, then all the rest of it was off the table.
Chapter Fifteen
By the time they arrived at the hospital, Elliot was certain he was developing high blood pressure over this little trip. Damn it, he should have insisted on staying home with Amelia.
Not that he didn’t want to be here, because he definitely did. He couldn’t wait to meet his first niece or nephew. He was looking forward to being cool Uncle Elliot. Or maybe Uncle E. He liked the ring of that nickname.
But he was equally petrified of his family meeting Amelia. Mom had already called Philip and Kyle—hell, probably Tommy too—and given them the wrong impression. Philip and Kyle were cool with it, of course, and Tommy was probably too distracted to have even realized what she’d told him, but what about the rest of them? The grandparents, specifically. And Mom herself.
Amelia was about to get bombarded, and it wasn’t fair to her. To make it worse, she’d made it clear that she wasn’t interested anyway. That they’d shared just a kiss, and it meant nothing to her.
Based on what she’d told him about her own home life, she had no experience with meddling, if well-meaning, family members. This was going to be so overwhelming, and there was nothing he could do about it now.
Unless…
As they passed a food court on the way to the elevators that would take them up to the maternity ward, Elliot paused. They’d remembered to bring the crutches, which she was using now. She could get around on her own; to the restroom, to grab something to eat if she wanted.
“Do you want to hang out down here while I go up to see my brother and Camila? I’ll come down and check on you periodically, and you can text me if you need anything.”
Her mouth fell open. “Are you trying to ditch me?”
He shook his head.
“I did not come all this way to hang out in the hospital cafeteria. I’m getting excited to meet this baby too.”
He cupped the back of his neck. “Amelia, this isn’t going to be easy.”
“We aren’t the ones giving birth here, Elliot.”
“I know. I’m talking about my family. They’re going to swoop in on you like—like vultures.”
“I now have a very funny image in my mind as to what everyone in your family looks like.”
He frowned. “I’m not referring to their looks.”
She chuckled and touched his arm. “I know you aren’t. Come on, let’s get upstairs. These crutches are bruising my underarms.”
Sighing, he pointed out the elevators and they headed that way. When the doors spread open, Philip and Maecie stepped out.
“Hey, Elliot,” Philip greeted him, stepping forward for one of those one-armed bro hugs. Philip used to not be much of a hugger, but ever since he met Maecie, his displays of affection for pretty much everyone in the family had quadrupled.
“And who’s this pretty lady?” Philip asked, eyeing Amelia while his lips twitched.
“Amelia, my brother, Philip and his wife, Maecie.”
“So nice to meet you,” Maecie cooed. “That’s such a pretty dress. And I love your hair. Oh, what happened to your leg?”
Some people might thing Maecie was ADHA or hyperactive, but no, she was just a hairstylist.
Amelia chuckled. “Thank you, thank you, and I slammed my knee into the underside of my desk. Apparently, hard enough to bruise the bone.”
Philip winced. “Ouch. I did that one time when I fell off my dirt bike. I was laid up for almost a month.”
Amelia threw Elliot a fearful look, and he reached out and squeezed her bicep. “I’m sure it won’t take that long for you. What Philip means by laid up is that he couldn’t get on the bike again for a month. Little different from going into the office and sitting at a desk.”
The grateful smile she rewarded him with was totally worth that explanation.
“It’s definitely nice to meet you, Amelia who is Elliot’s boss but not his girlfriend,” Philip quipped.
“Dude,” Elliot practically growled.
Philip laughed. “I’m just preparing you. Mom and Dad aren’t here yet, but I can tell you right now that she is going to be all
over this.” He moved his finger back and forth between Elliot and Amelia.
“Boss,” Elliot ground out. “Hell, there’s probably a fraternizing policy at the company, so even if we wanted to, we couldn’t. Now leave us alone.”
“Whatever you say.” Philip lifted his hands like he was surrendering. “We’re going to grab something to eat in the cafeteria. It’s only Tommy and Camila up there right now. She’s doing pretty well, although he’s a hot mess. Which, I have to be honest, is pretty fun to watch.”
“Don’t get too much enjoyment out of it,” Elliot warned him. “You two will be there soon enough.”
Philip made a noise like he was hacking up a hairball while Maecie’s face turned pink.
Amelia nudged his shoulder. “Let’s go. You can get a little one-on-one time with the parents-to-be, and I can get off these damn crutches.”
“They don’t look comfortable,” Maecie said sympathetically. “They look a little too tall for you.”
“They are,” Elliot said. “I think they were the ones Philip used when he twisted his ankle. What were you, twenty or so?”
Philip glowered at him. “Yeah. I was about a month shy of twenty-one.”
Elliot snickered.
“What’s so funny?” Maecie wanted to know.
“Ask your husband how it happened.” He motioned for Amelia to step into the elevator. “See you guys shortly.”
The door closed, and Amelia immediately asked, “What’s the story?”
He chuckled. “Philip went to a party, and, like he said, he wasn’t quite twenty-one. The party got busted for underage drinking, and everyone took off running. Philip twisted his ankle running from the cops. I still remember listening to him trying to explain that one to our parents.”
Amelia laughed with him and then clapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes dancing with mirth. She was so carefree, so relaxed, so…open, he wanted to kiss her again.
Not that the urge ever truly went away, but it certainly intensified when she looked at him in certain ways.
Like this way.
He must have done something to change the mood, because she cleared her throat and dropped her gaze to the floor. Which was when he realized that he’d been leaning forward, probably had his damn lips puckered.
Man, he was a goner.
The elevator door mercifully whooshed open, and they stepped into the maternity ward, heading to the nurse’s station to check in, per the instructions from the security desk downstairs. As he was giving his name to the nurse, movement caught his eye, and he glanced to the left. Tommy stepped out of a room, twisted his head first left, then right, spotted Elliot, and rushed toward them.
Tommy grabbed his shirtsleeve and gave it enough of a tug that Elliot was worried it might rip. “Is Madison with you?”
He swiftly glanced at Amelia and shook his head. “Why would she be with me?”
Tommy released his sleeve and dragged his hand through hair that looked like he’d already done that same action a hundred times recently. “She wouldn’t be. But Camila keeps asking for her—or our mother, weirdly enough—and I don’t know where either one of them are.”
“Kyle and Maddy are probably twenty minutes behind us, and Mom and Dad said they were dropping Freddy at Philip’s house and then heading over. Why is she asking for Mom?”
Tommy did the hair-raking thing again. “I don’t know. Something about her having done this four times so she must know what to expect. And Madison, well, she’s a nurse.”
“And Camila’s sister.”
“Right. That too.” Tommy suddenly focused on Amelia and thrust out his hand. “Hi, I’m Tommy.”
“Amelia. Nice to meet you.” She shook his hand briefly before he snatched it away to drag it through his hair again. Apparently, it was a nervous habit.
“You must be the not-girlfriend just boss. What happened to your leg?”
“Er, yes, that’s me.” She glanced at Elliot and then added, “Bumped it hard enough to bruise the bone. Doctor told me to stay off it for a while.”
Tommy nodded. “Been there, done that. Not pleasant. This guy taking care of you?”
“Yes. He’s doing a really good job.”
Tommy patted Elliot’s shoulder. “He’s a good guy, even if he doesn’t believe it. You should keep him around. If you’re worthy, I mean. Which you must be, if Mom’s already hearing wedding bells.”
“Mom’s planning our wedding?” Elliot yelped. How the hell had it happened so quickly?
Tommy chuckled darkly. “I’m just busting your balls. But seriously, you two look cute together. Want to come in and say hi to Camila? She says she doesn’t want anyone but me and Madison when it’s time to push, but the nurse says we still have a ways to go for that, so come on in.”
He motioned for them to follow and led them down the hall, then pushed open the door to one of the rooms without knocking.
“Hey Camila, Elliot and Amelia are here and—”
Camila was lying on her back, her legs spread wide open, and a man who Elliot assumed was her doctor had his head between her thighs. He quickly averted his gaze and heard Amelia snicker.
“Oh shit, sorry, Doc,” Tommy said, abandoning them so he could rush to his wife’s side.
“It’s okay—you can look now,” the pleasant-sounding doctor said.
Elliot half opened one eye and let out a breath when Camila was sitting up, her lady bits covered by a pale blue hospital gown.
“She’s doing great,” the doctor continued in his jovial voice. “Progressing faster than I expected, although she still has plenty of time for you all to visit. I’m going to check on my other patients, and I’ll be back in a little while. Ta-ta.”
He waved and slipped out the door.
“Did he just say ‘ta-ta?’” Amelia asked.
“I think so,” Elliot replied.
“You okay, babe?” Tommy asked, brushing his hand over Camila’s hair. There was an IV in her arm, her face was devoid of makeup, and she’d pulled her blond-streaked tresses back into a ponytail. Her eyes held a trace of feral, but otherwise, she seemed to be holding up all right.
“I want to push, but he says I can’t.”
“You have to wait until you’re fully dilated,” Tommy said, as if he knew any damn thing about the process of childbirth. Although, for all Elliot knew, he probably did. Mom had given him a shit-ton of baby books when they announced they were expecting.
“Hey, I have a distraction for you,” Tommy said to Camila. “Elliot brought his not-a-girlfriend, just-a-boss.”
Camila leaned forward so she could look around Tommy’s torso. “Hi.”
Amelia and Elliot both waved and then moved closer. Elliot bent at the waist and gave her a hug. “You’re looking good, Cam.”
“No, I’m not, but thanks for lying to me. I don’t suppose you brought your camera?”
“Of course.”
“Good. I want you to take pictures as soon as this kid is out. Well, not as soon as. Let them clean him or her up first. But I want you to take the newborn professional pictures. I want your style. Will you do that for us?”
“Are you kidding? I’d be honored.”
“If you get me in any of the pictures, make sure you Photoshop the hell out of them, okay?”
He chuckled. “I’ll make sure you look beautiful.”
She pulled him close and hugged him again. “Thank you.”
When he stepped back, there were tears in her eyes.
“Don’t stress,” Tommy said. “She’s been crying over everything for the last week, at least. Literally, everything.”
“Don’t patronize me, Tommy Bryant,” Camila snapped.
He squeezed her arm. “I’m not patronizing you, baby. But seriously, you do cry over every little thing right now.”
She swiped at the tears welling in her eyes and offered up a watery smile. “He’s right.”
“It’ll pass, I’m sure,” Amelia said.
“Yeah, l
ike that mucus plug,” Camila quipped, and she and Tommy both fell into a laughing fit.
Elliot and Amelia stared at each other.
“Sorry,” Tommy said, recovering first. “Bad pregnancy joke. Which is so hilarious because everything you’ve heard about the experience is absolutely disgusting and entirely true.”
They both started laughing again.
“I don’t get it,” Amelia whispered to Elliot.
“Yeah, me neither.”
“You will,” Camila said between gasps for breath. “Someday. Trust me, pregnancy is not for the faint of heart. It’s really pretty gross. In fact, I’m probably going to poo—”
Her face scrunched up and she squeezed her eyes shut while her entire body went rigid as she reached out blindly. Tommy grabbed her hand and then grimaced; she must have a hell of a grip. She began breathing in quick pants, sweat beading on her brow, while Tommy watched the monitor on the other side of the bed like he understood what the jagged lines meant.
“Looks like it peaked, baby. You’re coming down now. Almost there. Almost there. You did it.”
Camila, with her eyes closed, nodded while her breathing slowly returned to normal.
When it was all said and done, Tommy looked almost as exhausted as she did.
“How’s the job?” Camila asked a few seconds later. “Hurry, tell me before the next contraction hits.”
Elliot gave Amelia a swift glance and said, “Er, it’s fine. Um, obviously I got it.” He waved at Amelia.
“What happened to your leg?” Camila asked, directing the question to Amelia.
“Bone contusion,” Tommy supplied, which was nice because Elliot imagined Amelia must be sick of answering that question by now.
“That sucks,” Camila said. “Is it normal in your company for the boss to attend the birth of one of her new employee’s niece or nephew?”
Amelia chuckled. “No. This is my first time doing this, actually.”
“I didn’t want to leave her alone,” Elliot said, defending his decision to bring her along to a family event, even though they weren’t anything beyond co-workers. “With the bad leg.”
