by Sandi Lynn
“Sure. I’d love to. But I can’t be out too late, I have a lot of studying to do.”
“No problem. I’ll make sure you’re home early. How about I pick you up around six?”
“Six sounds great. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye, Amelia.”
I looked at Jacob as he sat on the bed, holding his thumb up in the air. “Thanks, bro.”
“No problem.” He smiled.
After I left Jacob’s house, I went straight home. My mom was in the living room, working on one of her paintings, and my dad was sitting on the couch with his laptop when I walked in.
“Hi, Collin. Did you and Jacob have fun?” my mom asked.
I walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Yeah, we had fun.”
“How’s he doing?” my dad asked.
“He wasn’t all that great tonight. Diana said the doctor changed his meds.”
“Damn, I wish there was something more we could do for him,” my dad said.
“On another note, I called Amelia and we’re having dinner tomorrow night.”
“Oh good, you can bring her to family dinner.” My mom smiled.
“Um. I forgot that was tomorrow night. Mom—”
“You won’t be missing family dinner tomorrow night, Collin. I expect you and Amelia to be here,” she said as she got up and left the room.
I turned and looked at my dad, who was sitting there with a big smile on his face. “You have to listen to your mother. Don’t disappoint her, son,” he said as he looked at his laptop screen.
I rolled my eyes and went up to my room. I pulled my phone from my pocket and sent Amelia a text message.
“We have to have dinner at my house tomorrow night. I forgot it’s family dinner night and my mom is making me be here. She told me she wants you to come. I’m sorry and I would completely understand if you changed your mind.”
“No need to apologize. I think family dinner is great. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Really.”
“I’m still picking you up.”
“Okay. I’ll be ready and waiting.”
Chapter 17
The limo pulled up to the curb of the Third Avenue Building North. I sent Amelia a text message to let her know I had arrived. I looked at Ralph as he just sat there.
“Ralph, you need to get out and open the door for Amelia.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Black,” he said as he jumped out of the limo.
I rolled my eyes and sighed. I think my dad made a mistake when he hired Ralphie. As I looked out the window, I could see Amelia walking down the stairs. Ralphie opened the limo door and she climbed inside and sat down next to me. She looked beautiful in her black and pink floral sundress. The way she wore her hair was different from what I was used to seeing. Instead of wearing it straight, she had soft waves going through it. Shit. I was starting to get hard just looking at her, not to mention that she smelled like roses again.
“You look great.” I smiled.
“Thanks. So do you.”
We talked a bit about her classes as Ralph drove us back to the penthouse. We took the elevator up and I could tell she was impressed. As soon as the doors opened and we stepped into the foyer, Julia came sprinting from the kitchen.
“Hi, I’m Julia, Collin’s sister. You must be Amelia.”
“Yes, I am. It’s nice to meet you. Congratulations on your baby.”
Julia smiled and put her hands on her stomach. “Thank you. Did Collin tell you it’s a boy?”
“Yes, he did. That’s so exciting.”
Julia hooked her arm around Amelia’s and led her to the kitchen. As I followed behind, I couldn’t help but take in the amazing aroma that filled the penthouse. When I approached the kitchen, I walked up to my mom and kissed her on the cheek.
“It smells great in here, Mom.”
“Thanks, sweetie.” She smiled.
I turned around and found that my dad, Jake, and Julia were all talking to Amelia. Just as I was going over to join the discussion, I heard Denny approaching the kitchen.
“Smells excellent in here, Ellery!” he said rather loudly.
I walked over to him and gave him a light hug. “I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight.”
“I was feeling a little better, so I decided to come over and hassle your old man.” He smiled.
“I heard that, Denny.” My dad smiled as they shook hands.
I walked over and asked Amelia to come and meet Denny. “Denny, this is my friend, Amelia.”
Denny looked her up and down and then smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Amelia,” he said as he lightly kissed her hand.
“Thank you, Denny. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Don’t listen to them. They don’t know what they’re talking about.”
Amelia and I both laughed at the same time. My mom announced that it was time for dinner and she wanted everyone seated in the dining room. Denny took my arm and pulled me aside.
“She’s stunning, son. She reminds me of your mother all those years ago. She’s a keeper and I have no doubt that she’s the one.”
“I think it’s way too early for that, Uncle Denny.” I chuckled.
“Funny, your father said the same thing.” He winked.
I patted him on the back and we all took our seats at the table. After we finished with dinner, we ate the tasty fruit flans my mom had bought from the bakery, and then Amelia and I got up and sat down on the couch.
“I hope you’re having a good time?”
“I am. Your family is wonderful. You’re very lucky to have them in your life. Never once take them for granted,” she said with sadness.
“I’m sorry, Amelia. This must be hard for you.”
She turned towards me and placed her hand on mine. “It is a little bit because it makes me miss my own family. But, it feels good to be a part of something, even if it is only for a couple of hours. “I’m curious to see your bedroom,” she said.
I looked at her in confusion. “Really?”
“Did you know that you can tell a lot about a person by the way their bedroom is decorated?”
“No. I didn’t know that. But you’re more than welcome to analyze it if you want.” I smiled.
She smiled back as we got up from the couch and I led her up to my bedroom. She opened the door and, when we stepped inside, she looked all around. She walked over to my bed and ran her hand across it. Then she walked over to the windows, looked out them, turned to my dresser, and then looked at the pictures hanging on my wall.
“You are driven and you enjoy the thrill of a chase. You know what you want, and you know how to get it. This room also tells me that you’re sensual and sexy. You love sex and you seek it out whenever you can.”
“Now that is not true,” I interrupted. “Sex just happens to find me.” I smiled.
She shot me a small smile and shook her head. “Your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness: Your craving for physical pleasure.”
“Okay, who have you been talking to?”
She looked at me and bit her bottom lip, then she looked down at the floor. I began to walk towards her slowly. “There’s no way you could have guessed all that just by looking at my bedroom.” I smiled as I approached her and started to tickle her. I wouldn’t stop until she confessed. She fell back on the bed and I fell on top of her, still tickling her until she gave up.
“Okay, okay.” She laughed. “I googled you and I asked around campus.”
“Why did you do that?” I smiled as I continued to tickle her. I stopped tickling her and stared into her blue eyes. “Why didn’t you just ask me?” I whispered.
“Because then you’d know I was interested,” she whispered back.
We both shared a moment, and I wanted nothing more than to brush my lips against hers. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she wanted me too. I ran the back of
my hand across her cheek as I inched my lips closer to hers. Before I knew it, her soft lips were touching mine. I kissed her softly and then looked at her to make sure she was okay with it. She smiled at me and that was my cue to keep going. I brought my lips to hers once again and, this time, I felt them part, inviting my tongue into her mouth. Our lips moved together in sync and I could feel her smiling from underneath. I broke the kiss before it went any further and stared into her eyes.
“I think we should stop. You need to go and study.”
“Good idea,” she whispered.
I got up, took hold of her hand, and helped her from the bed. “Can I see you again?” I asked.
“I would like that very much.”
I leaned in and kissed her softly again. “Let’s go. I’ll drive you home.”
“Not Ralphie?” she asked.
“No. Not Ralphie. Just me and you,” I said.
We walked downstairs and Amelia said goodbye to my parents and Julia and Jake. We hopped into the Range Rover and I drove her back to her apartment.
“Would you like to come up?” she asked.
“As much as I want to, I don’t want to interfere with your studying. So go and get some studying done and promise me you’ll go out with me tomorrow night.”
“I promise that I’ll go out with you tomorrow night.” She smiled as she tilted her head.
“And I promise my parents won’t be there.” I laughed.
“Good night, Mr. Black,” Amelia said as she reached up and brushed her lips against mine.
“Good night, Miss Gray,” I responded as our lips locked one last time for the night.
****
As I walked up the stairs to my room, my mom came from her bedroom and stopped me.
“I thought I heard you come in.” She smiled. “Thank you for bringing Amelia to dinner tonight. She’s a lovely girl, Collin.”
“Yeah, she is. Isn’t she?”
She followed me to my room as I set my phone and wallet on my dresser. “Can I tell you something?” she asked.
“Sure, Mom. What is it?” I replied as I pulled off my shirt.
“You’re reminding me a lot of your dad in his younger years.”
“For God’s sake, Ellery, you’re making me sound like I’m an old geezer.” My dad smiled as he stood in the doorway.
I looked at my dad and laughed. “You’re not a geezer yet, Dad.”
“Connor, I love you, but I’m trying to have a conversation with our son. Go back to bed and I’ll be in there shortly.”
“I’ll be waiting anxiously, Elle.” He winked.
I rolled my eyes and threw a pillow at him. “Dad, stop!”
He chuckled as he threw the pillow back at me and headed to his room.
“Mom, is there a point to this conversation?” I asked.
“Yes, there is. You have the same qualities as your father and the same amazing heart. Any woman would be a fool not to have you in her life. It takes a very special person to stand by someone through the thick and thin of things. I just want you to remember that I’m here for you when you need to talk. Your father and I have been through so much during our years together and if he wasn’t the man he is, he never would have forgiven me and stuck by me the way he has. Even broken people can be fixed and there’s no need to be frightened about trying to heal them.”
I looked at her in confusion. Where the hell was this coming from? Could she see that I had some fears about Amelia? That I felt she was too closed off and burdened with the death of her family and boyfriend that it would cause problems in a relationship? She was my mom and nobody knew me better than she did.
“Thanks, Mom.” I smiled as I kissed her on the cheek. “Dad’s waiting for you. Please do me a favor and keep it down.”
She laughed as she hugged me. “I’m sorry that we do this to you. Goodnight, baby.”
“Goodnight, Mom.”
I climbed into bed and as soon as I set my phone on my nightstand, it buzzed with a text message from Julia.
“I really like Amelia. I think the two of you are super cute together and I don’t want you to do anything to fuck it up.”
“I really like her too. She’s different, Julia. I feel things I never have before.”
“I know you do, little brother. I can see it in you.”
“I’m a little scared.”
“Do I need to come up there and smack you?”
I laughed.
“I wouldn’t advise that. Mom and Dad are getting it on down the hall. I really need to move out!”
“Haha. Better you than me! Put your earplugs in. Night.”
I smiled as I set down my phone and pulled the sheet on top of me. As I placed my hands behind my head, I couldn’t stop thinking about Amelia. I couldn’t wait to see her tomorrow. She was starting to consume my every thought and I prayed to God that I consumed hers.
Chapter 18
Before I picked up Amelia at her apartment, I stopped and picked up Chinese carryout and a bottle of wine for us. She thought we were going to eat it in her apartment, but I had another plan. It was a beautiful evening and it needed to be spent enjoying it. I walked up to her door and knocked. She opened it with a big smile on her face and invited me in.
“Hi.” I smiled as I placed my hands on her hips and lightly kissed her.
“Hi.”
I looked around the small place she called home and was quite impressed at how cozy it seemed. “You never mentioned a roommate. Do you not have one?” I asked.
“I used to have one when I lived in another building. But after the accident, I moved here and I just wanted to be alone. So, to answer your question, no, I don’t have a roommate.”
“Well, your apartment is nice. I like it.” I smiled.
“Thank you. It’s okay. Did you bring the food?”
“I did. But I left it in the car. I decided that we’re going to eat it somewhere else.”
“Sounds like you have a plan.” She smiled.
“I do. So if you’ll come with me, I’ll show you,” I said as I stuck out my arm.
It took us less than five minutes to get to Central Park. I parked the Range Rover and looked over at Amelia as she smiled at me.
“Central Park?”
“Yep. Central Park. This is one of my favorite places to be.”
We got out of the Range Rover and I grabbed the basket from the back seat. I handed Amelia the blanket and I grabbed her hand as we walked through Central Park.
“So tell me why Central Park is one of your favorite places.”
“It’s my mom’s favorite place to escape, and it’s a place where Julia and I spent a lot of time. When we were kids, my mom would bring us here while she painted one of her pictures. Our nanny, Mason, used to bring us here to play and our family would have big picnics in the park. It sort of became like a second home to us.”
“That’s really special, Collin.” She smiled.
“I’m sorry. I think I kind of got a little sappy.”
Amelia playfully smacked me on the arm. “You did not. Did you bring any paper plates?”
“For what?” I asked.
“For the Chinese food.”
A playful grin spread across my face. “We don’t need plates. We’ll eat out of the cartons.”
“That’s barbaric.”
“No, it’s not.” I laughed. “It’s fun and we can share.”
I grabbed a piece of sweet and sour chicken with my chopsticks and brought it up to her mouth. “Be careful; it’s hot.”
She carefully blew on it first before putting it in her mouth. God, she was so sexy and my mind was picturing very inappropriate things. We talked and laughed and Amelia told me how nervous she was to start her clinicals. After we finished eating, we put the cartons back in the basket and I poured us another glass of wine. By this time, darkness had settled in and the stars were shining brightly above us. She lay back on the blanket and patted the ground for me to do the same. We stretched out a
nd looked up at the sky.
“Do you see the man in the moon?” she asked.
“Yeah, I see him. He looks happy tonight.”
“I’m happy tonight,” she said as she turned her head and looked at me.
“Me too.” I smiled as I reached over and took her hand, interlacing our fingers together.
We lay there in silence for a moment, and then Amelia started to point out some of the constellations. We laughed as I pointed to what I thought was the Little Dipper, but I was wrong. Then, suddenly, her voice became quiet.
“My father’s life was sailing. It was his passion. He began teaching me how to sail when I was just three years old. My older sister, Alana, never really got into it, but I did. My favorite part of the boat was the sail. I was so fascinated by how that piece of material, powered by the wind, made the boat sail. Like this is your place of peace, mine was the open water. My family would sail for days on end. One time, my dad took an entire month off work and we took the boat out and sailed on the open water. A whole month,” she said as she looked at me. “I loved it. My mom and sister said it was way too long and they were anxious to get home. I could have stayed on that boat forever.”
I tightened my fingers around hers and watched her as she slowly closed her eyes. “My family and I raced in the boat races in California. It was the one thing my dad looked forward to every year. Two years ago was the first time Billy went with us. They were calling for storms that day, but according to the radar, the storms wouldn’t be in our area until the races were over. We set sail and my dad had a plan. He was determined to win that race. I stood by his side the whole time. I was his second in command and his execution was always flawless. We were going strong and everyone was having a good time. We were blowing by the other boats and suddenly, out of nowhere, clouds darkened the sky and the waves picked up. My dad yelled at me to go sit down and hold on tight. My mom started to panic and he yelled at her to stop and to hold on as tight as she could. I’ll never forget looking at him and seeing the fear in his eyes. All I could hear were the screams of the other people on the other boats. The winds were high and the waves hit the boat, throwing a rush of water from the bow over all of us. My dad was losing control and the boat was tipping. I’d never been so scared in my life. Billy shouted my name and begged me to come to him. But I couldn’t. My dad made a sharp turn towards an island in the distance and other boats went the opposite way. I kept telling him to turn around because there were no beaches near the islands. When I looked through the binoculars, all I saw were rugged, rocky shores. I knew if we hit those rocks, there was no turning back.”
