As I lay here wide awake, yet completely exhausted, Amelia starts screaming. I quickly jump off the bed and go to her. She’s sweaty and thrashing around in bed, which can’t be good for the stitches in her chest or side.
“Amelia, honey, wake up. It’s only a dream. I’m here. You’re safe,” I say, gently shaking her arms to try to get her to wake up.
She’s breathing heavy and she opens her eyes wide and looks around, then throws herself into my arms. All I can do is hold her. I wish I could take this away from her.
“It’s OK, honey. You’re safe now,” I assure her again.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up,” she says tearfully.
“You didn’t wake me up, honey. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
I pull away and look her in the eyes. Once again, I have such hate for that man. Amelia has been through so much in such a short time.
I just hope that with the right therapy she can make a full recovery, not only physically, but mentally as well. I have complete faith that she will. She has the love and support of not only me, but her entire family. I lay her back down and curl up to her side.
“I’ll stay right here, you get some sleep. Tomorrow I’m taking you home,” I tell her and gently stroke her hair until she falls back asleep.
The next morning she’s checked by her doctor and given the all clear for me to take her home. She didn’t put up a fight about coming home with me. Her whole family is here again, and Willow and Ava are helping her get dressed.
Chloe is home with Amelia’s mom, Samantha, and they’re both anxiously waiting for us to get there. Asher needs to go back to work, since Amelia will be out for at least three weeks. Adrian and Aiden, also need to return to work.
The short drive to my house takes no time at all and Samantha is waiting in the doorway, to help me get Amelia in the house. We set up Chloe and Amelia in my bed, it just made more sense they be in the same place and the two of them are now inseparable.
The first week was the hardest, but Chloe is now one hundred percent recovered physically and Amelia is almost there. They both have gone to counseling and I’m relieved it has helped them tremendously.
Amelia had a few more nightmares the first few nights, but they seem to be gone now. Ava and Chloe have hit it off and have become fast best friends, in the next few days Chloe will be moving in with Ava. I wasn’t too happy about that, but Chloe insisted. I wish I could keep Chloe and Amelia safe in my house forever, but Chloe wanted to give Amelia and I time to ourselves.
By the end of the week, Chloe is all moved in with Ava and she’s even started to take steps to get back into an internship program at the hospital. She has some catching up to do, but in no time I’m sure she’ll be ready to take her boards and become a board certified obstetrician and gynecologist.
I’ve been slowly moving Amelia’s things into my house, from her apartment. I have no intentions of her ever moving out. She hasn’t agreed to officially move in with me, but she hasn’t said anything about more and more of her stuff showing up either. Her wounds have healed nicely and she’s been getting antsy just sitting around the house. We’re both going back to work this Monday.
She was nervous to be left home alone in the beginning, but with the help of her therapist, we’ve made tremendous progress. This is only the second time I’ve left her alone. I went to her house to pick up a few things she needed, and then picked up take-out for dinner. I walk in the door and call out to her.
“Amelia, I’m home,” I call into the house.
There’s no answer. Panic sets in and I rush from room to room looking for her.
I rush into the bedroom to find her sitting in the center of the bed, wearing sexy as hell black lingerie and her signature fire-engine red stilettos. The sight of her gives me and instant hard on.
“Amelia, are you sure you’re ready for this, I don’t want to hurt you?” I ask her.
“I’m completely fine. At my last check-up, I asked my doctor if I could resume sexual activity and he gave me the all clear,” she says while crooking her finger at me.
“You did?” I ask surprised.
“Yes, I did.”
You don’t have to tell me twice. I strip out of my clothes on the way to the bed and trail feather light kisses up her thigh all the way to her throat. She covers the almost all the way healed scar on her chest with her hand. I look her in the eyes and shake my head, then remove her hand.
“You’re beautiful. Don’t ever hide anything from me. I love you, Amelia,”
I kiss down her breast taking her nipple in my mouth. She gasps and her head falls back. I kiss and lick my way down her stomach to find her wet and ready for me. God she smells so good. I take her in my mouth and swirl her with my tongue, I insert two fingers and she lights up on fire, writhing and moaning. It doesn’t take long to make her come and her insides clench around my fingers.
“Come on, I have an idea. I don’t want to hurt you,” I tell her, taking her hand, then lead her to the bathroom, grabbing my t-shirt on the way.
“Grab on to the tub,” I tell her.
She bends over and grabs the side of the tub, presenting me with the sight of her glorious ass. She’s so wet and ready for me. I wrap the t-shirt around her waist and hold the ends in my hand at her sides. I slowly enter her from behind and pull her close with the t-shirt, taking off most of her weight from the tub. She gasps and moans.
“Are you alright?” I question her.
“Oh my God. That’s amazing. Don’t stop,” she moans.
With the t-shirt, I pull her into me hard. The t-shirt takes me deep inside her and at this rate, it won’t take me long at all. She moans with pleasure, stands on her tip toes and tilts her ass to a new position. I didn’t think I could get any deeper, but this new position makes me groan in ecstasy as she takes all of me. With a few more pulls, I come inside her. Bending over I kiss the center of her back and pump lightly into her a few more times before standing up and pulling out. I turn her around and wrap her in my arms.
“Was that alright? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” I ask her concerned.
“I know you used the t-shirt to help me, but I have to tell you, that did crazy things to me. You didn’t hurt me at all. I feel great. The t-shirt though, will definitely be used more often,” she says, kisses me, then swats me on the ass.
I kiss her again, then let her get cleaned up.
“I brought dinner home, come downstairs when you’re ready. I’ll go get everything ready,” I tell her and shut the bathroom door.
I pull on a pair of sweats and head downstairs, to set out our dinner at the coffee table. Amelia soon comes down and sits next to me on the couch. She kisses my cheek and gives me a smile.
“Move in with me,” I tell her rather than ask.
“What?” she replies with surprise.
“You live here now as it is, let’s make it official. I don’t want to ever be without you. My house has never been a home, until you started staying here. Nothing would make me happier than to make it permanent. What do you say?”
I can see the shock on her face, but I can also see the love in her eyes.
“You’re sure about this?” I can tell that she feels the same way that I do.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” I tell her honestly.
“Then I say yes,” she says, claps her hands and straddles my lap.
She pulls me into a slow kiss that quickly turns heated. She sweeps her tongue in and I pull her close.
“Amelia, I love you so much,” I whisper in her ear.
She pulls away and looks into my eyes.
“Kyle, I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you. Thank you for taking care of me these past few weeks,” she says, as a tear runs down her cheek.
I quickly wipe it away and kiss where it trailed down her face.
“Don’t cry. It breaks my heart when you cry, even when they’re happy tears. These are happy tears, right?”
I ask, suddenly thinking there might be something wrong, or she’s changed her mind about moving in with me.
“They’re happy tears. I never knew love could be like this. I do need to talk to you about one thing though,” she says and sits back on my legs.
“What is it, honey? You can tell me anything,” I say and tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, then smile at her.
“We didn’t use protection just now. I’m not complaining, mind you. I just want to make sure we’re both OK, with whatever outcome that might bring,” she says.
“No, we didn’t. I wouldn’t complain either, whatever outcome we might have.”
A smile creeps on her lips and she straddles my hips. She gives me a tight squeeze, then showers kisses all over my face. If by some miracle we did just create a baby, I’d be over the moon happy. I’m so in love with this woman and nothing would make me happier than to be the father of our child.
“Let’s eat dinner before it goes cold, again,” she says and climbs off my lap.
We eat dinner sitting side by side on the couch.
“Willow is coming back to work Monday, too. Asher turned one of the offices on his floor into a day care for Abbey. The nanny they hired is going to come to work with them. If everything goes well, Willow may even come back to work full time. Wouldn’t that be amazing? I can’t wait to get back to work and have a normal schedule again. Aren’t you excited to get back to work and bring all those beautiful, cuddly babies into the world?”
“I’m glad Willow will be there on your first day back. You need to take it easy and not overwork yourself. You’re still recovering and I want you to promise me, if you have any pain in your chest to call me immediately.”
“Yes, bossy man. I will. I feel great. Nothing is going to go wrong.”
“Chloe is starting her internship at the hospital Monday, too. It’s going to be nice working with my sister again. Are we going to dinner at your parents tomorrow? My mom would like to take us out to lunch, if you’re up to it.”
“Yes, this will be the first dinner back together as a family since everything happened. I’m so excited to see everyone. Lunch with your mom sounds good,” she says with a yawn, then rests her head on my shoulder.
“I think someone had a big day and needs to go to bed. Go on up, I’ll clean up down here and be up in a few minutes.”
Chapter 13
Amelia
I climb the stairs with mixed emotions. I’m excited to move in with Kyle, but wonder if it’s just a little too fast. A lot has happened in such a short amount of time. I don’t have any doubts about my love for Kyle, or his love for me. I’d rather get married or at least engaged before moving in with a man. But I also know that I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else other than with this man, in this house for the rest of my life. I climb in Kyle’s bed, rather our bed and place my hand on my stomach. What if we did just get pregnant? A smile forms on my lips and honestly, it would make me the happiest woman if I were.
I hear Kyle moving downstairs locking the front door and turning off lights. He gently gets in bed and presses himself to my back and wraps his arm around my waist. He pulls my hair away, then kisses my neck.
“I love you, Kyle,” I whisper.
He buries his nose in my hair and whispers, “I love you too.”
We’re both soon asleep.
The next morning I wake up to the smell of coffee, as the mattress dips. Kyle kisses my cheek and I smile with my eyes still closed.
“Wake up, sleepy head. We need to get ready for lunch with my mom,” he says, placing a cup of coffee on the nightstand.
I open my eyes to the best man in the world. Why? Because he brings me coffee in bed, that’s why. It’s the little things that he does for me that make me love him even more.
“What time is it?” I ask.
“It’s almost ten. If you want to get a shower before lunch, you need to get moving,” he says and swats me on the ass playfully.
“Ten, you’re kidding? I’ve never slept this late before,” I tell him and sit up.
“Your body is still recovering, you need your rest. Go ahead and get in the shower, you don’t have that much time.”
I take my coffee and head into the bathroom, turn the shower on and let the room fill with warm steam. It’s so nice to finally be able to take a shower without worrying about getting my wound wet. I look down and touch the small round shaped scar.
Asher told me he would get the best plastic surgeon, if I wanted. Honestly, it doesn’t bother me that much. Kyle doesn’t seem to mind. I’ve seen anger in his eyes sometimes when he looks at it, but never disgust. If I ever did consider having it removed, I’d only do it, so I didn’t have to see the sadness and anger written all over his face. I don’t like that he’s reminded of that day every time he sees it. Getting the scar removed though, would only take it away on the outside. There will always be a scar on the inside and that is something no amount of money can ever take away.
Kyle and I meet his mom and to my surprise, Chloe, at the restaurant. I kiss Chloe, then his mother on the cheek and Kyle holds out my chair for me to sit. There’s something different about Mary and I just can’t put my finger on it. Life is moving on for Chloe, she seems really happy and if I didn’t know any better the two of them were up to something.
“What has the two of you looking so cheery today?” I ask weary of what the two of them have cooking.
Mary blushes and touches her hair, tucking it behind her ear.
“I didn’t want to say anything just yet, but Steve and I have been talking and well, we’re going out on a date tonight,” Mary says embarrassed.
“Mom, that’s great news. Why wouldn’t you tell us that? Do you think you and dad will get back together?” Chloe asks excitedly.
“Now, don’t go getting your hopes too high. We’re going to take this one day at a time and see where it goes,” Mary tells her.
“Eee, that would be so cool if you two got back together,” Chloe says.
“I’ve been seeing someone myself,” Chloe says, as she plays with her hands in her lap.
“You are, who?” I ask surprised.
I know she’s been busy with work, I don’t know when she even has the time to date.
“His name is uh . . . Max,” she says unsure.
“Are you sure that’s his name, you kind of stumbled over it. Where does he work? What does he do? Where does he live? Where did you meet him?” Kyle drills back at her.
“Kyle, lighten up. She’ll tell us everything when she’s ready. Chloe, you don’t have to answer any of his questions,” I say and give Kyle a dirty look.
Kyle sighs and our food is delivered. There’s no more talk about dating, but I can tell Kyle isn’t happy about this news of Chloe dating. I put my hand on his thigh and give him the look, to lighten up. His mood is ruining lunch for his sister. By the end of the meal, Kyle hardly touched his food. We say our goodbyes and we head home in silence.
“Kyle, what’s bothering you?” I ask and look at him driving white knuckled.
“I don’t know if Chloe is ready to be dating yet. I think it’s a bad idea,” he says flatly.
“Chloe is the only person who should decide when she’s ready to date. You can’t tell her what she should or shouldn’t be doing. She needs to live her life and put the past behind her. If it makes you happy, I’ll ask her if she’s talked to her therapist about this or not. If her therapist knows and thinks it’s OK, then so should you. I’m sure your support means the world to Chloe.”
He sighs deeply again and I can tell he’s taking my words at heart. His knuckles turn pink again and he visibly relaxes.
“You’ll ask her?”
“I’ll call her when we get home. Kyle, everything’s going to be fine. I’ll see if I can get her to open up a little about this Max. If she’s not ready, I won’t force her.”
“Alright, I know you’re right, this is really hard though. I only want to make sure this perso
n is a good guy. I need to make sure she’s treated with respect and he understands what she’s gone through,” he says, pulls in our driveway and turns off the car.
He doesn’t move to get out and I know there’s something more on his mind.
“Kyle, look at me. What else is bothering you?” I ask concerned.
“It’s my mom and dad. My dad and I haven’t had a great relationship since Chloe disappeared. I’m angry with him. I’m not so sure I can be so forgiving as my mom, to give him a second chance,” he says.
“I see. You’re not going to like what I have to say about that, either. Your mom is a grown woman and she can make her own decisions. It was a tragedy that broke them apart. It wasn’t for any other reason other than what happened to Chloe.
“Chloe is back now and safe. I heard the things your dad said to Chloe when I was in the hospital. He really loves her and I know he feels extremely guilty for giving up on her. I honestly think in his heart, he never really gave up hope. I think it was easier for him to function as a human being able to tell himself she was happily on a sabbatical, rather than think about someone holding her prisoner and the things that they may be doing to her.
“I know Chloe doesn’t hold it against him. I think she understands and I think you should try too. This all happened to Chloe and if she doesn’t hold it against him, I don’t think you should either.
“Life is too short and you never know how long a person has on this earth. I know myself, I’d rather forgive a person and have them in my life while I can, than be mad at them and waste the time we have to spend together.
“Nothing is so bad that it can’t be worked out. I know it’s hard to forgive and forget, but it’s better to forgive, than to lose someone you love.”
Kyle has a blank stare on his face and I start to think that maybe I should have just kept my big mouth shut. He grabs me around the back of my neck and pulls me in for crushing hug.
“How did you get so smart? After everything you’ve been through, you still have it in your heart to forgive people and see the good in everyone,” he say, pulls away, then searches my eyes.
Running Into Love - The Complete Box Set Page 29
