by J. Saman
I fall onto the rolling stool, ready to pull up her chart before passing her off to another provider if she says yes. She jumps back up onto the table, swinging her legs back and forth.
“Amelia is miserable,” she starts and wow, that was a perfectly aimed sucker punch. The effect has my lungs emptying.
“Miserable?” I parrot.
“Yes. She’s been doing nothing but moping around for the last few days. She didn’t change out of her pajamas or even shower until this morning before having to go to work.”
I sigh. And sag. And feel like someone is poking at my chest with an eleven blade. “I tried calling her, Layla. She won’t talk to me.”
“Because she thinks she’s doing you a favor or something. I don’t know. It all sounds like bullshit to me.”
“Language,” I warn, knowing full well I sound like my mother. And Amelia.
“Whatever. It’s true. She loves you. She told me. Then she gave me this whole long excuse thing, but I think the truth is, she’s scared. Scared of loving you and having you leave her like everyone else has.”
I stare at the young woman on the table. “Layla, where did you learn something like that?”
She rolls her eyes at me, and just like that, she’s a kid again. “From books, duh. I read plenty of romance novels and watch plenty of movies. I know how this all works. Amelia is scared. She doesn’t think she belongs with you and she’s afraid you’ll realize that and leave her.”
I stand, crossing the room and hopping up onto the table next to her. Tossing my arm over her shoulder, I draw her into my side. “I love your sister, Layla. I love her more than anything in the world. I love you too, and I want all of us to be together. Scared or not, she won’t talk to me. I was actually going to show up at your place tonight and demand she listen to me.”
“Dude, she’d freak at that. She’s too stubborn.”
Tell me about it.
“Plus, Saggingballs was calling her all weekend.”
I glare down at the lanky child. “Are you trying to make me postal?”
She laughs. “No. She’s quitting actually. Christa Foreman called her and offered her a job at Wilchester as the new school nurse. By doing that, the other half of my tuition is covered as part of her benefits.”
Damn. That… has me smiling for so many reasons. Goddammit, Amelia, is there anything you can’t do? She doesn’t need me. She never did. But hell if I don’t need her.
“Christa Foreman? You’re sure?”
“Positive. She said she felt bad for the way she treated Amelia all those years. She also told her Nora tried to get me kicked out of school. Tried to blackmail her into doing it while lying about Amelia.”
And just like that, my smile is gone.
I fly off the table, heading for the door only to spin around and march back in Layla’s direction. That was it. The final fucking straw. Pregnant or not, she went too far with that. Hell, she had already gone too far, but that? Trying to ruin a kid’s future?
How fucking crazy and vindictive can one woman be?
“I’ll deal with Nora,” I tell her. A phone call to Rob. A phone call to Grace, who is in fact her OB. A possible phone call to the police. We warned her that if she didn’t back off, we’d take action. Well guess what, that’s exactly what I’m going to do now.
No one messes with my girls. No one.
“Awesome. But I don’t care about Nora. I’m not getting kicked out of school and now I have a full scholarship. Yet another thing Amelia is doing to sacrifice herself for me. I have to make her happy, Oliver, and the happiest I’ve ever seen her is when she’s with you.”
I join her again on the table, hugging my little Sprite. She has no idea how much I needed to hear that. Hear that Amelia loves me as much as I love her. Hear that I make her happy.
Everything else we can manage. All that matters is that we’re together.
And if she’s too stubborn to see that, then I’ll have to prove it to her.
“I need you to help me get your sister back. If she won’t talk to me, I don’t know what else to do.”
Layla’s cornflower blue eyes light up. “Oh, I think I know the perfect way to do that.”
35
AMELIA
It’s been a week since I’ve talked to Oliver. A week where I’ve second guessed everything I’ve done with him. Right from the very beginning. Especially since he’s stopped calling. Three days of calls and texts and then gone.
I guess I can’t blame him for that, I never picked up or wrote back.
Still, it hurts more than I should probably let it.
I knew this was who he was. A man who moved on. A man who never let a woman hold him back for long. A man who was adamant about never getting involved again. I walked away from him. I gave up on him.
And the moment I was ready to pick up the phone, he stopped calling.
Now I just feel broken.
Sad. Dejected. Mournful. Stupid. So fucking stupid for doing what I did. For thinking I was protecting him when what I was actually doing was protecting myself.
There has been no news about us. If Oliver told the world we were no longer engaged, I haven’t seen it anywhere. I have no idea what, if anything, he’s said to his parents. I haven’t even heard from Rina, so I guess that friendship is gone along with Oliver.
At least I only have two more months of Sagginalls who was not happy about letting me go. He tried to get me to stay. In fact, he offered for me to keep only my OR days, which I would have done since I love the OR if it weren’t for Wilchester needing me there full-time. I figure I can go back to the OR when Layla is done with high school and off to college.
I promised to stay for the summer and help him train whomever the new person he decides to hire is. No doubt she’ll be young and beautiful and have zero nursing experience.
Until then, I’m shopping for a place for us closer to Wilchester and excited about this new venture for Layla. For us. I’m excited too. Though it’s impossible to get excited about anything when it feels like your heart is missing from your chest.
“Come on,” Layla whines at me, grabbing my arm and tugging on me. “I’m bored. I’m sick of sitting in the house. You refused to go out with me at all this week, fine. But you need a shower. And a change of clothes. And to stop eating the popcorn we made last night because it has to be stale.”
I glance down at the large red bowl on my lap. The popcorn is stale, but I don’t care. It was here, and I was too lazy to make myself breakfast. Layla’s right. I am a mess. And this isn’t exactly the best lesson in heartache or how to be a good big sister/guardian.
“Okay,” I relent. “What do you want to do?”
“I want to get some new books because I’ve already done all of my summer reading and the library has nothing I want.”
I need to get Layla a Kindle or some type of e-reader. The cost of all these paperbacks is killing me. “Two books,” I tell her because I seriously cannot afford more. Not if we’re going to be moving. Moving is expensive as balls.
“Fine. Two books. But they’ll have to be thick at the rate I’m plowing through them.”
That’s it. I’m saving every penny I earn and getting her a damn e-reader for Christmas.
I stand, setting the bowl of popcorn down with a regretful sigh. It would have been good with chocolate chips in it even though I don’t have any and I don’t particularly like chocolate. Another sigh flees my lips. I think I’m starting to lose it.
“Alright. Give me twenty minutes to get ready and we’ll go book shopping.”
Thirty minutes later—evidently it takes longer to brush through your hair when you haven’t brushed it in a week—we head out into the balmy summer day. Normally we hoof it up there since it’s only about two miles to the Barnes & Noble at the Pru, but it’s too damn hot so we hop on the E-line and take it up to Huntington, getting off at Prudential and then walking through the long mall, soaking up the air condition as we go.
&nb
sp; “Why don’t you just call him if he’s not calling you,” Layla suggests, eyeing the phone in my hand. “You’re going crazy without him. Kinda literally since you’ve put off almost all basic hygiene until today and have taken to eating junk food you hardly ever eat.”
“I wasn’t checking to see if he was calling me,” I lie. I absolutely was.
“Sure. Yeah. That’s why your face was so pinched up it looked like you were sucking a lemon.”
I nudge into her, evidently a bit too hard, because my skinny as a rail sister goes flying into one of those fake hair extensions stands and the woman running it thinks Layla is in the market for a new look when she has to grab on to a black wig to stop herself from falling to the ground.
“Sorry,” I apologize sheepishly, helping Layla up and handing the woman back the wig. “You okay?” I ask Layla.
“I’m fine,” she huffs, fixing her shirt that got twisted. “But next time you try to deny something we both know you’re doing, please do not take it on my body.”
“Deal. Come on, let’s go get you some books.”
“There’s this new vampire romance I want to get,” she starts as we head into the B&N. “But it’s not in young adult. It’s in romance.”
I cock an eyebrow. “Is it clean romance, or are you trying to sneak in some sexy vampire love?”
Layla’s cheeks pink up and she turns away, taking particular interest in the signs that indicate which section is which, though she knows the layout of this store by heart.
“I’m not sure. It’s probably a lot like Twilight.”
“Layla,” I start, but she just grabs my hand and drags me along, all the way to the romance section. A section I do not want to be in.
Stupid romance. Look where you’ve gotten me.
“Just look for yourself,” she begs, trying to get me with her large puppy dog eyes.
“Fine. But if I find any explicit sex, or even not so explicit sex, I’m cutting you—”
“Hey, don’t I know you?” someone asks behind us, and I spin around only to choke on my tongue. “We went to high school together. And middle school.”
Oliver steps forward until he’s directly before me, his eyes all over me, his sexy, confident smirk right there, front and center.
“You sat beside me in math,” he continues when I’m unable to speak. “That was the first time I noticed you. I was twelve. Then after that, I didn’t stop watching you. Something my mother told me just the other day. Apparently, I used to get into the car after school, but I wouldn’t let my mother leave until I saw you leave the school and get on the bus.”
Emotion clogs my throat. I look up into his oh so green eyes. I can’t believe he’s here. He’s actually here.
For me.
I glance over at Layla, and she’s smiling like the devil. Probably because she is the devil. Or my angel. She arranged this whole thing; it’s written all over her face.
“Is that so?” I ask, trying to fight my smile as I turn back to him.
God, how I’ve missed him. The scent of his cologne, all sandalwood, and spice. The heat of his body, how it engulfs mine the moment he’s nearby. His smile that never fails to have my body flutter with butterflies.
“Funny,” I remark. “I’m not sure I remember you.”
His arms wrap around my waist, dragging me into his chest. I fall helplessly to him, restraining myself not even a thought in my head.
“Is that so?” He throws my words back at me. His voice dips as does his head, his eyes now feasting on my lips. “I guess I’ll have to remind you then. How about I buy you and your sister lunch here in the mall?”
I blink at him because that is not what I was expecting him to say, or do for that matter, but then it clicks.
All of this.
Barnes & Noble at the Prudential. Him coming up to me and saying he knows me from high school. Him offering to buy us lunch.
This is how our fake relationship started. What we told everyone was our meet-cute.
I loop my arms around his neck and that smirk of his erupts into a full-blown smile. One that lights up his entire face.
“I guess we could do that.”
“Thank god,” he whispers, his face inching in even closer, the tip of his nose gliding back and forth against mine. “Because after lunch, I was thinking we could spend the afternoon together. And then I could buy you dinner. And then make you breakfast tomorrow morning. And then maybe you and Layla can move in with me. Or better yet, we can find a new place together.”
“Oliver.” It’s as far as I get, but he doesn’t care. He likes that I just said his name. He always has.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out my necklace, slipping it back around my neck and securing it with the clasp.
“Mine,” he says against my lips. “And I’m never letting you go again.”
Tears blur my vision, making it hard to see, my nose burning as I fight them back. “But, what about your parents? The media?”
“I told my parents everything. My mom already knew, believe it or not.”
He laughs at my gob smacked expression.
“She was onto us from the start, baby. My dad is another matter. He is desperate to talk to you and apologize. He’s a mess about it actually, which I’m kind of enjoying. As for the press?” He shrugs up an indifferent shoulder. “They can say and print whatever the hell they want. I don’t care, Amelia. I don’t care about any of it. I only care about you. You belong with me. In my world. By my side. Always.”
The first of my tears hit my cheeks just as his lips crash onto mine, stealing my breath and quelching my sob. I kiss him with everything I have, standing high on my tiptoes and not even caring that Layla is watching.
We are in the romance section, after all.
His forehead presses to mine. “I love you,” he says, lips layered with mine. “I love you so much. I was so scared to tell you for so long and now that just seems so ridiculous. I should have told you about it from the start. I should have never let you walk away from me. I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed you.”
“I love you too. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I ran out on you.”
“Don’t be. I understand why you did it. But Amelia, no more running.” He raises an eyebrow at me in warning. “I can’t handle you running from me, baby. You’re going to have to learn to trust and depend on me. Just as I will have to do with you.”
I kiss him again, telling him without words just what that means to me. Just how much I love him. How I never want to be separated from him again.
No more running. No more fear. Just us. Always, as he said.
“Just us,” I agree.
“So we can move in together? Find a place closer to Layla’s school?”
I shake my head, incredulous. “You’re serious about that? About us, the three of us, living together? Moving out to the suburbs?”
He scrunches his nose. “Maybe someplace in between is more our speed. We can figure it out together. But, baby, you’re going to have to get used to me spending my money. Spoiling my ladies. Taking care of us forever.”
I shake my head at that. I don’t know if I’ll ever be comfortable with his money or the way he likes to spoil us.
“I’ll work on it,” I promise. “Just don’t overdo it and nothing crazy.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll try, but I make no promises with that. I can be impulsive every now and then.” He winks at me, and I giggle.
Ain’t that the truth.
“No more lying to me, and I won’t hide anything from you. From now on, we’re open and honest with each other.”
“There is no other way.” His hand takes mine, kissing my knuckles one by one and then frowning when he reaches my fourth finger. “I miss my ring here. I don’t like how your hand looks without it.”
I laugh lightly at that. God, everything in me is light. All that heaviness of the last week gone.
“I felt naked without it all week.” I did. It was the weirdest sen
sation. I used to hate how uncomfortable having that ring on my hand made me feel, and then once it was gone, it was like I was missing a piece of myself.
A piece of him.
“Can I put it back on? Even if it’s just a placeholder for the future?”
I think about that, completely unsure how to answer.
“Yes,” Layla snaps, answering for me with a nudge to my back, shoving me harder into Oliver. “Yes. It’s not fake anymore, Amelia. It’s all real. Oliver wants us and we want him.”
“We’re not engaged though,” I reply to her before turning back to him. “Won’t that be weird?”
“Nah,” he says, taking the ring from his other pocket and slipping it back onto my finger. I stare down at the large, sparkling diamond, my heart so full it’s ready to explode. “This was always meant to be yours. My heart. My love. My life. My forever.”
Epilogue
OLIVER
Two weeks later
“I spoke to Grace today,” I tell Amelia, holding her hand as we walk through the quiet Chestnut Hill neighborhood, past the large houses that line this street. “She’s officially placed Nora on a seventy-two-hour psych hold.”
Amelia gasps, squeezing my hand tight. “What? How?”
“She was a danger to others. She evidently threatened the police officer who came to speak to her. Threw something at him. She’s lucky he didn’t arrest her.”
“No.”
I nod. “Yes. That, in addition to the complaint we filed—the one stating she not only stalked us but threatened the safety and situation of a minor—sealed the deal. The state’s involved now and Grace said that Rob had filed for divorce over a month ago.”
“Jesus,” she hisses. “What will happen with the baby?”
“That depends on Nora. If she gets the help she needs and does a good job proving to the state that she’s not only changed her ways but is a capable, safe mother.”
“I’m relieved she’s getting help. Both for her and the baby. I still can’t believe all the lengths she went to just to get her hands on you.” Amelia winks, falling into my side.
