Page 71 of Promise Me Forever

I’m going to wrap his fucking neck around a stethoscope if he’s not careful. Yeah, I know what I said, and doing it that way would be infinitely more painful.

Amelia dodges his attempted embrace and takes a step closer to me. I can smell her sweet perfume and see the unshed tears in her hazel eyes. Fuck, her pain kills me.

“I was on my way to meet her,” she says. “I was going to the house to take her flowers, and we were planning on walking together to the restaurant to meet the girls. She’s been doing so well recently, and she was looking forward to it. My cell was on the fritz, and I had no signal at my apartment. She’d tried to call me…”

A sob racks her body, and I can’t hold back for a second longer. Without any thought for Chad and what he or anyoneelse might think, I fold her into my arms, pressing her close to my chest. Exactly where she belongs. She doesn’t resist, sagging into me and resting her cheek against me. Her shoulders are trembling, and her tears moisten the fabric of my shirt.

“You’re herboss?” he sneers.

I snarl back at him. “Yes, I’m her boss. I’m also a decent human being who gives a shit about the people I work with. And now that I’m here, I see no reason for you to hang around any longer.”

His eyes narrow in suspicion. He’s maybe only ninety-nine percent idiot, and the other one percent is jealous. That one percent suspects I’m much more than her employer but isn’t confident enough to challenge me. Because it’s entirely plausible that I’m simply comforting my secretary after her mom was rushed to the ER, like any caring boss would.

“Mimi?” Chad asks, like he doesn’t quite believe me.

Untangling herself from my arms, she scrubs the tears from her cheeks. She glances at the stain she’s left on my shirt and grimaces, although I obviously don’t give a shit.

“Thank you for coming, Chad, but he’s right. There’s no reason for you to be here. I appreciate you coming, but it’s fine for you to go now. And please don’t call me Mimi.”

His eyes dart between her and me, and a muscle tics in his clenched jaw. I bite on my cheek so I don’t tell him to fuck off. He clears his throat. “If you say so.”

He turns to leave, and I find myself wondering what his game is. Isn’t he engaged to someone else now? Why is he sniffing around Amelia like the dog he is? Is he going to stay away from her, or am I going to have to put him down?

We finally leavethe hospital around ten, after the staff assures Amelia that her mom is doing better and Edith herself insists that it’s time for us to leave.

“It was really nice to finally meet you, Edith,” I say just before we head out. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

She’s no fool, this woman, and even from her hospital bed, her eyes glint with amusement. “Yeah? That’s nice. You sure do take a keen interest in your employees’ families, Mr. James.” She winks at me while Amelia isn’t looking, leaving me with no doubt that our secret isn’t quite as much of a secret as it once was.

“I absolutely do,” I reply, grinning.

“You just make sure you treat my daughter well, now, you hear me? At work, obviously.”

I pat her hand. “I promise you I will.”

“Okay. You look like a man of your word to me. Now scoot, both of you—I need to be alone with my oxygen mask and my romance novel. Nothing says sexy quite like a nasal canula.”

Amelia leans down to hug her, and I turn away when I see how hard they cling to each other. I still miss my own mother so much it hurts.

She holds it together until we’re in the parking garage. With a sigh, she crumples like all the air has been let out of her, and I gather her into my arms. “You’re okay, baby. And she is too. She’s tough, your mom.”

“I know. She’s tougher than me. I’m just… I’m just so scared, Drake. Every time I think she’s doing okay, something seems to happen. And I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

“I get that,” I reply, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead. “I really do. And hopefully you won’t need to find theanswer to that question for many years. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Has Constantine been waiting all this time?” she says as we approach the SUV.

“No. I sent him home in a cab. Tonight, madam, I will be your driver. Where do you want to go? Straight home is fine. You probably want a hot shower and your bed.”

She manages a weak smile as she climbs into the front seat, refusing to get in the back “because you’re not my chauffeur.”

“I’m actually not physically tired at all,” she says as she fastens her seatbelt. “It’s more psychological, you know? This day has not gone the way I expected. I pictured a cozy birthday lunch with Mom, catching up with the girls, then seeing you back at my place.”

“Oh?” I glance at her out of the corner of my eye as I leave the parking garage. “And what did you think might happen there?”

Her wicked smile lifts my heart. After everything she’s gone through today, she can still give me goosebumps. There are things we need to talk about, issues we need to address—including Chad—but now is not the time for issues. Now is the time for making my girl feel better.

“Well, I thought you might want to untie this dress, for a start,” she says, running her hands over her breasts teasingly. “I know you always like to untie me.”

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