Page 55 of Beautiful Storm

Then as Amelia gets up and straightens out her clothes, she says thank you and goodbye, on behalf of both of us, and I still can’t speak.

A million thoughts rush through my mind as we walk toward the reception desk, and when Amelia hands over her credit card,a pit forms in my stomach. Doesn’t her insurance cover this? Why isshepaying if it doesn’t? Shouldn’t that be me? I need to talk to her about how this is all going to work and how we’re going to split the costs.Jesus. The costs are the least of our worries.We have to share custody.We’re going to need two of everything the same so he or she doesn’t notice we’re constantly shipping them off from one place to another.

This is so much more complicated than I imagined.

Amelia hurries outside ahead of me, letting the door shut instead of holding it open, and it narrowly misses smacking me in the face. I’d call her out if she wasn’t marching away from me, seemingly annoyed until she spins on a dime to face me, her expression matching my awe. “Did that really just happen?”

I have no idea what just happened, but it was magic and I—

Her face drops and she shakes her head. “Are you going to sayanything?”

I open my mouth to speak butnothing comes out because I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to say. Amelia stares at me for the longest beat before rolling her eyes and scoffing. “Okay, then. I’ll see you at work.”

I stay in my messed-up stupor as she storms off in the opposite direction, and it’s then I remember she doesn’t have her car, and I snap myself out of my daze. “Wait!” I call out.

She stops instantly, waving her hands around as she turns. “So you’re finally going to speak?”

“Just get in my truck.” I wave a hand toward my Chevy and wait for her scowl. But instead, her eyes widen.

“What?”

“I’m not letting you take a bus,Joy. Come on, I’ll take you home.”Did she honestly expect me to watch her go?

“How do you know I’m taking the bus?” she sasses. “Maybe I’m going to meet a friend.”

“Are you?”

“No.”

“Then get in my truck.”

Amelia folds her arms across her chest and taps her foot, unimpressed, until I add “please” and put on my cheesiest smile, once again gesturing toward my beast parked on the other side of the lot.

We stare at each other, locked in some kind of standoff until finally, “Okay. Fine,” she says as she gives in. “Because it’ll be faster. Can you drop me at the stadium? My car’s there.”

“Yep, that’s where I’m headed.” I smile, but God, is it going to be this hard every time I try to do the right thing? I get that she’s perfectly capable of doing this on her own, but why make it harder than it has to be?

Holy shit.When did I become the rational one of the two of us?

I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt today because we just went through something life-changing, but it’s going to suck if she keeps arguing every time I try to help.

Unless…

An idea I’d refused to acknowledge pops back into my mind, and I can’t deny that it’s kind of perfect, no matter how crazy it is.

I let the idea play out as we walk in silence until I’m certain it’s the right choice.

It has to be. It solves all our problems.Thank you, Reed.

Keeping my mouth shut, I wait until Amelia’s settled in the passenger seat—so she can’t run away—then before starting the ignition, I hit her with my thoughts. “I’ve decided we should get married.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Amelia

This might be an exact repeat of an earlier entry but… Fuck.

Wewhat?

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