Page 87 of The One I Love
“When were you going to tell me this?”
“Sorry, Simon,” Amelia says. “I didn’t realize that you were so interested in my itinerary.”
“I don’t care about your itinerary. I would have just liked a heads-up that I’m going to be all by myself for the better part of the next month.”
“You have other friends,” Wes says. “What about your old college buddy, Emmett? You used to hang out with him all the time.”
“How in the hell do you remember Emmett?”
Wes shrugs. “That one weekend you two came and hung out with me. He seemed like an all-right guy. And to be frank, that’s the only other friend of yours I think I know, and I needed to prove a point.”
“You’re right. Emmett is a good guy.” Simon pulls out his phone. “Maybe I will give him a call. He’s still in Nashville as far as I know.”
“There you go,” Amelia says. “We have a sitter for Simon, so we can all go on vacation.” Simon narrows his eyes at Amelia, but she just smiles at him. “We’ll make sure to bring you back a souvenir.”
“Please,” he says. “Just make sure it’s not a real engagement. Or a wedding. There’s been too many of those for my tastes. That goes for both of you.”
Simon points back and forth as Wes and I both hold up our hands in agreement.
“You have my word,” I say.
And he does. Amelia and I aren’t coming back engaged. No, I have a different plan for the day that happens.
Hell, I already have the ring.
No, this vacation is about no one but us. No friends. No jobs. No kids. No exes. Just me, Amelia, a beach, and a few days where we hopefully don’t leave our beds.
And it’s going to be perfect.
Chapter 26
Shane
“I come bearing food!”
I’m not even two steps into the kitchen before Mariah grabs the boxes of pizza and breadsticks out of my hands. “Thanks, Uncle Shane!”
I laugh as the tornado known as dinnertime unfolds in front of me. When it comes to this crew and pizza, you don’t get in their way. It’s a once-a-week meal, and they are very particular about their order. I should know. Once I forgot that pepperoni only went on half of one of the pizzas, and I heard about it for a month.
“Did you get the snacks?” Amelia asks as she grabs drinks from the refrigerator.
I hold up the plastic bag with every treat each of them requested—and a few I know they like but didn’t ask for. “Of course.”
Amelia walks past me, giving me a drive-by kiss. “You’re the best.”
I smile and take off my shoes as Amelia and Mariah grab their food and drinks and head into the living room for familymovie night. That’s when I see Luke, who is moving like molasses. He slowly picks a slice up and just lets it fall onto the paper plate.
“Everything okay?”
He nods but doesn’t make eye contact.
“I know what it’s like not wanting to talk about things. Believe me, I try to do it as little as possible. But if you want to talk, I’m here.”
Luke looks out to the living room—I’m guessing to make sure Amelia and Mariah are out of earshot—before looking back at me.
“There’s this girl…”
I pat him on the shoulder as we take a seat at the kitchen table. “There always is.”
