Page 90 of The One I Love
Amelia looks to Luke, then to me, then back to Luke as he grabs his keys and heads out the door. “What did I miss? Where’s he going?”
“He’s going to see his Amelia.”
I don’t say anything for a second, as I hope she’s not going to be mad I overstepped my boundaries. But that worry quickly fades as I see the realization on her face. And it comes with a smile.
“Really? He’s going on a date?”
“He’s taking her for ice cream. I heard ice cream is a very important part of the dating experience.”
“It is. Wait. Do we know who she is? Do we like her? What did he tell you about her?”
All of a sudden I don’t hear the noise of the movie anymore. Amelia and I look down to see a clearly annoyed Mariah. “Her name is Kylie. She plays softball, and they started talking on thebus during away games. She’s like the best softball player at the school. She also plays volleyball, and she’s probably going to get a scholarship. She was in the big group that went to prom together. Purple dress, if you look at the group photos. They danced that night, and Luke has been a mess since. She went out with another football player last night, and Luke was a wreck all day. But, I heard that it bombed, so good for Luke to move in now. There. You’re all caught up. Can we go back to watching the movie?”
For being four years younger than her brother, Mariah sure has all the information. I bet she’d be a hell of a detective.
“Oh my God, she really is me,” Amelia says.
I laugh and bring her back into my arms. “My man has good taste.”
Chapter 27
Amelia
I knowShane and I haven’t talked about the future in detail, but I need to inform him that yearly trips to the beach need to be in the mix.
The Florida sun is warming my body and soul. The sand between my toes is soft and I love the feel of it on my body. I read a book for the first time in years. I never thought I’d be into romance books, but this one Betsy recommended was quite...enlightening.
Then of course there’s the other reason I’m relaxed and possibly the happiest I’ve been in years. I open my eyes to look over at Shane, who’s laying back in the beach chairs we rented for the day. The man is so gorgeous sometimes it hurts to look at him. His tanned skin is shimmering in the sunlight. His red swim trunks are hugging his thick thighs. His defined chest is making me, and every other woman on this beach, drool. That’s not an exaggeration. I’ve noticed at least ten women staring at him.
Sorry, ladies, he’s taken.
“Are you staring at me?”
“No…”
He moves the baseball cap he was using to cover his face and turns to look at me. “It’s okay. I like it.”
I laugh as I reach over for his hand. “This is perfect.”
He starts rubbing his thumb over my hand, and I can’t help but notice that where he’s rubbing is where a ring would sit. I also know we’ve avoided the conversation long enough. It’s probably time I ask him what’s been on the tip of my tongue for days now.
“Are we going to talk about it?”
I’m not just talking about how when we get back to Rolling Hills we have to pretend we’re engaged. Luckily, we avoided anyone who might know before we left—including Paul. To prevent any dustups or cause any further scenes, Whitley and Jake took Mariah and Luke to meet him at the neutral location of Mona’s.
But no, that’s not what I want to talk about. I mean, yes, we’ll eventually have to game plan—we have to pick them up from Paul, because Whitley and Jake will be on their own vacation—but what I want to talk about is something deeper than that. Something that’s been weighing on me over the past few weeks since this happened.
“Which part?”
I mean, that’s a fair question. “Which part do you want to talk about?”
He turns a little in his chair to face me. “First, I know I need to apologize.”
I shake my head. “You don’t. I know I was angry at the time, so I appreciate this, but I also know how things can get out of hand with Paul.”
“Want to know the funny thing? I didn’t even hesitate telling him that I loved you. Or that we’d get married one day. I wanted to see his face. I wanted to watch the color drain fromit. I’ve punched him before, and it felt good. But seeing that reaction? That was fucking great.”
“I know,” I say. And I do. Everything Shane is saying makes sense. “But do you?”
