Jo turned her hand over and laced their fingers. “You didn’t destroy those relationships. You were surviving in the only way you knew how.”
“Maybe, I don’t know.” Amelia lifted a shoulder. “I still find it hard to believe that you’re here, knowing all of this.”
“Oh, I’m not goinganywhere,babe.”
Tears brimmed on Amelia’s eyelids. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been someone’s babe.”
“I was into you when I met Callum. That first time we all went out to dinner together, I found it hard to look anywhereelse. It was only when it became serious between me and him that I knew I had to curb whatever I was feeling.”
“Me, too,” Amelia whispered. “But…what if I mess this up too?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you mess anything up in the years I’ve known you. And if things are a little bumpy at any point, we’ll figure it out together. The way it should be.” Jo leaned in and pressed her lips to Amelia’s, lingering as she said, “I’m not scared of your past. I just want to be a part of your future.”
“This…being with someone who cares, is all I’ve ever wanted.” For the first time in a long time, Amelia allowed herself to believe that everything may just be okay. “When I told you I loved you, I meant it, Jo. I didn’t just say it to get a reaction out of you, I meant it with everything inside of me.”
“I know. I felt it.”
Amelia scooched over on the couch and lay down, pulling Jo with her. “Come here and lie with me.”
“On one condition.” Jo narrowed her eyes, but Amelia noted the smirk immediately. “Stay for dinner tonight. I’m cooking for us.”
“Mm. Try and stop me.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
As Jo movedaround her kitchen with far more ease than she’d expected to after the day they’d had, rosemary and garlic filled her senses. She’d chopped the potatoes just how Amelia liked them—chunky and with the skin still on—and they were now roasting away in the oven beside the chicken breasts she’d stuffed with mozzarella and sundried tomato. Her stomach growled as she wiped her hands on the tea towel and leaned over to check the timer. Eight minutes left.
She poked her head around the kitchen wall and glanced down the hallway. The bathroom door had been locked for over an hour, and Jo had heard the water running almost the entire time. She’d knocked earlier and left a clean towel and one of her favourite jumpers by the door. Amelia hadn’t said much, just offering a soft, “Thank you,” through the door, but Jo could tell something had shifted.
As the day had gone on, she didn’t seem as haunted as she had first thing this morning. Jo had expected some kind of pushback over visiting Callum, but Amelia seemed almost relieved that Jo had taken care of that situation for her. Perhaps Amelia was just exhausted with everything going on.
Amelia finally emerged from behind the door, her skin flushed and her hair loosely tied back, those legs bare beneath Jo’s oversized jumper.Fuck me!
Jo almost forgot to breathe, but quickly managed to save herself. Now wasn’t the time to admire Amelia and her luscious, long legs. Jo knew it would be a while before they found their feet, especially given the heaviness of what today had brought.
“Feel better?” She asked, leaning a hip against the counter as Amelia wandered into the room barefoot, her expression relaxed in a way Jo hadn’t seen since everything had been put out in the open. Her eyes weren’t haunted anymore. They were…mischievous.
Amelia smiled, and God, it was devastating. “So much better.”
Jo narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You’re grinning.”
Amelia stepped closer. “Am I?”
“Yes.” Jo angled her head. “You look like someone who’s either up to no good or someone who has just had averygood orgasm.”
Amelia’s laugh was low and sultry. A laugh Jo was used to, but one she hadn’t expected this evening. “Sadly, the bath was solo, but the night’s still young.”
Jo arched a brow. “Oh?”
“I’ve always enjoyed seeing you in the kitchen.” Amelia took another step closer, her gaze cast to Jo’s lips for the briefest moment. “You’re very domestic.”
“And you’re very—” Jo swallowed. “Jesus, can you stop looking at me like that. I’m going to burn dinner.”
“It’s very easy to fall back into what I know with you.” Amelia skimmed a hand against Jo’s waist, eventually settling it on the small of her back as she snaked it around. “I’m sorry you had to deal with me this morning. That won’t happen again. I don’t want it to become a part of us.” Jo’s breath caught when Ameliareached up and stroked a thumb against her cheek. “You didn’t flinch earlier when I told you about everything. You didn’t look at me like I was damaged.”
“You’re not.”
“No.” Amelia smiled. “But most people wouldn’t have seen that. They’d have looked past who I am now, what I’ve become, and focused entirely on it. That’s why I want to move forward with you. I can’t change the past, but I can put my all into being happy with you, Jo.”
