But in spite of that, his heart was settled. He knew now what he needed to tell her. He just had to figure out how to tell her in a way that would help her understand that he was sincere.
His steps slowed as he neared Annie’s old house. He’d spent plenty of time in it. Evenings doing his homework in front of her fireplace or overnights in the downstairs room Annie had set up for him to use when his parents were away. Now the house sat dark and empty.
Could it be a home for him?
Though his dad had offered to build him his own place, Ben had resisted, and he still wasn’t sure about doing that just yet.But for the time being, maybe he could move into Annie’s old place, just to have a space of his own while he was at the estate.
If things went the way he hoped with Amelia, Annie’s place wouldn’t work for them in the long run. He’d already seen that stairs could be an issue for Amelia, and Annie’s house had a flight of them going to the loft where the master bedroom was located.
He’d have to make sure that any home he had built was all on one level for her sake. But he didn’t want to start the process of building a house until he knew what was going to happen between him and Amelia.
Turning, Ben moved away from Annie’s and continued down the road past Jude and Angie’s house. Like Julian’s home, theirs also had windows lit up with warm, golden light.
Ben stared at it for a moment, then continued on to the main house. His mind was moving on to what he needed to do to make the estate his permanent home.
He gave a laugh as he neared the main house. He never would have guessed when he’d landed in Serenity earlier that summer that he’d be considering making the estate home once again.
At least he’d be making his mom and dad happy.
Before he went to bed, he took the time to send Amelia a text, not expecting an answer since it was already after ten, and he suspected she had gone to bed early.
Hey, beautiful. Just wanted to say goodnight. I hope you have a restful sleep and wake up tomorrow feeling better. xoxo
He wasn’t sure people usedxoxoanymore, but it conveyed the affection he held for her. He didn’t think she was ready for the love conversation just yet, so affection would have to be enough for now.
When Ben woke up the next morning, there was a text waiting for him. He frowned when he saw it had been sent at three o’clock in the morning.
Amelia:Well, considering how tired I can feel some days, you’d think I’d sleep like a log at night, but that’s a rare occurrence. I usually wake up once or twice during the night. Thankfully, I’m not in much pain tonight. I’ll probably be awake for a little while, but then hopefully I can sleep a bit more before I get up. Hope you had a better night than I did.
No x’s or o’s from her, but she’d responded. He’d consider that a win. And when it came to Amelia, he’d take all the wins he could get, especially the small ones.
Before getting ready for the day, he sent her another message.
Good morning, sunshine! Hope you managed to get more sleep. I’m looking forward to seeing you this afternoon. xoxo
The morning clinic passed without incident, and after they finished their lunch, Ben took Luca, and they went to the nearby coffee shop where he ordered an iced mocha latte and a chocolate croissant.
When they returned to the gym, Ben saw that Amelia had arrived. Luca stood back as Ben approached the table. He waited until the teens who were talking to her cleared away, then he stepped up and set the cup and the bag holding the croissant down in front of her.
“Coffee delivery.”
Amelia looked at the items, then up at him. “Coffee delivery?”
“I thought you might want a coffee this afternoon.”
She reached for the cup, wrapping her hand around it. “I do. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. How’s your day going?”
“Better than yesterday.” She took a sip of her coffee and hummed in appreciation. “And this improves my day even more.”
Ben was encouraged by the fact that she was doing better, and also that she appreciated the coffee.
When a whistle blew in the gym, Ben said, “Duty calls. Chat later.”
Ben gave her a wink, then headed into the gym. He wanted to ask her if she was interested in having dinner with him but decided to put that aside for the moment.
He made his way into the gym, joining Cole and the other volunteers who were already setting up for the day's activities. The teens were scattered around the court, some shooting baskets while others stood in small groups chatting.
