Wilfred turns to look at me. “You know we love having you here, Amelia. But do us all a favor. Take your men and go live the happy life you deserve, far away.”
My bottom lip trembles as I look at Wilfred and nod. When Oliver opens the door and reaches out a hand to help me, I feel a rush of emotions.
Hope, mostly.
Love.
“May I?” Oliver asks softly, his eyes never leaving mine. There’s a vulnerability in his gaze, a silent plea for me to trust him.
I take his hand, feeling the warmth of his touch, grounding me. “Yes,” I whisper, stepping out of the car.
We walk toward the entrance, and excitement starts to build. I take a deep breath as we step inside, and the scent of old books and polished wood envelops me.
This is… wow.
I squeeze Oliver’s hand, and he returns the comforting gesture, instantly soothing my nerves.
“How did you manage this?” I ask, barely above a whisper, as if speaking too loudly might break the spell. After hours, the library feels magical, almost ethereal in its silence. But before Oliver can answer, realization dawns on me, and I can’t help but smile. “Grey.”
Of course, our resident hacker extraordinaire would have had a hand in this.
Oliver chuckles, his forest-green eyes twinkling behind his glasses. “You can hire the library for events in the evening, but Grey may have helped a little to get around the waitlist,” he admits. “And right now, he’s monitoring the camera feed, looping it so we have privacy.” Warmth spreads through my chest at the lengths they’d gone to for this surprise. Oliver leans in closer, his breath warm against my ear, making me shiver. “Perfect for a thoroughTwilightreread,” he teases, “Nobody will ever know.”
“You’re terrible.” I let go of his hand to swat his arm, feigning offense, but I can’t help the giddy laugh that escapes me.
“Don’t,” Oliver says, reaching out to grab my wrist and pull my hand away from my mouth. “Don’t cover your laugh, please. I thought I would never hear it again. Please don’t keep it from me.”
It’s as if he’s in pain, and I don’t know what to say to this, but before the silence can stretch for too long, Oliver takes my hand again and guides me deeper into the library.
He’s different.
So much has changed.
Not just with the guys but within myself.
Because I decided to let go of my hurt feelings.
The lengths they’ve gone to, it all feels like a dream. It isn’t just about this grand gesture. It’s about a future where I’m no longer alone, where I have people who care about me and are willing to fight for my happiness.
Our footsteps echo softly in the empty space, creating a rhythm that seems to match the excited beating of my heart. I’m acutely aware of Oliver’s hand in mine, his thumb tracing gentle circles on my skin, sending tiny sparks of electricity through my body.
We turn a corner, and I gasp. Nestled between two rows of books is a cozy setup that looks straight out of a movie. A blanket is spread on the floor, adorned with plush pillows, and a plate of strawberries and chocolate sits nearby, flanked by a copy of Stephanie Meyer’sTwilight. My eyes drift to the shelves surrounding us, and my breath catches in my throat as I recognize the familiar spines.
Jane Austen.
“Oliver,” I whisper, turning to find his gaze filled with an emotion so raw it makes my heart hurt.
He swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously. “Amelia, I…” He begins, trembling slightly. “I want to apologize. For…everything.”
God, he’s shaking.
“You—”
“No, please, let me finish,” he interrupts, his grip on my hand tightening as if he’s afraid I might slip away. “I-I fucked up. I made so many mistakes. I was so scared of… of losing you before I even had you that I ended up hurting you. I’ve never been good with…life,if I’m honest. I’m good with code, with numbers,logic, things that make sense. But you… you don’t make sense at all and make my world spin in ways I never imagined. And I… I didn’t know how to handle it.”
I didn’t know how to handle them either.
He pauses, taking a deep, shaky breath. “I’m sorry, Amelia. I’m so,sosorry. For watching you like that. I was a coward. From the start, I was one. Yes, we have watched you ever since you had Jamie. But if I’m honest, for me, it started the first time I saw you two years ago. I saw you and was obsessed.”
