Chapter 22
Jeremiah
Three Days Later
It’s been agony nothaving Amberlee in my arms.
When we came back from the zoo on Sunday, I waited until Angel was asleep and snuck next door to talk to Amberlee.
My heart races as I lift my hand, gently knocking on her door. It’s quiet on the other side, not a sound echoing through the room. I’m about to give up and head back to my room when the door opens and Amberlee stands before me. She’s in a thin sleep shirt and a pair of sleep shorts. Her hair is a mess, barely contained in a messy bun.
“What are you doing here?” she asks as she takes a small step into the hallway, looking in both directions. “Ryan could see you.”
“He’s not here, Amberlee. It’s late. He's already in bed with his wife, most likely curled up next to her, rubbing her belly, talking about their babies.”
She looks over in the direction of my room. “And Angel?”
“She’s asleep, and the door is locked. But I can only leave her alone for a minute.”I look back to my room, anxiety building in my heart. Every terrible thing that could happen plagues me. She could fall out of bed, stop breathing, hit her head when she falls.
“Jeremiah.” Her hand touches the side of my face, pulling my attention back to her. I shake off the worry, knowing that Angel is fine.
“I just need to make sure that you still want to be with me. I’m so afraid of you changing your mind. I’m more scared of that than how your brother’s going to react to our relationship.”
She doesn’t say a word and I worry that she’s already changed her mind.
“Baby, please tell me you’re not having second thoughts about us. That we’re still going to tell Ryan about us and accept whatever happens.”
My eyes stay focused on her, barely breathing as I wait for her to answer. My hands are a sweaty mess, but I don’t want to let go to dry them on my pants. If she says she’s done, I want to make sure I get one last hug.
“He’ll understand. He has to,” she whispers as I step toward her, wrapping my arms around her.
She feels right in my arms. What I feel for Amberlee, I’ve never felt for any other woman before. And I know I’ll never feel it again. She’s it for me. She has to know we’re perfect together. We were molded to fit together like two perfect pieces of a puzzle, every junction interlocking precisely.
“Jeremiah Dawson.” She places her hands on my chest and pushes away, looking up at me. “I want you to listen to me andhear every word I’m saying. I have loved you for seven years. I love you today, and I’ll continue to love you until my dying breath. When we get home, we’ll tell Ryan everything. He’ll be pissed at first, I’m sure, but he’ll get over it.”
I don’t waste another minute, crashing my lips onto hers and kissing her deeply.
Picking up my phone, I go to my message thread with Amberlee.
Me: Hey baby. I’m home. Do you want to come over for dinner?
Me: We can talk about when we want to tell Ryan about us.
Baby: Yes. Do you want me to pick up something to eat?
Baby: Is Angel going to be there?
Me: No, I have it handled. She’s going to the movies with the neighbors. We’ll have a good three hours to talk.
Baby: When should I come over?
Me: How’s an hour?
Baby: Perfect
Me: Can’t wait
I set my phone down on the counter to finish assembling the lasagna so I can pop it in the oven. It’ll be ready so we can eat when she gets here. We’ve had a few stolen moments since we came home on Monday and conversations going late into the night, but we haven’t had sex again. I’m hoping like hell we can make time for that tonight.
