She hated to second guess him, but she wondered how he could not forgive his father and move on with his life. It did not make sense to her how someone could blatantly shove their parent out of their life.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Zach stepped back. “Are you thinking I’m wrong for what I just did?”
Amelia shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know what you should have done, but it did seem a bit rude and obnoxious.”
Zach nodded. “Okay, I forgot, in your world, everything is perfect and no one can ever do any wrong,” he stated as he turned to leave the kitchen. He hollered to her over his shoulder, “Not everyone’s life is as perfect as yours.”
Zach grabbed his keys off the table on the way out. Amelia heard the front door slam. Seconds later, tires squealed out of the driveway and down the street.
Chapter Seven
“So you finally decided to come to work, huh?” Courtney greeted Amelia at the front door of the deli. She placed a hand on Amelia’s stomach. “You’re sticking out there quite a ways.”
Amelia smirked. She was undecided how she felt about being pregnant. It definitely had its pros and cons. Being bigger than a refrigerator was one con she could do without.
Courtney patted Amelia’s belly and said, “Hi, baby, it’s Courtney.”
Amelia laughed. She loved when other people talked to her belly. At first, she thought it was awkward, but she got used to it. “The baby says hi.”
Courtney smiled and shook her head. “How have you been feeling?”
Amelia rolled her eyes. She plopped her purse on the counter next to the register. She fanned her face with a stack of folders. “I’ve been feeling pretty good, except for these hot flashes. I’m always hot and sweaty.”
Courtney chuckled. “I’m sure Zach isn’t complaining about that,” she said with a wink.
“Actually, he hasn’t said too much about the baby.”
Courtney’s eyes widened. “Why not?”
Amelia shrugged. She tossed the folders on the counter. “He’s got a lot on his plate right now,” Amelia said. “His dad came over yesterday.”
Courtney scooted her butt onto the counter. Amelia looked to make sure Courtney was not sitting on the conveyor belt. Courtney raised her hands. “I’m good. I’m only sitting on the counter, not the belt.”
Amelia nodded and smiled. “I know, that’s what I just checked. You know how strict Anna was about that.”
“Oh, I know,” Courtney said. She leaned forward. “So, tell me about his father. I don’t think I’ve ever met the guy.”
“Well, his name is Isaac,” Amelia stated.
Courtney groaned and rolled her eyes. “Amelia, you’re killing me here. Spare me the dry details. I want the juicy ones.”
Amelia held up a finger. “Wait, seriously, you need to know the history.”
Amelia informed Courtney about Zach’s past with his parents. She watched as Courtney covered her gasps with her hand. Courtney raised her eyebrows quite a bit while Amelia told her the details of their encounter.
“So he just shows up at your door?” Courtney asked.
Amelia nodded. “He was drunker than a skunk.”
“You didn’t let him inside your house, did you?” Courtney asked. She was engaged in the details of the visit from Zach’s father.
Amelia shook her head. “Heck no, I didn’t.”
She told Courtney about her stake out and peeking out of the windows before she had opened the door.
“I wouldn’t have opened the door,” Courtney said. “He could’ve been a murderer or something crazy like that.”
Amelia leaned her head back and chuckled. She shook her head. “Only you would think of something like that.”
Courtney leaned back and tilted her head. “And you’re telling me that you didn’t think it?”
Amelia laughed. “Yes, it crossed my mind. I was slightly paranoid.”
Courtney leaned forward. She placed her elbows on her knees. “So, when did you call Zach? And did his father stay outside the whole time?”
“I called Zach and told him to get home,” Amelia replied. “Yes, his father stayed outside the whole time.”
Amelia told Courtney how the rest of the night went with Zach’s father. When she told Courtney about this morning, Courtney shook her head. She hopped off the counter and said, “I can’t believe Zach acted that way.”
Amelia shrugged. “Like I said, he has a lot on his plate.”
“Are you two fighting a lot?” Courtney asked. She was good at playing the role of a counselor. She looked at Amelia when she did not answer her question. “Is it that bad?”
“No way, not at all. I just feel like we’re on pins and needles around each other. Especially now that his father is in town,” Amelia confirmed. She had no idea how to describe the situation. She was not good at discussing her life events with others. “I think we’d get along if it wasn’t for my moods the pregnancy hormones have helped create and the situations that keep happening.”
Courtney nodded. “I can only imagine how hard it is to deal with hormones. That certain time of the month is enough for me. Sometimes I can’t even handle my moods myself, let alone making Alex put up with me.”
Amelia agreed. She wished things could be different. “I guess it’s all a part of life. Live, learn, and suffer in between.”
“You got that right.”
Amelia clapped her hands. “Okay, so now that I’m here and I’ve gotten everything off my chest, what is there for me to do here?”
Courtney held her hands up. “Don’t ask me. I’m not going to make you do anything. Zach will be mad at both of us.”
Amelia slapped the air. “Cut it out. He won’t be that mad.”
Amelia chuckled. She pushed away from the counter and walked toward the back room. “You and Tony have been doing great work here,” Amelia said over her shoulder. Courtney followed close behind her. “How’s everything been going here?”
Courtney shrugged. “Oh, you know, same ol’ same ol’.”
Amelia walked into the back room and grabbed the inventory log sheet. She skimmed through it. “Any shortages of anything?”
“Nope.”
“Have you or Tony ordered anything?”
“We put an order in the other day,” Courtney stated. “We ordered mostly everything on the sheet.”
Amelia looked up from the paper. “Business has been that good?”
Courtney shook her head yes. Amelia gave her the thumbs up.
“You guys are rocking it,” Amelia said. “We appreciate all of the work you and Tony have been doing here.”
A wide smile crossed Courtney’s face. “Thanks, I enjoy working here,” Courtney said. “And the extra hours are nice too. We’re planning a vacation soon, so the extra money is good.”
Amelia hung the inventory log on the wall where it belonged. She walked out of the room and turned to walk down the first aisle on her left.
“Hey, it’s Amelia!” Tony’s voice boomed.
Amelia turned around. Tony walked toward her. “Hey, Tony, how’s it going?”
“Not so bad here. How’s everything with you?” he asked.
“Good, actually,” Amelia said.
He placed a hand on her stomach and said, “Are you ‘bout to hatch anytime soon?”
Amelia shook her head. “I wish, but no. We have another few months to wait.”
Tony patted her stomach and stepped back. “The baby will be here before you know it.”
Amelia smiled. The thought of the arrival of the baby brightened her mood. She knew all of this would be worth it. She just needed to persevere and get through it.
“Has the doc confirmed the due date yet?” Tony asked.
“October at the latest. Could be as early as September, he says,” Amelia said.
Tony grunted. “Ah, well, we’ll have to wait and see then.”
Amelia nodded.
“You coming back to work with us?” Tony asked.
“Thinking about it,” Amelia confirmed. “I’m going stir crazy sitting at home.”
“What does Zach think about you working?” Tony asked.
Amelia smirked. “He’s not too happy about it actually.”
“I suppose he wants you to sit at home and relax?”
Amelia nodded. “Pretty much.”
“Can’t really blame the guy,” Tony said. “At least he’s thinking about you and the baby.”
“It was nice sitting at home for a few days, but after that…” Amelia shook her head. “Definitely not for me at the moment.”
“Have you decided if you’re going to be a stay at home mommy or not?” Courtney asked. She walked out of the bathroom as she dried her hands with paper towels. She tossed the towels into the trash by the meat counter.
“I haven’t given it much thought,” Amelia said. She really hadn’t thought twice about what life would be like after their baby was born. She imagined Zach would want her to stay home and it would be a repeat of the argument they had before.
“I think it’d be neat,” Courtney said.
“What’d be neat? Being as big as a refrigerator or staying home all the time?” Amelia asked Courtney.
“Well, you’re definitely not as big as a refrigerator,” Courtney pointed out. “And I think staying home would be amazing. There’s so many things you have to worry about if you let other people watch your kids.”
“Unless you choose the right people to babysit,” Amelia stated. A reoccurring thought quickly ran through her mind. She wondered who she would hire to watch her baby girl while she and Zach worked. She would have loved to have Bailey watch her little one, but that was out of the equation now.
Chapter Eight
Amelia tossed her purse and keys on the end table by the front door. The smell of some sort of pasta was in the air. She sniffed and deeply inhaled the scent.
Zach peeked around the corner of the kitchen doorway. “There’s my beautiful fiancée.”
Amelia smiled. She wobbled to the doorway. He looked down at her feet. “Are your feet sore?”
Amelia let her head fall backward and she groaned. “You cannot even imagine the pain my feet are in right now.” She rolled the pant leg of her yoga pants up. Her ankles were swollen and too sore to touch.
Zach pecked her on the cheek with his lips and he said, “Go sit down and put your feet up. I’m in charge of supper tonight. It’s going to be amazing.”
She looked at the distance from the kitchen doorway to the couch and pouted. “So close, but yet so far away.”
“Do you want me to carry you?” Zach asked.
He was serious. Amelia struggled to hold in her laughter. “Get out of here,” she said as she swung her hand in the air. She looked at him. He stood in the doorway with furrowed eyebrows. “You’re not serious, are you?”
“What?”
“You can’t lift me, I weigh a ton,” Amelia argued.
“You do not,” Zach stated. “It’d be impossible to weigh a ton.”
Amelia shrugged. “I’m close enough.”
Zach caught her off guard as he reached under her legs and lifted her into his arms. He cradled her against his chest and carried her into the living room. She fought the whole way to the couch.
“Zach, put me down!” She lightly kicked her legs. “You’re crazy! You’re going to hurt yourself!”
He gently put her on the couch and kissed her forehead. “You have got to have some faith in me.”
“Oh, I do. It’s not that at all,” Amelia stated.
Zach stood in front of her with his arms crossed in front of him. “What is it then?”
Amelia pouted. “You won’t understand. You’re a guy. Men don’t understand woman problems.”
Zach sat next to her and held her close to him. “Try me.”
Amelia looked out into the kitchen. A cloud of smoke hovered in the doorway. She pointed and said, “You might want to go check on your food. It looks a little cloudy in the kitchen.”
Zach jumped off the couch and sprinted to the kitchen. “Crap!”
Silverware tinged on the floor as it dropped from the counter. Pots and pans collided as Zach tossed them onto the stove. Amelia chuckled as she listened to the noise and realized Zach must have forgotten to take the bread out of the oven.
“Everything okay in there?” she asked. She had to raise her voice to overcome the noise.
“Yep!” he hollered from the kitchen. “Everything’s just fine!”
Amelia smiled and shook her head. She reached for the television remote and turned the television on. “Are you sure?”
Silence filled the kitchen. Finally, she heard Zach mumble under his breath. He appeared in the doorway. He held onto a burnt block of bread. “Who needs bread anyway?” he asked with a smile on his face.
Amelia doubled over in laughter. The look on his face was priceless. She was still laughing when he asked, “Do you want bread? I can make more.”
She settled her laughter and shook her head. “No, we don’t need bread.”
She burst into laughter when Zach walked into the kitchen. She hollered into the kitchen, “We’re getting good at burning our food!”
He poked his head around the corner of the doorway and said, “I blame you.”
Amelia poked a finger into her chest and asked, “Me?” She scrunched her nose and pointed her finger at him. “It’s your fault, not mine.”
When he walked into the living room, he had a smirk on his face. He held his arms out to his sides and said, “What can I say, I’m easily distracted when you’re around.”
He hovered over her as she sat back against the couch. She waved a finger in front of him. “Oh, no, you better not be thinking what I think you’re thinking.”
He laughed. “What do you think I’m thinking?”
He kissed the bridge of her nose and let his lips trail to hers. She allowed his lips to settle on hers for a minute before she answered. She playfully pushed him away from her and said, “Remember what happened last time you wanted to take a break from cooking.”
Zach chuckled. “Yeah, we might not want to do that tonight.” He looked back at her as he walked toward the kitchen. He turned and said, “Burning the food, I mean. I’m fine with the other.”
He winked at her and walked into the kitchen. Plates and silverware clattered and banged against each other. “How much pasta do you want, babe?”
“Just a little, please.”
“Do you want to eat in there or at the table?”
“In here, please,” Amelia pleaded. “I’m too sore to sit at the table.”
She looked at her feet on the coffee table. They were swollen to the size of melons and the pain slowly disappeared.
* * *
Zach wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. She snuggled into his chest and allowed him to cradle her. She loved him, there was no denying it. She could not wait until the day they were able to say their vows. Although, she knew it wouldn’t change much between them. Things would still be the same between them.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so grouchy lately,” she apologized.
She felt him lightly shrug his right shoulder. “It’s alright. I haven’t been so pleasant myself.”
“I’ll blame it on my hormones,” Amelia said. “Or we can blame it on the sexual tension and frustration from lack thereof.”
Zach grunted. “I say we can blame it on a little bit of everything,” he said. He kissed her forehead. “I’d say the latter is most to blame, though.”
Amelia had not kept track of the days without intimacy, but she knew it had been a while. She remembered Bailey’s advice from a while ago. She sure missed Bailey’s wise advice and remarks. She wasn’t sure what there wasn’t to miss about Bailey.
Zach nudged her on the arm. “What’re you thinking about?”
Amelia frowned. “A little bit of everything.”
“Don’t be sad,” Zach insisted.<
br />
“I can’t help it,” Amelia said. She couldn’t deny she was more emotional now than she had ever been before.
Zach kissed the side of her face. “You want me to help take your mind off of things?”
Every hair on the back of her neck stood tall as he nibbled on her ear. He drove her crazy and he knew just how to do it.
“You shouldn’t do that,” she whispered.
“Hmm, why’s that?” he asked as he trailed his lips from her earlobes to her neck. He looked up at her when he reached the V-neck of her shirt. His hands slowly copped a feel of her breasts, which raised her nipples under her shirt.
She moaned and leaned her head back. He attempted to undress her, but she stopped him. She grabbed his hand and said, “Don’t.”
He sat back and raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. The feelings of fear and insecurity raced through her. She hung her head and slouched into the couch. Zach reached out and touched the side of her face. He traced her jaw line with his finger.
“Amelia, what’s wrong?” he asked again in a near whisper. The tone in his voice was full of concern.
Amelia hated the feeling of insecurity. She had never felt this way before. She had never lacked confidence or self-esteem.
“Are you afraid?” Zach asked. He placed his hand on her stomach. She felt the baby kick his hand. He smiled and rubbed his hand around.
“No, I’m not afraid,” Amelia said. “I know that sex won’t hurt the baby.”
Zach scooted closer to her. “Then what is it? What’s bugging you?”
Amelia shrugged. For the first time in their relationship, she struggled to explain how she felt. She wondered if telling him would make her feel better or worse. She took a deep breath and attempted to explain the best she could.
“I’ve never felt this way before,” Amelia started to explain. “Until now. I don’t know if it’s my hormones, or what it is.”
Zach sat quietly. He waited patiently for her to continue.
She shook her head as she struggled to find the words to describe how she felt. He reached over and grabbed her hand. He squeezed it and said, “I’m here for you, no matter what. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
Fair Chances (Fairshore Series Book 3) Page 5