“Amelia, you guys don’t need to come to our house,” her mother stated. “We’ll be fine.”
Amelia shook her head. “No, we’ll see you after ‘while.”
Her mother looked at her with tear-filled eyes and pleaded, “Please, Amelia, will you wait until morning? You two need your sleep. I don’t want you two driving that far or that much just for us. We’ll manage for now.”
Amelia shrugged. There was no point in an argument with her mother. In any argument, she would never win against her mother, or her father. “Okay, we’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Okay, thank you,” her mother said and turned to get into the driver’s seat of her car. “You two drive safe and call us when you get home.”
“Okay, Mom, love you guys,” Amelia called out to her parents as her mother shut the car door.
Zach wrapped an arm around Amelia and walked by her side to their car. He kissed the side of her head as tears streamed down her face.
“Everything will be okay,” he assured her.
She nodded and wiped the tears away from her face. She knew now everything would be okay. Her father was on the road to a full recovery and Zach had a plan to help her parents. The only problem they would have to face now was whether or not her parents would accept his offer to help them.
Chapter Fifteen
Amelia thought about Bailey. She decided to wait to call her until the morning before she and Zach headed to her parents’ house.
She grabbed her pajamas and took a quick shower. She was unable to fully relax until the water was steaming hot against her skin. The water massaged and relaxed her tense muscles. She wondered if Zach would be willing to give her a back massage. She was sure he would if she asked him to. For now, she would stay in the shower until the water turned cold.
As she scrubbed her hair with shampoo, she thought of the stay at the hospital. It had been the longest she had ever gone without a shower. She made a mental note, if there would ever be a next time, to grab plenty of clothes. She had not thought ahead with the panic that had raced through her mind on the way to find Zach that night, but she wished she would have.
She scrubbed the crud away from her skin and rinsed off. The water felt like ice cubes on her skin. She cringed as she reached for the handles. She turned the handles in the direction of off. She grabbed her towel from the hook by the shower and dried off. She reached for her pajamas, but was interrupted when the door flung open.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Zach asked with a huge smile on his face. He reached for her and tugged her closer to him. Her moist skin pressed against him.
“Not so fast,” she said. “You need a shower.”
She waved a hand in front of her nose in a playful gesture. She giggled like a school girl as he tickled her and said, “I’ll get a shower in a minute.”
He pressed his warm lips against her cool skin. She melted into him as he held her. He ran his hand through her hair and allowed his free hand to caress her back. She moaned and arched her body into him. He kissed her fiercely and stepped away.
He shook a finger and said, “Not right now, remember? I have to get a shower first.”
She pouted as she grabbed her clothes from the back of the toilet. She turned and glared at him. “That was cruel.”
He walked to her and attempted to kiss her. She put a hand up in front of her and pushed him away. He laughed and threw his arms up. “Oh, come on!” he shouted as she walked out of the bathroom. “I’ll make it up to you.”
She shut the bathroom door and hopped into her pajamas. She brushed her hair while she waited for him to shower. After she had waited longer than ten minutes, she walked downstairs and grabbed the phone. She dialed Bailey’s number.
“Hello?” Bailey answered on the other end.
“Bai,” Amelia said into the phone. “We’re home now. They released my dad today.”
“Oh, thank heavens,” Bailey stated. “You had me worried calling this late at night.”
Amelia turned and glanced at the clock on the stove – 10:42. “I’m sorry, I guess I didn’t realize it was so late. I just wanted to let you know he was released today.”
“How did everything go?”
“As well as they could, I guess,” Amelia explained. “The doctor told us to keep an eye open for infection. Any redness or extreme pain around his skin graft sites, we’re to call the doctor immediately.”
“I’m glad he was released, Amelia,” Bailey said. “What’s going to happen now?”
“Zach and I are leaving in the morning to head to my parents’ house,” Amelia told Bailey. “Zach has a plan.”
“A plan?” Bailey asked. She sounded unsure about the idea.
“I’ll explain more to you when I have time,” Amelia assured her. “I’ve got prior engagements with my bed.”
Bailey bellowed in laughter. “Okay, I’ll talk to you later. Have a great night.”
Amelia chuckled and hung up the phone. As quick as she could, she climbed the stairs to their bedroom. When she made it to the landing of their staircase, she saw Zach on the bed. He waited patiently for her to crawl in next to him.
He rolled onto his side and allowed her to snuggle close to him. He guided her against him with his arm. Amelia ran a hand up and down his muscular arm. Warmth radiated from his body. She looked up at him and smiled.
He kissed her with fierce hunger and intense passion. They had gone days without intimacy and Amelia had to admit she had missed it. She rolled onto her knees and sat up. On all fours, she looked down at him. Lust filled his eyes as he smirked at her. There was no way she could deny the fact she had turned him on.
She crawled over him and straddled him. She ran her hands over his bare chest. His muscles were firm and tense. She leaned down and kissed him. Her breathing quickened as he traced his hands around her tender breasts. Zach pulled her shirt up and teased her with his mouth. She grinded on him and a moan released from deep inside of her.
“I’ve missed you,” he groaned. He removed his boxers and threw them to the floor. He pulled her shirt off and flung it out of the way. He pushed her underwear out of the way and guided himself into her. She cried out as he entered her. With an arched back, she leaned her head back and let out a moan. She looked down at him as she rode on top of him.
She had missed him. Her lack of self-confidence had affected their sexual relationship. She could not believe she had allowed herself to miss out on this for so long. She wondered if Zach was thinking the same thing.
He shifted himself from under her and flipped her underneath of him. He thrusted himself deep inside and she cried out. Amelia wondered how the sex could be better than ever before. She arched her back and raised her hips to allow him to enter deeper inside of her.
Even though she could go on, she allowed them to finish together. He collapsed on top of her and kissed her sweetly. He rolled to the side of her and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Amelia calmed her breathing.
“I missed that,” he groaned beside her.
Amelia rolled onto her side and laid an arm across his chest. She looked up at him and smiled. “I missed this too.”
She rested her head on his chest. He leaned toward her and kissed her on top of her head.
“I’m sorry I have let my lack of self-esteem get the best of us lately,” she stated. “It was a hard spell to break, but I’m glad I did.”
She looked up at him with a smile on her face. He sat up against the headboard and looked at her. She let go of him and propped herself up and looked at him.
He shook his head and said, “You don’t ever have to apologize for anything to me.”
Amelia shrugged her shoulder. “Well, I figured I should say something.”
Zach lifted her chin and met her lips with his. “There’s no reason to apologize,” he stated. “I can only imagine the thoughts that run through your mind.”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Tears threatened to escape. She tried to dismiss them, bu
t they fell anyway. He gently wiped the tears as they fell.
He straightened himself against the pillows and said, “You’re beautiful to me. You always have and always will be.”
She nodded her head. She wished she would not have allowed herself to fall victim to her hormones and negative body image. She knew it was common for women to become uncomfortable with their bodies during pregnancy, but she had not realized it would be this bad. It was a constant battle every day not to hate the way she looked. She loved being pregnant, but she hated the way she looked.
“You’re carrying my baby. That in itself is a beautiful thing,” Zach said.
“Our baby,” Amelia whispered. Tears fell without control down her cheeks.
“Never for a minute believe that you’re ugly or not good enough,” Zach stated. “You’re the most beautiful woman I know.”
She nodded her head to acknowledge what he had said. He wrapped a firm arm around her shoulders and tugged her closer to him.
“What do you say we get some sleep?” Amelia yawned and pulled the blankets over her and Zach. “I need my beauty sleep.”
Zach chuckled and turned off the lamp. The warmth of his body relaxed her. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Sixteen
“What time are we leaving here to head to your parents’?” Zach asked Amelia.
Amelia rolled over in bed and rubbed her eyes. She groaned and mumbled, “I don’t know. I was thinking we’d head out before ten.”
Zach chuckled and said, “Well, in that case, we better get a move on it.”
Amelia’s eyes opened wide and she sprung to her feet. She grabbed the side of her dresser and held onto her head. A dizzy spell came and left faster than she had hopped out of bed. Zach rushed to her side. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I just need to realize I can’t move that fast anymore,” Amelia admitted. “What time is it?”
“It’s nine oh five.”
Amelia squinted her eyes when she looked at the clock on the nightstand. Sure enough it was 9:05. She grabbed an outfit out of her dresser and hurried to the bathroom. She turned the shower on and undressed.
“I’ll be downstairs making breakfast,” Zach said through the crack in the door.
“Don’t burn it,” she called out to him.
The shower awakened her. The heat of the water massaged her sore muscles. She made a list of things she needed to do before they could leave their house. Thoughts about her father’s condition clouded her thinking, but she quickly dismissed them.
She stepped out of the shower and dried off. She flipped her hair into a ponytail and brushed her teeth. Once she was done, she glanced in the mirror at her reflection. She decided to leave her hair the way it was.
She flipped the light off and walked downstairs. In the kitchen, Zach stirred eggs and milk by the kitchen sink. “I hope scrambled eggs are okay?”
Amelia nodded. She reached into the fridge and grabbed the half gallon of milk. She poured a glass and sat down at the kitchen table.
“Are you feeling okay?” Zach asked. He poured the scrambled eggs into the pan as it sizzled on the stove.
“I’m fine,” she said. She had not lied, but it had not been the full truth either. She knew Zach would realize it.
“What’re you thinking about?” he asked with a furrowed eyebrow.
Amelia shrugged a shoulder and took a drink of her milk. She wiped her milk mustache with the back of her hand.
Zach brought a plate of food to the table and handed it to her. “You’ll have to tell me eventually.”
“I’m just thinking about my dad.”
Zach stopped mid-stride and looked at her. “What about him?”
“I’m just not sure he’ll be ready for this change,” Amelia stated. She hated to admit her fears and doubts, but she knew Zach would pick up on them sooner than later if she did not tell him.
Zach went back into the kitchen to prepare his plate of food. “Well, I think he’ll be fine. I’m sure he’ll adjust quick and easy.”
Silence bounced between the two rooms. Amelia took a bite of her eggs and waited for Zach to sit across from her at the table. Zach brought in his plate of food and pulled the chair away from the table.
He sat and scooted the chair up to the table. He reached for his fork and asked, “What makes you so unsure?”
Amelia shrugged. She would have a hard time explaining, but gave it a shot anyway. “I just know how my dad is,” she said. Her eyes were on her plate. She felt Zach’s gaze on her as she chewed her food. She swallowed and said, “He’s not one to adjust to change too well.”
Zach nodded. “Okay, but with no choice, he’ll have to. That’s why we’ll be there.”
Amelia shook her head. Frustration crept up on her. “It won’t matter who’s there, my dad isn’t going to allow us to help him without a fight.”
Zach stabbed his food with his fork and took a bite. He kept a steady gaze on Amelia. He furrowed his eyebrows and said, “Then I guess we’ll have to fight back.”
Amelia crossed her arms in front of her. “Good luck with that.”
Zach grabbed his plate and walked into the kitchen. He hollered over his shoulder, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re scared of change too.”
Amelia rolled her eyes and cleared the table with an exhausted sigh. She only hoped her father would take Zach’s advice and go along with Zach’s plan. She prayed her father would allow the change to happen, because she knew Zach’s plan was for the best.
* * *
Zach unloaded the last suitcase from the car. He doubled the suitcases in his arms and carried them up the steps of Richard and Diane’s front porch. Amelia waddled carefully behind him and climbed the wooden steps.
The trip to her parents’ house had not taken as long as she had expected it would. They had left their house at eleven and it was now just after twelve thirty. She wiped the sweat from her brows and wiped her hand on her skirt. She was thankful for the warm weather, but being pregnant meant double the heat.
Zach wrapped his knuckles against the door. Within a few minutes, her mother opened the door. Surprise shot across her face as she flung her arms out. “You guys made it!”
Her mother stepped onto the porch and wrapped her arms around Zach and Amelia.
“Hello, Diane,” Zach said as he stepped out of the hug and carried the suitcases inside.
Amelia’s mother watched him walk into her house and turned her attention back to Amelia. She smiled and said, “He’s a fine young man.”
Amelia smiled and nodded. “Yes, he is,” she said. She stepped away from the edge of the stairs and looked at her mother. Her mother had dark circles under her eyes. She looked tired and run down. “How are you holding up, Mom?”
Her mother let out an exhausted sigh and said, “I’m here, that’s all that matters.”
Amelia nodded. “How’s dad?”
Amelia saw a smile crease her mother’s face. “He’s getting better every day, Amelia. It’s a true blessing.”
Amelia smiled and nodded. She was relieved to hear her mother say he was doing better. She had prayed and prayed since the first day he had been put in the hospital. “Answered prayers,” Amelia said. She hugged her mother and made her way into the house.
“There’s my girl,” her father called out to her when she walked into the living room. “A.J., come sit down, will you?”
Amelia was taken aback by her father’s appearance. He was no longer covered by medical bandages and gauze. He no longer looked like a mummy, but looked almost like himself – except for the burn marks and scars. Amelia wobbled to the couch and sat down next to him.
“You’re ‘bout ready to pop, aren’t ya?” her father asked as he poked at her pregnant belly.
Amelia smiled. She was glad her father was back to his old self. “Yes, a few more months.”
“Well, what if he or she comes early?” her father asked.
“I don�
�t think she will, Dad,” Amelia said as she patted her father’s arm. “We’ll pray she doesn’t.”
Her father tipped his head back and laughed. He looked at her and said, “She’ll come when she’s ready. They all have a mind of their own, you know?”
“Oh, shush, Richard,” Amelia’s mother said from across the room. “Babies come when they’re due. They have no choice in the matter.”
Amelia looked at her mother. She swatted the air and dismissed Amelia’s father’s statement. “Men, they think they know everything, but they really don’t have a clue.”
Amelia’s father pointed a finger and said, “Hey, I know what I’m talking about.”
Amelia chuckled. Her father looked at her and said, “Isn’t that right, A.J.?”
She patted his arm and assured him, “Whatever you say, Dad.”
She wondered where Zach had gone off to. She stood up and walked into the spare bedroom. She watched Zach unpack the last suitcase. He placed the last bit of folded clothes into the spare dresser in the room. He turned toward Amelia. “Oh, I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I just got in here,” Amelia stated.
He walked toward her and said, “Let’s get back out there and visit with them.”
Amelia nodded as she turned and walked through the doorway. They walked down the hallway and into the living room. She had no idea how or when they would discuss Zach’s plan.
Zach must have felt the tension from her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. He whispered into her ear, “Just relax. It’ll all fall into place.”
“You kids have to be starving!” her mother called out to them as they walked into the living room. “What would you like me to make?”
Amelia shook her head. “We ate before we left our house, Mom. We’re fine for now, thanks.”
Her mother was nervous. She fidgeted in her chair and played with the string that hung loose from the side of her apron. Amelia hated to see her mother so worried and shook up. She walked over to her and sat down beside her. Zach took the spot next to her father.
Fair Chances (Fairshore Series Book 3) Page 9