by Amy Brent
“This project would not have been possible without my best friend, Drew Lyons. But, the person who deserves the most credit for this is Amelia Wilson.”
I hooked my eyes onto her as I slowly saw her eyes light up. From now on, this speech was meant for her and only her, and I simply didn’t care who else heard it.
“Not only is Amelia a fabulous worker and a creative genius, she really knows how to work a room. She can get any person to bend to her will and keep anyone on a strict schedule. Had it not been for her perseverance and dedication, this project would have never kept this kind of timeline. Amelia Wilson is strong, passionate, and dedicated. Not only am I here toasting the success of her work, but I’m also here celebrating the success of her cancer treatment. I am happy to share with you that, as of this morning, she is once again in remission.”
A much louder applause erupted from the room while I watched tears slowly trickle down her cheeks.
“Not only am I proud of her for the impeccable job she’s done on this project, but I’m also so proud of her for fighting for her life. Amelia Wilson has quickly become the living breath of this company, the feminine presence my entire board needs to stay grounded, and, the love of my life. I raise my glass to you, Ames. Without you, absolutely none of this would have taken place. Thank you for fighting, thank you for staying dedicated, and thank you for keeping me at your side.”
I threw my drink back as the room erupted into cheers. I placed the microphone back in its place before I worked my way to Amelia, and by the time I got to her, tears were streaming down her face. She threw her arms around my neck and pulled me in for a wine-tainted kiss, and that’s when I heard it.
That’s when I heard those words finally fall from her lips.
“I love you, Lincoln,” she said.
“And I love you, Amelia.”
She ended up getting tired pretty early, so I decided to take her back to my place. Even though she was recuperated, she still had a long way to go in order to gain all her energy back and I didn’t want to push her any more than she’d already pushed herself. I placed my hand on her thigh as her dress began to ride up, feeling her warm skin underneath my fingertips. I saw her leg twitch with every circle my fingers drew on her skin, but I could tell by the look in her eye that her thoughts were elsewhere.
I slowly scooted my hand up her leg, wanting to make her shake. Instead, however, she placed her hand on top of mine to stop me.
“Linc.” Tears were in her eyes the moment she said my name, and suddenly my attention shifted. Something was wrong and I was ready to fix whatever it was. Wherever she needed to go and whatever she needed, I would find a way to make it happen.
“Ames. What’s wrong? Do you need to lean the seat back?” I asked.
“I love you so much,” she whispered.
“And I love you. Now, talk to me. What’s wrong?”
“How is this going to work with us over the years?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, where do you see yourself in two, three, or even five years? Are you going to be in a house or in The Avalon? Are you still going to love me? Will you still wanna be with me?”
“Ames, where is this coming from?” I pulled us over to the side of the road and stopped the car. She was shaking and it broke my heart, but the more she continued to talk the more worried I became.
Worried she was about to leave.
“Right now, all I can think about is us being together, but we all know the type of man you used to be. What if you get bored of me?”
“Ames. That’s never going to happen,” I said, squeezing her hand. “I left my womanizing ways behind me the moment I realized I couldn’t do any of this without you.”
“You know I wouldn’t leave, right? If we didn’t work out—if you wanted something I couldn’t give you—I’d still stay with the company. I promise.”
There it was. I could hear it. There was the insecurity. There was something she felt she couldn’t give me. Now, I just had to figure out what it was.
“Amelia. What’s going on? Has the doctor told you something I don’t know about? You are the woman I love. I’ve never felt for any woman the way I do for you. Not even close. That’s not changing, and I’m not going anywhere,” I said.
“What if you realize along down the road that y-you want another life? A white picket fence and a dog to run around with? What if you want a wife that stands in the kitchen and cooks for you and your ch-children?”
“Ames, look at me.”
“No,” she whispered, turning away.
“Amelia Wilson, you look at me right now.” The pain in her eyes when she slowly turned her head made me sick to my stomach.
“What did the doctor tell you?” I asked.
“I can’t have children, Linc,” she said, hiccupping. “The t-treatment. It—”
I unbuckled her seatbelt before I pulled her frail body into my lap. She sobbed into my shoulder while her entire body shook, and I tried to hold her as tightly as I could without bruising her skin.
“I’ve always dreamed about being a mother someday,” she said breathlessly.
“And you will be. To lots of children who’ve been born to this world without parents. If you really want to be a mother, then we’ll adopt. Right now, we need to be grateful that you’re alive, and cancer free. You have an incredible career at a company with a boss who’s actually pretty awesome, and when the point comes where we want children, we’ll adopt,” I said.
“You’ve already thought about this?” she asked.
“I’ve thought about everything with you,” I said. “I lay there in the mornings and think about what our future might look like together. I watch my world scroll through your eyes every single time you look at me. Every time you grant me access to your body, I see my future painted in the crevices of your body. I love you, Amelia Wilson. And we’re gonna have an awesome life together.”
“Oh my gosh. I love you, too, Linc.”
She pressed her lips to mine and I relished her salt-tainted kiss. I held her body in my arms, the tremors slowly subsiding with every undulation my lips made against hers. I didn’t want her to be sad, not tonight. Today had been filled with life-altering news for both the company and her existence, and I wasn’t going to let something like that squander our evening.
“How about we go back to my place so I can hold you while we look out at the skyline?” I asked.
“Are you sure you don’t just want to press me up against it?” she said, grinning.
“I think I just want to hold the love of my life in my arms and feel her heart beating against my chest,” I said.
“I think that sounds fantastic,” she whispered.
Epilogue
Two Years Later
Amelia
I stretched my arms out to feel around for Lincoln but all I got was the cool emptiness of the bed. I sat up and listened for him, trying to see if he was taking a shower or if he had already left for work. The sun was streaming lightly through the window, tainting the room in a golden glow, but all I could think about was where he could have gone.
But then, the smell of bacon wafted down the hallway.
I slipped out of bed and grabbed my robe from the back of the door. I walked down the hallway towards the kitchen as my stomach began to growl. I peeked around the corner and saw the table littered with breakfasts foods, then that beautiful voice I’d come to love over the past two years fell upon my ears.
“Good morning, beautiful. Hungry?”
“I guess I better be,” I said, grinning. “Looks like quite a spread.”
“Why don’t you take a seat? The bacon’s the last thing I’ve got to cook.”
The table was peppered with all sorts of delicious foods. There was toast with butter and jams. There was a fruit salad and pancakes. There was sausage as well as the bacon Lincoln was about to set on the table, and there was a pan of eggs with cheese in them as well. Glasses full of freshly-pressed orange j
uice sat at each place setting he had set out, and as I slid into my seat and began filling my plate with food, I felt him place a kiss to the top of my head.
“Bacon?” he asked.
“Please. What is all this for?”
“I’ve got a surprise for us today,” he said.
“So, I take it neither of us is going to work today?” I asked.
“Nope. I called and told Drew neither of us would be in today,” he said.
“I guess those are the perks for doing the boss,” I said, winking.
“Don’t worry. There are more perks to come with that kind of attitude,” he said.
“Well, I hope you gave him the list of things I need to get done today.”
“Ah-ah, no work talk. Don’t even give it a thought. Drew can handle what is critical, and the rest will keep for a day,” he said.
We ate in relative silence and I could tell he was deep in thought. Whatever he had planned for us to do today was obviously distracting him, and I knew better than to try and interrupt his thoughts. When Lincoln set his mind to something, it was hard to derail him. It would consume his mind until whatever this was had been set into motion, so all I did was study the beautiful features of his face. The way his hair was still disheveled from our escapades the night before. The black and blue mark I’d sucked onto his skin to get him riled up. I was sure if I looked at his back he would have red marks from where my nails raked down his skin while he drove me into his mattress.
My body had finally recuperated to a point where I could handle the beast within him, and I made sure to draw him out as often as I could.
After breakfast I helped him clean up, then he told me to simply get dressed. I had no idea where we were going so I didn’t know what was appropriate. He told me to wear whatever made me feel beautiful, so I pulled on a green and gold flowing summer dress and slipped on a pair of flats.
“Can you please tell me where we’re going, Linc?” I asked, as I put on earrings. “I can’t hardly stand it anymore!”
“I’m taking you to Central Park,” he said.
“Oh, a day in the park. I love that. The weather’s perfect for it, too. Should I wear walking shoes?” I asked.
“Like I said, just wear what makes you feel beautiful. And Ames, you look absolutely ravishing.”
I blushed under the compliment before he ushered me out of his suite. We rode the elevator down and said hello to George on our way out, but I got the feeling it wasn’t simply a day in the park. Instead of him driving us, there was someone outside waiting with a car for us, and I slid into the backseat before Lincoln dipped in beside me.
“Must be a fancy plan if you aren’t driving,” I said, winking.
“Come here, beautiful.”
He tucked me into the crook of his body and I simply melted into him. His rippling muscles hid me from the world and I couldn’t help but nuzzle my head underneath his chin. Every once in a while, I could feel him place a kiss on the top of my head, and it made me shiver with delight. Whatever he had planned, I didn’t care. I was simply looking forward to spending the day with him.
We got to the entrance of the park and ended up taking a service road around most of the activities. We traveled to this small spot that had a pontoon lake in the middle of it, and that’s when I saw the park come alive. Lilies and roses were planted in every crevice of the trees and swans had been placed in the lake specifically for whatever was happening. Shining ribbons hung from the tree limbs and crimson red rose petals created a pathway to the bench next to the lake, and as the car came to a halt I realized the path led from my side of the car all the way around.
“Lincoln, what is all this?”
“Come on. Take my hand.”
He opened the door and offered me his hand and I slipped out effortlessly. He walked me along the rose petal pathway towards the bench by the lake, and the swans came up to the small bags of food we had at our feet. We fed them the bread pieces we had while the wind slowly whipped through the trees. Then, when we ran out of food, Lincoln turned to me and took my hand.
“What in the world is all this?” I asked.
“This is a celebration,” he said.
“Of what?”
“Of you being cancer-free for two years.”
“Oh, Linc,” I said.
“But, I also have something I want to tell you.”
“Alright. Is everything okay?” He turned to me and took my hands while his eyes connected with mine. For a split second, I thought something was wrong. I thought something had happened with the company, or maybe he was about to break up with me. It didn’t make sense with everything that was decorated around us, but the moment his smile peeled across his face I felt myself relax.
“For the past two years, Amelia, I’ve gotten to watch you. I’ve gotten to take care of you, help you recuperate and grow this company, and for the past two years I’ve gotten to wake up to your smile. I’ve gotten to kiss your morning lips and sink myself into the recesses of your body. Time and time again, you’ve stolen my breath away, whether you’re just getting out of the shower or whether you were throwing up in a toilet. And, I don’t want any of that to go away. I don’t want to give up any of this.”
“And we don’t have to,” I said. “Though I could do without the throwing up.”
I saw him fish around in his pocket before he brought out a beautiful velvet box. I felt my eyes widen and my lips slowly peel open, and the moment he cracked the box open I knew what was happening. The glistening yellow diamond shone in the summer sun while Lincoln slowly slipped to his knee, and I threw my hands to my face as tears flooded my eyes.
“I don’t want to go another day without you by my side. I don’t want there to ever be another moment where you question where this is going. I don’t want there to ever be another second where I wonder whether or not I’m going to spend the rest of my life with you. I want every dream I’ve ever had with you in it to come true. I want to make love to you when we’re old and gray. I want to spend every single holiday with you decorating and traveling. I want to grow my company not as your boss, but alongside you as your equal. I want to give you the world and raise a family with you whenever you’re ready to be the incredible mother I know you will be. I’ve had you for two years, and I want you for two-hundred more. Amelia Wilson, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Tears streamed down my face as I grabbed for his shirt. I yanked him up off his knees and jumped into his arms, wrapping my legs around his body while my lips crashed against his. I could feel his love radiating through his body, his limbs trembling while we stood there in the middle of Central Park. I raked my fingers through his hair while our lips caught my tears, and the moment I pulled back I looked deep into his eyes while he searched mine.
“Yes, Lincoln. Holy hell, yes.”
He smiled and put me down onto the bench before he slipped the ring onto my finger. The sun caught the diamond and made it sparkle, but it was nothing compared to the twinkle in his eye when he realized I wanted to spend forever with him. He tucked my hair back behind my ear, looking deep into my eyes before he pulled me in for another kiss.
I was healthy, I was happy, and I was going to get married to the most incredible man this planet had to offer.
“I love you so much, Lincoln Collins.”
“And I love you, too, Amelia Collins.”
***The End***
More Steamy Romance by Amy Brent
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Amy writes hot, spicy romances that feature gorgeous alpha men who love to protect their women. Amy's heroes are rough, hot, bad boys and billionaires who possess that soft heart a woman definitely yearns for.
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