“You look pretty sexy yourself.” I say and he looks at me.
“Gorgeous.” I still blush with his compliments and he smiles. “You ready?”
“Yes. I just need to grab my bag.”
A minute later, we are heading out to watch my little brother take another step into adulthood.
****
A couple of hours later, we are all sitting at the restaurant. We have all finished eating and are waiting on dessert and having idle chatter. Evan clears his throat and everyone quiets to hear what he’s going to say.
“I just want to thank you all for being here today. I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to do with my life. Lucky for me, I have the best sisters in the world and they support me no matter what.” He looks over at me. “Amber, there aren’t enough words to thank you for everything you did and are doing for me. You are the best and I love you so much.” Tears swell in my eyes but I blink them away. He continues, “I have been trying to figure out what I want to do and I have come to a decision. I have joined the Marine Corps.”
I stare at him dumbfounded. I am so proud of him and terrified for him all at the same time. I stand and walk over to him. He stands and faces me. “I am so proud of the man you are becoming. I am also proud of the decision you’ve made but I need to know that you’re sure.”
“I am.” He says. “I made sure to do all of my research before I made a decision and I believe it’s what’s best for me.”
“Then I support you one hundred percent.”
I hug him and applause erupts from the table. He takes his seat again and I go back to my seat. Dylan smiles at me as I sit down. Mia catches my eye from across the table. She’s fidgeting like she’s nervous about something.
“Mia, are you okay?” I ask.
“I have something I need to tell you and Evan and I don’t know how.” She admits.
“You know you can tell us anything. Remember the rule-no judgment just resolution.” She nods and takes a deep breath.
“I’ve decided that I want to move to New Orleans to live with Aunt Ava and Uncle Jerry. I loved it there during Christmas and I want to go there for high school. I have asked them and they are on board to have me live with them. I think being there will be good for me.”
Chapter 16
Moving
Amber
I am floored. I don’t know what to say or think about the bomb that Mia just exploded on me. Did I really just hear her say that she wants to move to New Orleans?
“Did I do something to make you want to leave?” I ask. I can see Dylan and Evan looking between us and they are just as shocked.
“No Amber. Not at all. You have done everything for me and I’m grateful. You know that I hate the kids in my school and I think starting a new school will be good for me. Plus, I think I’ll have better opportunities for college there.”
“You’ve really thought this through?”
“Yes I have. I wanted to make this decision on my own that’s why I didn’t come to you sooner.”
I look over at my aunt. “Why now? You didn’t care six years ago and now you’re okay with her living with you. You are mom’s sister and you didn’t care what happened to us. You didn’t offer any assistance and suddenly you are okay with all of this.” I am furious at her.
“You’re absolutely right Amber. Your mom’s death caused me to lose myself for a very long time. I didn’t even realize that I just left you until a year later. At that point, you were taking care of things and I didn’t want to step on your toes. I deserve your anger and resentment. What happened was extremely unfair to you and I had a big part in that. I am not making excuses or asking for forgiveness because I know I don’t deserve it. When Mia contacted me with her idea, I thought that it was the perfect time to help out in a way where I was needed.”
I slam my hand down on the table. Mia jumps and glasses rattle. Evan’s glass tips over and spills all over the table. Dylan doesn’t move but is watching my every move. “Did you seriously think that we didn’t need any help in the last six years? I have and still work like a dog to make sure that Mia and Evan have everything they need. I made sure they always ate and went many nights without a meal. You never picked up the damn phone and asked if there was any way you could help. You are the only family we have and you disappeared for years. You didn’t even call to see how we were doing.” Tears are streaming down my face now. “Why now? What’s in it for you?”
“There is nothing in it for me.” She wipes a tear from her face. “You have done an amazing job with Mia and Evan. No one could have done better, not even me. I am proud so proud of you but now it’s time for you. You need to start your life.” Her eyes go to Dylan and then back to me. “Mia made this decision all on her own. I think it’s great and I’m all for it and so is Jerry.”
My eyes dart to him and he nods in agreement. I look back to Aunt Ava. “I also have something for the three of you. It’s something that I should have given you six years ago but I was a coward. When the three of you were born, I opened accounts for each of you. I have been putting money in there every month. I should have closed the accounts six years ago and sent you the money. I don’t know why I didn’t but I’m giving it to you now.” She pulls three envelopes out of her purse and puts them on the table. Each envelope has our names on it. “Go ahead. They’re yours.”
I motion for Evan and Mia to grab their envelopes. They grab them up quickly and I sit back down. Dylan’s hand comes over mine. I wipe the tears from my face and look at him. “Are you okay?” He asks.
“Yes. Just don’t let go of my hand.” I whisper and he holds it tighter.
Evan and Mia both gasp when they open their envelopes. They pass them to me and I look at them. A check for twenty thousand dollars each. I grab mine and open it to reveal another thirty thousand dollars. I look at Aunt Ava and Uncle Jerry. “Seventy grand?”
They nod. “You have more because we were putting money into your account for longer than Evan and Mia.”
“Thank you.” I say. “But, we can’t accept the checks.”
“You’re welcome and yes, you can. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you when you needed me Amber.”
“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have lashed out at you.” She stands and comes over to me. “I still can’t forgive you completely but I can understand what happened.” She hugs me tightly and I continue. “I don’t know about the money though.”
“That money is yours. It has been since day one. Take it please.”
****
On the way home, Dylan places his hand on mine. “Are you okay, gorgeous?”
I look over at him and I can’t stop the tears. He quickly pulls the car over and wraps me up in a hug. His strong arms around me are such a comfort. For the first time ever in my life, I don’t feel alone. I wrap my arms tightly around his neck and continue to sob. “Oh baby. I’m so sorry that you’re hurting.” I sob harder and he holds me tighter.
Five minutes later, I start to calm and pull away. “Thank you for being here for me. I’m sorry that I just cried all over you. That isn’t me. I’m not a crier and that was hard for me but I had to get it out. I felt like my head was going to explode.”
He places his hand on my cheek and wipes away a runaway tear. “You never have to hide your true feelings from me. Whenever you need to cry, scream, throw a tantrum or just throw something, call me. I will be right there and I will hold your hand. Hell, I might even do it with you. You aren’t alone anymore. You and I are a team now.”
“I’ve never had this and I don’t know how to react to it all. It’s always been me and it many take me a while to get used to us being a team.” I look at him and he smiles.
“I’ll remind you when you forget.” He leans in and places a small yet sweet kiss on my lips. “You are my forever and I promise to always be here for you.”
Chapter 17
Decisions
Dylan
Watching my gorgeous girl cry was lik
e getting punched in the gut. I fought for my next breath every time a tear fell. She got hit with a few blows today and I don’t know how to help her deal with them all. She deserves so much happiness when her whole life has been filled with sadness. I need to find a way to put a smile on her face. She smiles all the time but it doesn’t reach her eyes. Her blue eyes are always weary and expecting the next disaster to happen. The last six years have been hell on her but she’s a force to be reckoned with. I am so proud to have her by my side.
We walk into Amber’s house to find Mia and Evan sitting at the table waiting for us. Amber sits down.
“I’m going to get going. This is family time and I’m going to let you guys talk.” I say and turn to go when Amber stops me.
“Please stay. I need you here.” I nod and sit next to her. Amber takes a deep breath and starts the conversation.
“First, I have a question and I want an honest answer. Mia, did I do something to make you want to leave?” Mia looks shocked that Amber would even consider something like that.
“Of course not. You have done everything for me and I would never repay you like that. You are an awesome big sister and I don’t know what I would do without you. I love you so much. It also isn’t fair to you to have had to raise us. You don’t do anything without us and I hate that. You don’t have your own time.” A tear falls down her cheek and she quickly brushes it away. “During Christmas time, I met a few girls that live around our aunt’s house. They are very sweet and down to earth. They showed me around and I quickly came to love the city. Aunt Ava only had good things to say about these girls and I immediately felt comfortable there. You know that I’ve always been an outcast here. I didn’t want to start high school with the same people that I’ve despised for the last few years. So now I want to go someplace different. When I asked Aunt Ava what she thought, she was truly happy to have me and I know that now is my chance. I am still in touch with those girls and we have so much in common. It is going to hurt like crazy to leave you but it will be good for the both of us.”
“Although I think you should have discussed this with Amber first, I agree that this might be a good decision for you.” Evan says and Amber looks at him. “I know you have been miserable at the school you’re in and Amber has done the best she can. I agree that now is the time to make a change.” He looks at Amber now. “I agree with Mia that now is your time. We are so blessed to have a sister like you. We are who we are today because of you and I don’t think anyone could have done a better job, not even mom and dad. You taught us the meaning of true love and we can’t thank you enough.”
Amber looks down at her hands and I can see a tear roll down her cheek. I place my hand on both of hers and she wraps one hand around mine.
“I love you both so much and I am so proud of you. You both are very smart and independent. I respect both of your decisions and I will not get in your way. I need you to promise me that if you are not happy or things aren’t working out the way you want, you’ll come back and ask me for help. I will always be here for the both of you.”
“I promise.” Mia says.
“I promise.” Even says.
She nods her head and Mia rushes over to hug her. Evan follows and the three of them sit there for a long moment embracing. I am extremely proud of these two kids. Not only are they thinking of themselves but they are thinking of their sister too. I am in such awe at them.
When they pull away, Evan looks at me and smiles. He looks back at Amber and says, “I need you to promise me something now.”
“Anything.”
“Be happy. Have fun. Let Dylan love you and you love him. You deserve it all.”
“I promise.” She says and turns to look at me. I wink at her.
For the next hour, we speak about when Mia and Evan are leaving and planning their moves.
Chapter 18
First Date
Amber
A week has passed since the bombshell that both Mia and Evan are leaving. After having this time to think, I have come to terms with it and I am going to embrace having some freedom for the first time ever. I will worry every single second they are away from me but I also understand the need to move on with their lives. I’m excited to see what life holds for them and I know they will succeed in anything they do. As far as the money is concerned, I now have some money in the bank for the first time ever. After having a discussion with Mia, she agreed to reinvest the money for college. Evan put the money into a money market and decided to keep it tucked away in case of an emergency. They are exceptional human beings. I really hope they continue to excel.
Dylan and I haven’t discussed what’s next for us. We haven’t had any alone time in the last week so things seem up in the air. I believed I was in love with him weeks ago but I became one hundred percent sure last week. The way he handled everything and stuck by me was incredible. He truly is the man of my dreams and I need to do everything I can to make him happy. First and foremost, I need to tell him how I feel. I’m scared to death that my feelings won’t be reciprocated but he needs to know. As soon as Evan and Mia leave, I’ll tell him.
Well, today is that day. Evan is headed to Fort Bragg and leaving at noon and Mia has a flight out at one. I don’t know if they planned this but saying goodbye to the both of them will shatter me but at least I won’t have to do it two different times. They both insist that I don’t go inside the airport and do the curbside drop off. I’m not comfortable with that but both have told me that they want it over and done with. I understand that so I agreed.
As we are about to load up the car, Dylan pulls into the driveway and pops his trunk. He gets out of the car, takes the bags from Mia and puts them into his trunk.
“What are you doing here?” I ask as he walks up to me. He kisses the tip of my nose.
“Do you really think I was going to let you do this alone?” How can I not love him?
I smile at him and he helps Evan get his bag into the trunk. A few minutes later, we were on our way to the airport.
****
Twenty minutes later, Dylan pulls onto the curbside of Southwest Airlines. We quickly climb out and Dylan starts to take all of the luggage out of the trunk. I look at my siblings and start to tear up. They both rush to me. The three of us hug for a minute. I whisper so only they can hear me.
“I am so proud of the both of you. I am always here for you. Please don’t hesitate to call me if you ever need anything. I love you both so much and I’m going to miss you like crazy. Please be safe and call me at least once a week.”
They agree and we pull apart. Dylan comes over and embraces Mia. “Be safe hun. Be good and let us know if you need anything.”
“Thanks Dylan. I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m going to miss you too.” They pull apart and he hugs Evan. “So proud of you. Be safe and be strong. Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”
“Thank you and I will. Take care of my sister.”
“You know I will.”
“I know.” Evan gives me one last look and smiles. “Love you big sister. Go be happy.”
“I love you too.” Mia blows me a kiss and then they’re gone.
Dylan and I get back into the car before we get forced out. As soon as he pulls away from the curb, he reaches over and links his fingers with mine. I quietly cry until we get back on the highway.
“They are going to be fine. You have taught them how to be independent.” He says.
I nod. “Thank you for being here.”
“I will always be by your side.”
“I know and I will always be by yours.” He’s watching the road but I see the smile that comes across his lips.
“Where to now, gorgeous?”
“Let’s go get lunch.”
****
A few minutes later, we are walking into Mama Mia’s. It’s a quaint little Italian restaurant that I’ve heard good things about. The restaurant is not very expensive but pricier than a chain restaurant.
When Dylan suggested we come here, I smiled and told him that I have been dying to come here. It really is beautiful. There are no tables, just booths lit by candlelight. It is very romantic. The hostess quickly seats us and the server takes our drink order.
“It’s beautiful in here.” I say.
“It is. It’s my first time in here. I’ve heard great things.” He smiles at me over his menu. I pick my entree and put my menu down. The server comes back with our drinks and homemade bread. The server smiles at me and Dylan clears his throat. The server looks at him and Dylan grins. “She’s mine. I suggest you do your job and find another woman to smile at.” I look between the two men. The server takes our order swiftly and leaves.
Believe In Love Page 7