“I remember that.” She winced. “I was in my last year of high school, actually. Taking a lot of college hours as well. I remember him tearing out of our driveway as if his ass was on fire. And to say he was pissed was an understatement. He was livid. That flight nurse had a heart attack. Did you know that?”
I shook my head. “I decided to not take any flights that day. But, even if I hadn’t decided not to, your dad wouldn’t have let me. He decided to check all of his fleet out. I came back the next week and dealt with the supervisor again.”
“Do you still do that?” she asked curiously.
I nodded. “Fly? Yes. I call your dad’s supervisor, I think his name is…”
“Ross,” she finished for me. “He took over the Texas offices.”
“Yeah.” I grinned. “I actually considered working for them before I got the job with the SWAT team. I’m actually still considering it. As a side job. They always need flight crew.”
“They do,” she confirmed. “What’s stopping you?”
I thought about that for a long moment and shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Her brows rose as if she didn’t believe that answer.
“More like, you know, but you don’t want to tell me.” She smiled softly. “I’m not going to make you spill all your secrets, Adam. I have some of my own that I don’t want to share.”
Now that had me curious.
“You want to go out with me?” I asked suddenly.
Because, suddenly, I wanted to know all her secrets. And I wasn’t altogether against telling her all of mine.
Before she could answer, Silas made his way out of the door of Sam’s place and called out.
“You ready, kid?” Silas bellowed. “Got something that needs taken care of.”
Amelia stood up and I went with her, walking along at her side, my hands tucked into the pockets of my jeans to stop myself from pulling her toward me and refusing to let her go.
That would be a bad idea.
At least at this juncture of the night.
Silas, despite being old enough to be my grandfather, looked to be in better shape than I could ever hope to be.
I had zero doubt in my mind he could kick my ass if he so pleased.
And I had a feeling that he would if I so much as pretended to have an interest in her.
Platonic side-by-side walking it was.
Once we reached the edge of the grass that would lead to the drive where Silas’ bike was parked, I came to a stop.
Amelia kept walking, her steps definitely slower and more hesitant since I’d come to a stop.
She didn’t stop until I shouted her name.
“Ummm, Amelia?” I called out when she was almost to the bike.
She turned, eyes alight with something I couldn’t quite decipher.
“Yes?” she asked somewhat breathlessly.
Excitement. She liked that I’d asked her out.
“My dog?” I said. “I’m kind of attached to her.”
Amelia laughed then, the sound going straight to my dick.
“Oh,” she sighed. “Sorry.”
She walked back over to me, and when she passed me the dog, her hand brushed my cock in the handoff.
I would’ve physically jolted and growled had her dad not been watching the entire exchange.
Then, like the shameful person that I was, I used my dog to shield my dick as I walked away and didn’t once look back.
The moment I entered my parents’ house, my mother was waiting.
“So… how did she get your shirt?” Mom asked.
I licked my lips, opened my mouth to tell her a complete lie, but ended up telling her the whole truth instead. Starting when I met her at the photoshoot and ending with my night with her.
Mom didn’t say a word until I was finished.
“I’m not completely surprised,” she said. “You used to be extra aware of her. Always wondering why she was there. Keeping an eye on her. You even asked about her a lot when you noticed she wasn’t coming around anymore. It makes sense.” She paused. “But… Adam, I didn’t raise a stupid man. You need to be careful with that one. Not because you’ll break her heart, or she’ll break yours, but because she’s the marrying type. The keeping type.”
“The loving type,” my dad finished, having arrived at some point.
I flashed a look over my shoulder in surprise. “You think so?”
He looked at my mother then. “I know so.”Chapter 9
Sometimes you win some, sometimes you fuck things up so bad that you want to die.
-Adam after eating Taco Bell
Adam
I’d successfully made it through three days of not seeing, talking, or even thinking about Amelia.
Though, that was mainly because the moment that I’d left my mother’s house, I’d gone and done something stupid like grabbing Taco Bell partway through my shift.
Then, even more stupid of me, I’d not noticed the warning signs of my stomach fucking hating me until all the goddamn doctors’ offices were closed.