Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 170

A quiet day at home always seemed to slip by in no time. Amelia tidied up here and there, straightened a few things, and before she realized it, the afternoon had arrived.

That’s when Daniel texted: *Still in the mood to cook dinner tonight?*

Cook again, just to have him bail at the last minute? She typed out, *Don’t expect me to wait around forever*, then thought better of it, deleted the message, and sent a gentler reply: *Haven’t had the energy lately. Maybe next time when I’m up for it.*

Daniel: *Alright, next time then.*

To him, there was always a next time—plenty of next times. Only Amelia knew there wouldn’t be.

She glanced at the weather forecast and typed: *Looks like tomorrow will be nice. I want to go to the amusement park—will you come with me?*

Daniel’s lips curled into a smile as he read her message. Amelia had never asked for something like this before; she knew how busy he was, and usually only tagged along if he had a sudden break in his schedule.

His reply was playful and warm: *If you ask, I’d go anywhere with you—even outer space.*

Yeah, I’d rather launch you into space, she thought, rolling her eyes as she exited WhatsApp and started searching for amusement park tips.

She hadn’t been to many amusement parks in her life. Memories before age seven were a blank. At eight, her adoptive parents took her in. Everything was strange—new house, new people. She never dared ask to go to an amusement park.

Even when classmates raved about how much fun they’d had, she kept quiet at home. Her adoptive parents were kind, but their affection was gentle and distant. Little Amelia never learned how to be the kind of girl who could whine or plead for what she wanted.

When she got older, she did go twice with friends in college, but both trips were a blur of noise—following the crowd from one ride to the next, never really enjoying herself.

The next day dawned just as she’d hoped: clear skies, the scent of spring flowers carried on a gentle breeze.

As she queued at the park entrance, Amelia held her phone up to snap a photo of her ticket against the bright blue sky.

Daniel was right behind her, but by the time he reached out, she’d already taken the picture.

Truth was, she couldn’t go on any of the wild rides, so she just wandered, taking in the sights. Now and then she’d try out the gentle attractions meant for little kids.

Daniel, surprisingly patient, waited while she rode the carousel three times in a row.

She noticed him taking photos, but let him. Let him snap away—maybe, when she was gone, those pictures would make him sad, maybe even bring him to tears.

“Not a single thrill ride?” Daniel asked, unscrewing a water bottle and handing it to her. “Doesn’t seem like you.”

She took a sip and shot him a look.

If she wasn’t pregnant, she’d have dragged him to every heart-stopping ride in the park. She’d have forced him onto Silkwood’s infamous roller coaster at least three times—just to see if she could scare the jerk out of his wits.

She swallowed her water and said, “If you want to go, I can wait down here for you.”