The doorbell rang again. Sophia turned and asked, “Did you order more food?”
Amelia couldn’t remember exactly what she’d ordered—just that it was a lot. After all, they hadn’t celebrated together in three years; she wanted to make up for lost time with something special.
Sophia went to open the door. The moment it cracked open, she let out a startled, “Oh, hell no!” and was yanked backward by some unseen force.
The door barely held for two seconds before it flew open with a bang, completely overpowered. Sophia glared, teeth clenched. “If you break my door, you’re paying for it!”
Daniel didn’t spare the door a glance. His attention was fixed on the heads turning from the sofa. “I’ll buy you ten doors. Just send me the bill.”
Sophia’s retort died in her throat.
Amelia watched as Daniel strode closer, frowning. “What are you doing here? No one asked you to come.”
Daniel shot back, “Says who? The door seemed happy to see me—it made quite a racket.”
That was the sound of the door slamming into the wall!
Amelia rolled her eyes and turned away, refusing to look at him.
Daniel’s cool, detached gaze swept over the man sitting in the armchair.
Noticing Daniel’s stare, Zachary stood to greet him. “Hi, Zachary.”
Daniel shook his hand, voice even and unreadable. “Mr. Harper, you have a lot of free time, huh? Spending New Year’s Eve here instead of at home with your wife?”
Zachary shrugged. “I’m single. Never married.”
Daniel let out a sarcastic snort. Amelia looked up at him.
Misreading her expression, Daniel sat down beside her, making sure she couldn’t ignore him.
Amelia slid over a bit. “How did you even know I was here?”
Maybe it was all the protein she’d been eating lately, but Sophia suddenly slapped her forehead, realization dawning. “Damn! I forgot to block this guy on Facebook!”
Amelia sighed. Leave it to Sophia to mess things up.
Zachary, sensing the tension and perhaps guessing Daniel’s identity, decided to give them some space. At that moment, fireworks started popping outside. He tugged Sophia over to the window to watch the show.
With the others gone, Daniel dropped all pretense. He reached out and pinched Amelia’s cheek. “Why aren’t you answering my messages? Your husband’s last name is Campbell, not Harper. For New Year’s, you’re with her instead of me?”
Amelia slapped his hand away. For some reason, this man loved to pinch her face—she’d never understood it.
“Why would I spend New Year’s with you? Shouldn’t you be with your Porcelain Doll?”
“Why would I want to spend it with her?”
Amelia thought this whole conversation was pointless. Who else would you spend New Year’s Eve with, if not the one you love?
Then again, maybe Daniel’s Porcelain Doll wasn’t feeling well and needed to rest, leaving him with no one else to turn to—so now he remembered his second-string wife.
Her skin was soft and delicate—he’d always been obsessed with her hands, ever since they first got together, always inventing excuses to hold them, to stroke her fingers.
“There’s nothing going on between me and Violet,” he said quietly.
Amelia couldn’t see his face and had no idea what expression he wore, or what he was feeling as he said those words.
Nothing going on? Did he think she had to catch him in bed with Violet for it to count?
The mere image passing through her mind sent a shudder down her spine.
Daniel traced each of her fingers, his voice more earnest than she’d ever heard. “Honestly, there’s nothing between us. Please believe me. Give me some time—I’ll fix all this. Let’s not get divorced, okay?”
Amelia pulled her hand back and turned to face him, eyes searching.
Daniel had the kind of soulful eyes that could make even a lamppost feel special—Sophia’s words, not hers.
She’d fallen for those deep, dark eyes more times than she could count. Even now, she’d be lying if she said she felt nothing.
How could anyone forget a love that deep, that consuming, in just a few months?
It was Daniel who had turned her from a girl into a woman. With him, she’d tasted both unimaginable sweetness and dizzying heights of pleasure.
She still loved him. Of course she did.
Her heart trembled as she took a slow breath and asked, “Then tell me—if I said you had to completely cut Violet out of your life from this day forward, no contact, no messages, never see her again—could you do it?”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel)