My fingers reach out, lifting her chin so our gaze meets. Undeniably, guilt laces her stare until she turns away and out of my touch, wounding me. This moment is supposed to define us, not be overshadowed by remorse. I don’t care if she has that ring on her fucking finger. I will never regret what just happened between us.
“I should go back,” Amelia says faintly.
“Can we talk, please? If not now, later tonight when everyone has gone to bed?”
Her eyes plead with me to understand, but the more I fall prey to the emerald-green orbs, the less patient I become. What the hell are we waiting for? After tonight, why can’t we pick up from where we left off all those years ago?
“Give me time, please.”
“Time for what?” I rush, running my hands through my hair. “For you to convince yourself this was a mistake?”
Amelia dips her chin to her chest, her posture slumping.
“It was only a mistake because I betrayed Austin,” she confesses, crossing her arms. “I need to sort myself out.”
“And what do you expect me to do while you sort yourself out?”
She purses her lips while shaking her head. “I don’t know, Will. I’m just asking you to give me time to fix my mistakes.”
“I’m not perfect either, Amelia. So, we both made mistakes. Why can’t we just move forward?” I demand, losing my patience.
“Because you don’t have your best friend inside that house whose trust has been broken, she professes softly. “I love him, Will. He will always be an important piece of my life and he deserves an apology from me. That’s the least I can give him.”
And with those words said in honesty, it stings like a sharp razor blade gliding against my skin. She’ll always love him because he gave her things I never did—her first sexual experience, and maybe the biggest bruise to my already battered ego—the first man to ever propose marriage. I loathe him for sharing so many firsts with her, something I’ll never be able to claim.
Amelia leans forward to place a gentle kiss on my lips before walking away and back to the house. I call her name one more time, prompting her to turn around.
“Nothing happened with Gigi,” I tell her, wanting to get it off my chest. “I would never purposely hurt you. I need you to know that.”
She nods, her expression blank, before she disappears inside. I stay back, not wanting to cause a scene by walking in at the same time as her. What happened tonight is no mistake. It felt so right it terrified me. I’ve gotten a taste of her, and there is no chance I can let her go again, confident with all my being that we are meant to be together. We were given a bumpy path, a path full of sticks and stones—but ultimately, it’s tested the love between us.
And then I begin to regret my outburst only moments ago. I should have told her I still love her. Maybe that is what she needed to hear. I never stopped loving her, and no matter how I envision my future, if she’s not in it—life is not worth living.
My phone begins to buzz inside my pocket. I pull it out, not recognizing the number. Who the fuck would call me so late on a Sunday night? I figure it’s some random caller and hit reject.
I run my hands through my hair then walk back to the house. The large front door closes behind me, so I walk down the hall leading to the back patio, only to cross paths with Lex down the long corridor.
Fuck.
I could turn around, say nothing at all, but instead, I slow my movements until we’re a few steps away from each other. Lex is a tall man, but we’re about even in height, not that he intimidates me one bit. I knew his secrets; we were once the best of friends. A hell of a history between us, all of which ended the moment he claimed I betrayed him.
“I am aware of Lau’s proposition,” he begins with, keeping his tone controlled as usual. His stare is unwavering, typical Lex Edwards. “It is a very lucrative takeover.”
No surprises, it’s all about business with him. I was also aware he knew of this after I spent the day talking to lawyers and my executive team. Lau is turning up the pressure, but I refuse to back down. It’s why I stayed back today to sort this all out. It didn’t help that Gigi had the same idea. Her walking naked into the living room and claiming she thought no one was home didn’t stop her from trying to rub her pussy on me.
What the hell was I supposed to do? I offended her by declining her offer for a quick fuck, pulling the good ole’ “I’ve got something urgent which needs attention.” From there on, I took my laptop and sat inside my dad’s Range Rover just to get some fucking peace and quiet.
“My team is working hard on closing this deal. I will make it happen without Lexed involved.”
“If you say so.” His behavior is somewhat calm, which is very unlike him. However, calm is not to be mistaken as friendly. His uninviting gaze is far from forgiving. “But let me tell you this, Romano. Your arrogance will only get you so far.”
“Well, as a matter of fact, Lau is considering it. He is aware my company has done great things, a
nd our plans for this platform are far greater than those in the bidding war.”
“I meant with Amelia,” he is quick to shut me down. “I warned you to stay away.”
“Right…” I drag, shaking my head in disgust. “Because you have a say anymore?”