Love You Always

“He is also a silent partner in half a dozen clubs that his brother owns and runs. You ladies spent Mia’s bachelorette party at one.”

I stand there trying to process what Smith is telling me. “I don’t date rich men anymore,” I mumble.

“Since when?” Mia scrunches her nose.

“Since I told myself that I want love.” I drop down onto the bench we have been trying to hide behind. Mia sits down next to me.

“Smith, girl talk.” She motions for him to move again. He takes about three steps away from us like that really makes a difference.

“I don’t know what I want anymore. How can my life be such a mess? I'm having a baby. I need to get my shit together, Mia. I have someone else to think about besides myself.”

“Don’t do that.” Mia bumps her shoulder with mine.

“Why did you go for Ethan that night?”

I lick my lips, thinking about that night. Thinking about how sexy he was, how something had drawn me to him as though I was meant to be his.

“He was different than my normal. I needed something different.”

“Yeah you did. Rich assholes are wearing.”

I snort a small laugh. “I thought if I could find him that maybe he and I could work something out. We could get to know each other, maybe eventually fall for one another.” I worry my lip between my teeth. To be honest, I think I might already be there but I’m hoping he will be, too, one day. Mia waits for me to continue knowing I’m still working through this in my own head. It's how I operate. I need time to process and form plans of attack.

“I was liking the idea of him being a normal guy since deep down inside I am a normal girl. Now I come to find out that he’s one of them. The kind of guy I told myself I was staying away from now.” Of course he is. Life is throwing me one curveball after another. I’ll start to think that I have it together and with a flip of a switch I am back to square one.

“I hate to break it to you, Amelia, but you’re far from normal.” I laugh because she’s right. I never do anything the easy way. The stolen license that’s in my pocket is strong proof of this. “How about you stop worrying about all the social things and concentrate on telling him that he’s going to be a father?”

I nod, knowing she’s right. The baby comes first and Ethan has a right to know. “I need to put my big girl panties on regardless of what the outcome might be for me.”

Mia nods her head in approval but an uneasiness settles in my belly. I’m not ready. I know deep down that I’m afraid that he’ll reject me. Wouldn’t that be par for the course? I might be spouting all of this bravado but I’m not exactly feeling it today.

“Smith! Let’s blow this joint!” I quickly get up, grabbing Mia’s hand as I pull her toward the car.

“I thought we were going to tell him. That you were wearing your big girl panties.” I keep walking. The only thing I can think about is getting to the car.

“I forgot that I’m not wearing any underwear today so it’ll have to wait until another day.” I hear Smith clear his throat from behind us before he reaches out and opens the car door. We climb in and I immediately relax.

“Okay. Maybe we should look into him a bit more before you tell him,” Mia suggests, putting me at ease.

“We’re going to need better spy gear, clearly.”

4

Ethan

“Don’t lose them,” I tell Brock, one of Kurt’s men, as he follows the black SUV. My cell rings as I go to call Kurt back. We have a plate number. We can start tracking her. I want to know every piece of information about Amelia now. I burst out of the building to see her crawling into the back of the SUV. There was a man with her that looked as though he was a bodyguard. It has me wondering who she is.

Why does she need a bodyguard? She was in the VIP area that night when I think back on it. It was a bachelorette party. Rage hits me hard out of nowhere. It couldn’t have been hers. She did slip out on me in the middle of the night. I clench my jaw. Is she married now? Do I even care if she is?

I should but it’s not going to stop me. She gave herself to me. That meant something. I know deep down that it wasn’t a one-night stand for either of us. The way that our bodies worshipped each other wasn't only out of lust but something deeper. Although unspoken, I felt it to my core.