I sighed and looked down at my beer bottle. “She’s too afraid to go in the water and she won’t go on the boat. I don’t know what to do about it.”
Julia placed her hand on mine. “You’re going to support her decisions. She’s obviously traumatized by what happened and she should be. I know I would be after experiencing something like that. You haven’t walked in her shoes, little brother, so it’s hard to understand.”
“You’re wrong, Julia. I do understand. I want to help her.”
“You understand as an outsider. You weren’t there. You didn’t see what she did and you certainly didn’t go through what she did. I get that you want to help her, but pushing her to do something she’s not ready for is only going to push her away from you.”
I couldn’t say anything. I got up from my chair and kissed Julia on the cheek. “Thanks for the talk. I’m going to go check on her.”
I quietly opened the door and poked my head in. She turned around and looked at me. I walked in the room and climbed in next to her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into me.
“I’m sorry, Amelia,” I said as I kissed her head.
“Don’t be. I’m the one with the issues.”
“We all have issues, baby. Some more than others, but in the end, everyone has issues. But issues can be worked on.”
“Can we please not talk about this now?” she asked.
My phone started buzzing. When I reached in my pocket and pulled it out, I noticed a text message from Aiden.
“Bro, I’m in the Hamptons. You here?”
“Yeah. I’m at the beach house with Amelia and my family.”
“Awesome. Let’s hit the club tonight.”
Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea, since Amelia wouldn’t go on the boat. I asked her if she wanted to go and she said yes.
“We’ll meet you there around eight.”
“Cool. I’m bringing Sonya. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
Chapter 22
Amelia and I walked out from our rooms at the same time. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw her. She looked so sexy, I had to put my hand in my pocket.
“Wow, you look amazing.” I smiled as I looked her up and down.
Her short black skirt complemented her long legs and her silvery spaghetti-strap top clung to her hourglass shape. She wore the sides of her hair pinned up with curls cascading down her shoulders.
“Thanks,” she said as she walked to me and ran her hand down my silk shirt. “So do you.”
I smiled as I kissed her and we headed downstairs. My family had already taken the boat out, so I grabbed my keys, locked up, and then we drove to the club.
“Dude!” Aiden smiled as he walked up to us right outside the club.
“Hey, bro,” I said as we high-fived. “This is Amelia. Amelia, this is my best friend, Aiden.”
He took her hand and lightly kissed it. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you,” she replied.
“Where’s Sonya?” I asked.
“We got into an argument and she left. No big deal. There’s plenty of ass in there to look at.”
I shot him a look. “Aiden, not in front of my girl.”
Amelia laughed and told me it was okay. She hooked her arm in mine and Aiden’s and we walked into the club. Aiden turned and mouthed to me, “OH..MY..GOD..YOU..LUCKY..DOG.”
We grabbed a table in the corner and Aiden went to the bar and got us a few drinks. He set down Amelia’s glass of wine and handed me my scotch.
“Dude, remember the last time we were here with that pizza delivery girl and you got her off and then she said she was a virgin and not ready for sex? That was classic!” He laughed.
I closed my eyes at the idiocy of my so-called friend. Amelia looked at me and raised her eyebrow.
“That was the night I met you.” I smiled as I took her hand and kissed it.
“Sorry, Amelia. My bad,” Aiden said.
He always had a habit of saying the wrong things at the wrong time. Now I was embarrassed and I could tell Amelia was less than pleased. A waitress came over to our table and asked if we needed anything. Amelia held up her glass of wine and ordered another. I ordered another scotch and Dumbass ordered us two rounds of lemon shots. After we downed them, I looked at Amelia.
“Would you like to dance?” I smiled as I held out my hand.
She smiled, put her hand in mine, and we went to the dance floor. She downed her glass of wine pretty fast after the shots and I could tell she was feeling it. She was all over the dance floor. I grasped her hips with my hands and brought her close to me. She began moving her body up and down mine, causing some excitement. I took in a deep breath as I bit my bottom lip to distract me from my hard-on. She turned to me and wrapped her arms around my neck.
“I think you may have had a little too much to drink.” I smiled as I kissed her forehead.
“Not nearly enough, as far as I’m concerned. Come on; let’s go do some more shots!” she exclaimed.
We went back to the table. Aiden was talking to some chick. She was a redhead, which was totally not his type and she was hanging all over him.
“Bro and Amelia, I would like you to meet, Amberlyn. Amberlyn, this is my best bud, Collin and his girl, Amelia.”
We said hi and Amelia turned to Aiden. “More shots?” she asked.
“Hell, yeah, little lady!” he yelled as the two of them high-fived.
“You two go ahead. I’m not having any. I have to drive back to the beach house.”
“Collin, seriously? You never let that stop you before.”
I kicked Aiden under the table. “I said, not for me.”
Aiden held up his hand and signaled for the waitress to bring the shots over. I ordered a bottle of beer and sat and watched the three of them get wasted.
****
“Come on. Let’s get you into bed,” I said as I picked up Amelia from the passenger’s seat.
She wrapped her arms around me and looked at me with a smile. “You are so fucking hot. I can imagine how hot you are in bed.”
“Thank you. Let’s not talk about this now. You need to sleep this off.”
Her lips smashed into mine as I was carrying her up the stairs and she started laughing.
“Shh, everyone is sleeping.”
When I sat her on the bed, she grabbed hold of my shirt, fell back, and pulled me on top of her.
“I need you to fuck me right now,” she said as she kissed me.
“Amelia, stop.”
“No, I mean it. I want you. I need to feel you inside me.”
“You’re drunk and I won’t sleep with you while you’re drunk. Not our first time anyway.” I got up off of her and pulled back the sheets. As I took off her shoes, she told me that she was going to be sick. I helped her up and into the bathroom. She leaned over the toilet and started vomiting. I kneeled down next to her and softly rubbed her back. Once she was finished, she leaned up against the wall while I wet a wash cloth. I lifted her chin with my finger and wiped the mascara stains around her eyes and then wiped her mouth. I smiled as I kissed the tip of her nose before helping her up.
“Sorry,” she said as I laid her down in bed.
“You’re kind of cute when you’re drunk,” I said as I pulled the covers up and kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning, baby.”
She closed her eyes and, as I walked out of her room, I heard noises in the kitchen. I walked downstairs and saw my dad getting a bottle of water from the fridge.
“Hey, son. Did you just get in?”
“I’ve been home a while. I was upstairs with Amelia. She had way too much to drink and she got sick.”
He laughed. “Been there, done that. I’ll tell your mom to have the cocktail ready for her in the morning.”
“Better her than me.” I smiled. “Night, Dad.”
“Night, son.”
I climbed into bed and heard a light knock
on the door. “Collin,” I heard Julia whisper. “Are you awake?”
“Yeah, come on in.”
“I was just on my way downstairs for something to eat and I thought I heard you. Did you just get in?”
“Doesn’t anyone in this house ever sleep?” I laughed.
She walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. “It’s so hard to sleep these days and so uncomfortable. I can’t help it if your nephew is hungry.”
“You mean, you’re hungry.” I winked at her.
“So, I’m curious. Have you and Amelia had—”
“No, Julia, we haven’t,” I interrupted.
She smiled and patted my arm. “I’m proud of you. You aren’t rushing into anything. Good boy.”
“You know it’s killing me, right?”
“I know, but you’ll be happy you waited,” she said as she got up from the bed.
“Yeah. I know I’ll be and so will she.”
“Night, little brother.”
“Night, big sister.”
****
The next morning, I got out of bed, checked on Amelia, and went downstairs for breakfast. The kitchen smelled of bacon and eggs, two of Jake’s favorite breakfast foods.
“Happy birthday, man.” I smiled as we fist pumped.
“Thanks, Collin. Where’s Amelia?”
“She’s still asleep,” I replied as I poured a glass of orange juice.
My mom said, “I’m making her cocktail right now. Your dad told me about last night.”
My dad walked in the kitchen with his arm around Amelia. “Ellery, someone needs that drink now,” he said.
“It’s coming right up, babe.”
I looked at Amelia and tried so hard not to laugh, but I couldn’t help it. I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her.
“You look like a hot mess.”
She smacked me on the chest. “Thanks.”
“Here you go, sweetie. Drink up.”
I took the glass from my mom and handed it to Amelia. She sniffed it and then looked at me.
“What is this?”
“It’s my mom’s famous hangover cocktail. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you it tastes amazing because, truthfully, it sucks. But I promise you that you will feel better quickly.”
My dad took his coffee and sat down at the table. “I’m officially welcoming you to the family, Amelia. When you get to drink one of those, you’re in.” He winked.
“It’s okay, Amelia. It’s not that bad,” Julia said.
“Are you kidding me? That tastes like shit,” Jake said.
Amelia sat down at the table and started to sip it. I pursed my lips together and could feel her agony. “You have to chug it. Pretend it’s a shot or something. You can’t sip it. You have to chug it. Trust me.”
She looked at me with fear in her eyes and then threw back the drink. She drank it all and, as she set the glass on the table, she made the cutest face of disgust.
“I know, baby. I know it’s awful, but it really does work,” I said.
“Remember one thing, Amelia,” my dad said. “As long as you’re hung over in front of Ellery, you will always have to drink that.”
“Connor, that’s not true,” my mom said.
“Really, Elle?”
“Yeah, Mom, really?” Jake, Julia, and I said at the same time.
Amelia started to laugh and ate some dry toast. The rest of us enjoyed a great breakfast before we had to get ready for Jake’s party.
****
I heard a knock at the door and I knew it was Jacob and Diana. I jumped up from my chair and answered it.
“Hey, little man!” I smiled.
“Hey, Collin.”
I kissed Diana on the cheek as Amelia came walking into the foyer.
“Diana, Jacob, I would like you to meet my girlfriend, Amelia. Amelia; Jacob and Diana.”
“It’s so nice to finally meet the two of you. Collin talks about you all the time.”
“The pleasure is mine, Amelia.” Diana smiled. “You’ve got yourself a great catch here. Collin is an angel.”
“I don’t think I’d go that far, Diana.” My dad laughed as he walked in.
It was good to see Jacob again. It had been a while. “How are you feeling?” I asked as I messed up his hair.
“Knock it off, dude, and I’m feeling fine.”
“Fine enough to maybe do some surfing?”
“SURFING? Are you serious?” he said.
“Sure am. That’s if it’s okay with your mom.”
“Mom, please. Please can I go? Please,” he begged.
Diana looked at me with uncertainty. “I don’t know.”
“Diana, please trust me on this.” I smiled. “He’s in good hands and Jake will be out there with us.”
“Okay, but be very careful,” she said.
“YES!” Jacob exclaimed.
“Let’s go get our bathing suits on and we’ll head down to the beach.” Amelia looked at me and smiled. “Come with us? Please?”
“No. I’ll be more than happy to watch you from the sand.”
I sighed and kissed her on her forehead. While Jacob and I went upstairs and changed into our bathing suits, Amelia grabbed a blanket, a few towels, and headed down to the beach.
“Come on, bro! Let’s get the surfboards from the garage.”
“Be careful out there, Collin. You know how I worry,” my mom said.
“Yep. Don’t worry, Mom. We’ll be fine,” I said as we raced through the kitchen.
I took the surfboards from the wall in the garage and Jacob and I took them down to the beach. When we got there, Jake was already in the water and Julia was sitting on the blanket, talking to Amelia.
“The waves are looking good today,” I yelled out to Jake.
“They’re awesome, dude. Hurry up and get out here.”
I knelt down in front of Jacob and put my hand on his shoulder. “Listen to me, buddy. I want you to breathe in the ocean air, really take it in. Okay?”
“Yeah, sure, Collin.”
“Okay, let’s hit the water.”
I gave Jacob a few tips and, before too long, he was up on the surfboard. He fell a few times, but so did Jake and I. Overall, he wasn’t bad. He took it slow and listened to everything I said. He was happy to be out in the water. Julia called for Jake and told him they had to get back up to the house and get changed for the party. Jacob and I stayed in the water a little longer.
“Come on, buddy. We need to get back to shore. Jake’s party is going to be starting soon.”
We paddled our way back land and, as soon as we emerged from the water, Amelia ran over, handed Jacob a towel, and took the surfboard from him. She walked over to me and kissed my cold lips.
“You looked great out there.” She smiled.
“Thanks, baby. Jacob did pretty well and I think he had a good time.”
The three of us sat down on the blanket and dried off for a few minutes before heading up to the house. “You feeling okay, bro?” I asked.
“I feel great. Better than I ever have.” He smiled.
I placed my hand on his head. “That’s great, buddy.”
Amelia took my hand and held it tight. She looked at me before leaning over to give me a kiss. “You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met.”
“Stop it.” I smiled. “I think you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met.”
Diana walked towards Jacob and he got up and ran to her. “Mom, it was so much fun. I can’t wait to do it again and guess what?”
“What, sweetie?” She smiled.
“I feel great. I don’t feel like I normally do.”
“That’s wonderful, Jacob. Now let’s go get you out of this wet bathing suit and into some dry clothes. We’ll see you up at the house, Collin.”
Amelia turned and brushed her lips against mine. “How did you know?”
“Know what?” I asked.
“That the salt water would help open up Jacob
’s airways.”
“I’ve been doing a little research here and there. No big deal.”
“It is a big deal. A very big deal,” she whispered as she once again kissed me and we both fell back into the sand.
Chapter 23
The guests had started to arrive and the party was under way. My mom had a huge spread of food catered and enough alcohol to quench the thirst of an army. Family and friends were in attendance and, finally, my grandparents arrived. I introduced them to Amelia after my grandmother lectured me about how they don’t see me much. Denny wasn’t able to make it because he wasn’t feeling well again, which had my dad really concerned. As Amelia and I filled our plates with food, I heard a voice behind me.
“Hi, Collin.”
I froze for a moment because of her voice. I took in a deep breath and turned around.
“Hailey. What are you doing here?”
“When my parents told me they were coming, I just sort of tagged along. I need to talk to you.”
I looked over at Amelia as she glared at Hailey. “Hailey, this is my girlfriend, Amelia.”
“Girlfriend? I didn’t know you were seeing anyone,” she said.
“There are a lot of things you don’t know, Hailey. Now if you’ll excuse me, we’re going to go eat.”
I took Amelia’s hand and led her outside to the table where Jacob and Diana were sitting. I noticed my mom and dad staring at us from the corner of the room.
“That’s nice. You didn’t tell me that your ex-girlfriend was going to be here,” Amelia said with a slight attitude.
“That’s because I didn’t know she was coming.”
“I thought she was in Italy,” she said.
“Your ex-girlfriend is here? Not cool, Collin,” Jacob chimed in.
I shot him a look and he smiled. I could tell how upset Amelia was by the look in her eyes.
“Did you know she was back?”
“I just found out a couple of days ago. Who cares anyway? I surely don’t,” I said.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Amelia asked.
“What did you want me to say? Hey, by the way, my ex is back in town.”
“Yeah, something like that. Maybe I wouldn’t have been caught off guard.”
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Let’s just eat,” I sighed.