Margot
Standing with my back a foot from the door, I wait to make sure that Boone and Amelia are getting along.
After only a few seconds, I hear Amelia’s excited voice.
My mind is in turmoil as I process the last few minutes.
He knows. Boone knows!
In the back of my mind, I know this is bad. It just complicates things so much. And from the way it went, he has every intention being involved.
Not that I’m surprised, Boone has always been a completely stand-up guy.
In addition to saving people from fires, he has always been known as someone who could be counted on to help out in any situation.
So, the real question is, do I mind if he is involved?
No. That’s what’s so ironic about the whole entire situation.
I’d be a liar if I said I was over him. It’s only taken an hour in his presence, and I want to jump his bones.
There’s always been off the charts chemistry between us. When we were together the first time, it felt like coming home. Like it was always meant to be.
Being with him now feels exactly the same way.
Holding up my phone, I walk away from the door, assessing the signal.
Moving to the right, I slowly circle the yard within twenty to fifty feet from the door.
I still want to be able to hear Amelia if she needs me. As far as she knows, I’ve left her with a strange man. I don’t want to leave her for a long time, but I need to call my mom.
If we didn’t have a brunch date set up for Sunday, I probably wouldn’t be making this call and facing the music with my parents so soon.
Of course, she knows Boone is Amelia’s father, but she hasn’t ever approved of any kind of relationship with him. The family tension has always just been too extreme. I don’t even pretend to understand everything that has happened between our families.
First of all, it just seems so ridiculous. Old news.
Aren’t Boone and I supposed to be the new and improved generation of our families?
But if they want to hold on to grudges like that, they can have it. But I refuse to lie about what is happening between Boone and I right now.
As I hear my mother’s phone start to ring, I take a deep breath to brace myself.
“Hi, honey! How are you?”
The relief I feel at hearing my mother’s soothing voice, lets me know I am more shaken up than I realized.
“I wasn’t expecting to hear from you today. Is everything okay?”
The crackling line cuts in and out on her words.
“Hey, mom…kind of.”
She pounces right on the hesitation in my voice.
“What do you mean, kind of? What’s going on?”
I hear the worry in her voice, and I don’t want to cause any additional stress.
“Amelia and I are fine, but we were involved in a landslide and rescued…by Boone Masters. We’re stuck here now at his cabin in the mountains until the roads get cleared.”
I might as well tear the Band-Aid off as quickly as possible.
She doesn’t say anything for a few seconds. I don’t expect her to be happy about the situation, but she should be really thankful. I know I am.
“We’re up here on a camera shoot. Then, Amelia fell off the path, just as the landslide started. It was terrifying, mom! We are so fortunate that Boone showed up when he did.”
Boone deserves all the credit, and I want her to know that. He’s solely responsible for us still being alive. Again.
“Wow, honey, that’s just crazy! Is Amelia okay, then?”
I’m not sure exactly how honest my mom is on that question. I haven’t even gotten Amelia checked out yet. I feel like a bad mom as it is.
“Boone put a splint on her leg, and based on her pain, it appears that she’ll be okay. I can’t get out of here and to a doctor until they clear the road.”
I’m sure she can hear the worry in my voice.
“Well, there must be something we can do. Should I call the local authorities? Have they been notified?”
Her questions make sense, and I make a mental note to talk to Boone about them. But I don’t want her worrying any more than necessary. I know she’s going to be worried just because we’re with Boone.
I’m really torn. There’s a part of me that wants to stay here with Boone and introduce him to his daughter.
Now that he knows, the cat is out of the bag. I can’t very well just walk away and tell him he can’t see her again. Not only do I think he wouldn’t go for that, but I wouldn’t want to do it to him either.
Not telling him about Amelia was never because I thought he would be a bad father. He’s great. Honestly, I know he would be fabulous.
I think on some level, I just didn’t want to fuck up his life by making him feel obligated.
I know Boone Masters better than he realizes. As soon as he realized I was pregnant, he would have dropped everything and married me, or tried to, at least.
And I don’t know that I would have said no, either.
Now, I realize how wrong I was to keep our baby girl all to myself. I admit that I’m just selfish when it comes to her.
“I’ll talk to Boone, mom, and make sure that the local authorities are in the loop, so the roads get cleared. Amelia seems fine, so I’m not going to panic. She’s treating it like an adventure and is having a great time.”
“And how is it with Boone?”
My mom’s carefully worded question is asking so much more than it sounds like.
“It’s good. I didn’t even realize it was him when he saved us. He’s got a beard.”
I’m trying valiantly to keep it light.
“Mm-hm. So, he’s looking good?” Of course, she asks.
Good enough to eat.
It makes my heart ache just to think about him. I guess it always has.
“Yes. He looks good. But I had no idea he was out here. This wasn’t intentional or anything.”
She’s making me feel like a little girl caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
Probably because I’m so attracted to him. He’s always inspired my hero worship. You’d have to be a nun not to be attracted to him.
“No, honey. That’s not what I meant.”
Her voice is cutting in and out again, but I can still understand her.
“I’m just concerned about you. I know you had strong feelings for him, and I wondered how you were handling it?”
Staring at the cabin that’s twenty feet away, I contemplate what to tell her.
There is no way I want to tell her the truth. Because even if I want something more with Boone, what are the odds that he would want anything to do with me?
After all, I hid his daughter from him for four to five years.
That would be wishful thinking. He has to hate me now.
“It’s been a long time, mom.”
Swallowing hard, I back the tears that are springing into my eyes.
“It’s been a long time, and we have both changed a lot.”
There. That’s vague enough for the moment.
“I just wanted to let you know that we won’t make brunch on Sunday.”
Laughing lightly, I kicked the loose pebbles at my feet.
“I’ll keep you updated though.”
“That sounds good. And let me know if there’s anything you need. I’m sure we could figure something out. Worst case scenario, we could send in some guys to hike you out.”
Her over-the-top suggestions make me feel loved.
“No, no. It will be fine. We won’t starve, and we have a roof over our head.”
And we’re with Boone. We have him, and I know he will take care of us, even if he hates me.
“Do you think he knows?” As if I don’t know exactly what she’s referring to, she continues talking. “Do you think he realizes Amelia is his daughter?”
This is the question I know she was dying to ask.
“Yes. He specifically asked me how old she was, and I’m sure he knows.”
My mother’s sigh of resignation echoes my own feelings.
“We haven’t really talked about it yet, but I’m sure we will. It’s not the end of the world. We always knew this day would come.”
I think saying the words out loud is more for me than for her.
Now that this day has arrived, I wish I could just run away. Being trapped here with him is probably the only way this ever would’ve happened.
“I know, honey.” My mother’s voice sounds resigned.
Our fluctuating signal makes her sound like she’s in a tunnel.
“There’s more to it, though. We’ll have to sit down with your father when you get back.”
“What do you mean?”
I don’t need to sit through more of their lecturers about Boone’s family. I got enough of that while I was pregnant.
“There’s more to it than that. I wanted to warn you, but your father thought it was better…”
Dammit! She’s really breaking up now.
“Wait! Mom, you’re breaking up.”
I start pacing in a circle moving further out, trying to hear her. But I’m only getting bits and pieces before the line disconnects with an annoying beep.
What is she talking about?
She made it sound a lot more ominous than anything we ever discussed before.
I have to call her back!
Circling again, I move further away from the cabin, trying to locate the best signal.
As I start to dial, I hear a horrendous screech.
“Aaaaaaahhhh!” The drawn-out scream raises in pitch on the end.
My hair stands on end.
It only takes two seconds for my mommy brain to identify the scream as Amelia’s.
What the fuck?
My heart, already in overdrive, is now pounding away at lightspeed. But it doesn’t stop me from sprinting towards the cabin.
I’m going to kill Boone if he lets something happen to her. It’s only been five to ten minutes.
What in the world could have happened already?
I trip but catch myself going up the short flight of stairs before slamming my body into the door.
I realize that I forgot to turn the knob.
I struggle with the knob. It almost seems locked.
I jiggle it furiously, then it finally clicks to the right, and the door opens.
I just hope that I’m not too late.