Chapter 13

Amelia

I should never have shouted those words in anger. They were Vee’s secret, written in her diary and I had abused her trust, her memory and destroyed Henry. The look on his face, the anger, misery and disappointment, they would stay with me for a long time. I didn’t want to face him when he returned. I felt he needed space away from me, and to be honest I needed space away from his suffocation. There was only one place to go. Home to my mom and dad.

The minute I’d walked through the door of my family home, I’d fallen into my mom’s arms, broken down in tears, and told her everything. She’d done what my mom always did. Said everything would turn out as it was fated, and whether I ended up a single mom or we worked things out, she would look forward to being a grandma.

Then she told me something I never knew before. That when she’d met my dad, she’d known him years ago. She’d dated and been engaged to his best friend. It was way back before she’d married Ralph, but after they’d divorced her path had crossed with my father’s again. “I could have said, oh it’s not right, us dating after I dated your best friend, but life’s short. Love is love.”

I wiped another tear from my eye.

“Do you love Henry, sweetheart?”

“I do, mom. I really do, and he loves me.”

“Then that’s all that matters. Now go have a lie down and then we’ll see what needs to happen next.”

And that’s what I’d done. I’d come up to my old bedroom and crawled under the duvet where I’d fallen asleep. I’d woken up and stared around my bedroom wondering what on earth I would do next.

A soft knocking came on the door.

“Come in.” I’d guessed it was my mom checking up on me. I didn’t expect the door to open and Henry to walk through it.

He almost ran to my side.

“Henry, I-”

“No, me first. Please?”

I nodded.

“I’ve been a dick. A complete dick. I am so sorry. Once again I’m wasting precious life worrying about things that may never happen. I’m sorry, Amelia. Please come home. Let’s work through things.”

“I’m sorry too.” I told him. “I should have been more understanding about your anxieties. I just felt a bit overwhelmed, you know? I’ve never been pregnant before, it’s all new. I’m kinda a little scared about it all, anyway, and you just.” I pulled a face. “Well, you were making it worse, suffocating me.”

“I know. I realize that now. I can’t pretend I’m suddenly going to become all laid back and chilled, because that’s not me, but I will back off, or you can feel free to shout at me again.”

“Henry, what I said about Vee. I’m so sorry.”

“I already spoke to Ralph about this. I knew Vee wasn’t happy.” He continued to tell me the story of how the baby had kicked the morning Vee had died.

“There was no excuse for my behavior, regardless.” I told him.

“Can we please draw a line under the whole thing and please go home?” He asked me.

“Yes,” I nodded. “Could we stay to eat with my parents tonight first and then travel back?”

“Let’s ask and if it’s okay with them, we’ll travel home in the morning and I’m going to spend the night seducing you in your teenage bed under your parents roof.”

And he did.

We were under the covers and I was trying so very hard not to moan in ecstasy as Henry tongued my clit.

“You taste divine. I think pregnancy has made your juices sweeter.” He told me, staring up at me from between my thighs.

I stared at him through my lust-fueled haze. “Don’t stop.”

He kept on fluttering his tongue against my clit while he inserted two fingers inside me. I bucked against him.

“Oh, God,” I moaned softly.

He moved back up the bed before I could come and spooning in behind me he grabbed my hips and slid inside my heat, pulling me back against him and thrusting softly. The feeling was wonderful. We fit so well together.

His hand came around my front, carefully caressing my pregnancy sensitive nipples and breasts, and then fingers trailed down my front until he began strumming my clit alongside his thrusts from that oh so enormous cock I’d come to love. His movements came faster and my bed springs started to creak a little.

“Oh my God, how embarrassing.” I told him.

He went back to slower thrusts, so the noise stopped. It was an agonizing pace and when my orgasm hit, I felt like I’d been rocked by an earthquake. I took Henry over with me, feeling his hot spurts of cum deep inside me.

We rested together until our breathing regularized and then fell asleep in each other’s arms.

The next day before we left we decided to visit Vee’s grave. We stood in front and both bowed our heads deep in thought. Then Henry spoke.

“Veronica, I loved you with all my heart. If you’re looking down on us, you’ll see I hadn’t been living my life since you left me. I’d like to think it was you, and your strategic business mind, that sent Amelia to me, so I could start living again. I’ll never forget you, but now, I’m choosing to live.”

Tears ran from my eyes. I’ll I could manage to say was, “Vee, I loved you so much. I miss you and I hope you are looking down, happy for us both.”

Then Henry took my hand, we returned to the car, and he drove us home.

True to his word, Henry was much better from then on out. I agreed to regular health checks, more than I would usually receive, to keep him calmer, but as the pregnancy went along and especially after I got way past the date that Vee had, he slowly began to relax more.

I was six months pregnant when he (well, Mary), made us a picnic and said he was taking me to Central Park. The weather was mild, but not really picnic weather so we put on warm coats. He’d brought bacon sandwiches and hot coffee, and we sat on a bench in the park and enjoyed the food and drink.

“I’m selling the club.” He told me. “To Aidan.”

“You are? You don’t have to on my account, you know? It’s a good business.”

“I don’t want to be a dad and own a sex club. It doesn’t feel right.”

“Okay.” I told him.

“Also, I was thinking of selling my property business to Eli King.” Eli was another billionaire developer whose business was on the rise.

“So I’d work for Eli?” I said, tongue in cheek.

“Do you want to work for Eli?” He asked me. “Because you can. You can do whatever you want to do.”

“I want to live with you and have many, many babies.” I told him.

“Well, Eli discussed keeping me on in a consulting capacity. It means I can work the hours I want to work and can work from wherever we choose to live. Is there anywhere you’d want to go?”

I shook my head. “I like it here in Manhattan, but could we have a holiday home at the Hampton’s? A small one? Maybe four-bedrooms, for us to grow into?”

Henry kissed my head. “Anything you want. You realize once you become Mrs. Carter you’ll have my billions at your disposal, don’t you?”

“Now who said anything about me becoming Mrs. Carter?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

Then he dropped to his knees. There in the park. Holding out a box containing the most beautiful ring.

“Amelia Ann Wilson. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Can we have the biggest, most elaborate wedding ever, after I’ve given birth and had chance to slim down?”

“Anything.”

“Like even have Justin Bieber sing at the reception?”

He laughed. “If he’s available.”

“Then, yes.” I smiled.

“So it was Bieber that clinched it?” He winked.

“Yes, otherwise I’d have said thanks but no thanks,” I joked.

He placed the band of diamonds on my finger. “I went for something non-traditional. I thought you wouldn’t want anything that might dig into the baby’s skin.”

I looked at my beautiful ring. “It’s perfect and thank you for thinking of that.”

Then I fell to my own knees in the park and kissed my new fiance while the people in New York walked and ran passed us getting on with their day.

When we went home, Mary was in the kitchen preparing dinner. I flashed my diamond wearing finger at her.

“Oh my God,” she squealed. “I’m so excited.”

“We need to talk, Mary, about your post.” Henry said, walking in behind me.

“Ah, I thought this day would be coming,” Mary said. “I know things will be changing now with the baby and everything.”

“That’s correct.” Henry said, holding his serious business face in place and I could have killed him.

“Stop tormenting her.” I scolded him. “Mary, we’re staying here, but we’re buying a home in the Hampton’s too. Are you willing to travel, and also could we extend your duties to helping out with the baby, maybe babysitting sometimes so me and my future husband can go on date nights?”

“Oh I’d be delighted. Thank you.” She said, beaming widely.

Our baby chose that moment to make its first kick. A tiny little flutter in my stomach. I held my hand to my belly.

“Looks like baby is delighted too.” I told her.