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“Exactly.” Not to brag, but we have the best parents in the world. They love us unconditionally. This is why I can’t understand Richard Lewis’s behavior though. Indigo and Lyndon are adopted and Mom and Dad adore them just as much as they do us, their biological children.
Archer shakes his head, his eyes darkening with anger on Ameline’s behalf. “That’s messed up. She needs her family right now.”
“I know,” I reply. “But at least she has me.”
“She has you, and I think you need to tell her how you feel,” Archer states.
I shake my head, a wave of fear mixed with desperation washing over me. “No. It’s not the right time,” I say, more to convince myself than him.
“You’ve had feelings for her since the day you met her. I know the timing is horrible. But life’s short, dude. We don’t always get a perfect moment. Sometimes, you just have to jump. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.”
Says the guy who at twenty-one decided it was time to marry the love of his life. They’ll have a big wedding later, but for now Piper and Archer are happy in their honeymoon period, not letting anyone or anything interfere with their happiness. I just don’t know if I can do the same.
“This isn’t the time,” I push back. “She’s vulnerable, and the last thing she needs is to have her only friend declare his love for her.” I place my hand on his shoulder. “Right now, she just needs my support.”
“You’re fucking this up,” he says. “By not telling your family, best friends, and keeping your feelings back. Don’t do something you’ll regret soon.”
“I won’t,” I say, knowing better than him.
“Fine, I’m getting the fuck out but think about what I just said.”
I’m left wondering if he’s right. Should we seize happiness where we can, even when it might be temporary? Or is it better to protect the ones we care for, even if it means ignoring our own hearts? I don’t have the answer. All I know is that Ameline needs me. And right now, that’s enough.
I sink into the armchair by the fireplace, exhausted but unable to sleep. My mind churns with unanswered questions.
What if Archer is right? What if we only get one life, so shouldn’t we make the most of it? I can’t deny my own feelings for Ameline. From the moment I saw her, something stirred inside me that I’ve never felt before. A longing, a connection on a level I can’t explain.
I glance at my watch. It’s after midnight, and morning will come too soon. As my eyelids grow heavy, my thoughts drift back to Ameline sleeping peacefully upstairs. So lovely, so fragile. For now, all that matters is being there for her. After everything she’s endured, she deserves that.
Tomorrow I’ll sort out my feelings. My last thoughts before sleep claims me are of her—the sparkle in her eyes, her melodic laugh. The way just being near her makes me feel whole. I want that feeling to last forever. For now, keeping her close is enough to warm my soul. Everything else can wait.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Ameline
I’m perched cross-legged on Gabe’s plush living room carpet, the soft glow of my laptop casting an eerie light across my face. My fingers hover over the keyboard as I try to create a budget. Who knew that babysitting would give me enough to live on for at least the next six to eight months?
Well, that’s not all that I have, though. I had plenty of money in the joint account Dad used to transfer money for my expenses. This feels so wrong, like cutting an umbilical cord or leaving the baby kangaroo outside the mother’s pouch. Sure, I’m twenty but I wasn’t expecting to lose everything suddenly.
I whisper to myself, “Six to eight months. That’s all I have, but what about the medical expenses? Is Dad going to take the insurance away, too?”
The words hang in the air. Around me, Gabe’s living room feels too large, too quiet. The walls seem to absorb my anxiety, not offering any comfort.
My mind races with calculations. Rent. Tuition. The numbers swarm in my head, relentless and unforgiving. I let out a heavy sigh, feeling the burden of my decisions. Yet, there’s a little silver lining. I’ve taken extra credits, pushing myself closer to finish college sooner. Just three or maybe two more semesters, and I’ll graduate. It saves me money, and maybe I can get a better job with my current experience.
Once I feel better about that situation, I pick up my phone with trembling fingers, dialing the oncologist’s number. I can’t keep ignoring that I need to see one immediately and start treatment. My heart pounds against my chest, each beat reverberating with a mix of fear and hope.
I tell them who’s referring me to them. They ask for all my data and when it comes to the insurance she asks me to say the numbers twice. “Let me verify your insurance.”
What’s there to verify? Though I want to ask, I just stay on the line. A few moments later the receptionist’s voice, distant and clinical, cuts through the line, “I’m sorry, but your insurance isn’t valid.”
“Are you sure about that? The hospital took it yesterday without a problem,” I state.
“You’ll need to call them and make sure they didn’t make any changes,” she continues. There’s clacking of the keyboard on the other side.
“Like what kind of changes?” I ask.
“Your father could’ve lost his job and didn’t tell you,” she states as if that’s something that happens every day but the words suddenly make sense.
