AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I am going to kill you.”
But Shelli ignores her. “He wants her to move there, leave school behind, and marry him since he’s been called up to the Flyers. He wants her to be his little housewife. And here’s the kicker, she’s considering it.”
Finally, Ryan looks up.
A long silence descends on the table as Amelia’s face twists with anger. “You bitch.”
“Is this a joke?” Mrs. Justice asks, and Amelia looks to her.
Mrs. Justice focuses on her daughter, and Amelia holds out her hands. “But, Mom, I love him—”
“I don’t care! You aren’t throwing away everything you’ve worked for for a boy!” Mrs. Justice yells, her eyes crazy. “Are you insane?”
“Did you hit your head on the beam, Amelia? This isn’t happening,” Shea roars, and Amelia throws her hands up.
“I love him, and he loves me. We want to be together.”
“Amelia, honey, no. This isn’t love. If he loved you, he wouldn’t ask this of you. You are doing great things. Why would you want to leave that?” Elli asks, way more calmly than Shea and Mrs. Justice. “This isn’t who you are. You didn’t work so hard just to throw it away.”
“I can make my own decisions. I am an adult.”
“You’re a child,” Mrs. Justice insists. “If you were an adult, you would know this is absurd! He doesn’t love you. He just wants to get into your pants.”
“Mom, you don’t understand. I love him so much, and I want to be with him.”
“No, you aren’t ruining your life!” her mom yells, and everyone else falls quiet.
“We will not allow you to make such a stupid decision. This is not who you are!” Shea roars, and I see Quinn slide lower in his seat. “I can’t believe this is even an option for you. Your dad would lose his mind if he were here.”
“Amelia, love, darling, no,” Elli says, reaching for Amelia’s hand, but Amelia crosses her arms, shaking her head. “Amelia, this isn’t smart. Not for either of you. You will end up hating him, and you guys won’t last.”
“But I love him!”
“Who the fuck cares?” Mrs. Justice shouts, her eyes wide and angry. “No, you’re not going.” By the time she looks at Ryan, my eyes are about to pop out of my head. “Ryan, do you hear this? Say something, please.”
He just shrugs. “No.”
“No?” Mrs. Justice screeches. “What do you mean, no? You support this? What the hell did I do wrong—”
“She isn’t doing it,” he says simply, leaning back in his chair. His eyes burn into Amelia’s as tears roll down her face. “And if you try, I’ll go after you.”
Amelia glares. “Ryan, I love him—”
“I don’t care. You heard what Mom, Shea, and Elli have said. I know you’ve heard it from her.” Ryan points to Shelli, who is beside me, but Amelia thinks he’s pointing at me.
Throwing her napkin down, she glares. “You told him?”
I shake my head. “No! Not me.”
Ryan looks at me, his face turning from pissed to confused back to pissed. “No, not Sof. Shelli. Wait, you knew about this?”
I hold up my hands. “I did, but—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Amelia complains, standing up. “I am a grown woman. I can make my own decisions.”
“You’re a fucking kid who thinks this is love!” Ryan yells back, standing up and holding his finger out at her. “This dude doesn’t love you, Amelia. If he did, he’d never in a million years ask you to follow him. Never. I know.” When he slams his fist into his chest, I have to look away. “Look at Sofia and me, for example. I will go into the NHL, and she’ll be here, working her ass off and getting what she wants from life. I would never ask her to come with me. I know she has dreams and things to do. Drew knows this too, but he doesn’t care because he’s a selfish bastard.”
I watch him, his eyes so wild and with such passion on his face. It does nothing but make my heart swell. I want so badly for this to work, for us to stay together when he leaves, but I don’t know how hard that will be. It’s tough now sometimes, and we still see each other every chance we get. What will I do when he’s gone, gone?
My heart aches as I look away from him.
Ryan’s voice fills the room as he yells, “You aren’t a stupid girl. Think!”
“I don’t care! You aren’t my dad. Stop acting like it!”
A hush fills the room. There’s a lump in my throat, and my chest is hurting from the pounding of my heart. Ryan wets his lips, shaking his head as he looks down at the table. Pressing his finger to it, he looks up at her, his eyes swimming in dejection. “You’re absolutely right. I’m not,” he says softly. “And if Dad were here right now, in this room, he’d say the same thing they are because that was his job. It’s not my job to tell you what to do or even to guide you. I do it because I love you so damn much, Amelia…” He pauses, his voice breaking. “I promised Dad I would look out for you, and I will. So stop being a stupid little spoiled brat and use your fucking brain.”
The room is so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone is looking between Amelia and Ryan. The tension is so thick, it’s suffocating me. I look up at Ryan, and slowly, tentatively, I move my hand into his, lacing our fingers. I don’t want to butt in, but I want him to know I’m here. Supporting him. He squeezes my hand, not letting go. After a few more beats, Amelia looks away, tears streaming down her face. My heart aches for her. I want to jump across the table, wrap her in my arms, but I know it won’t help. She has to make this choice for herself. No one can make it for her. As I look up at Ryan, I know he wants to do just that. He wants to make his dad proud and do right by Amelia.
I don’t think he realizes, but he already has.
I also don’t think he realizes that he has and always will completely own my heart.
