AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He escorted her to the parking lot, but Amelia stopped abruptly at the curb. “What’s the matter?”
“Where’s your BMW?”
“I’d only rented that for a couple days. I turned it back in when I realized I was going to be staying awhile.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his keys and hit the button to unlock the doors of the white Audi SUV parked beside hers.
“I see you finally found a place that would rent you an Audi. I bet you’re happy now.”
Tyler held open the passenger door and helped her inside. “Actually, I bought it,” he said before slamming the door shut.
By the time he got in on his side, Amelia was shaking her head. “You’re from another planet, you know that?”
“Why?”
“Because,” she argued, as they pulled out of her apartment complex, “you buy luxury cars on a whim—with cash, I’m certain. You think a mansion in Belle Meade is a reasonable suggestion. You gave me an eight-carat engagement ring for a spur-of-the-moment wedding in Vegas. That’s not normal, you know?”
Tyler smiled and focused on the freeway stretched out ahead of them. “I worked hard to be abnormal. Would you prefer I have a dead-end office job and scrape pennies together for the monthly payment on my practical sedan like everyone else?”
“No...” she said thoughtfully. “I suppose it wouldn’t make a difference. Even when you were broke, you were abnormal. Just abnormal with less money.”
He chuckled. “I’m not sure if I should be offended or not.”
“Don’t be. I’ve kept you in my life this long with you the way you are. If you’re abnormal, then I guess I am in my own way, too.”
Tyler had to heartily agree with that assessment. For whatever reason, he had lasted in Amelia’s life far longer than any other man. Probably because they weren’t dating, so she didn’t try him on like a pair of shoes and cast him aside when he didn’t fit just right. When they’d crossed the line in Vegas, he’d known he was putting their friendship at risk. Despite their long-standing relationship, adding sex to the mix could potentially land him in the discard pile. Even with their agreement to remain friends no matter what, that was still a very real danger.
That was why he’d come to Nashville fully anticipating they would file for divorce and pretend that night in Vegas never happened. He’d never dreamed they might continue their romance, much less stay married.
The wild card in this scenario was their baby. It was Amelia’s anchor; it might be the only thing that would keep her from bolting from this relationship like every other one before it.
Might be.
Tyler had agreed to Amelia’s thirty-day arrangement for their child’s sake. He would put everything he had into convincing Amelia to love him. Everything but his heart. His wasn’t any good to anyone anymore. It had been irrevocably broken, and he didn’t dare expose it to more damage.
If she fell in love with him, everything might work out, but even then, Tyler wasn’t holding his breath. He was fighting an uphill battle with Amelia. Even if he did everything right, she could find fault in him. No one was perfect, not even her grandparents. It made him wonder how much of their idealistic marriage was truth and how much was fantasy built up in Amelia’s mind.
Tyler slowed the Audi and pulled to the curb outside the restaurant. He handed over the keys to the valet and rounded the car to escort Amelia inside.
The interior of the Watermark was dim, with pot lights illuminating the tables from the exposed beams overhead. The hostess escorted them to a white linen-draped table for two near the window. Amelia chose to sit on the side with the long white leather banquette, and Tyler sat opposite her. A server quickly took their drink orders and disappeared, leaving them to look over the menu and admire the view.
Tyler knew he should be looking at the impressive cityscape or deciding on his appetizer course, but he found himself distracted by the view directly in front of him. A square glass-and-chrome candleholder in the center of the table cast a mesmerizing glow across Amelia’s face. It highlighted the subtle cleft in her chin and soft apples of her cheeks. Her skin looked peaches-and-cream flawless, nearly glowing with radiance.
It took everything he had not to reach across the table and brush his thumb over her full, coral-painted lips. They looked soft and shiny with some sort of gloss that made them shimmer in an utterly kissable way. He wanted to kiss her again tonight, and keep doing it until every drop of that gloss was gone and her lips were bee-stung from it.
That was how she had woken up in his hotel room the morning after their wedding. Her red hair had been everywhere, her mascara had been smudged and her lips had been pink and swollen. She’d looked like a woman who had been well and truly loved the night before. Tyler’s whole body stiffened as he thought of being able to make love to her again. It was a masochistic thought, one that wasn’t likely to get him through dinner without discomfort, but he couldn’t shake it. Once they’d crossed the line in Vegas, he couldn’t force himself back.
“Have you ever eaten here before?” he asked to distract himself with conversation.
She shook her head, oblivious to his thoughts. “No, but I’ve been dying to get into their kitchen. The executive chef here is well-known for his amazing creations. I’m certain nothing we eat will be bad.”
“So I chose well?”
Amelia smiled. “You chose very well.”
“All this rich food won’t be too much on your stomach, will it?”
She shook her head, making the sleek auburn waves dance over her shoulders. “I hope not. But really, I’ve only had trouble early in the day. By midafternoon I’m starving. I’m anxious to try the duck. It is so hard to find well-prepared duck. What about you?”
“I’m thinking the cobia. Or the lamb.”
