CHAPTER THIRTY
From the helicopter window, Ben watched the landscape rushing beneath them. Fall's vibrant palette had faded, leaving only the somber greens of pine and fir standing sentinel among bare branches that reached skyward like bony fingers.
The first snow of the season had recently settled over the area, dusting the mountains with white. Winter was coming to Serenity, and Ben was finally coming home.
The months away from the estate had been productive but lonely. He hadn’t really felt like socializing the way he might have in the past, so he'd thrown himself into work.
Since he could work from anywhere, he had also done some traveling. It was his hope that one day he’d be able to take Amelia to some of his favorite places on the globe.
As he’d visited them again, Ben had looked at their location through the lens of bringing Amelia to visit and what that might mean with regards to any restrictions her health might put on her.
But regardless of where he’d been, every day he'd waited for that text from Amelia. The numbers had become a lifeline of sorts. It was his way of knowing how she was doing while still giving her the space she’d asked for.
Some days, the numbers made his heart ache for what she must have been going through. Other days, he was relieved to see she was having a better-than-average day. The emotional number had actually come to carry more weight than the pain and fatigue numbers.
Her state of mind was a good indicator of how she was dealing with her pain and fatigue. There were days when those numbers were on the high side, but her emotional number was around a five or a six.
The number had never been lower than a five until that morning three days ago.
He’d hardly believed the 1 was real when her text had appeared on his screen. At first, he’d thought it was an error, and he’d waited to see if a correction text would show up.
When nothing had appeared, Ben had sent back his usual text, along with some extra emojis. He wished that he could have left New York right then, but he’d had to wait until after a meeting that he and Julian had scheduled with the board on Monday morning.
Thankfully, the texts that had arrived from Amelia since Saturday had continued to contain a low emotional number. Usually in the 1 or 2 range.
Ben had wanted to write a long message to Amelia, to tell her how much he loved and missed her and how happy he was that she’d had some sort of emotional breakthrough. But until she broke the silence, he would hold his tongue.
She’d requested time and space, and so he’d honor that until she indicated that she was ready to have a conversation with him.
He hoped that might happen now that he was back at the estate. Originally, he’d planned to only be there for Thanksgiving. However, now that it seemed Amelia had had a breakthrough, he’d made the decision to stay indefinitely. Hopefully, it was a permanent move.
As the helicopter settled on the helipad, Ben could see that they had a small welcoming committee. It was no surprise that Kiara and her and Julian’s three kids were there. All of them bundled up against the chilly late November air.
Ben glanced at his brother as the door to the helicopter was opened. He had a broad smile on his face as he looked toward where his family stood waiting for him.
Julian was the first one out of the helicopter, and he immediately headed toward them. The kids rushed to meet him, and after he’d given each kid a kiss on their head, Julian pulled Kiara into his arms.
As he watched them kiss and then speak quietly with each other, Ben felt a deep longing to have what his brother had with Kiara.
“Uncle Ben!”
His nephew, TJ, hurried toward him, a bright smile on his face, his cheeks reddened by the chilly air.
“Hey, buddy.” Ben held out his hand for a high five.
The two girls joined them, also giving Ben high-fives. Ben scooped up Chrissy, the littlest of Kiara and Julian’s kids, and walked to where Julian and Kiara stood.
The family got into a waiting SUV, while Ben climbed into a UTV with the bodyguards. After the bags were loaded into their respective vehicles, the SUV headed for Julian’s place, while the UTV took Ben to the main house.
He would still be staying at Annie’s old place, but he wanted to see his parents first.
“I’ll take everything to the house to unload,” Luca said when they reached the back door of the main house.
“Thanks,” Ben said. “Just pile it in the living room for now.”
Once he’d received that text on Saturday, his focus had shifted, and he’d decided he didn’t want to wait in New York anymore.
Over the next couple of days, he’d packed up most of his things.
Now, his most important belongings were sitting in Annie’s living room, with the rest to follow in the next couple of weeks.
“Benjamin!” his dad greeted him with a broad smile and a tight hug when Ben found his parents in the solarium in their wing of the house. “Welcome home, son.”
“Thanks, Dad,” he said. “I’m glad to be back.”
“For good this time?” his mom asked as she wrapped her arms around him, bringing with her a light cloud of scent that he’d forever associate with her.
“That’s my hope,” he said.
“Amelia seems to be doing well,” his mom commented as she stepped back. “When I saw her at church last Sunday, she was smiling more than I’d ever seen her smile before. And she approached me to say hi.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Family members had fed him tidbits about Amelia over the months, but this was the best news yet.
Now if she’d just agree to open communication between them again.
Dinner was just the three of them, since the whole family would be getting together on Thursday for their Thanksgiving dinner.
After the meal, he and Luca went to the gym at the rec center to work out. It felt good to stretch his muscles after having spent much of the day sitting, but his mind was definitely not on what his body was doing.
That night as he got ready for bed, Ben prayed that God would open the door for communication with Amelia again. That if it was His will that they pursue a relationship, it would be clear to both him and Amelia.
It was a prayer that he’d prayed every night and every morning since he and Amelia had parted ways in August.
But now, being so close to her added a sense of urgency to his prayers. It was in his nature to be the one to reach out. To show up at her door with flowers or a meal.
However, he was still trying his best to respect Amelia’s wishes. Only she could determine when she was ready for them to be in contact once again.
The next morning, Ben woke to the sight of more snow blanketing the estate. These early snowfalls brought with them a clear sense of the shifting of the seasons. Of the passage of time.
As he stood looking out the large window in Annie’s loft, a mug of coffee in his hand, Ben once again felt the need to settle things with Amelia.
Give me patience, Father. I don’t want to trample over what she’s asked of me, but my heart longs to be near her. To be planning a future with her.
Ben braced his hand on the edge of the window, staring at the distant mountains. In the stillness of the morning, three words came to him.
Love is patient.
He recognized them from First Corinthians chapter thirteen. It was a Bible chapter he’d read plenty of times, wanting to make sure that he lived the attributes of genuine love.
And in this particular instance, he understood that patience was what Amelia needed most from him. A sense of peace settled over the urgency, suppressing it.
More than anything, Ben wanted God’s will in his relationship with Amelia. And if that meant waiting even longer, then he would do that, even though it would be the hardest thing he’d ever done.
The previous night, as he’d unpacked his things, he’d placed the ring he’d already chosen for her in the top drawer of the dresser. He had no idea when the right time might come to give it to her, but he was ready.
Though they might not have become an official couple yet, they had confessed their love for each other. As far as Ben was concerned, Amelia was the woman he wanted to marry.
He just hoped that she could understand that the love they shared would help build a foundation that was strong enough to face whatever came their way. Whether it was due to her health issues or something else. They were stronger together.
Her text that morning had revealed that she was having a high pain and fatigue day, though her emotional state was holding steady. He spent some time praying for relief for her, wondering as he did if she was aware that he was back at the estate.
Knowing the family grapevine the way he did, he suspected she might have heard of his arrival from someone. However, there was a way to let her know without him actually showing up at her door.
As he’d done on previous days when she’d been experiencing high fatigue or pain, he made plans for a delivery for her. Only this time, instead of using Brandon to take her the gifts, he’d use Luca.
With that in mind, he began to arrange what he wanted delivered to her.
It was just after five that afternoon when Luca pulled the SUV to a stop in front of Amelia’s building.
“Are you sure you don’t want to be the one taking this stuff to her?” Luca asked.
“Sure, I want to be the one,” Ben said. “But I can’t be. Not yet.”
“For a rather impulsive person, you’ve shown remarkable restraint over the past few months,” Luca said as he put the SUV in park.
“And it’s been one of the hardest things I’ve done,” Ben admitted. “I’m just glad she agreed to the limited contact we’ve had through texts and these deliveries. I probably would have lost my mind and caved early on if she’d cut things off between us completely.”
“Well, I’ll trust that you know what you’re doing now,” Luca said. “And go play Cupid for you.”
Ben chuckled as Luca got out of the SUV. The man opened the back door and retrieved the items they’d spent the afternoon gathering.