Chapter 42
AMELIA
“C’mon, c’mon.”
It’s the fifth time today I’ve called my dad and still no answer. Each time, the endless ringing on the other end gnaws at me. I haven’t spoken to my mom since that day in the hallway, and my worry is starting to morph into full-blown panic.
She hasn’t answered my calls or texts—I’ve left probably a dozen voicemails over the past few days. The last few times I called, the number was disconnected. So I’ve resorted to calling my dad’s number instead.
Ever since she got back with dad, this uneasy feeling has settled in my gut, and I can’t shake it.
“Ugh!” I practically yell at the top of my lungs in frustration. The voicemail came on again.
Just then, the bathroom door flies open. Blade stands there, looking like he rushed out of the shower with only a towel over his waist. His skin glistens with water droplets, and his hair is tousled. I can’t help but admire the view.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, concern etched on his face as he catches his breath.
I bite the inside of my cheek to suppress a smile. “Nothing, just my dad isn’t answering. I really want to talk to my mom.”
“Oh, shit,” he mutters under his breath.
“What?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing. Here, use my phone. Maybe he’ll answer if he sees it’s me—he might think it’s important.”
I reach over and take his phone, dialing my dad’s number again. To my surprise, he picks up almost immediately. So he has been avoiding my calls. Blade retreats into the bathroom as I start talking to my dad, and I may or may not sneak a peek at his firm back and ass.
“Dad, hey, how’ve you been?”
“Oh, like you care.”
I sigh inwardly at the confirmation that he’s still the same grumpy old man. “I do care.” I’m trying to keep the peace, but he just laughs bitterly. “Where’s mom? I heard the news of you guys, um… getting back together.”
“Oh, how the tables have turned,” he says cryptically, his voice sending a chill through me.
“What do you mean?”
“You know, he told me I wouldn’t be able to speak to you unless I had permission from him. Do you know what that felt like? I needed his permission to talk to my own daughter. The girl I raised. So now, you’ll need mine to talk to your mother. How does it feel not being able to talk to your family, hm? Feels shitty, right?”
“But… I want to talk to you both. Freely.”
“Nope. Don’t want to hear it. You went months without calling and now all of a sudden you want to talk to me.” He scoffs. “Ask me.”
“What?”
“Ask me nicely to talk to your mother and I’ll consider it.”
I blow out a shaky breath, steeling myself. “Can I talk to mom, please?”
He hums, and a few moments later, her voice comes on the line, but something’s off. She sounds different. Nervous, jittery, her voice thin. “Hey, sweetie.”
“Hey, how’ve you been?”
“Oh, good. I’ve been getting back into designing.”
“That’s so good, mom. When can I, uh, see you?”
“I–I…” She clears her throat.
“Hello? Mom, are you okay? You’re acting strange. Are you sure this was the best decision to get back with him?”
In a swift one-eighty turn, her voice turns cold and sharp. “Stay in a child’s place, Amelia. This is none of your business.”
Blade walks through the door, fully dressed now.
I flinch, recoiling at her words. “I was just asking—”
She cuts me off abruptly. “I said to stay out of it. This is between your father and me.”
The line goes dead, leaving me with a hole in the middle of my chest. I hand Blade’s phone back to him, unable to find words. As I turn away, tears prick in my eyes and I gulp to soothe the dry lump in my throat.
Blade sits on the bed. “Hey, hey, hey. What’s wrong?” He reaches out and wipes my tear with his thumb, his touch gentle.
“It’s my mom,” I choke out. “She’s just so different now. Sometimes it’s hard to get adjusted to this new her.”
He sighs, his expression growing serious. “Don’t blame your mom. She’s dealing with some… personal stuff.”
“Like what?”
He hesitates before speaking. “She has some mental health issues. And one condition that I’m not even gonna attempt to pronounce that affects the emotions center of her brain, that’s why sometimes she switches so suddenly.”
I gasp. “And how do you know that? Why didn’t you tell me?” I’ve never known my mom to have mental health problems. Then again, when she left I was probably too young to understand the complexities of mental health disorders.
He grabs my shoulders. “Don’t go on another tirade of calling me a liar and leaving. I just found out when I was looking through the papers at John’s house. He keeps meticulous records of all members, including everyone who has any connection to any member.”
“What kind of records are there for me?”
“Hospital records, school records, one hospital record of your ex, that job you had in high school—”
“Wait,” I interrupt. “One hospital record of my ex? I’ve only had one ex besides Jacob, why would you have a hospital record of—oh my God, don’t tell me you tracked down my ex and put him in the hospital.”
He shrugs, but I see a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips. “Eh, maybe three or four months ago.”
I shake my head in disbelief, still trying to come to terms with his batshit crazy, over-the-top possessiveness that seems almost too outrageous to handle. As I process his antics, my thoughts inevitably drift back to my mother. “I’m shocked about all this. But I’m glad there’s an explanation for her behavior. Maybe we can work on rebuilding our relationship. If I can just get her away from my dad. I just know she’s in trouble, she was acting so weird.”
Blade cups my head on either side and kisses my forehead. “We’ll help her. As long as you stop worrying your pretty little head about it, I’ll do anything you need me to help her.”
“Well, aren’t you just the perfect boyfriend.”
“For you, yes.”
A weight lifts from my chest at his words. For so long, I was alone, figuring everything out on my own. It feels nice to have someone in your corner rooting for you as much as you root for yourself.
My eyes slowly drift down to his chest, and I catch myself biting my bottom lip, imagining him back in the towel. His tattooed chest and arms, the way the ink stands out against his slightly tanned skin. His chiseled back, and that silver chain sticking to his perfectly sculpted chest, water droplets everywhere. “You know, when you came in here in that towel over your waist, it took major self-control not to tear it off of you.”
Seeing him like that made my mind drift back to a few nights ago when we took that long drive. I should’ve been embarrassed, and I was slightly, but him punishing me in front of someone else like that made me feel things I never thought I could. It satisfied a part of my brain that I never even knew existed.
With him, I’m constantly discovering new things about my sexual desires and delving into new kinks, finding out what I do and don’t like—and I absolutely love it. I guess I can check exhibitionism off the list. I wonder how many more kinks we could finish off. No pun intended.
Hmm, I might have an idea for one right now.
“Oh, really?” His hand feathers over my thigh, teasingly slow, inching closer and closer to my panties. “Anything you want to do about that?”
“Yes. But first…” I spring off the bed with a burst of energy, my heart racing as I dart towards the door. Over my shoulder, I throw a playful grin and call out, “You’ll have to catch me!”
“Oh, you better run as fast as you can. Because as soon as I catch you, I’m going to tear your little cunt apart.”