CHAPTER SIXTEEN #2
“You don’t have to do that,” Amy protested.
“I know I don’t have to,” Lance said with a smile. “But I can’t let you do it all by yourself.”
Amy watched her cousin leave the kitchen and then grabbed a banana and poured some coffee into a travel mug.
She went into the library and pulled the sheet off the decorations.
Thankfully, it was only the decorations that had to be taken out.
The men had carried out a ladder and the tables she needed for the food and other things the night before.
“I figure we’ll use the wagon to cart the stuff out,” Lance said as he joined her.
“Sounds good.”
With Lance’s help, it didn’t take long to take the stuff to the clearing. After their last load, Lance stood looking around. “You certainly have some lofty plans. Are you sure you don’t need my help?”
“I’ll be fine. I know how I’m going to make it work, so it’s all good.”
“You have your phone?” When Amy nodded, he said, “Call if you need anything.”
After she had assured him once again that she’d be fine, Lance left her alone in the clearing. She turned on her favorite playlist on her phone and set to work.
~*~*~
“Where’s Amy?” Will asked as he looked around the kitchen. Charlotte and Henry were seated at the table with Josh while Lance and Cami were dealing with an assortment of children and their breakfast requests.
“She’s out at the party location.” Lance handed Julia a cup of milk. “Go sit at the table.”
“Already?”
“Yep,” Lance said. “She’s been out there for a couple of hours. She was down here around 6:30. I helped her get the stuff out there and then left her to it.”
Will looked at Charlotte. “Will you keep an eye on Isabella for me? I’m going to see if Amy needs help.”
“Certainly,” Charlotte said with a wide smile. “Never a hardship to watch her.”
He heard Lance say something about Laurel and Violet coming over, but he was already headed out the back door. As he neared the party location, he heard music and smiled.
He stepped into the clearing and looked in surprise at the transformation it had undergone.
Even though Amy had explained it all to him, he hadn’t quite pictured it this way.
She had done a beautiful job creating this fairy party for his daughter.
He was pretty sure that if someone asked Isabella what her idea of heaven was, it would look like this.
Amy was standing on a ladder draping some gauzy- type material from a tree branch. Apparently the music had masked the sound of his arrival because she didn’t turn around as he moved toward her.
“Good morning,” he said as he stood a few feet from the ladder.
She jerked around and stared down at him. “You just about gave me a heart attack.”
“Guess I should have been louder. You could have fallen off that ladder, too,” Will pointed out. “But I would have caught you.”
“And probably injured yourself in the process.” Amy climbed down, and when she stood on the ground, she faced him with a smile and sparkling eyes. “So? What do you think?”
Even though he’d already looked at it, Will looked at all the decorations and then back at Amy. “You are going to make my daughter one very happy little girl.”
“I’m so glad. Let me show you everything,” Amy said. She paused then held out her hand to him.
Surprised, Will took it and allowed her to lead him around the clearing.
“This is where the photographer will take some posed shots of the girls. Otherwise, the rest will be candid.” She pointed to another table. “We’re going to have the girls decorate their own wings before putting them on. And Rose will do the fairy art on their face as they arrive.”
Will found his throat tightening as they moved to the last area. He couldn’t believe she had done all this for his daughter.
“Thank you.” The words came out rough with emotion.
Amy turned to look at him, her expression wary, as if unsure how to respond to his reaction. “You’re welcome. I have really enjoyed doing this. I’m almost sad it’s going to be over soon.”
“I never realized just how much Isabella has missed by not having a mom. My sisters have done their best, but you’ve shown so much love to her since the day you arrived.
” He slid his free hand behind her neck, feeling the weight of her hair on the backs of his fingers.
“You just exude love and light. You’re beautiful. ”
Her eyes widened at his words. Her hand slipped from his, and he felt a tentative touch on his waist. He slid his other hand behind her neck and ran his thumb along her soft jawline.
Though he knew what he wanted, he paused, giving her a chance to move away.
When she lifted herself up on her tiptoes, Will closed the last few inches and covered her lips with his.
The rush of emotion caught him off-guard, and he poured it into the kiss, wanting so badly for her to know how much she meant to him.
Her hands tightened briefly on his waist and then slid around him.
He moved his hands to the small of her back, relishing once again the feel of her in his arms. He had been right.
She fit perfectly there. As if she’d been made just for him.
Knowing things could get out of hand fast with the two of them alone in the clearing, Will broke off the kiss and buried his face in the silkiness of her hair, inhaling the soft floral scent.
“Oh. My. Word.”
The exclamation had Will jerking back because it hadn’t been Amy who had uttered the shocked words.
He turned to see three of his sisters and his brother-in-law standing there staring at them.
Violet and Laurel looked surprised but also somewhat amused.
Cami’s expression was more concerned and Josh’s. ..well, Josh looked ready to kill him.
Will glanced down at Amy and winked. “Busted.”
As he released her and stepped away, Will saw a myriad of emotions cross her face. He understood the chagrin and even the regret, but the fear mystified him.
“I didn’t know you guys were coming out here,” Amy said as she turned to face the group gathered at the edge of the clearing, her arms wrapped across her waist.
“Obviously,” Violet said drolly, a mischievous smile on her face. “Sorry to have interrupted.”
“I’m not,” Josh said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Something I should know? That was my sister you were sucking face with.”
Will glanced at Amy, but she was still staring at the group. Or maybe at Cami, in particular. “I think this is between Amy and me.”
Josh took a step toward them but stopped when Cami laid a hand on his arm. “Not the time, nor the place, babe.”
Will could see the frustration in Josh’s gaze as he looked back and forth between him and Amy.
Something was just...off with the reactions of Cami, Josh and Amy.
Sure he and Amy had been caught kissing, but they’d been fully clothed and with no intention of going any further.
Their reactions seemed more in line with having caught the two of them doing something far more scandalous.
Something about Amy and him being together was causing concern, and he just couldn’t figure out what it might be.
Clearly he needed to get to the bottom of this before things went much further.
“So what do you think of the decorations?” Amy asked as she walked toward the group. “Think this looks like a fairy party?”
Josh slid his arm around her shoulders. “To be honest, it looks a bit like a craft store threw up all over the forest.”
Will saw Amy jab Josh in the ribs with her elbow. “You’re just jealous because you don’t get a fun party for your birthday.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Josh said as he rubbed his knuckles on her head. “Seriously though, it looks fabulous. I had no idea you had this kind of creativity in you.”
“To be honest, I didn’t really know either. But once I started gathering ideas, I just couldn’t stop.”
“The girls are absolutely going to love it,” Laurel said. “You’ve done a spectacular job. You may have missed your calling.”
“Well, now that I don’t have a job, I may have to consider other options,” Amy said ruefully.
“I bet you’d drum up some business once the other mothers see what you did for Isabella,” Violet commented. “I’m sure I could even come up with a reason to hire you.”
Will liked the idea of Amy setting up a business in Collingsworth. It would certainly make it easier to have a relationship with her, but he wasn’t going to let something like a little distance deter him at this point.
“Did you need any more help?” Cami asked. “We didn’t just come to admire your handiwork.”
“I think it’s all good for now. I’ll come back out once the caterer arrives with the food. In the meantime, we have some little girls to get ready.”
“And some big girls, too,” Laurel added. “Rose was super excited about her fairy costume.”
“Are you dressing up?” Cami asked.
Amy grinned. “You bet. After all the work, I want some of the fun, too.”
“But it’s a definite no to me in tights,” Will reminded her.
Josh laughed. “Now that I would have paid good money to see.”
“Keep your wallet in your pocket, brother,” Will said. “That ain’t ever happening.”
Amy lifted her hands and shrugged. “I did try.”
Will was grateful that the situation had been diffused by Amy. For the time being anyway.
As they made their way back to the manor, Will found himself wondering once again about Amy’s reaction to their kiss. After finally getting to the point where he actually wanted a relationship with someone again, he was anxious to get moving on it.
He stopped to chat with Charlotte and Henry, who were seated in lawn chairs in the backyard watching the kids play.
One of the things he loved about the couple was their capacity to just embrace everyone.
He’d seen their love for people firsthand during his mission trip to the Philippines.
He didn’t think he’d ever met a more selfless couple.
When he looked around, Will realized that Amy had disappeared. Excusing himself, he went into the house to find her.
“I think she went up to her room,” Laurel said when he asked about her. “How did we not know there was something that serious going on between you two?”
“Because there wasn’t until just recently.” Will sat down on a stool at the counter. “Like two days ago.”
“That kiss didn’t look like it belonged to a relationship that is only two days old.”
Will lifted an eyebrow at his sister. “Were you just standing there watching the whole thing?”
“Well, I think we were all shocked speechless. Violet was just the first to recover.” Laurel leaned a hip against the counter and crossed her arms. “Josh and Cami don’t appear to be too happy about this latest turn of events. Not sure why.”
“Where are they?” Will asked, glancing around the kitchen. “And Vi?”
“Violet’s upstairs with Jessa.” She paused. “I think Josh and Cami are with Amy.”
Will tried to tamp down his irritation. Would they try to convince her to steer clear of him?
If so, he wasn’t sure why. He didn’t think there was any reason for that.
Given the reservation he’d sensed in Amy when he’d first asked her out, he was worried that she’d be swayed by Josh and Cami’s concerns.
If they’d only let him in on the issues, it would be much easier.
~*~*~