Chapter Twenty-Four
~DEX~
Iended up staying later at work than I had hoped.
August came into the training room as I was about to leave.
He came down to talk. He remarked when we were leaving that it’s been a while since we were both in the same city.
And he’s right. It’s been since my wedding.
Sure, there were texts and an occasional phone call here and there.
But it hasn’t been same since college. I gotta admit, it is nice being near him again.
“I’m sorry, I’m later than I said I’d be.
But I brought you dinner,” I call to Amelia as I head into the apartment and rush immediately into the kitchen to put the bags of Chinese food down.
“August said he thought you always got the chicken and vegetables when you all order. And of course, egg rolls. Not sure if you eat those but they are epic.”
I hear her laugh before I see her. “It’s fine, you don’t need to apologize to me for being late. I’ve been doing good.”
I come out into the living room to see she’s curled up on the couch reading a book.
“Hi,” I say, grinning at her. She looks adorable covered in a pink fluffy blanket, a bright pink covered book in her hand, her hair on top of her head and a bowl of sour candy beside her. “You hungry for dinner, peach?”
Her smile widens, matching the one I’m giving her. “I think I am.”
“I wasn’t sure if you filled up on candy,” I tease her.
“I needed something sweet to munch on while I read for a bit,” she explains, stretching her hands above her head.
The blanket sides down and the stretch causes her tank to rise, giving me a view of her toned stomach.
My eyes linger there before she clears her throat.
“So, you said you brought me some Chinese food, huh?”
“I did.” I say, making sure to keep my eyes on hers this time.
“Sounds good to me.”
“How’s your pain?” I ask her.
She glances at her watch. “I’m almost due for another pain pill.” She rolls her eyes as she says it.
“Do you not like taking your pain pills?”
“They make me sleepy and then I can’t sleep at night. It’s a vicious cycle.”
“We can switch to ibuprofen during the day and the painkillers at night, if that helps you,” I offer. She nods slowly. “But you’re going to have to tell me the truth about how you’re coping with the pain. If the ibuprofen isn’t helping, we’re switching back.”
“Works for me.” She smiles at me brightly, placing the bookmark in her book. “Now, I believe you promised me that there would be food.”
“Yep, let me go get that for you. Wait here,” I tell her, turning to leave and then it hits me what I said. “Sorry, I realize what I said, that was insensitive.” My voice trails off.
“Relax, it’s fine. I wasn’t going to get up to help you anyway.” She sticks her tongue out at me.
I laugh and head into the kitchen to plate up our food.
When I return I see she’s positioned herself so that she’s facing sideways, instead of looking at TV.
It remains off and I can see that she is looking for me to face her too.
I carefully hand her a plate. “Careful, it’s a bit hot,” I warn her before taking my seat across from her.
Sitting cross-legged, I watch her dig into her food.
“Hmm,” I hear her moan as she places the first bite in her mouth.
The moaning sounds are stirring something inside of me. It reminds me of the way she moaned when my lips were on hers last night. I wonder what other sounds she makes when my lips find other parts of her curves.
“What?” I hear her ask me.
Fuck, I was caught staring yet again.
“Sorry, just watching you enjoy your food,” I say, trying to cover up my thoughts.
“Uh-huh,” is all she says at first. Resting her plate on her lap, she continues, “Staring me at me is kinda like your thing, isn’t it?”
I almost choke on the bite of food that I placed in my mouth. “I’m sorry,” I say, coughing and reaching for my bottle of water.
“I have seen you do it at practice, when we’re out, here at the apartment. What are you, some kind of crazy stalker guy?” Her wide grin tells me that she’s teasing me. Or at least I hope she is.
“No, sorry. This isn’t going to help with the crazy-stalker-guy image you have of me, but I can’t keep my eyes off of you.
I’m always searching for you on the field or in a crowd because I’m transfixed with the way you move.
The way you smile, laugh and all the things that come out of that mouth.
I would listen to you for hours, even if you were reading me a newspaper. ”
“Oh,” she says, leaning back into the arm of the couch. “That wasn’t what I thought you’d say.”
“Did I creep you out?” I wince, waiting for her to tell me to get the fuck out of her apartment.
“No,” she shakes her head slowly. “I’ve never had anyone be so direct with me in their feelings or intentions before. This is new territory for me. And I barely know you.”
I nod slowly, “I would agree, there’s a lot you don’t know.” I wait to see if this comes with questions. But instead, she picks up her fork and begins to eat. So, I do the same.
I wait for her to be the next one to speak but it doesn’t look like she has any intentions of starting a conversation, so I do it.
“Did you call your family and let them know that you are injured?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Yes, I sent my family a text in our family group chat and let them know that I would be out for bit. Or maybe the rest of the season. I didn’t really go into much detail.”
“What did they say?” I ask her, leaning slightly forward in my seat. I can’t imagine my sisters getting that message and not following up with a flurry of phone calls.
“I got a bunch of ‘hope you feel better soon’ messages, which is what I expected.”
“Who is all in this family group text?” When she doesn’t answer, I goad her with, “I told you all about the famous Langley triplets that get their names from Little Women.”
“Why didn’t you get a literary name?”
“Probably had something to do with my dad,” I tell her. “I think he picked the name before he split.”
Her eyes widen and she slowly puts down her fork. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.”
“It’s fine. You didn’t know. Or maybe he knew that there was going to be a show coming out about a serial killer and everyone could equate my name to that,” I tease her.
“Ha! Yeah, I still can’t decide if I think you’re going to kill me or not,” she teases me.
“And yet, you let me kiss you.”
“I do.”
“Back to my question. Who is all in this family group text?” I ask her again.
She sighs. “Okay, well, there’s the parental units; my mom and dad. Then I have five brothers that are in there as well.”
“You have five brothers!” I’m shocked hearing this. She never talks about her family. I expected a sibling or two but not five.
“Yep,” she replies. “There are five of them. I’m sort of in the baby of the family. The twins are Scott and Sanders; they are six years older than me. The triplets, Ivan, Ian and Isaac, are four years older than me.
She rattles them all off without too many more details.
“You’re not too close with them, are you?”
“Not really. I picked the path less traveled and that has caused some distance.” I wait for her to continue.
“My parents didn’t mind that I played soccer in college.
I got an education and then they said it’s time to start working.
Get yourself a job and be practical. I went with the Blaze.
It didn’t sit well with them. While I know they wish me well, I’m sure they are waiting for the other shoe to drop like it did with my father. ”
“Was he injured too, playing college ball?” I ask.
“He was,” she nods. “And then he lost his scholarship, and his parents couldn’t afford college, so he had to come home. Get a job and live a much less glamours life than he had planned. Or at least that is what he always rambled about when he was drunk.”
“So, that’s why you gave them minimal information, you don’t want them to think that you are going to end up just like he did.”
“Bingo, football.” She teases me.
I grin at the nickname she hasn’t used for me in some time. I’m not sure why it’s back. I could listen to her call me whatever she wants all night long. “I’m sorry that it’s like that. Families aren’t easy.”
“No, they aren’t.” She sips on her own water and stares at me intently before asking, “When you mentioned your family it sounded like you were close with them. Aren’t they sad you’re all the way in Tampa and not in New England with them?”
I shake my head, “No, not right now. They are happy to have the distance.”
“Is it the divorce?” she asks me.
I nod sheepishly. “Yeah, it’s the divorce. They aren’t too thrilled with my choices.”
“They must have really liked your wife, then.” She plays with a strand of her hair and shifts uncomfortably, making me think she’s uneasy about how I might answer her.
I chuckle. “No, they didn’t. They didn’t like her at all.
My sisters are great and wonderful loving people.
They work regular jobs, shop at Target and Old Navy.
They enjoy a good trip to the bookstore and a day at a fall festival.
Things my wife never really enjoyed or did.
They were different women and sometimes my sisters questioned why I wanted to be with someone like Elise.
” I say her name for the first time and watch Amelia for a reaction.
Thankfully, there is none. “Elise was more into material things, designer brands and spa weekends. Those were the kinds of things that she enjoyed. And it was what she grew up with. The things my sisters like, she always said was so cute. They took it as an insult. I always said she didn’t mean it that way, but I guess she could have. ”
“I can’t picture you with someone like that,” she says softly. “I think you’re too kindhearted and good for someone like that.”
“Thank you.” If she only knew what I had done to Elise to make her hate me so much, I wouldn’t be thought of as good or kindhearted.
“So, what happened, why are they mad at you for the divorce?” Amelia asks the questions that I’ve been dreading.
I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. She speaks again.
“You don’t have to share if it’s too painful.
” She says it with so much tenderness in her voice that it makes me want to bare my soul.
But I don’t.
“Let’s just say that it’s my fault. I crossed some lines that you shouldn’t cross and in the end it hurt her. My sister’s know that I was raised better than that. And they are right, I was. But in the end it didn’t matter.” My voice trails off, and I study my half-eaten dinner.
“Ah, well, you don’t have to say anymore. But for what it’s worth, from what I see of the man sitting in front of me, it can’t be all that bad. You’re a better man than you give yourself credit for.”
I look up and meet her chocolate eyes, “Thank you, Amelia. That means a lot to me.”
“Well, I have you here to care for me, means a lot of me. So now we’re even.”
I smirk. “Sure, we are. I think I still owe you a sponge bath or two.” I wiggle my eyebrows at her, and she throws a pillow at me.
“I think I’ll pass on that one for right now.” I feel a little deflated but then she adds. “We wouldn’t want to wreck whatever it is we’re building with something moving a bit too fast. You’re newly divorced, I don’t want to scare you.”
“You couldn’t if you tried,” I reply.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I’m quite the freak.” She delivers the line so smoothly and with a straight face that it makes me laugh hard, breaking our moment.
I think she planned it that way. No sponge baths or stripping her curves out of those clothes tonight. Because someone like Amelia is worth waiting for.