27. Amelia
Chapter 27
Amelia
M y happiness was a person and his name was Matteo. Being with Matteo made me so incredibly happy that sometimes I had to pinch myself just to make sure it was all real.
I was with the man I loved, and my parents had accepted him. Things couldn’t be better. I smiled like a love-struck idiot as I stared at him. It was the morning after my first night back. Matteo and I were lying in bed, but he was still asleep.
I pushed his hair aside as I admired his features. He was so incredibly handsome. No wonder the women at Phoenix Consulting were always talking about him. He was worthy of all their attention.
Matteo stirred a bit and then his eyes opened slowly. A soft smile spread across his lips when he saw me. “How long have you been awake?” he asked.
“Not long.”
That was a lie. I’d been awake for at least an hour and I’d spent that hour staring at him. Matteo kissed my forehead and pulled my body closer to his. I placed my head on his chest and my hand on his bicep, stroking absentmindedly just as he combed through my hair.
“I have to go to work soon,” he said.
“So do I.”
“I also have to return Lisa’s key.”
I laughed. “So do I.”
It took us another hour before we could get out of bed. We took a shower, got dressed, and left the penthouse together. Matteo suggested we stop by Lisa’s office first so we could give her the keys.
“Wow. Look at the two happy lovebirds,” Lisa said when she spotted us. Matteo and I held onto each other as we approached her. Then we both pulled out a key.
“Thank you for everything, Lisa,” I said. I separated from Matteo so I could give her a hug.
Lisa hugged me back. “No need to thank me. I’m glad I could help.”
We left Lisa’s office and Matteo drove me to work. I stood in front of the office doors as I watched his car pull away. I all but floated into the building because I was so happy about our relationship.
The only thing that stopped my joyful floating was Ivy’s frowning face. I hadn’t even noticed she was standing behind me. She must have seen me wave goodbye to Matteo. She opened her mouth to say what I assumed would be some rude comment.
Instead of waiting to listen to it or respond, I walked away. I had a busy day at work and I didn’t have time to argue with her. I was so busy that I had to turn down my coworkers when they asked me to have lunch with them. Work had piled up during the time I was hung up on Matteo.
I’d completed my fifth task of the day when my phone started to ring. I was so absentminded that I answered it without checking to see who was calling. “Hello.”
“Amelia. Hi.”
The voice was familiar but not familiar enough that I could recognize who it was. I pulled the phone away from my ear and my eyes widened when I saw the caller ID. It was Lucas, the man I was supposed to marry months ago.
My mind drifted back to the moment I saw Matteo sitting in the crowd. I had already resigned myself to marrying Lucas but seeing him gave me the strength I needed to push back against my parent’s wishes.
I left Lucas standing alone at the altar that day. Guilt made my chest constrict as I thought about how awful it must have been to stand there and watch his bride run away. He deserved an apology.
“Hello?” Lucas’ voice brought my mind back to our conversation. “Amelia, are you still there?”
“Yes, sorry. I’m here.”
“All right. Well, I’m in New York,” he said casually.
My eyes widened again. “You’re in New York?”
“Yes, and I would like for us to meet up. Where would be most convenient for you?”
I bit my lip as I contemplated meeting up with him. It wasn’t ideal but I owed him that much after what I did to him at the wedding. Plus, this was my chance to apologize to him and hopefully earn his forgiveness.
I gave Lucas the address of The Daily Grind, the cafe where Oliver and I met. It was close by so I could just meet up with him, talk, and then get right back to work. Lucas said he’d be there as soon as possible.
I still had some work to do but I decided to go to the cafe early. That way I could prepare myself for when Lucas arrived. At the cafe, I met the coworkers who had asked me to have lunch with them. Surprisingly Ivy was one of them. I felt instantly grateful I had rejected their offer.
Another thing I was grateful for was their empty plates and cups. It meant they would be leaving soon. I preferred it that way. The last thing I wanted was for them to see me having lunch with my ex-fiancé.
We exchanged greetings then I walked over to my usual seat. I tried to practice what I would say to Lucas. How did you apologize for leaving someone at the altar?
Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to think about that because Lucas walked into the cafe. He stepped in just as my coworkers were leaving. I saw Ivy’s head swivel back. She paused and watched Lucas approach my table. Then she smiled and turned away.
I sighed internally. I would deal with that mess when I got back to the office. For now, my focus was on the man in front of me.
Lucas looked a bit different than the last time I saw him. I didn’t know him that well—which was a strange statement to make about a man I almost married—but he seemed sad. The dark circles under his eyes told me he’d been struggling with something. And in his eyes, I saw a tinge of resentment.
I couldn’t blame him for that. I just hoped he would be able to understand where I was coming from. My parents tried to force me into a marriage with him. It was never something I wanted. I never meant to hurt him, but I had to put myself first. For once in my life, I had to do what made me happy rather than what pleased my parents.
We took our seats and placed our orders. Well, I placed my order, and Lucas simply shook his head when asked what he would like. “I didn’t come here to eat anything,” he said when the waiter was out of earshot. “I came here to talk to you.”
“Yes, we do have a lot to talk about.”
“We do indeed. It’s been a few months since the… spectacle that took place at our wedding. I wanted to give you time to think before coming after you and I believe a substantial amount of time has passed now. Hopefully, in this time you’ve been able to reflect on your actions and you see the error of your ways.”
“The… The error of my—”
Lucas cut me off before I could finish that sentence. He spoke in a way that made his lofty opinion of himself quite clear. “I have given you more than enough time to realize your mistake. Now I am giving you the opportunity to rectify that mistake. I am willing to take you back and accept you as my bride once again. Our wedding will be held as soon as possible. You don’t have to worry about anything. Everything has already been put in place for us to get married. This time it will be even grander than before.”
His words left me tongue-tied. I didn’t know what I expected when I agreed to come here but it certainly wasn’t this. Did Lucas actually expect me to agree to marry him again? Had he really come all this way to give me the ‘opportunity’ of being his bride?
He continued speaking in the wake of my silence. “There are not enough words to describe how embarrassing it was when you left me standing at the altar.”
I flinched a bit at that statement but I still couldn’t speak. Again, he continued, “It was the greatest humiliation of my life. I dare say it was the greatest humiliation of my bloodline. No Everett has ever been treated so distastefully. I have a reputation to maintain dammit! And your little stunt has tainted it severely. We need to get married as soon as possible so I can save what is left of my reputation!”
As his voice got louder, the tinge of resentment I’d seen in his eyes became a flare of hatred. I couldn’t possibly marry a man who looked like he was about to blow my head off simply with the look in his eyes.
Lucas took a deep breath and adjusted the cuff of his pristine white shirt. When he spoke again, his voice was calmer but the hate and resentment in his eyes hadn’t dwindled at all. “I told all our guests that you got cold feet, and the wedding is still on. Like I said, you don’t need to worry about anything. Everything has already been prepared. The event, decorations, catering. Even your dress is ready. All you need to do is show up.”
I finally found my voice after that. “I’m not going to marry you, Lucas. I don’t love you and I can’t marry a man I don’t love.”
That was only part of the reason I was saying no. After listening to everything he just said I had another reason to turn down his proposal. He was just as controlling as my parents. I’d rather become a spinster than marry someone like that. I’d spent my whole life in the prison of my parent’s demands. I had no desire to trade one jailer for another.
“Love is inconsequential. Our marriage will hold. I have invested way too much into this problem for you to reject me again. Do you know the lengths I had to go through to clean up your mess?” he asked as he leaned in.
“No, I don’t. I know it must have been hard and I’m genuinely sorry. I’ll pay you back in whatever way I can but I can’t—
“You can pay me back by marrying me! That is the only thing I need from you.”
I sat back in my chair. “Then there’s nothing I can do. I can’t and I won’t marry you, Lucas.”
He reached for me and tugged me forward, forcing my midsection to press against the table. I tried to pull my hand back, but his grip was too tight. I wished the waiter would return with our orders but he was nowhere in sight.
Lucas’ grip tightened. “You will marry me, Amelia. You will or I’ll—”
“You won’t do a damn thing to her.”
The deep voice cut Lucas’ threat short. I looked up at the person that had come to my rescue. It was Matteo.