30. Chapter 30
thirty
This has got to be too good to be true, right?
Amanda breathed in deeply. Her head warned her to tread cautiously, holding the hopefulness back. After Gene’s abrupt one-hundred-eighty before, it was hard for her to simply accept his declaration.
“This is life here, Gene,” Amanda said. “I go to work, make the best of my day, come home to Loki, have a simple dinner, rest. Then I do it all over again. Unlike the week we spent together, there isn’t always a mystery to solve. It’s a mundane, sometimes downright boring, life.”
Gene’s mouth formed an amused smile.
“Are you trying to scare me? Because that sounds pretty awesome to me.”
“It’s not glamorous like going abroad, teaching or working on some global health crisis in other parts of the world,” Amanda pointed out.
“You think that kind of work would be glamorous?”
He tilted his head as he frowned at her.
“Maybe glamorous isn’t the right word. Exciting, exhilarating, adventurous,” she amended. “I don’t want you to stay and then regret it down the line. I can’t bear it if you ever grow to resent me for it.”
“Being back here, living under my parents’ roof and working with the Blooms—watching them and their relationships—taught me a thing or two. You can say their lives are mundane, even boring, but I disagree. They live a life together full of all kinds of stories. Listening to them made me realize any excitement or adventure wouldn’t be worth it if I didn’t experience it with you.”
Amanda’s heart pounded in her chest, trying to beat down the doubt in her head.
Can I trust him?
“Why are you doing this now?” Amanda searched Gene’s eyes. “What changed? Two weeks ago, you shoved me toward the first available guy and skipped away as fast as possible.”
Gene’s face fell. “It was stupid and a cowardly move. I’m sorry I did that to you, Amanda. I thought I was protecting you.”
“From what?”
“From me. I was lost with no direction. I didn’t want to drag you into my uncertainty.” Gene pulled her closer and cupped her jaw. “I didn’t realize you were a light showing me a path.”
Amanda held her breath as she listened to the man standing before her.
“It’s a path full of possibilities, and everything I didn’t know I needed,” he continued. “I love you, Amanda. I know how crazy that may sound, but it hit me like a semi-truck I didn’t see coming.”
“That sounds painful.”
Amanda bit her lower lip, trying to still her trembling lips from smiling.
“Well…” A corner of Gene’s mouth rose in a boyish smile as he pulled her even closer. “I was hoping to appeal to your kind heart, and that you’ll feel sorry for me and tell me you’re a tad in love with me, too.”
Amanda studied Gene’s face as her brain battled it out with her heart. And as if he knew exactly what was churning inside her, Gene dropped his hand to her chest over her heart.
“Leave the overthinking to me. We need you to listen to your gut,” Gene urged.
“That’s my heart. You’re a doctor, you should know your anatomy.”
Gene chuckled lightly. “What is your heart telling you?”
Amanda let out a slow, measured breath and laid a hand on Gene’s heart.
“I know what my heart told me from the day you returned to my life. But I needed you to know yours, too.”
“Mine is yours, Amanda.”
“Then you can have mine.” Amanda’s smile blossomed with the growing love she felt for him. “I love you.”
In a split second, Gene had Amanda wrapped in his arms and hauled her off her feet, making her squeal in surprise then laugh her heart out.
“Loki, she said she loves me, too!” Gene shouted to the dog as he whirled Amanda in a circle.
Loki jumped to his feet and ran around them, barking happily.
“For god’s sake, put me down!” Amanda told Gene. “You’re gonna break something.”
Instead of setting her back on her feet, he shut her up with a kiss, and Amanda forgot what she was asking. The next thing she knew, he dropped her bottom onto the kitchen counter. But all she was aware of was the tip of his tongue tasting her, and his hands slowly tracing her as if he was relearning the shape of her body.
“I miss you,” Gene whispered against her lips before he pulled back to look her in the eyes. “I miss being with you.”
Amanda ran fingers through his hair as she saw the now unrestrained love in them.
“I miss talking to you,” he added. “And seeing your smile.”
How could she stop smiling now? She beamed up at him.
“I suppose you’ll see a lot of me now, seeing as you’re my new neighbor.”
“Is it weird?” Gene grimaced. “When I heard Miss Lydia moved in with her niece, I thought it was kismet.”
“I guess we’ll find out.” Amanda narrowed her eyes at him. “Do you mind having a dog next door? Loki’s well behaved, but he barks once in a while when he’s super excited.”
With a chuckle, Gene replied, “I love Loki. I’ll even take him for walks when you have to go to work early.”
“That’ll be great,” she countered. “Then I’ll be happy to invite you to dinner every other night.”
“I’m really good at picking up takeout for the other nights.” Gene winked. “And I need to finally take you out on a fucking date. What are you doing tonight?”
“I have a date tonight,” Amanda said.
“Oh.” Gene pulled back. “With whom?”
“I was gonna eat that whole banana cream pie with Loki.” Amanda grinned. “But I can share with you instead.”
The mention of the pie lit up Gene’s face, and his smile turned roguish.
“A pie tasting? I do miss your pie.”
“Good thing I brought your favorite, huh?” Amanda reached for the box sitting not too far from her. “But we may want to close that door first. Miss Lydia may not live here anymore, but who knows who’s watching?”
“Let them watch.”
Gene’s hands ran up her thighs under Amanda’s dress and swiftly pulled her panties off.
Amanda yelped before a laugh broke out of her.
“Loki! Get the door,” she commanded with a gesture of her hand. The smart dog trotted to the front door and nudged it close with his snout, then plopped down in front of it when Amanda told him to stay put. “Good boy,” Amanda told the dog.
“Now, why don’t you be a good girl and open your legs for me?” Gene gently encouraged her knees apart. “Because you’re my favorite pie.”
She smirked. “Only if I get to eat my cream pie off your banana afterward, darling.”
Gene burst into laughter, then kissed her soundly on the lips.
“Sounds like a win-win to me.”
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