3. Amberlee
Chapter 3
Amberlee
Four days later
W e pull into the driveway of Ryan’s house, both of us exhausted. We wanted to drive straight through, but after driving for almost three days, taking turns, we were both bone tired. Around two am last night, Ryan made the call to pull over into a rest stop and get a few hours of sleep before driving the rest of the way home.
Home.
That feels so weird to say, but this is my home now.
Ryan has a spare room, thankfully, and I fully intend to crawl into that bed after a shower and sleep for ten hours straight. Once he parks the truck, he makes his way round to the back. I get out and open my car door, taking out the duffel bag. I have clean pajamas and underwear waiting inside of it, along with my toiletries. Hell, I may just soak in a tub of steaming hot water with some bubbles and work out the knots in my body from being in the cramped cab of that truck.
“That'll be your new home for as long as you want it.” Ryan points over toward the garage. Just above it is the apartment he had made for when his in-laws or friends came to visit.
It's fucking cute as hell, not big from the outside, but perfect. On the side of the building is a wood staircase leading to the apartment. Ryan put a lot of thought into it. There is a small deck built onto it, with flowers going around the top of it. Did he build a plant holder into the railing? If the outside looks this good, I can't wait to see the inside, but right now, I need a shower and sleep.
“Just show me to the spare bedroom. I'm too exhausted to be excited right now.” My voice is scratchy from lack of sleep, and I swear there's something in the air aggravating it. As soon as that thought crosses my mind, I fall into a sneezing fit, followed by a deep hacking cough.
“Ahh, allergies. You'll get used to them. I have some medicine inside that should help.” He takes the bag from my hand, then wraps his arm around my shoulder, leading me inside the house.
I've just set foot inside the door, when a ball of energy comes flying straight at me, wrapping his arms around my legs. “Aunt Lee Lee,” RJ cries.
Damn, it's only been about seven months, and he looks a foot taller. This is one thing that makes me happy about being here. I won’t miss my nephew growing up, well, until Ryan gets assigned to another duty station, but I'm going to try not to think about that.
“This can't be my nephew, he's too big.” I try my hardest to keep a straight face, the same as Ryan, but we both fail miserably.
“It is me. I just got big. Is it true you’re here for good?” His vocabulary is so good and I can't help but marvel at it.
He pulls away from me, giving me the space to squat down in front of him. “It sure is, buddy. But I'm really tired right now. Let me get a few hours of sleep, then I promise I am all yours.”
He grins and slams a kiss on my cheek before taking off down the hallway, which I assume leads to his bedroom.
Maddy steps into the room, laughing after him, and my eyes drop to her stomach. Holy shit!
“Are you pregnant?” I look between the both of them, waiting for one of them to answer. I’m not sure why since it's blatantly obvious.
Ryan moves past me, straight to his wife, gently kissing her on the lips before kneeling in front of her belly and kissing it twice.
“How have you kept this a secret? You look like you're about to deliver any day!”
They both start belly laughing.
“She still has five months to go. We didn't want to tell anyone until we were in the second trimester. And then when we found out you were coming, we thought we'd wait and call Mom and Dad with you here,” Ryan starts, then Maddy finishes for him.
“I'm having twins!” she squeals.
“Do you know what you're having?”
This just made this move even more exciting. I'm going to be an aunt again and I'll get to be here when they are born. I can even take care of RJ for them so they don't have to worry about who will be with him when she goes into labor.
“No.” She looks at Ryan, then smiles even bigger. “We've decided to be surprised. We won’t know until they're born.”
“Okay, there's so many things to do. You need a shower. We need to make sure the nursery is ready and that you have your delivery plan,” I start rambling until Ryan comes over and takes me by the shoulders.
“Yes, we can do all that. We would love your input. But the twins aren't being born tomorrow, so let me show you to the guest room so you can shower and sleep. Then tomorrow we can unload the truck and return everything.”
“Okay. But twins! You're going to be a dad times three! I'm going to be an aunt again!” This time it's me who's squealing.
Ryan takes off down the hallway and I quickly fall in step behind him. Sleep is definitely what I want and need right now. I take in all the pictures covering the hallway wall, and I can't wait to see all the new memories that will be placed there.
Wait… Is that…
I stop and do a double take. Yep, it is. I’m staring at a photograph of Ryan, Jeremiah, and myself taken seven years ago when I was fifteen. I was so young looking, and I’ve definitely changed a lot over the years. I wonder what he looks like now, after all this time.
I shake it off quickly. I can't let myself go there. One, he's married, and second, even if he wasn't, he's my brother's best friend. He's like the apple in the Garden of Eden—forbidden. Ryan stops and waits for me, no doubt noticing the picture I’m looking at.
“You were so young there. My sweet little sister.”
“Umm, unless you can't see what's in front of you, I am still sweet and your little sister. Just older. But still younger than you.”
“Har, har, har,” he replies as he opens the door in front of him.
“Are you a pirate now?”
“Nope, but pretending to be one is what put us in the predicament we're in now, having twins.”
“TMI, Ryan, TMI. There are things even a sister should never hear. And her brother’s sex life is one of them. Do you want to hear about mine?” His face immediately scrunches up, and he acts as if he's about to gag.
“Point taken. Here's your room. You have an ensuite bathroom and I'd suggest locking the bedroom door or I can't guarantee RJ won't barge in on you. Sweet dreams. Tomorrow we’ll get your stuff in the garage apartment.” He ushers me inside, sets my bag on the floor, and blows me a kiss before shutting the door behind him.
I slowly look around. The room is colorful, full of pastel prints. The curtains are a sheer sage color with venetian blinds underneath them. They are open right now, bathing everything in bright sunlight, and I know I'll never fall asleep unless I shut them. Once that’s done, I continue to look around. There's a dresser with a picture of Ryan, Maddy and RJ on it, along with one of our parents with Ryan and me. The bed has a matching sage comforter on it with a flower design etched into it. I have a feeling Maddy is to thank for the coziness of the place. I love it.
I drop my purse to the floor and head straight for the bathroom, but quickly pivot and lock the door first, heeding Ryan's warning of RJ busting in. As much as I want a bath, I opt for a shower, quickly washing the grime of being on the road off of me, before getting out. I look longingly back at the huge garden tub and make a mental promise to it that after I rest, I will be back to lounge inside of it.
Looking through my bag, I pull out a pair of panties, sleep shorts and a tank and get dressed. Time for bed. Pulling back the comforter, I slip underneath it, my eyes closing before my head ever hits the pillow. Dreaming of a man that I can never have.
I don't know what time it is when I finally wake up. The house is quiet. Sitting up in bed, I rub the sleep from my eyes with the heel of my hands. My mouth is dry and scratchy, and I remember Ryan never gave me that medicine. I need water.
Normally I wouldn't walk around someone else's house in what I'm wearing, but this is family and it doesn't sound as if anyone else is awake. Tiptoeing, I make my way to the kitchen, not wanting to wake anyone up. The house is dark, so I know I must've slept through the day into the night.
Thankfully, there's a light on over the stove and I'm able to see without falling on my face or bumping into something. Opening the cabinet, I pull out a glass and turn on the faucet. The coolness of the water feels good against my throat.
“I was wondering when you were going to wake up,” a deep masculine voice says from behind me, and I almost drop the glass.
Turning slowly, I come face to face with the man that holds my heart.
“Jeremiah? What are you doing here?”
“Picking up my daughter, Angel. We were over earlier, and she was having so much fun, Ryan told me to let her stay and play awhile. I was going to pick her up earlier, but I had to run to work to take care of something. Man, you've really grown up.”
I quickly remember what I'm wearing and cross my arms over my chest, attempting to cover myself. Puberty hit me hard at sixteen and my boobs grew overnight so now I'm a very bountiful C cup. Not to mention, I don't have a bra on, so they are very exposed.
“Here's your girl, Jeremiah.” Ryan steps into the room with the most precious girl in his arms. She has the curliest, dirty blonde hair and from what I can see, she is the spitting image of her father.
God, he’s changed. He’s grown up, more confident. Can someone look like that? He still has a playful smile, but he’s a dad now. His body’s developed more muscle and fuck me, has he got taller? One thing Jeremiah hasn’t lost is his good looks and the hold he has over me.
“Well, I'm going back to bed. It was good to see you again,” I spit out so fast you'd think I was saying one humongous word. As I rush by them, my arm grazes against his, and electricity dances along my skin, causing my hair to stand on end. Shit, his touch still sets me on fire.
The only blessing to the night as I'm safely locked behind the doors of the guestroom is I didn't have to see his bitch of a wife. She was gorgeous then, so I can only imagine what she looks like now. She's probably a freaking supermodel or something.
First thing tomorrow, I'm getting my stuff moved into the garage apartment. There's no way in hell I'm going to be surprised like that again.