22. Jeremiah
Chapter 22
Jeremiah
Three Days Later
I t’s been agony not having Amberlee in my arms.
When we came back from the zoo on Sunday, I waited until Angel was asleep and snuck next door to talk to Amberlee.
My heart races as I lift my hand, gently knocking on her door. It’s quiet on the other side, not a sound echoing through the room. I’m about to give up and head back to my room when the door opens and Amberlee stands before me. She’s in a thin sleep shirt and a pair of sleep shorts. Her hair is a mess, barely contained in a messy bun.
“What are you doing here?” she asks as she takes a small step into the hallway, looking in both directions. “Ryan could see you.”
“He’s not here, Amberlee. It’s late. He's already in bed with his wife, most likely curled up next to her, rubbing her belly, talking about their babies.”
She looks over in the direction of my room. “And Angel?”
“She’s asleep, and the door is locked. But I can only leave her alone for a minute.”I look back to my room, anxiety building in my heart. Every terrible thing that could happen plagues me. She could fall out of bed, stop breathing, hit her head when she falls.
“Jeremiah.” Her hand touches the side of my face, pulling my attention back to her. I shake off the worry, knowing that Angel is fine.
“I just need to make sure that you still want to be with me. I’m so afraid of you changing your mind. I’m more scared of that than how your brother’s going to react to our relationship.”
She doesn’t say a word and I worry that she’s already changed her mind.
“Baby, please tell me you’re not having second thoughts about us. That we’re still going to tell Ryan about us and accept whatever happens.”
My eyes stay focused on her, barely breathing as I wait for her to answer. My hands are a sweaty mess, but I don’t want to let go to dry them on my pants. If she says she’s done, I want to make sure I get one last hug.
“He’ll understand. He has to,” she whispers as I step toward her, wrapping my arms around her.
She feels right in my arms. What I feel for Amberlee, I’ve never felt for any other woman before. And I know I’ll never feel it again. She’s it for me. She has to know we’re perfect together. We were molded to fit together like two perfect pieces of a puzzle, every junction interlocking precisely.
“Jeremiah Dawson.” She places her hands on my chest and pushes away, looking up at me. “I want you to listen to me and hear every word I’m saying. I have loved you for seven years. I love you today, and I’ll continue to love you until my dying breath. When we get home, we’ll tell Ryan everything. He’ll be pissed at first, I’m sure, but he’ll get over it.”
I don’t waste another minute, crashing my lips onto hers and kissing her deeply.
Picking up my phone, I go to my message thread with Amberlee.
Me: Hey baby. I’m home. Do you want to come over for dinner?
Me: We can talk about when we want to tell Ryan about us.
Baby: Yes. Do you want me to pick up something to eat?
Baby: Is Angel going to be there?
Me: No, I have it handled. She’s going to the movies with the neighbors. We’ll have a good three hours to talk.
Baby: When should I come over?
Me: How’s an hour?
Baby: Perfect kissy face emoji
Me: Can’t wait devil face emoji
I set my phone down on the counter to finish assembling the lasagna so I can pop it in the oven. It’ll be ready so we can eat when she gets here. We’ve had a few stolen moments since we came home on Monday and conversations going late into the night, but we haven’t had sex again. I’m hoping like hell we can make time for that tonight.
“Daddy, what time is Ms. Sue coming to get me?”
My beautiful daughter skips into the kitchen, climbing up on the bar stool, reaching into the snack bowl to pull out a fruit roll-up.
“She should be here in about fifteen to twenty minutes. Have you brushed your teeth and cleaned your room?” I give her a stern look, making sure she knows I mean business. The only way she can go is if she tidied up her room. It’s been a pigsty since we came home from the beach.
“I did,” she says proudly.
“Good. She’s going to take you to eat before the movies, so don’t fill up on junk. Plus, you want to leave room for some popcorn,” I remind her.
“Does she know to get me the nacho cheese?”
I love that my daughter enjoys the combination of popcorn and nacho cheese. I discovered it as a teenager and haven’t stopped eating it since. The only thing that compares to the amazing taste is french fries and nacho cheese. If only I had patented the idea when I discovered it.
“Yes. I told her, but I’m sure if she forgets, you’ll be there to remind her.” I give her a soft pat on the head as I lean forward onto the counter.
“Daddy,” she squeals in laughter as she hops off the stool. “I’m not a doggie.” She takes off running to her room, and I shake my head. I’m so lucky to have such an amazing daughter.
I turn my attention back to the food and decide to go ahead and mix up the salad and get the bread ready to go into the oven. I can’t believe we’re deciding exactly when we’ll tell Ryan everything tonight.
I’m busy with the final touches of spreading the garlic butter on the bread when the doorbell rings, and I hear Angel’s footsteps pounding on the floor like a herd of elephants.
“Do not think about opening that door, young lady!” I scream at the top of my lungs, her feet coming to a screeching halt.
“Sorry!” she yells back.
I place the knife on the counter, pick up a dish towel, and wipe my hands as I make my way to the front door. Angel is jumping up and down in excitement, her little purse in hand, ready to leave.
Turning the deadbolt, I take hold of the handle and open the door. Ms. Sue is waiting on the other side, but no kids.
“They’re already in the van, I just came to get Angel.” It was as if she had read my mind.
I reach into my pocket, pull out the cash I put there earlier, and hand it to her. “This is for Angel.” My daughter takes hold of the hem of my shirt and tugs on it. Letting out a laugh, I continue. “She also wants me to remind you to get her some nacho cheese to go with her popcorn at the movies.”
Ms. Sue smiles widely. It’s so large, it reaches from ear to ear. “I’d never forget that. Why don’t you run along and get in the van? The girls are waiting for you.”
Angel doesn't even bat an eye. “Bye Daddy.” She takes off like a bolt of lightning, not even giving me a kiss. My heart breaks a little at that. But I know she’s excited, and when she gets home tonight, I’ll get to hear about everything.
“She’s just excited, don't let it get to you.” She reaches out and places her hand on my arm, squeezing it. “I’ll have her home by nine.”
“Thank you again for taking her.”
“No problem. Enjoy your free time.” She smiles and turns, heading down the steps and across the yard toward her van. Shutting the door, I head back to the kitchen, knowing that Amberlee is going to be here soon.
“Dinner was amazing. I’m a lucky girl that my boyfriend can cook.” She reaches across the table and squeezes my hand.
“Boyfriend? So that’s what I am?” I give her a playful wink.
I’m fucking ecstatic to hear her call me that, I just wish it was in front of everyone. But if things go the way they are supposed to, we won’t have to deal with that much longer. It’s time to tackle the elephant in the room.
Ryan.
“We need to talk about telling your brother. We’ve been home for a few days, and I don’t want to wait any longer or sneak around behind his back to see you.” I love her, but Ryan’s like my brother, and I don’t want him to hate me more than he already might when I tell him about my feelings for Amberlee.
“I’m ready when you are. I know he’s going to be mad, but he’ll come around. Besides, Maddy already has her suspicions, so if we don’t tell him soon, she likely will,” Amberlee adds, and my jaw drops.
Guess we weren’t hiding this as well as we thought…
“Yeah. She kept dropping shit here and there, but Sunday morning, she told me she knew something happened, and I needed to tell Ryan,” Amberlee adds, picking up her glass of water and taking a sip.
“When do you want me to talk to him?” I’m leaving it up to her, not wanting to rush her to make a decision. This truth doesn’t only affect me, but her as well.
She bites her lip, scrunching her nose. “Umm… as soon as possible. It’s killing me, but it shouldn’t be just you. I need to be there, too.”
“I know, but if he’s going to be irate, I don’t want you there. Let me tell him, and he can get angry at me. But no matter what happens, I love you, and I’m not letting you go again, Amberlee. Ryan can get on the Jerlee train or stand on the sidelines.”
She snorts, her hand immediately flying to her already reddening face. “Jerlee?” she asks, laughing into her hand.
“Yeah, you know, like Bennifer. We’re Jerlee. We can play with it if you don’t like it. But I think it’s cute.”
“I love it, and I love you. Ryan will need to recognize that I’m an adult and can choose who I want to be with. He’s not the one to make that decision for me.”
I lean over, taking hold of her hands and pulling them away from her mouth. Her pouty lips entice me just as I press mine to hers, kissing her deeply. She moans and my cock craves to be inside her again. We don’t have much time before Angel is home, and I still need to set a time to talk to Ryan.
“Okay, I’m going to message him and see if we can meet tomorrow night,” I tell her as I pull away.
I stand up and move over to the counter, pick up my phone, and sit back down. Taking a deep breath, I open my message thread with him and type.
Me: Hey Ryan are you free tomorrow night I need to talk to you.
I wait, not sure if he’s by his phone or not. But when I see the tiny dots dancing up and down on the screen, my anxiety rises.
Ryan: Yeah what’s up
Me: I just need to talk to you about something important.
Ryan: Why are you waiting until tomorrow? We can do it now.
Fuck! No! Not now! I take a deep breath, reining in my emotions. As much as I want to do it now, I need time to think through just how I’m going to present the situation to him.
Me: No tomorrow is good. I can’t tonight. How’s 6
Ryan: That’s perfect. We can grill some steaks and have a few beers.
Me: Perfect
Shit! I’m going to have Angel. Fuck, I don’t want her caught in the crossfire of anything with me and him.
“I don’t want Angel there, and I don’t know if I can find a sitter.” The defeat in my voice clear.
“Let her come up and hang out with me. In fact, I’ll leave with her and meet up with you later. I can always make an excuse to run to the store and take her with me. Her and RJ can, there’s no need for either of them to hear it. If it doesn’t go well, message me, and I’ll bring her to you and then come back home with RJ.”
“God, I love you.” I stand from my chair, forgetting about the dishes, and pick her up. “It’s time for dessert.”