Chapter Twenty-Four
Colton
When he tries getting closer to Amelia, I yank him back by his shirt and hang onto him.
“Stay,” I demand.
Remy immediately sits next to Amelia.
The man swallows, then grins coyly at her. “Hi, Mellie.”
Her head tilts, blinking hard as if she needs to clear her vision. “What did you say?”
“Mellie.”
“Where did you hear that name?”
“It’s what I called you when we were kids. You called me Sammy. I called you Mellie Pie.”
Amelia gasps. “Oh my God.”
“You believe him?” I ask, still skeptical of this random stranger.
She glances at me quickly before looking back at him. “What color are his eyes?”
The glaring motion light makes it hard to see, but I turn him toward me.
“Brown.” I shift to his other eye, then back and forth again, second-guessing myself. “No, wait. Green.”
“I have one of each,” he clarifies.
Amelia’s mouth falls open, slowly walking toward him as if checking for herself. “You have Heterochromia?”
“Yes.” He clears his throat, standing taller. “You were always jealous you didn’t ’cause you thought it was so cool.”
I glance between them, even more conflicted about whether I believe him. She never mentioned he had two-colored eyes, but based on her reaction, he did.
“Hmm.” She crosses her arms. “When’s my birthday?”
“July twenty-eighth. You’re a Leo.”
“Who was my first boyfriend?”
He scoffs. “Damien Dumb-ass Archer.”
My brows shoot to my hairline at the boy she told me about last weekend.
“Where did Mom and Dad take us when we were in fifth and seventh grade?”
“Washington D.C. You threw up the entire plane ride, and I got sores on my feet from all the walkin’ they made us do.”
“Someone from my hometown could’ve told you these things,” Amelia asserts. “Tell me somethin’ more personal that only you’d know.”
He briefly flicks his gaze toward me. “You sure? It might be embarrassin’.”
“Mm-hmm. Say it.”
“The night of your Sweet Sixteen party, you went missin’, so I went outside to search and found you and Mr. Bradshaw makin’ out by his Jaguar.”
“What?” Her jaw drops, looking horrified. “No one knows ’bout that.”
He grins wickedly. “I never said anythin’ so I could keep it as blackmail if you ever tried snitchin’ on me for somethin’.”
That sounds just like something Bodie and Bellamy would’ve done to each other as teens.
“Uh, who’s Mr. Bradshaw?” I raise a brow at Amelia.
“No one,” she responds at the same time he does, “Her best friend’s dad.”
My brows shoot to the stars. “See, I knew older men were your preferred type!”
She rolls her eyes. “I warned ya I made bad datin’ decisions when I was younger. Can we stay on topic, please?”
“Continue,” I quip.
“One more question.” Amelia inches closer, examining his face. “How many scars do I have?”
His face contorts, brows pinch together, and he lowers his gaze over her face and arms. “Um…I-I don’t remember you havin’ any.”
“That was a trick question!” Amelia beams. “If you mentioned the surgery scars I got from after your accident, then I’d know someone fed you information ’bout me.”
He breathes out in relief, and I finally release my hold on him.
“So, you believe me now?”
“Yes.” Amelia lunges at him, wrapping her arms tightly around him.
Tears follow quickly after from both of them.
“I can’t believe this.” She pulls back, scanning over his features. “It’s really you?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” He smiles, smoothing his beard. “Just hairier.”
“H-how? You died when I was sixteen.”
“It’s a really long story. I’ll tell you everythin’.”
“Not to break up the reunion, but I still wanna know how he found you and why he was sneakin’ ’round here at night,” I say firmly.
“I can explain. I’m the one Sam saw at the grocery store. He looks just like me when I was his age. Except both of his eyes are green, like yours. I was shocked to learn you named him after me.”
Amelia shoves her palms against his chest, startling us both. “Wait. You tried to kidnap my son?”
“No, I swear!” He holds up his arms in defense. “That was a misunderstandin’.”
“You offered him candy and told him you knew me. Then you vanished like a criminal, so how did I misunderstand that?”
“I was there shoppin’ and recognized him from his photos. He was reachin’ for a chocolate bar on the top shelf, so I grabbed it for him. When he thanked me, his name slipped out when I responded, and he asked me how I knew it. I didn’t wanna scare him, so I mentioned knowin’ you.”
“How’d you see photos of my son?”
“That’s another long story, but it’s not what you’re thinkin’.”
“Then why’d you disappear from the aisle?”
“That wasn’t the time or place for us to reunite. And given that I’m supposed to be dead, it couldn’t be done in a public settin’.”
“Oh, but showin’ up to my house in the middle of the night outside Sam’s bedroom window was the right time? Do you have any idea what I went through after that? How scared everyone’s been? I’ve been hidin’ out here thinkin’ I had a stalker who was tryin’ to steal my son!”
And there it is. She won’t have to hideout anymore if he’s the one she was hiding from.
“I’m so sorry. I really can explain all of this. I came back to protect you from Mom before she does the same thing that she did to me. Has she contacted you?”
“Yes, once,” Amelia admits. “But I kept it short and haven’t called her back.”
“Maybe we should go inside and talk. We’re both half naked,” I remind Amelia.
“You wanna let him into our home?”
For a split second, my heart stops at her words. Our home.
Maybe that means she’ll stay anyway.
“I’ve got a hundred pounds on him, baby. Pretty sure I can handle him.” I throw the bat up and catch it.
“Fine, but he stays in the kitchen, away from the bedrooms.”
All that joy she felt a moment ago quickly disappears.
“Mellie, I’d never hurt you or your kids. I promise.”
“Mhm.” She scowls, then walks inside.
“She always this tough and unforgivin’?” he murmurs when I motion for him to follow her.
I stifle a laugh. “At least she didn’t pretend not to remember you.”
He furrows his brows, rightfully confused.
“Colt! When’re you gonna let that go?” she shouts over her shoulder.
“Never, darlin’.”
“Watch him while I change,” Amelia orders, going down the hallway. “I’ll bring you a shirt.”
“You like tea?” I ask him as I fill the kettle.
He nods. “Sure, thanks.”
“She’s very protective of her kids,” I say, grabbing three mugs. “She’s been a single mom for eight years, so I can’t blame her.”
“I was excited to learn I have a niece and nephew. Their photos are adorable.”
“They’re incredible. Sam’s adventurous. Always sneakin’ away and givin’ his mom a heart attack. He likes to cook with me, and Lily likes to eat what we make. It’s a win-win.”
Amelia returns in leggings and a sweater, and a T-shirt for me.
“Do you have any children?” she asks him, seemingly calmer than a few minutes ago.
“No. Troy and I talk about adoption, but it’s a long process, so we haven’t gotten too far.”
“Who’s that?”
“My husband.”
Amelia’s mouth drops. “You’re married?”
He holds out his left hand, showing off his ring band. “Seven years this month.”
“Wow.” She blinks. “I-I have so many more questions now.”
“I made your tea,” I say, hoping it’ll help her relax. Walking around her, I kiss her temple and give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. I still don’t fully trust this guy, but I want to hear his story.
She takes her mug and blows over it. “Where’ve you been livin’?”
“I first moved to San Francisco. That’s where I met Troy. We moved to Alabama about two years ago.”
“So, this whole time…you’ve been alive. And no one knows?”
“Well…Mom does and the people she paid off to help make it happen. Not sure if she ever told Dad her evil plan.”
“She faked your death?”
I’m not sure my eyes can get any wider. Just when I thought his resurrection was a wild story, hearing their mother was behind it has my mind spinning even faster.
“I didn’t know she was gonna tell everyone I died. I found that out months later, so of course, I could never return. Or she’d come for both of us.”
“Whaddya mean?”
“She gave me an ultimatum. Get half my trust fund at eighteen, instead of twenty-one, and live under a new identity across the country or she’d revoke it completely and kick me out.
When that didn’t work, ’cause I’d rather live on my own terms without their money anyway, she resorted to threatenin’ to take your trust fund and kick you out instead.
She knew how close we were and that I’d do anythin’ to protect you, so I had no choice at that point.
I didn’t want you to be punished for somethin’ I did. ”
“What did you do?” she asks.
“She caught me with a guy in my room durin’ an intimate moment, and when she forbade me from seein’ him again, I told her my plan to come out on social media. She slapped me across the face and said she’d never let me embarrass Dad.”
Amelia scoffs. “’Cause Heaven forbid the Mayor of Covington have a gay son. Considerin’ Mom got her panties in a twist when I told her I was pregnant out of wedlock, I can’t say I’m shocked at how she reacted. She blamed me for your death, then used it to guilt-trip me into givin’ her my kidney.”
“You did what?” His eyes widen into saucers.
“Yep, at eighteen. She was in the early stages of kidney failure and demanded I check to see if I was a match. Unfortunately, I was. Then she kicked me out two years later, but I’m glad she did before Sam was born or who knows what she would’ve made me do.
I’d rather be homeless than live under her roof, especially now knowin’ what she did. ”
“I wish I’d known all that. I would’ve found a way to come sooner, consequences be damned.” He reaches across the island and squeezes her hand. “I prayed all the time that you were safe and happy.”
“Wait…back up,” I interrupt their moment, trying to catch up. “Your dad was the mayor?”
This is news to me. I assumed her parents were from high society based on some of the stories she told me, but I hadn’t realized it was in politics.
“Yep, and it was durin’ his first term, so Mom was adamant that if I publicly came out, Dad would lose the next election.
And if that happened, she’d lose her status in the community, and she’d never allow that.
And since ‘I died’ durin’ a re-election year, he got the sympathy votes and won by even more than he did the first time. ”
“So, you weren’t even in an accident that night?” Amelia confirms.
“Nope, she paid the old sheriff off to fake the paperwork and a few others to turn a blind eye.”
“Oh my God, that’s why you had a closed casket!” Amelia shrieks. “Mom said it was ’cause you were unrecognizable due to your injuries and no one needed that visual to be our last memory.”
“Aww, how thoughtful of her,” he deadpans sarcastically.
“Some days I wish I hadn’t pushed her and been so determined to piss her off the way I did, but I was tired of livin’ a lie and hidin’ who I loved.
I wanted to go on dates with my boyfriend and do normal relationship things.
When I told her I was gonna come out, she flipped. ”
“Mom would’ve found a reason to boot you out eventually.” Amelia sighs. “I think she liked the idea of being a mother but hated actually being one.”
“Speakin’ of…” I drawl, grabbing their attention. “Can we go back to you needin’ to protect Amelia from your mother? What does she want from her?”
“She doesn’t want you to get your trust fund when Dad kicks the bucket.
She wants to keep it for herself and will give you a sob story on how she needs it to pay his medical bills.
There’s a clause that says if it hasn’t been transferred to you before he dies, then you get it once he does.
She hired a PI to find you so she can manipulate you into signin’ it over to her.
And if you won’t, she’ll find a way to force you. ”
“And how do you know this?” I ask.
“’Cause the PI she hired to find you is my husband.”