Believe In Love (9 page)

Chapter 18

First Date

Amber

A week has passed since the bombshell that both Mia and Evan are leaving.  After having this time to think, I have come to terms with it and I am going to embrace having some freedom for the first time ever.  I will worry every single second they are away from me but I also understand the need to move on with their lives.  I’m excited to see what life holds for them and I know they will succeed in anything they do.  As far as the money is concerned, I now have some money in the bank for the first time ever.  After having a discussion with Mia, she agreed to reinvest the money for college.  Evan put the money into a money market and decided to keep it tucked away in case of an emergency.  They are exceptional human beings.  I really hope they continue to excel.

Dylan and I haven’t discussed what’s next for us.  We haven’t had any alone time in the last week so things seem up in the air.  I believed I was in love with him weeks ago but I became one hundred percent sure last week.  The way he handled everything and stuck by me was incredible.  He truly is the man of my dreams and I need to do everything I can to make him happy.  First and foremost, I need to tell him how I feel.  I’m scared to death that my feelings won’t be reciprocated but he needs to know.  As soon as Evan and Mia leave, I’ll tell him.

Well, today is that day.  Evan is headed to Fort Bragg and leaving at noon and Mia has a flight out at one.  I don’t know if they planned this but saying goodbye to the both of them will shatter me but at least I won’t have to do it two different times.  They both insist that I don’t go inside the airport and do the curbside drop off.  I’m not comfortable with that but both have told me that they want it over and done with.  I understand that so I agreed.

As we are about to load up the car, Dylan pulls into the driveway and pops his trunk.  He gets out of the car, takes the bags from Mia and puts them into his trunk.

“What are you doing here?”  I ask as he walks up to me.  He kisses the tip of my nose.

“Do you really think I was going to let you do this alone?” 
How can I not love him?

I smile at him and he helps Evan get his bag into the trunk.  A few minutes later, we were on our way to the airport.

****

Twenty minutes later, Dylan pulls onto the curbside of Southwest Airlines.  We quickly climb out and Dylan starts to take all of the luggage out of the trunk.  I look at my siblings and start to tear up.  They both rush to me.  The three of us hug for a minute.  I whisper so only they can hear me.

“I am so proud of the both of you.  I am always here for you.  Please don’t hesitate to call me if you ever need anything.  I love you both so much and I’m going to miss you like crazy.  Please be safe and call me at least once a week.”

They agree and we pull apart.  Dylan comes over and embraces Mia.  “Be safe hun.  Be good and let us know if you need anything.”

“Thanks Dylan.  I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss you too.”  They pull apart and he hugs Evan.  “So proud of you.  Be safe and be strong.  Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”

“Thank you and I will.  Take care of my sister.”

“You know I will.”

“I know.”  Evan gives me one last look and smiles.  “Love you big sister.  Go be happy.”

“I love you too.”  Mia blows me a kiss and then they’re gone. 

Dylan and I get back into the car before we get forced out.  As soon as he pulls away from the curb, he reaches over and links his fingers with mine.  I quietly cry until we get back on the highway.

“They are going to be fine.  You have taught them how to be independent.”  He says.

I nod.  “Thank you for being here.”

“I will always be by your side.” 

“I know and I will always be by yours.”  He’s watching the road but I see the smile that comes across his lips.

“Where to now, gorgeous?”

“Let’s go get lunch.”

****

A few minutes later, we are walking into Mama Mia’s.  It’s a quaint little Italian restaurant that I’ve heard good things about.  The restaurant is not very expensive but pricier than a chain restaurant.  When Dylan suggested we come here, I smiled and told him that I have been dying to come here.  It really is beautiful.  There are no tables, just booths lit by candlelight.  It is very romantic.  The hostess quickly seats us and the server takes our drink order.

“It’s beautiful in here.”  I say.

“It is.  It’s my first time in here.  I’ve heard great things.”  He smiles at me over his menu.  I pick my entree and put my menu down.  The server comes back with our drinks and homemade bread.  The server smiles at me and Dylan clears his throat.  The server looks at him and Dylan grins.  “She’s mine.  I suggest you do your job and find another woman to smile at.”  I look between the two men.  The server takes our order swiftly and leaves.

“Dylan, I don’t think that was necessary.”

“I was just making it clear that you’re mine.”  He butters a piece of bread and takes a bite.  “That’s good.”

I follow his lead and thoroughly enjoy the bread.  We have small talk all through our lunch and enjoy our first meal alone since we started dating.   We order a dessert to share and some coffee.  While we wait, I decide that now is the time to tell him how I feel.

“I need to tell you something.”  I blurt out. 

He reaches over and places his hand over mine.  “Okay.”

“You mean the world to me.  I think you are wonderful and I’m so happy that you are in my life.”

He narrows his eyes at me but can’t hide the grin.  “What are you trying to say?”

I look at him.  His grey eyes are sparkling in the candlelight.  He’s looking extremely handsome in that light.  “I love you.”

He stares at me for a second and then stands.  He comes to me and gets down on one knee in front of me.  “I love you too.  I never believed in love at first sight until I saw you.  You are everything to me.”

I lean down and lightly kiss his lips. “Thank you for taking a chance on me.” 

Chapter 19

The House

Dylan

Today has been such a bittersweet day.  It has been a good day but saying goodbye to Mia and Evan was tough for me.  I can’t even imagine how Amber feels but she’s handling it like a champ.  My girl never ceases to amaze me.  Her step doesn’t falter even if she is kicked.  Hearing the words ‘I love you’ come out of her mouth is a dream come true.  Now, I need to make sure all of her dreams come true.  First and foremost, I need to take her on a vacation.  I know that she has never been on a vacation even when her parents were alive.  I plan on taking her away for her birthday. 

After we finished eating, we decided to take a walk and do some window shopping.  I am holding her hand and it feels great to be relaxed and in no rush to get home.  I look at her.  She looks happy.  Both Evan and Mia have checked in and both made it to their destinations safely.  She must have sensed that I am looking at her because she looks at me.

“What?”  she asks.

“You look relaxed and I’m enjoying it.”

“For the first time, no one is waiting for me and I am free to enjoy myself.  It’s weird yet refreshing.  It will take some time to get used to.”

“Enjoy it, gorgeous.  You deserve every minute of it.”

She stops walking and turns to me.  “I have been thinking about something you said to me a while back.  I am so exhausted working at the store and I want a job with normal hours and freedoms.  Do you think your friend still has that assistant position open?”

I smile at her and pull out my cell phone.  I look through my contacts and hit the green call button.  “Hey John.  How’s it going?  Great.  I’m calling to find out if you are still in need of an assistant.”  I wait for his answer and continue.  “I have someone who would be perfect for that position.  She wants to be an architect but life got in the way.  She has a portfolio.”  I listen a second.  “Okay.  Hold on.  Let me ask her.”  I mute the phone and look at her.  “He wants to meet you Monday.  Can you do it?”

“I close on Monday so I can meet him first thing in the morning.”  I smile at her and take the phone off mute.

“She can meet you first thing in the morning on Monday.”  He gives me instructions.  “Sounds good.  Thank you and you won’t be sorry.”

I hang up and look over at her.  She looks stunned.  “Be at his office at nine on Monday morning and take your portfolio.”

“Wow!”  She laughs.  “I never thought you were going to call him now.  I brought my folder of sketches with me in my purse to show you and let you make the decision on whether you wanted to call him or not.”

“I don’t need to see them.  I’m sure they are awesome but I would like to see them anyway.”

She reaches into her oversized bag and takes out a blue folder and hands it to me.  “Thank you for arranging all of this.  I really appreciate it.”

“It’s my pleasure sweetheart.”  I lead her to a bench and we sit.  I open the folder and I am truly floored.  “These are unbelievable.  I could have used you when I was designing my home.  John is going to go nuts.” 

“Thank you.  I have also been thinking of going to school if I get this job.” 

“That’s wonderful.  I think you should and you will get this job.  I want you to follow your dreams now and this is your passion.  You should do it and I’ll support you in any way possible.”

She reaches for me and wraps me in a tight hug.  I wrap my arms around her and close my eyes.  She smells so good, always like mint.  “You have been so supportive of everything I have done or want to do.  I am so lucky to have you.  I can’t thank you enough.”

I pull away and look her in the eyes.  “I love you.  I will support you in anything you want to do.  I told you already that you are my forever and I mean it.”

She leans in and kisses me.  This kiss is hot and my hands want to roam but I don’t let them.  She tastes amazing and I want to love every inch of her.  She pulls away breathless.

“You haven’t seen my house.  Would you like to?”  I ask her.  She smiles big.

“I would love to.”

****

A few minutes later, I pull into my driveway.  Amber is staring at the house in silence.  I press a button on my rear view mirror and the garage door opens.  She is taking it all in.  I pull my car into the garage, kill the engine and we get out of the car.  I lead her to the door that goes into the house and press the button at the entrance of the door.  The garage door starts to close and I open the door.  I motion for her to go first and she does.  The door leads into a mud room.  I have cabinets there with a granite counter top.  I have a bowl there.  I remove my wallet and place it and my keys in the bowl.  Just past the mud room is the kitchen and she follows me.

I hear her gasp behind me when I turn on the lights.  I turn to her.  “Are you okay?”

She looks around and looks back at me.  “This kitchen is absolutely spectacular.”  She looks around again as if she is taking in every detail.  “This is every cook’s dream.”

The kitchen has dark espresso cabinets with white granite counter tops.   The appliances are slate with double ovens.  The center island has cabinets all around with an eight burner stove top in it.  The kitchen is open to a dining room and an expansive family room.   I walk to the fridge and take out two bottles of water.  I hand her one.  “Come on.  I’ll give you the grand tour.”  I grab her hand and we go into the family room. 

“Holy shit!”  She exclaims and I laugh.  The family room has a huge fireplace on the main wall and above it is a seventy inch television hanging on the wall.  The black leather sectional is ‘U’ shaped.  I made sure that hardwood floors went throughout the house.  I lead her down a short hallway to the front door.  On one side of the hall is a set of French doors.  I point to it.  “That’s my office.”  She looks in and smiles.  Only half of the room is decorated.

“Why is it only half decorated?”  She asks.

“The other half is for my future wife.  She can decorate it in any way she wants.”

She nods but doesn’t say anything.  Across the hall is another set of French doors.  “That’s the game room.”  That room has a pool table and another television on the wall.  There is a poker table in the corner and funny signs all over the walls.

We continue back down the hallway to the family room.  She stops me and points to the view.  I have sliding glass doors across the length of the family room and it overlooks the infinity pool.  The house sits on one acre so beyond the pool is green grass.

“That view is nothing short of wonderful.  How do you leave this house?”  She looks at me with such a serious expression.  I place the hand that isn’t holding hers on her cheek. 

“You are my gorgeous view.  That pales in comparison.”  She blushes.  I kiss her nose and groan.

To my left is another long hallway.  I show her three empty bedrooms and two bathrooms.  At the end of the hall is the master bedroom.  We enter the room and I watch her look around.  I don’t have much furniture.  There is a king-sized bed, two night tables and a dresser.  On the wall, across from the bed, is another television on the wall.  The wall that faces the backyard has curtains from one side to the other.  I walk over to them and open them.  There is a floor to ceiling window that looks out at the pool and backyard. 

“Wow.”  She says.

I turn her around and point toward another hallway.  She heads that way and I follow.  On either side of the hallway are his and hers closets.  Hers is obviously empty.  She keeps going and walks through an archway.

“Is that an infinity shower?” 

“Yes it is.  I hate shower doors and the maintenance that comes with them.  With that shower, you can just step down into it and not worry about doors or curtains.”

From the ceiling, a rain shower head sits directly over the shower and two regular shower heads.  “It looks like heaven.”

There are two sinks, one on each side of the bathroom.  One of them has a long counter top with extra drawers and a vanity seat.  On the left side of the bathroom is another archway and on the other is a door that leads to the toilet.  I motion for her to go look and she does.  Her hands cover her mouth and her eyes widen.

“I can’t believe it.”  She says.  Through the archway, sits a huge Jacuzzi tub.  It is big enough for two and has its own view of a private garden.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“No Dylan.  I love everything about this house.”

I nod.  “Good.  Now it’s time to go swimming.”

“I don’t have a suit.”

I step out of the bathroom and come back in with a bag.  I hand it to her and she pulls out a black one piece suit.  She arches an eyebrow at me and I wiggle mine at her.

“Meet you out back.”