Trending, page 25
A knock sounded at the front door and Amelia sprung from her chair like she’d been electrocuted.
“I’ll get it,” she announced, weaving her way around the table to pull open the door.
Creed watched as she stood talking to someone on the porch for a moment before waving them inside. When she led Aaron into the dining room, something cold and hard settled in his stomach.
Chapter Forty
In her defense, she had planned it before she knew Creed would be there. Before Creed showed up on her porch with a sweet little kitten just because he knew everything behind her reasons for never buying one herself.
But, oh, how awful it felt to drive off with Aaron.
She hadn’t been lying when she told Lucy that Aaron had been a saving grace of sorts. For the first time in a decade Amelia was experiencing a healthy relationship with a male. One that had not a wisp of romance involved. She had been honest about that, too. Aaron had felt the same way. In fact, she had helped to set him up with another woman in the singles’ group and they were meeting her at the movies that night. They were only a few minutes down the road and she already missed Creed. Why she hadn’t thought to invite him?
“Aaron, do you mind if I text Creed and ask if he wants to come?”
“Of course not,” he smiled. Aaron was always smiling.
Aaron was a counselor at a rehab center and Amelia was constantly surprised by how cheerful of a disposition he had considering his line of work.
Hey Creed, Aaron and I are meeting a few people at the movies—want to join us?
She waited a few minutes and finally her phone buzzed back.
No, that’s okay. Izzie and I have a date after dinner with our Thanksgiving tradition: The Muppets Christmas Carol. But thanks anyway and have a good time.
She tried not to think about how disappointed she was that he couldn’t come.
After the movies, Aaron drove her back to her car at her parents and she told him a little about her relationship with Creed. He promised to pray for her and she offered the same for his budding relationship.
It wasn’t until she was driving home that it hit her: she and Aaron were both pursuing godly relationships in the normal way. Not with crazy commitments or life-altering plans, but with the promise to keep each other in check. She wanted to text Creed about it, but held back.
What if she had really hurt him? She tried texting him over the next few days, and he always answered. But they were right back to being polite and stilted. Had Aaron picking her up really ruined things so badly?
Principal McClary had called her before Thanksgiving and told her she could come back to school the Monday after the holiday.
“I think everything has died down. The media has moved on and the parents all miss you. I’ve had more calls asking for you back then I can count,” he said.
She had politely declined the offer, but desperately wished she could tell Creed about it. It felt strange to now.
On a hike with Aaron a week after Thanksgiving, Amelia mentioned how sad she felt for Izzie’s mother.
“She’s really missing out with Izzie. She’s a great kid. I hope she reaches out for help one day.”
“Just keep praying for her, Amelia. It’s all you can do.”
She shared with him the strain on her and Creed’s relationship. “It’s so strange, Aaron. We were in this awkward place and then he showed up with Izzie to gift me a kitten the night before Thanksgiving. I thought we had moved on and regained our friendship. And now it’s just as awkward as before. Maybe more so.”
Aaron stopped and turned to face her, his mouth hinged open. “The night before Thanksgiving Creed showed up with a kitten—something that’s really symbolic for you—and then Thanksgiving night you left with me?”
“Well, yeah. Your phone was off so I couldn’t ask you to meet me at the movies and I didn’t think Creed would really care—“
“Of course he cares, Amelia,” Aaron laughed a little. “And they say men are dense.”
She palmed her hips. “Hey!”
“Well, it’s true. Creed must think we’re together or something. He’s probably trying to give you distance.”
“Well, what do I do?” Amelia asked as they resumed hiking.
“You know, Amelia, you told me that your friendship, relationship, whatever it is has been kind of up and down, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So let him think I’m your boyfriend. Smoke him out. If Creed cares about you the way I think he does, he won’t let you go without saying something.”
* * *
Three long weeks had passed since Thanksgiving.
Since Aaron had arrived and whisked Amelia away.
Since Creed’s heart had pummeled down to his feet and never gotten up again.
Not that anyone would know it. He was a father, needed to put Izzie first. And after spending a month wondering if he would lose her, Creed wasn’t going to waste her young life pouting over a lost love.
So when he passed Amelia in the sanctuary at church, he smiled pleasantly and made small talk. When she walked into the same Sunday School room, he nodded cordially and offered to get her a chair. Amelia met his pleasant smile. She raised his cordial nod with a small wave.
He carried the small moments with him throughout the days and once Izzie was in bed, his work done for the night, the house clean, Creed would slump onto the couch and think of nothing but Amelia. Of her smell, her taste. Her deep, throaty laugh, and quick wit. Her kind affection for Izzie. He would stare for hours at the television, having no idea what he’d watched by the time he clicked the remote and went to bed.
When Amelia texted him—obviously feeling obliged to maintain a friendship because of the kitten—he would reply politely, stopping himself from answering as he wanted to. He kept it short and sweet, knowing that anything more would drive her away.
And a casual friendliness with Amelia was better than nothing.
Wasn’t it?
When the morning of Chad and Lucy’s wedding dawned, Creed vacillated between eagerness to be near Amelia for an entire day and dread.
Late in the afternoon, Creed and Chad stood in the chapel in their suits, posing stiffly for picture after picture, waiting until Lucy was ready to join them. Creed had caught snatches of Amelia as she fast-walked through the halls in baggy black sweats and a button-down flannel shirt, her hair caught up in large curlers, a clipboard in her hands. She was all business an hour before when he handed Izzie over to disappear in a room brimming with tulle and flowers.
Now his heart pounded with anticipation to be near her, even if it was just to pose for pictures.
You’re really pathetic, Williams, you know that?
Chad fidgeted, and Creed remembered his role. He clapped a hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“You okay, man?”
Chad flashed a shaky smile at him. “I’m just anxious to see my bride.”
Movement at the back of the chapel caught Creed’s eye. Amelia was waving him over. His chest clenched pleasantly.
“Looks like your wait might be over,” Creed answered, pointing to Amelia and hitting Chad lightly on the stomach with the back of his hand as he passed. “Be right back.”
Amelia’s face softened as Creed approached. She had changed into a silver dress that fit her modestly in all the right places. Her hair was swept back with sparkly clips on each side and hung down her back in rolling waves. His hands itched to run through the long tendrils, remembering the silky texture.
“You look…beautiful.”
Was that his husky voice? He was surprised he could even force the words past his dry throat. He hated this awkwardness, longed to talk to Amelia like he always had. Longed for it to be…different, somehow.
But she was dating Aaron now. He saw them talking and laughing together at church, knew that they hiked together often—Aaron was one of those guys that obnoxiously posted pictures on Facebook. Creed would have hidden him weeks ago if not for the chance to see Amelia’s smile on the feed. Amelia hiking in her cute knit hat. Amelia smiling in the ski lodge with a cup of hot chocolate cupped between her hands. Okay, so there had only been two pictures, not exactly proof of a romantic relationship. Still.
Amelia blushed, the glow in her eyes breathtaking.
“Thanks. Um,” she bit her lip, but a smile escaped, squeezing her eyes into slits. She looked down and pressed two fingers to her temple. After a minute she regained her composure.
“Anyway, can you let the photographer know that Lucy’s ready? And then meet me in the hall behind the stage, okay? We’ll wait there until they’re ready for us.”
Her eyes searched his and then she was gone.
Chad and Lucy had chosen to get formal pictures out of the way before the wedding, but wanted their first moments together that day to be special. It had been Amelia’s idea to have the photographer capture the look on Chad’s face when he saw Lucy for the first time.
Creed couldn’t deny the bounce in his step as he delivered the message and found the door behind the stage. It led to a narrow set of stairs curving down from the built-in baptismal. Amelia arrived a moment later, entering from the door at the bottom of the stairs. She left it ajar to offer them some faint light and stepped closer to him. Her fragrance filled the small space and Creed breathed in deep.
“I told them we would wait in here until they call us back,” Amelia whispered. “I just wanted to um, well.” She cleared her throat. “I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry, Creed. For everything. For overreacting a while ago and being so ridiculous. I’ve done a lot of praying and growing in the last six weeks and I just wanted you to know how bad I feel about…everything.”
“Amelia, there’s nothing to forgive. If anyone should apologize it’s me. I’ve been wanting to tell you…Well, I just want to say…” He shrugged. “I miss my friend.”
“I miss you too, Creed,” she whispered. But something about the way she held herself away from him, and the hesitancy in her voice told him there was more. Maybe she really was getting serious with Aaron.
“Where’s Izzie?” Creed thought to ask.
The faint light illuminated her smile. “With my mom. They’re having a great time painting their toenails,” she answered. “Lucy thought the kids would get bored with pictures, so we’ll work them in at the very last. Good thing they have such a small wedding party; this should go pretty quickly.”
They waited a moment in awkward silence.
Before he could stop himself Creed said, “Looks like you and Aaron are getting pretty close.”
A pause. “He’s a nice guy.”
Another few minutes ticked by. Amelia shifted to lean against the railing and her arm brushed against his. He willed her to stay put, nearly groaning in protest when she didn’t.
You’re a special kind of jerk, aren’t you, Williams? Wanting to touch and hold another man’s woman. She’s taken, remember? Because you were too complicated. You kissed her and disappeared. Twice. No kitten is going to erase that. She deserves a guy like Aaron. The admission curdled his insides.
“Amelia—“
“We’re all ready for you guys,” the photographer poked his head in the stairwell. Amelia left Creed standing alone, wanting. Wishing. Full of regret.
Chapter Forty-One
Why had she implied that she and Aaron were dating?
Um, because you’re a wuss? No, because Aaron had told her to let Creed think that. Why did she listen to him?
It had been almost two months since their kiss in his car. Even less time since their fleeting moment of easy banter the night before Thanksgiving.
She’d barely talked to him other than polite “hellos” since he watched her leave her parents’ house on Thanksgiving night with Aaron. It was obvious he thought that she had finally moved on. And isn’t that what she wanted him to believe? That she was no longer the pathetic woman sitting at home pining and planning for her future husband?
Amelia let the photographer position her next to Lucy, awed at the joy and love on her sister’s face. Thirty minutes and four thousand pictures later, Amelia’s face began to hurt. Her toes pinched. Stupid heels. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep from gazing at Creed, and they had hours left to go before she could call it a night. She chanced another peak at him while the photographer checked the lighting.
Creed looked striking in his black suit and cranberry cummerbund. His hair had been recently cut, the ends mussed with gel. When the photographer instructed Amelia to stand in front of Creed on the step just beneath him, she shivered at the feel of his broad chest against her back. His spicy scent enveloped her and she fought to keep her smile straight.
How she made it through the rest of the pictures and the preparation for the ceremony without fainting was entirely a miracle.
* * *
Within minutes of the family pictures being complete, the guests began to arrive and Amelia whisked Lucy away. Creed gave last minute instructions to Lucy’s brothers who were acting as ushers. As he turned away to head back to the front, a couple near the back caught his eye.
Aaron and a woman Creed recognized from church—Melody? Molly?—entered together. Creed’s jaw clenched tight. Aaron stood awfully close to her for a man that was supposed to be with Amelia. When Aaron leaned down to brush a tender kiss against the woman’s temple, Creed felt cold and hot all over. Seriously? Right here at the wedding of Amelia’s sister? Of all the—
Wait.
He knew Aaron. Was in a Bible study with him a few years back. He wasn’t that kind of guy. So the only explanation was…
Understanding dawned.
Amelia and Aaron weren’t together. The realization struck Creed with blunt force. But why hadn’t she corrected him earlier? Why had she stayed away? Questions assaulted him, raced each other around his mind until he was dizzy.
Soft piano music began to play and the lights went soft.
Creed all but growled under his breath. Now was not the time. It was Chad’s day and Creed only hoped he could remember that when he stood facing Amelia at the front of the candlelit chapel.
* * *
As Amelia walked down the aisle, she couldn’t help but appreciate the twinkle lights wrapped in tulle along the edges of the aisle, the soft runner beneath her feet, the way intermittent candles reflected off the gold and silver ornaments on the evergreen trees that flanked the stage. But when she lifted her eyes to chance a look at Creed, her breath caught in her lungs. He watched her with fixed intensity, his eyes drawing her to him like the pull of the moon on the tide. She barely remembered to veer left when she reached the end of the aisle.
Heat crawled up her neck as she took her place and waited for Lucy, sneaking one more glance Creed’s way. His face was turned toward her but the music swelled and Amelia fixed her gaze on her sister. She didn’t dare look Creed’s way again.
When the ceremony was complete, Amelia met Creed in their practiced spot, looping her arm through his. He leaned close as they neared the end of the aisle, his words for her ears alone.
“Save a dance for me?”
He cupped his free hand over the fingers holding his firm bicep, trapping her in his grip at the end of their walk. Amelia nodded numbly and he squeezed once before letting go.
For the rest of the evening, Amelia managed to avoid him. There was a bride to look after, slight hiccups in the reception to iron out. Her feet were screaming and her head pounded with tension by the time Creed trapped her next to the cake table. She ignored him, nodding politely to an older woman as she handed her a fork.
“I’m here to collect on my dance,” Creed murmured in her ear. He settled a hand at her waist.
“I’m needed here, Creed. I’m so sorry,” she said, smiling apologetically. Never mind that there was a caterer being paid to take care of it.
Creed eyed the table of already plated pieces of cake and the mason jars full of plastic forks.
“I think the guests are more than capable of picking up a plate and selecting a fork by themselves. Come on,” he tugged her gently.
Seeing no way out, Amelia allowed herself to be led to the dance floor. The lights turned down and Lady Antebellum’s Just a Kiss began to play over the speakers. Amelia’s heart stuttered in her chest, threatening to leave her altogether. She licked her lips and set her hands on Creed’s shoulders, arms as straight as she could make them without being obvious.
Creed twisted his lips. “Leaving room for the Holy Spirit?”
“Haha…ha,” she chuckled nervously.
Creed tightened his hold on her waist. “Or maybe you’re afraid Aaron will be jealous?” Creed asked, directing his gaze to someone behind her.
Amelia followed his eyes to Aaron and his new girlfriend, Molly, on the dance floor just beside them. He had tucked his nose into her neck, pressed so close Amelia was certain it would take an earthquake to break them apart. And even then…
Fabulous.
She turned back to Creed.
He waited, one brow cocked.
“Yeah, so…he’s just a friend,” she said lamely. “That’s his girlfriend Molly. She’s really great,” Amelia added unnecessarily. She cleared her throat. He tilted his head, questioning.
“So…okay. Then, where have you been? I thought you distanced yourself because you and Aaron were...” his voice trailed, thick as molasses. He swallowed. “But, you’re not. So why did you disappear, Amelia?”
She stared at his collar. He’d long ago shed his suit coat and cummerbund, unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt and rolled up his sleeves. Amelia’s hands had slipped slightly from his shoulders down the length of his muscular arms. The hair on his forearms tickled her elbows. He pressed an open palm against the small of her back. She sucked in a breath when he cupped the side of her face with his other hand and tilted her face up to meet his gaze.
She tried for cute, light. “You disappeared first, buddy.”
The smile that split his face knocked her knees. “Buddy?”
He was asking, of course, if they could just go back to how things were. And though her heart was fragile—could shatter with just one weak moment—she couldn’t say no. Because a friendship with Creed was better than no Creed at all. Even if someday she had to listen while he fell in love with someone else, if he never cared for her in that way, it was worth the risk.
