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  “I thought it would make me feel better…” Amelia shrugged.

  “But it didn’t,” Charlie said, finishing his daughter’s thoughts.

  “No,” she admitted sadly. “Then today, he came into the restaurant…”

  “Wait! What?” Charlie said and Amelia could hear the anger in his voice. “He was in Shenanigans?”

  “Yes,” Amelia replied, choosing not to elaborate. “When I saw him, I just freaked out.”

  “And so that’s why you left,” Charlie said and from the look on his face, Amelia knew he was trying to remember who was in the restaurant before she left. “Wait. It was that guy, the one I asked you to serve, wasn’t it?”

  Amelia nodded.

  “But he…he is a lot older,” Charlie said with a disapproving tone in his voice.

  “Yes,” Amelia confirmed. “I am not sure how old he is, but yes, he is a few years older than me.”

  “Wait, I know him,” Charlie said standing up once again and Amelia could see he was racking his brain trying to remember where he had seen Mason before. “I know his face.”

  “Dad!” Amelia sighed but he wasn’t listening to her. She regretted ever starting this conversation.

  “He is that attorney,” Charlie said as realisation filled his face. “The one that defends all the high profile assholes.”

  Amelia buried her face in her hands in despair. She knew her dad was about to go nuclear.

  “He is an arrogant, smarmy asshole,” Charlie continued, completely oblivious to what his words were doing to Amelia. “I don’t want you with him, Amelia. That’s final. He is bad news.”

  “OH FOR PITY’S SAKE!” Amelia snapped, as she had heard enough. Now she too, was on her feet. “And you wonder why I don’t talk to you. You always do this and it’s suffocating. You treat me like I am some fragile bird, but I’m not. I am twenty-three years old, almost twenty-four, and I will do whatever the hell I want.”

  Before her father could respond, she stormed out of the room and down the stairs, leaving him standing in her room in shock. When she reached the front door, she could hear him calling her but she didn’t wait. Instead, she grabbed her coat and stormed out the front door, slamming it behind her.

  She must have gotten a couple of blocks away before she heard her dad’s truck, rumble up beside her.

  “Amelia,” he called through the open window as he stopped the truck alongside her. “I’m sorry, please don’t be mad at me.”

  Amelia stopped walking but didn’t turn towards the car.

  “You’re right,” he continued. “I said I would listen and not get all Dadish. Please, give me another chance.”

  Amelia turned and looked at her dad sitting in the truck. She was mad at him, but she loved him and knew he only wanted what was best for her.

  Without saying a word, she walked around the truck and climbed into the passenger side.

  “Thank you,” he said, giving her a broad smile as he pulled away from the kerb.

  They drove back to the house in silence. When they reached the house, they found Shannon’s car in the driveway. As her dad pulled in behind her mother’s car, Amelia’s mom appeared on the front porch.

  Amelia jumped out of the truck and headed for the house without even looking at her dad.

  “Milly!” Shannon said as she watched her daughter hurry up the front steps and past her. “Is everything okay?”

  “Ask Dad,” Amelia said without even slowing down. She hurried up the stairs and straight back to her room.

  When she reached her room, she slammed the door and walked straight to her dressing table. She sat down and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Once again tears danced in her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away. She was not going to cry again.

  Damn you Mason James! She thought angrily. Why couldn’t you just leave me alone?

  She pulled her hair tie from her hair and walked towards her bathroom. Once inside, she reached in and turned on the shower. As the water heated up, she stripped off her clothes. She just wanted to wash the day away and forget everything that happened.

  When she climbed under the hot water, she closed her eyes and held her face up to the jets of water. As she stood there, she thought about what Mason had said to her.

  He wanted her. All of her. If she was honest, she wanted him too. He was all she had been able to think about.

  However, it didn’t matter how he felt, or how she felt for that matter. What mattered is what she knew. Mason James would swallow her whole.

  Amelia knew that’s why she got so angry with her father. What he said was not completely wrong. She had thought the same about Mason the first time she met him. He was bad news.

  That’s what her head knew, she just wished her heart would agree. She needed to forget Mason.

  Fifteen minutes later, she climbed out of the shower and quickly dried herself off, then wrapped her dressing gown around herself before she headed back to her room.

  When she opened the door, she found her mom sitting on her bed waiting for her.

  Shannon smiled when she saw Amelia.

  “Are you okay?” She asked her daughter, watching her closely.

  “I guess so,” Amelia shrugged. “Where’s dad?”

  “He’s gone back to the restaurant,” Shannon replied and smiled. “He told me what happened. He is upset that he has upset you.”

  Amelia didn’t reply. Instead she disappeared into her wardrobe and pulled on a pair of pyjamas, then returned to her room in search of her hair brush. When she found it, she sat in front of her dressing table and started to run the brush through her hair.

  “Milly, talk to me,” Shannon said, getting up from the bed and walking over to her daughter. She took the brush from her hand and turned Amelia around to face her. “You have been so sad since you got home, and now so angry. I am worried about my baby. Please, talk to me.”

  “What’s to say?” Amelia said blinking back the tears she refused to let fall. “I met someone, it didn’t work out. What else is there to say?”

  “So much, Sweetheart,” Shannon said with a smile. “You are hurting and that makes me sad. Especially when I know there is more to this ‘it didn’t work out’ thing. You have feelings for this man. Judging by your face, they are real feelings. And I am assuming, as he came here looking for you, he has those feelings, too.”

  “But he said he didn’t want me,” Amelia said unable to hold back the tears anymore. “I felt so stupid and used. Then he turns up and said he was wrong that he does want me, and that scared him. Well it scares me, too.”

  “I see,” Shannon said as she wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her close.

  “I just can’t stop thinking about him,” Amelia whispered. “But I am afraid he is going to hurt me even more than he already has.”

  “Sweetheart,” Shannon said kissing her daughter on the top of the head. “The one thing about love is, there are no guarantees. To feel the true joy of being truly in love, you have to open your heart to the risk of being truly hurt, too.”

  “But I’m scared, Mom,” Amelia replied.

  “I know you are,” Shannon replied. “And I know with good reason, too. But you can’t lose your future because of your past.”

  “I think it’s too late, Mom,” Amelia said sadly. “I think I have blown it.”

  “You don’t know,” Shannon smiled. “He followed you here from New York. Something tells me he is not someone easily put off.”

  Chapter 13

  Mason stood at the window of the hotel room and looked out over the city below. It was his first time in Hartford, but he liked the smallness of it compared to how big everything was in New York.

  He had no idea what he should do next. This was very new for him. As far back as he could remember, he always knew what his next five moves would be in any situation, but with Amelia he was lost.

  Other than Andrew and his family, he had never cared for another living soul before. All the girls b
efore now, he could take or leave. They were nothing more than a distraction and he never allowed any of them close to him.

  With Amelia, that was not the case. She was different in every way imaginable. Mason believed that was what drew him to her. He had never met anyone like her before. She was kind, caring and honest. Yet when he looked at her, he had no idea what she was thinking. She was a mystery and that intrigued him, but how he was going to get past her walls again, he had no idea.

  As Mason finished off his coffee, his phone rang. He walked over to the nightstand and set the cup down before he answered it.

  “Mace,” Andrew’s voice came through the phone. “I am outside your apartment, where the hell are you?”

  “I’m not at home,” Mason replied all matter-of-factly.

  “Yeah,” Andrew sighed, “I kind of figured that much out myself.”

  “I’m impressed,” Mason said with a laugh. “You should be a detective.”

  “And you should be a comedian,” Andrew replied sarcastically. “Where the hell are you? It’s not even ten am and it’s Saturday, you never surface before midday on a Saturday.”

  “I’m in Hartford,” Mason replied as he surveyed his clothes, which had just arrived back from the hotel laundry service.

  “As in Hartford, Connecticut?” Andrew asked, sounding a little confused. “What the hell are you doing there?”

  “I have some business here,” Mason replied, not wanting to discuss Amelia with anyone, not even Andrew.

  “It’s the girl,” Andrew said not buying Mason’s explanation. “Isn’t it?”

  “I am not even responding to that question,” Mason said, refusing to be drawn into a conversation about Amelia. “Why are you at my place anyway?”

  “Well,” Andrew said, and Mason knew he was choosing his words carefully. “You have been avoiding me all week, and I was in the neighbourhood. Besides, I have tickets for the game tonight, courtside. Are you in?”

  “Damn,” Mason said, he felt like a dick for blowing Andrew off, but he wasn’t going back to New York without at least talking to Amelia again. “Drew, I would love to, but there is something I really need to take care of here. I’m sorry.”

  “I will let you off, if…” Andrew said and Mason immediately knew where this was going.

  “If?” Mason asked trying to hide his irritation.

  “If you answer me one question,” Andrew said.

  “One question,” Mason sighed. “That’s it.”

  “Are you in Hartford because of that girl?” Andrew asked and Mason could hear the amusement in his voice.

  “Yes, Andrew,” Mason grudgingly admitted and rolled his eyes when he heard him howl. “I am in Hartford because of her.”

  “I knew it,” Andrew said and Mason could hear the delight in his friend’s voice. “Well, I’ll be…the great Mason James finally has fallen, hook, line and sinker.”

  “And on that note,” Mason said and sighed. “I will say goodbye.”

  “Mace, wait!” Andrew said. “Look, I know you don’t like to talk about your feelings and shit like that, but I am here. If you want to talk about anything. Well, you know where to find me.”

  “Thanks, Drew,” Mason said, genuinely grateful for what his friend had said. “Look, I will call you when I am back to New York. I will get us tickets, make up for today.”

  “Sounds good,” Andrew said. “And Mason, good luck with it, whatever you are doing.”

  “Thanks, Andrew,” Mason replied before he said his goodbyes and hung up. He smiled as he set his phone back down on the night stand. He wondered should he have asked Andrew what his next move should be, but then he would have had to tell him just how big a dick he had behaved towards Amelia.

  No, he needed to sort this out for himself. First, he needed to shower and get dressed, then go pick up some things to do him over the next day or so. It hadn’t occurred to him to pack an overnight bag.

  An hour later he was walking into a department store, shopping for himself, something he hadn’t done in years. Back in New York, he had a personal shopper and his suits were all custom made. He couldn’t remember the last time he stood inside a shop.

  You have lost your fucking mind, Mace, he thought to himself as he stood in the middle of the store, without the first clue what he was looking for, or where he should even start. This is beyond obsession. This is a fucking nightmare.

  “Can I help you, Sir,” A perky, red-head chirped happily at Mason when she suddenly appeared in front of him. She looked at him from head to toe before she finally let her eyes meet his. Mason smiled but he wasn’t interested.

  He mentally compared her to Amelia and there was no comparison. He wanted Amelia. It was that simple. She was everything he wanted now. One night stands with cheap, bland girls, just didn’t do it for him anymore.

  You really are turning into a fucking chick, Mason thought miserably as he forced a smile at the eager sales assistance.

  He told her what he was looking for, and laughed to himself as Red jumped to attention. Mason sat on a chair as she ran from display to display, picking and choosing clothes Mason may like. He selected the few items he wanted and followed Red to the check-out.

  “Is there anything else I can help you with Mr?” The girl said, as she paused and looked down at the name on Mason’s platinum card. “James.”

  “I think that will be all, thanks,” Mason said as he picked up his card and the bags with his purchases.

  “Well,” Red said as she pulled a post-it from the side of the till and wrote something on it. “If you change your mind, give me a call.”

  She handed Mason the paper and gave him a killer smile. Mason just smiled back and headed for the exit. Once outside, he looked at the paper. It had her name and her phone number on it.

  “Sorry, Cadence,” Mason said as he balled the paper up and threw it into a nearby trash can before he headed to his car.

  It was a little after two when Mason pulled up outside Amelia’s parent’s restaurant. He had gone over what he was going to say again and again, but now that he was here, he was just blank.

  Of course it occurred to him, she may not be here, but it was a chance he was just going to have to take.

  He climbed out of the car and walked to the door of the restaurant. Stopping for a moment, he took a deep breath before he walked in.

  “Hey, Sweetie,” Jilly said to Mason and gave him a bright smile. “Welcome to Shenanigans. Table for one is it?”

  “Yes please,” Mason replied and gave her a nervous smile. He glanced around the restaurant quickly as the waitress grabbed a menu from behind the front desk and then led him to his seat. He sighed when he didn’t see Amelia.

  “How’s this for you?” She asked when they reached the booth she was seating him in.

  “Perfect,” Mason replied as he slipped into the booth.

  “Can I get you a drink while you check out the menu?” Jilly asked.

  “Just an ice water, please,” Mason replied.

  “Coming right up,” she said giving Mason another smile. “I’m Jilly, by the way. I will be your waitress today.”

  Mason smiled before Jilly disappeared. His phone beeped and he pulled it from his pocket. It was a text from Andrew.

  If you want to talk, I’m here.

  Mason was about to tap in a reply when a glass of water was set down in front of him. He looked up to thank Jilly and found a man standing there instead.

  “May I join you?” The man asked, surprising Mason. He was more surprised when the man sat down without waiting for a reply. He just sat there and stared at Mason. It took a moment before realisation hit. This was Amelia’s father.

  “I take it you’re here to see Amelia,” Charlie said staring directly at him.

  “I am,” Mason replied. “I just wanted to make sure she is okay. I didn’t mean to upset her by just turning up yesterday…”

  “So you turned up again today?” Charlie said cuttingly without missing a beat.
“Let me be honest with you. I know who you are, Mr. James.”

  Mason shifted uneasily in his seat. He knew Amelia’s father wasn’t happy and he didn’t know how to react to that. In his world, Mason didn’t care what anyone thought of him, but this was Amelia’s father, so he couldn’t react in his usual blasé way, he needed to handle this properly.

  “I know the kind of people you are used to dealing with,” he continued. “I don’t want my daughter anywhere near that. I don’t want my daughter anywhere near you.”

  “Mr. Wells,” Mason began, trying to remain as calm as possible, fighting against all of his natural instincts to put this man in his place. “I can assure you, I would never do anything to hurt Amelia…”

  “Then why was she so upset last night?” Charlie replied quickly.

  Mason didn’t know how to even respond to that. He was gutted that he had managed to upset her yet again. Before he could respond, Charlie continued.

  “Look, Mr. James, if you have any feelings for her at all,” Charlie said, his face completely unreadable. “You will walk out of here right now, and let her get on with her life.”

  “Charlie!” Shannon said, suddenly appearing next to the booth. Mason and Charlie turned to her in unison. “What’s going on?”

  “Shannon,” Charlie said standing up, and something in his demeanour, told Mason that his opinion wasn’t shared by everyone. “Sweetheart, Mr. James here was just leaving.”

  “Oh, Charlie,” she said quickly glancing at Mason. “What have you said to him?”

  “What needed to be said, Shannon,” Charlie replied and Mason could hear the irritation in his voice.

  “And what about what Milly wants?” Shannon asked pushing Charlie back into the booth. “You will sit there and we will sort this out.”

  Charlie slipped back into the booth and glanced at Mason, while Mason sat there completely surprised by what was happening in front of him.

  “Mason…May I call you Mason?” Shannon said turning her attention to him and giving him a smile. Mason instantly liked her, he could see so much of Amelia in her. He nodded at her before she continued. “I don’t know what my husband has said, and I am not going to pretend I know what happened between you and Amelia either...but I do know my daughter, and I know she is unhappy. And I do believe you are the reason.”