"You're not leaving." I state, blocking the front door and grabbing a bag from Amelia.

She doesn't say anything. Instead, reaching for the black bag in my hand.

"Amelia." I growl, frustrated.

"I don't want to be around you right now." She huffs, again reaching for the bag.

Having had enough I chuck it across the foyer. "You're not leaving until we discuss why you're suddenly in a hurry to get out of here."

"Your home life isn't exactly ideal." She grumble giving me a pointed look and I groan. She apparently heard part of my conversation with Avery.

"What?" Meghan frown, turning to me. "You said that?"

"I'm not even going to answer that." I glare at her. Guess who just won stupid question of the year award.

"He didn't. Some young raven-haired beauty did. Right before she tried to seduce him, and she didn't have to try hard."

"Avery was here." I tell Meghan, when she turns to me for an explanation.

She turns up her nose at the name. "Ugh, I hate that girl."

"I fired her." I look back at Amelia. "That's what I was saying you didn't need to know about, I fired her."

She meets my look with a questionable frown.

"Then why would you say it like it would be a secret?"

"Because you would never let him fire Avery." Meghan answers for me and I watch Amelia's frown deepen.

"Did I know she acted like that?" She wrinkled her nose in disgust and despite the situation I chuckle.

"You did. You would always tell me we don't know what her home life is like. Maybe she needs the job you would say. She's been rehired multiple times."

"You trust Cameron." Meghan adds after me. "You have always trusted his love for you and you need to continue to do that."

Amelia nods, continuing to frown as she looks at me. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." I sigh, forcing a smile.

"It's not." Her frown deepening. "I- I just don't know how to trust you. I trusted Ryan," Her douchebag ex-boyfriend's name cause my fists to clench. "and apparently he cheated."

"I'm not Ryan!" My shout comes out louder than I mean it to, causing Amelia to take a step back.

"Woah, Cameron," I feel Meghan grab my arms and it crushes me that Amelia looks terrified. "Go calm down." Meghan tugs me toward the hall that leads to my office. "I'll talk to her."

Forty-five minutes later, after I've paced a hole onto the rug beside my desk, the door opens and I stop.

Amelia has a serious look on her face. "I want to hear about the first time you told me you loved me. Meghan says I need to just ask about whatever I have questions about." She explains after noticing my confusion to her off the wall question.

"Which time?" I ask her , sitting on the far right of the black couch.

"The first time."

"Which first time?" I grin at her lost look. Technically the first time was in the letter but I won't be telling her about that. "The very first time I thought you were sleeping. Or there was the first time you heard it and I was too drunk to remember the next morning. Or do you want to hear about the first time I said it and you said it back."

"All those times." She answers, moving to sit on the far left. "Tell me about all those times."

"Okay, they're all asleep." I sigh, falling onto the couch. "Do you want to take sifts?" I ask an exhausted looking Amelia. We've had the kids for six months and this is the first time they've all been sick.

"I think we should work together." She sighs, falling next to me and holding out a half eaten peanut butter sandwich. "Want a bite?"

"The puke I just cleaned up kinda ruined my appetite." He nose crinkles and I laugh. "Yeah, so working together?"

"Right," She takes a big bite. "A kid pukes, we tag team to clean up, and then we crash on the couch and wait for the next one."

On the couch... together? "Sounds good."

Two hours later a small voice wakes us up. "Mommy." Little Zoey whispers. "Mommy."

Amelia, who had been asleep on my shoulder, jumps up. "Sweetheart, are you okay?" She asks, and I lean forward to take a look at the very pale looking six year old.

Zoey shakes her head before her eyes widen. I jump, reaching for the decorative bowl on the coffee table just as Zoey throws up what little food she had today.

It only takes Amelia and I fifteen minutes to get Zoey cleaned up and tucked back into bed.

"Please don't catch this." She mutters and I laugh, as we both walk down the stairs.

"I'm not planning to." I watch as she falls onto couch with a sigh.

"How is it only one?" She whines, and I smile. "It's gonna be a long night. Oh," She grins at me. "Will you grab a blanket?"

I nod, walking to the small basket to the right of the brick fireplace and grabbing a fuzzy red one. "This good?"

Amelia nods, her eyes closing. "Perfect."

She hums softly when I spread the blanket across, settling down next to her. She rolls her body against mine and I freeze. This is the closest we've ever been, it only takes a few seconds for a scent to start overwhelming my senses.

Her breathing evens out moments later.

The temptation to bring my fingers through her blonde waves causes my hand to twitch.

I shift to get my arm behind Amelia and her arm tightens around my torso.

I sit there for a few moments, letting my fringes comb through her silky strands. "I love you." I whisper to the darkness, getting nothing in return.

_____

"Who was that?" I ask Amelia, while loosening my tie. She's been living here a year and I'm still not used to coming home and seeing her in my home.

"Kai." She smiles lightly, and my fists automatically clench. I haven't liked that guy since the moment I met him. I walked into Amelia and Meghan's shared apartment and saw her smile at him, it was a punch in the gut.

"Oh, haven't seen him in awhile." I try to keep my tone light. "What did he want?" I want to kick myself for asking that, it's not my business.

"Oh," She flushes lightly. "He wanted to go out to dinner."

My heartbeat starts to speed up. He asked her out?

"Don't worry, I told him Saturday night is family night."

Saturday night I turn my phone off, we let the kids pick what they want for dinner, and we all watching a movie together.

I think Zoey picked The Lion King for tonight.

Saturday family night was something Amelia thought of to try to normalize the kids. I had no objections.

"You're home early." She pulls me from my thoughts.

"Yeah," I mumble, trying to keep my frustration from surfacing.

I had originally come to see if she wanted to go get lunch but I guess I'm going back to work.

"You should go with Kai tonight." I say and she frowns at me. "I actually have a date tonight so that's why I'm home."

"Oh!" She looks shocked. "Well..." She says slowly, "I guess I'll go out tonight."

"You do that." I mutter walking out of the kitchen.

I had a date alright. A date with my favorite bottle of Bacardi.

It's now one in the morning and Amelia has been gone since seven.

By the time the first door of the house opens, I'm seeing two of everything.

"Oh!" Amelia jumps when she sees me sitting on the couch. "Why are you still up?"

"I wanted to make sure you didn't bring him into my home." I state, surprised when I don't slur.

Amelia's brows furrow. "Kai?" She straightens the black sundress she's wearing. She looks beautiful tonight and I almost lost my cool watching her get ready to go spend the night with another man. "What's wrong with Kai?" She questions, and I let out a sarcastic chuckle.

"Other than the fact that he's in love with you, nothing."

She laughs at me, while slipping off her sandals. "He's not in love with me."

"He is." I mutter, taking another drink. "Who wouldn't be?" I ask looking at her and her eyes widen. "I am."

"You're not in love with me." Her eyes move to the bottle of alcohol. "You're drunk."

"Drunk and in love with a clueless woman." I mutter, quietly, watching as Amelia starts to approach the couch. "Do you really not see it?"

"See what?" She asks, my eyes flutter closed when the back of her hand presses against my forehead. "How drunk you are? Because I assure you, I see it."

"I went so far as to adopt children for you and you still don't see how much I love you, how far I'll go to make you happy."

She shakes her head in response. "You did not adopt them for me."

"Obviously I waned them to have a home and family they deserved but if it hadn't been for you I wouldn't have taken them in," I admit honestly. "I only did it for you."

"Cameron," She whispers and I notice tears in her eyes.

"I could make you happy," I tell her, leaning in, my eyes dart from her eye to her lip and back quickly and when I glance at her I see her staring at my lips. "If you'd let me." We're so close now, I feel her breath on my lips.

"I passed out before anything else happened."

I tell Amelia and she smiles.

"You passed out?"

I rub the back in my neck, nodding.

"What did I say the next morning?"

"Story for another day."

"What about when I said it back?"

"They're beautiful." Amelia smiles at the bouquet of white peonies. "Thank you." She presses her lips to my cheek and I promise myself to bring her flowers more often.

"You're welcome." I smile, looking at her as she pus them in a vase. "I-"

"Daddy!" Ryder pulls at my pants and I smile at him.

"Hi, my big boy," I pick up the two year old. "Are you ready for bed?"

"I'll stay until you fall asleep." I promise a tearful Zoey forty minutes later. Her nightmares are still a very common occurrence and today seems to have been a rough one for the eight year old.

"Cameron?" Amelia's soft voice wakes me, and she smiles softly.

Zoey is curled into my arms and when I glance at my watch it's I realize it's past almost ten.

"Shit." I mutter, wincing when Zoey rolls over. "I'm sorry," I whisper to Amelia. "I'm so sorry I fell asleep." Today is our two month anniversary and I fell asleep. It took me months to finally ask her out and now I fall asleep on our anniversary.

Amelia simply smiles softly, kneeling next to Zoey's white bed decorated in princesses.

She gently reaches and swipes Zoey's hair from her eyes before glancing at me as I start to get out of the bed. She stares at me for awhile and I move next to her, pulling her up to her feet. Her blue eyes shine and I'm mesmerized.

She slowly shifts, and leans in, pressing her lips to mine. Her kiss is just like her. Gentle, soft, and everything I want.

She pulls away and looks me in the eye.

"I'm in love with you."

All of me freezes. My mind, my heart, every muscle just stills. I swear I have to be imagining it. That's it. I've been wanting to hear those words from her for a very long time and now here they are.

"You- I-" I suddenly become a bumbling idiot.

"You don't have to say anything now." She gives me a small smile. "I know-."

"I love you!" I suddenly shout so loud Zoey jumps, waking up crying.

"I know you don't remember or know anything about us but you need to always remember one thing." I tell her seriously. "I love you, I have always loved you as I always will, no matter what happens."