Blind Date (Dating Series Book 7) Page 17

  But I see nothing but a clear gaze and a pleasant smile on Mother’s face. “He’s very nice, Amelia. Polite. Good manners. I’d guess his mother raised him properly.”

  I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, watching as he sits on the couch surrounded by my aunts, who are all hanging on his every word. I can’t hear exactly what he’s telling them, but they all burst out laughing at the same time, and he’s smiling so broadly, I know I don’t have to worry.

  He just has…a way about him that people can’t seem to resist. Not even my sometimes prissy and disapproving family.

  “What about Dad?” I bite my lower lip, trying to ignore the worry that threatens to sweep over me, but it’s no use. I want my father’s approval so badly. He never really liked Joe, and I know why now, though I couldn’t see it back then.

  “He’ll come around eventually,” Mother says, sounding mysterious.

  I try not to let her answer get me down, but it makes me feel a little melancholy. And she knows it too. She can sense it with her mother skills, and instead of chastising me or telling me I’m trying to make things happen when I should give it a little more time, she pulls me into her arms instead and gives me a big hug, her hand smoothing up and down my back in comfort. Surprised by the gesture, I hug her back, squeezing her tight, needing this right now more than I even realized.

  “I like him. Your aunties do too. I can tell,” Mother murmurs close to my ear. “I’m so proud of you, Amelia. I know you’ve had a rough time after your break up, and we were all so worried after it happened. If we said anything out of turn, it’s only because we were so concerned for you. I know sometimes I nag on you, but I’ve been trying to watch myself lately. We just want you to be happy.”

  Tears spring to my eyes and I close them tight, trying to fight them off. But it’s no use. They’re flowing so freely I can feel them dampening my mother’s sweater. I pull away from her, swiping my fingers across my cheeks quickly to make those tears disappear.

  All I’ve ever wanted is for my parents to be proud of me. I know I’ve disappointed them in the past. I know my brother is the favored child. Everything Palmer does, he succeeds at, while I’m always left floundering. I’ve never had all that confidence like my big brother.

  She rests her hands on my shoulders, studying me with fondness in her gaze and a faint smile curling her lips. “Palmer was the one who told me to, ahem, stop nagging you. He could tell that we were all getting to you, and he intervened on your behalf. He’s always watching out for you.”

  I quickly glance over at where he’s sitting in a chair with his girlfriend snuggled up right next to him. “He is?”

  I’m shocked. I figured Palmer always secretly enjoyed it when I flubbed up, which I do on a pretty regular basis. That way he always ends up looking like the better, more successful child.

  “Oh definitely. We all are. We just show it in ways that you find—irritating sometimes,” she says with a small frown. “Your father and I, we’ve always wanted what’s best for you and your brother. Everything we’ve ever done since you and Palmer were born, has been for you both.”

  Her words are making me feel guilty, which I know isn’t her intent, but there it is, unavoidable. And I suppose I’ll always struggle with guilt and even a little bit of resentment sometimes when it comes to my parents, but then again, I need to get over myself and see them for who they really are.

  Two normal people who run a business and are just trying to get by and make a good life for themselves—and for us. They’re people who need their kids to help them, and they love their children with everything they’ve got. The jewelry store is their gift to us. They view it as our future, and while yes, I hated having my future planned out and shoved upon me whether I wanted it or not, I’m starting to see it’s actually pretty reassuring, knowing I always have the jewelry store to count on as a source of income.

  Realization dawns. Instead of always feeling resentful toward my parents and the family business, maybe I should look at it like a gift, which is what they’ve always intended in the first place.

  “Thank you,” I tell her, giving her another hug. When I pull away, I see she’s still frowning, and she even looks confused.

  “Why are you thanking me?” she asks with a frown.

  “For—everything you do for me. For us. I don’t say it enough, but I appreciate you, and Dad too. Thank you for leaving me alone lately, too. I needed that,” I admit to her. “I had to figure out what was going on inside my head first before I was able to feel good about myself again.”

  “And how do you feel right now?” she asks me.

  I look up, my gaze searching for—and finding—Isaac, who is still sitting on the couch with my aunts. He catches my gaze, his smile soft. Intimate. Just for me. I can’t help but smile back. “I feel—great.”

  “Thanks to your young man?” Mother asks softly.

  “He’s part of it,” I say, turning to meet her gaze once more. “But it’s also because of me—I feel like I’ve found myself again.”

  “I didn’t know you were lost,” Mother says, her frown deepening.

  “I was.” I take her hands and give them a squeeze. “But not anymore. I know who I am, and what I want.”

  And what I want right now is…

  Isaac.

  Once I leave my mother, I wander through the living room, past chattering cousins and my father sitting with my grandpa, their expressions serious, their tones low. I linger close to them, realizing quickly that they’re talking about sports—football playoffs—and I keep walking, barely able to contain the smile curling my lips. I run into my brother and his girlfriend, Cassie, who I know thanks to her working at Noteworthy, the stationery store Caroline manages and now partially owns.

  “You two make a great couple,” I marvel as I watch Palmer wrap her up in a big hug. Cassie blushes when he delivers a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

  So unlike my straightlaced, somewhat uptight big brother, but I love seeing him act so affectionate.

  “You really think so?’ she asks me, sounding shy.

  I nod, wanting to give my stamp of approval, not that Palmer needs it. He’ll do whatever he wants, regardless of how I or anyone else feels. That’s just his way. “You both seem really happy together.”

  “We are,” Palmer says firmly, slipping his arm around Cassie’s shoulders and keeping her tucked firmly at his side. “I like your dude.”

  I almost want to laugh at his remark, I’m so taken aback. “My dude?”

  “Yeah. Isaac. He’s cool. A little young—” Cassie jabs him in the ribs, making Palmer grunt—“But he’s a nice guy. Seems totally into you.”

  My cheeks heat up but I try to play it off. “I really like him.”

  “I’m glad. He’s definitely a lot better than Joe,” Palmer says with a scowl.

  “Oh, I totally agree with you there,” I say without hesitation.

  Isaac chooses that moment to approach us and I wrap him up in a hug, eager to show some PDA for this man who waltzed into my parents’ house only a few hours ago and has seemingly won almost everyone over. Even my stubborn brother.

  “You survived the aunties,” Palmer tells Isaac as I rise up on tiptoe and brush a kiss upon Isaac’s cheek. His arm tightens around my waist, as if he’s worried I’m going to try to make my escape.

  Fat chance of that happening.

  “They’re fun,” Isaac says with a slight shrug.

  “That’s one way to put them,” Palmer murmurs.

  “They’re actually kind of terrifying,” Cassie adds.

  “Nah. They’re sweet,” Isaac says with that casual confidence I find so attractive. “I told them a bunch of stories about the tree farm. Mostly about my latest angry customer encounters. They ate that shit up.”

  They would, is what I want to say, but I don’t.

  Instead, I just smile and nod, listening as Palmer and Isaac start talking about the football playoffs too. I hook my arm through Isaac’s, pro
ud to be standing next to him, listening to him. Knowing that this man came for me, came in support of me because he likes me. He cares about me.

  More than anything, he respects me, and that’s huge.

  We end up staying at my parents’ house long into the night, Isaac complimenting my mother’s cooking over and over, the aunties plying him with desserts, the kids running around the house, still excited that it’s Christmas. A lot of the time, I end up feeling sad on December 25th. All that build up leading to this day, only for it to feel as if it’s over in a matter of hours, if not minutes.

  To me, there’s nothing sadder than a gorgeous, twinkling and decorated tree with nothing underneath it on Christmas night. The gifts have all been given, the holiday is over.

  Tonight, I don’t feel sad. The evening—the rest of the year and the new one coming too—is full of promise. This man sitting next to me, smiling at me, watching me with his careful gaze as my mother asks if he wants another piece of pumpkin pie while he politely turns her down, he’s the reason for that promise.

  And I plan on telling him exactly that once we return to my apartment too, not about to hold back.

  That’s my vow to myself, my New Year’s resolution, to be forthcoming and tell someone how I feel. I probably won’t always keep that vow because this sort of thing is still new for me, but I’m going to work my hardest to make it happen.

  “I’m glad you came to my parents’ house,” I say to Isaac long after we’ve come back to my apartment, when we’re wrapped up around each other and naked in my bed.

  He drops a kiss on my forehead, his lips lingering. “I had fun.”

  “Did you really?”

  He nods. “Yeah, for sure. I enjoyed getting to know everyone. Your family is all really nice.”

  “They’re all right,” I murmur, closing my eyes when he starts running his fingers through my hair.

  I really love it when he does that.

  “They’re pretty great. And they’re pretty supportive of you,” he says.

  “They were?” I sound surprised, and I guess I sort of am.

  “Oh yeah. They all talked about how smart you are, and dedicated. What a great niece or daughter or sister you are. Or cousin. I kept hearing it again and again,” he explains.

  “They were just talking me up,” I say, embarrassed.

  “I don’t think so,” he says, his fingers slipping beneath my chin to tip my face up so our gazes meet. “They meant every word they were saying. And they were asking me all sorts of questions. I think they like the idea of us together.”

  I like the idea of us together too, but should I say that? Or am I moving things too quickly?

  “I’m never going to rush you, Amelia,” he says when I remain quiet. “I don’t want to push you into anything you’re not comfortable with, but I want you to know that I like you. A lot. More than I probably should, considering how long we’ve known each other. But I won’t press for more. We’ll go at whatever pace you prefer.”

  He leans in and gives me such a scorching hot kiss I need a few seconds to find my voice after he pulls away.

  “You kiss me like that and I want to go extra fast,” I admit, making him smile.

  “Then let’s go fast until you want to slow it down,” he says, threading his fingers in my hair once again. “It’s almost the new year. The Christmas rush is over. We’ve got plenty of time. Let’s enjoy each other’s company the next few days. Hang out. What do you think?”

  I think that sounds like the most perfect way to finish out this year and start the new one. How did I get so lucky?

  I stare at him in wonder. “Are you for real?”

  “Didn’t you just ask me that last night?” He kisses me again, stealing a few of my brain cells with his lips. “I’m as real as I can get. Let me be with you, Amelia. That’s all I want.”

  “Okay,” I murmur, just before he kisses me. “I want to be with you, Isaac. So much. Even though I’m still a little scared.”

  “Don’t be scared, baby. I’ve got you,” he says, his voice rich with promise.

  I touch his cheek, stroking his face gently. “Will you be my Christmas present this year?”

  “Only if you’ll be mine,” he returns.

  “Deal,” I whisper.

  We seal it with a kiss.

  Epilogue

  Isaac

  One year later…

  “Oh my God, is that thing going to fit through the door?” Amelia asks, sounding a little worried.

  Okay, a lot worried.

  “Trust me, babe.” Who would’ve thought the Amelia Lee would approve of me calling her babe? Well, guess what. She totally approves. Especially when we’re naked in bed and I’m deep inside her and this close to making her come.

  Yeah. I took it there. Because she’s a gorgeous woman who makes me feel things I never thought I could before.

  In other words, I’m totally in love with the woman.

  I gather as many branches of the tree that I can and basically shove it through the front door. I lose a few branches in the process, but that’s okay. This thing is bushy. And there are pine needles everywhere, but we’re gonna give that fancy Dyson vacuum Amelia owns a workout because hot damn, I finally got the tree inside her apartment.

  “There!” I haul the tree up so it’s standing tall in the entry. “What do you think?”

  Amelia slowly shakes her head, worry clouding her features. “It’s massive.”

  “That’s what you say about me every night,” I tell her with a grin.

  She laughs. “You wish.”

  Hey, she never complains, I know that.

  Before I brought the tree inside, Amelia moved around some furniture, and we place the tree against the very small wall where her wreath hung last year, next to the sliding glass door.

  “That way, people can see the lit tree from the slider at night. As long as I pull the curtains back,” she says once I’m done setting it up.

  “Speaking of lights, I need to string this baby up.” I brought lights with me too, and I get Amelia to help me wind them around and around the branches. An hour later and that meticulous task finished, Amelia vacuums the floor while I open box after box of brand-new ornaments I picked up at the store at the tree farm.

  “The tree is absolutely gorgeous,” she says on a sigh when we’re finally finished decorating it and sitting on her couch, examining our work. The tree is indeed a gorgeous, glowing representation of the holiday season.

  It’s not even December 5th. If she slacks on watering this baby, it’ll dry up in about two weeks. I’ll just have to come over every single day—not a chore, I’m here pretty much every day already—and make sure she waters it.

  Or I’ll water it. It’ll be like our first pet together. I sound ridiculous even in my own head, but this is what this woman does to me. She makes me ridiculous.

  In the absolute best way.

  I drape my arm across her shoulders and haul her into my side. “You’re pretty gorgeous yourself.”

  “Stop.” She nudges her shoulder into my ribs, making me chuckle.

  “Hey, it’s true. You’re beautiful. Prettier than any Christmas tree I’ve ever seen, and trust me. I’ve seen a lot of them.”

  “Glad I can rate above a Christmas tree,” she teases.

  “You definitely do.” I hesitate only for a moment before I say what I’ve been thinking since I arrived at her apartment. “I can’t believe we’ve been together for a year,” I admit.

  “I can’t either,” she says softly, a little smile curving her lips.

  Leaning in, I kiss her. Sneak my tongue between those still smiling lips. Stroke it against hers. “I love you,” I murmur after I break the kiss.

  We’ve only been saying that to each other recently. Remember, my lady is a big fan of taking it slow. Or fast.

  Mostly slow.

  “I love you too,” she whispers.

  “Merry Christmas baby.”

  “Merry Christma
s.”

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  Acknowledgements

  Blind Date was originally a novella that was part of a holiday anthology released in 2020 - it was only out for a couple of months, and then it was unpublished. I liked how the novella turned out but it always felt unfinished to me, and I was looking for any excuse to get back to the friend group I adore so much in the Dating series…

  So I more than doubled the length of the book and now you have this version of Blind Date! I hope you enjoy Amelia and Isaac’s story. Amelia was a little uptight and scared of love - her ex helped with that attitude. And Isaac was so open, so easygoing. I love how this couple helped each other grow! And of course, it was great fun to write Candice and Charlie’s wedding.

  Thank you to everyone at Valentine PR who make my life a lot easier, especially Nina who holds my hand and tells me everything’s going to be all right. Big thank you to Hang Le for designing the sexy and cute covers. Gratitude is owed to Rebecca and Sarah for the edits and the proofread.

  As always, thank you to the readers, bloggers, and reviewers who read my books and share them everywhere. It means so much to me. I seriously cannot do this job with you!

  Also by Monica Murphy

  Standalone

  Things I Wanted To Say (but never did)

  College Years

  The Freshman

  The Sophomore