Cruel Fate

Chapter 19: The Lake House

Copyright 2015 © Rosesareforever

Cruel Fate

Chapter 19

The Lake House

Hours after Benjamin showed up at her apartment and shocked the hell out of her with his story about the stalker that has been harassing him for months, Amelia was cooking dinner, her eyes darting to the clock hanging against the wall across the room every few minutes. Their talk finished, they'd stayed in each other's arms for what seemed like an eternity before Amelia finally pulled back and declared she was going to take a shower. Leaning forward, Benjamin had placed a soft peck against her temple before he finally allowed her to freshen up.

She should've been surprised when she found him lounging on her couch when she walked back into the living room forty minutes later, but she was not. It appeared Benjamin was a lot more sensitive than anyone gave him credit for. He was still upset over what happened at the office and apparently wanted her close to make sure they were alright. It probably shouldn't matter, but it did. Amelia loved the fact that he came to her when he was upset. It showed how much he did trust her, despite everything that had happened. Benjamin didn't hide behind his façade of tough businessman when he was with her and it meant the world to her.

Both still out of their element, they huddled on the couch together and watched movies until they needed to pick up Landon from school. To her surprise, Benjamin had proposed getting him. It would be the first time he did it and Amelia felt a little hesitant at first until she noticed the haunted look in his eyes. Benjamin wanted to be the one to pick Landon up, needed to be close to their son, so she let him go without another word and started preparing dinner to keep her mind occupied.

The thought of her cooking a meal for her little family delighted her as much as it disturbed her. It would be far too easy to get used to it. And despite the huge step forward Benjamin and she had made in their relationship, she knew he still wasn't one hundred percent open with her. He still held a part of himself back and had yet to explain to her why he didn't want a relationship before. Only when they could fully trust each other with every part of themselves, both inside and out, would a true relationship between them be possible.

A key turned in its lock on the front door and Amelia smiled, knowing both her men were finally home. She'd given Benjamin a spare key before he left to go get Landon and told him to keep it for emergencies. It had seemed quite logical, only later she realized giving him a key probably didn't scream 'go slow' like she'd been claiming she wanted. She was definitely giving him mixed signals.

Seconds later, happy chatter echoed through the apartment as Landon told his father all about his day. Amelia frowned a little when her boy didn't even look up when he entered the kitchen. "Doesn't mommy get a kiss?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow, interrupting the conversation.

Landon looked up and smiled sheepishly before running toward her and jumping into her awaiting arms. "Hi mommy," he mumbled and pressed a wet kiss across her cheek.

"Hello sweetheart, did you have fun today?"

Landon furiously nodded. "We went to a farm this morning and helped milking cows!"

"You did? I forgot all about your trip. Did you get to drink some milk too?"

Again, her boy furiously nodded. "We did! It tasted a little funny, but I still liked it."

"It does taste differently, but it's a lot healthier than the milk we buy at the store."

"What are you making?" Benjamin asked curiously as he stepped behind her and threw an arm casually around her waist, looking over her shoulder into the pot.