Chapter 37
After more than an hour had slipped by, every person at the table finally set down their cutlery.
Throughout the meal, Della's kindness had made Amelia feel right at home. Just as Amelia was preparing to say her goodbyes, the private room's door swung open with a soft creak.
Wyatt stepped inside and took in the scene. His eyes flickered with surprise at the sight of extra guests,and his brows knitted together.
When he saw Amelia's composed expression, he relaxed his brows. He then offered a polite greeting to Della's friends.
From her seat, Della caught the subtle change in her son's face and shot him a teasing glance. "I'm still at this table, you know. Are you afraid Amelia might be picked on? You rushed here like a knight in shining armor, looking so worried about her."
"I was just nearby and thought I'd stop by," Wyatt said.
While she could have called out his fib, Della chose not to. She simply told him to drive Amelia home.
"I didn't know my mother had invited her friends to the meal. Sorry about that."
Wyatt turned to Amelia and apologized the moment he settled into the driver's seat.
If not for the last-minute crisis at work, he would never have left Amelia on her own for the meal. He only hoped the evening hadn't left her feeling uncomfortable.
Seeing the concern in Wyatt's eyes, Amelia felt warmth spread through her chest.
She answered with a lighthearted smile, "Don't worry about it. We're going to be family, so this is bound to happen anyway."
With those words, Wyatt felt the tension leave his shoulders. Soon, the car arrived at the destination.
As Amelia stepped out of the car, she noticed that Wyatt also got out. He then pulled a velvet box in deep blue from his pocket.
"My mom asked me to give you this. She wanted you to have it," he said.
Amelia couldn't help but wonder why Della hadn't handed over the gift herself earlier, but the reason became clear as soon as she opened the box.
Resting inside the box was a stunning brooch, its sapphire stone as big as her thumb and shimmering in the light.
The sapphire alone was immensely valuable and rare.
Amelia felt a wave of gratitude, yet she couldn't bring herself to accept something so expensive. She snapped the box shut and immediately tried to return it to Wyatt. "Could you let Della know I'm truly grateful for her generosity? But I can't accept something this valuable."
"If you refuse it, you should return it to her yourself,Miss Flynn. My mother won't spare me if I do it in your place. Surely you wouldn't want me to get scolded by her, right? Besides, if you don't accept it now, after we're married, you'll have to accept it then anyway."
Confusion flickered across Amelia's face as she looked at Wyatt.
Wyatt wasted no time. He pulled the brooch out and fastened it to her dress. Today, Amelia wore a beige spaghetti-strap dress and a soft wool cardigan.
Even though his fingers never brushed her skin, a warm blush crept up her cheeks.
"This brooch is a Stewart family heirloom meant for my parents' daughter-in-law. It looks perfect on you,"Wyatt said. "Amelia?"
Amelia had just parted her lips to respond when Monroe's voice drifted over from a distance.
From his car, Monroe saw Wyatt's gesture, mistook him for Jaxton, and nearly stormed out to intervene.
When the car drew closer, Monroe realized that the man with Amelia was not Jaxton. However, Wyatt's face seemed even more intimidating than Jaxton's to Monroe.
Due to the Smith family's business ties, Monroe had met Wyatt on a few occasions before.
He didn't understand how Amelia knew Wyatt, but considering the Stewart family's status in Kretol and afraid that Amelia would get bullied, Monroe immediately positioned himself protectively in front of her.
Wyatt looked at Monroe with no recognition. Seeing Monroe's stance and hearing him address Amelia like that made him feel animosity toward Monroe. His eyes grew frosty until Amelia stepped in, pulled Monroe aside, and introduced Monroe to him.
Learning Monroe was, like Carlee, a friend from Amelia's college days, the coldness in Wyatt's expression quickly faded.
Wyatt reached out his hand to Monroe with a genuine smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Wyatt Stewart,and I'll be Amelia's husband soon."