Chapter 84

No sooner had Monroe spoken than he realized how foolish he sounded. Since Amelia and Wyatt had just registered their marriage, of course they were still together.

A warm grin spread across his face as he offered his best wishes. "Amelia, congratulations! I hope your marriage brings you nothing but joy!"

His tone shifted from celebratory to earnest, a note of worry entering his voice. "You'remarried to Wyatt now, and there will be rough patches ahead since you've become a member of the Stewart family. Just promise me you won't let yourself be pushed around like you were with the Morrison family."

Amelia almost explained that her years of compromise in the Morrison household had been for her grandmother's sake. But the genuine concern etched on Monroe's face had her nodding. "You know me better than anyone. I won't let anyone take advantage of me from now on."

Reassured, Monroe said, "The Flynn family might not be much help for you, but you've always got Carlee and me. If things ever get tough, reach out to us. Even if Carlee bails, I'll always have your back. You-"

A sharp voice chimed in before he could finish."What's with the shade, Monroe?" Carlee's voice came as she entered Monroe's room.

Monroe's house had a keypad lock, and both Amelia and Carlee knew the code.

Monroe caught Carlee's glare and shot her a sheepish smile, shifting to playful defense. "Did I say anything wrong? You really are unreliable. Did you forget what happened at the bar last time?"

Though Carlee had no comeback for that, she didn't hesitate to land a quick kick on his shin.

After getting kicked, Monroe said, "Remind me again why I ever gave you my house code?"

Watching her friends bicker through the phone,Amelia burst out laughing. "Should I leave you two to it? Maybe I should hang up and let you settle things first."

Carlee wasted no time grabbing the phone from Monroe."Amelia, is Wyatt with you right now?"

Wyatt had been quietly listening to Amelia and Monroe's conversation. When Carlee mentioned him,he moved closer to Amelia, bringing both their faces into the frame.

As Wyatt approached, the scent of him enveloped Amelia, making her face feel warm.

For all her boldness earlier, Carlee shrank a little under Wyatt's steady stare. The warning she'd planned for him quickly dissolved into something much softer."Um-Mr. Stewart, congratulations to you and Amelia!"

Monroe, left phone-less for the moment, rolled his eyes at Carlee's sudden backpedaling.

Seeing that,Carlee blurted, "Amelia is the best woman on earth, Mr. Stewart-you'd better treasure her!"

Her confidence soon wavered after she said that,and she was about to hand the phone back to Monroe when Wyatt's cool, unhurried voice echoed. "No need to worry. I promise you both-I'll treasure Amelia for the rest of my life."

Worried that Wyatt might misunderstand her friends,Amelia softly explained after hanging up the call,"They didn't mean anything by that. They just care about me so much.You-"

Wyatt's hand closed softly around hers, his tone sincere. "You don't need to be so formal with me anymore, Amelia. We're married now, remember? And I meant what I just said." The graveness in his eyes startled her, prompting her to shift away from him.

Though the back seat was spacious, Amelia nearly pressed herself against the car door to put some space between Wyatt and herself.

Wyatt let out a resigned chuckle, unable to hide his amusement. "If you go any farther,you'll end up out on the road."

Heat crept up her cheeks at that, and she meant to move back, but a sudden swerve sent her tumbling toward him.

She immediately tried to move away, and her hand accidentally landed on his abdomen. Just then,his arm slipped around her waist, anchoring her in place as he spoke in a low and rough voice near her ear. "Don't move."

While driving, Davin picked up on the commotion behind him and shot a worried glance at the rearview mirror. A startled pause overtook him when he caught a glimpse of what was happening in the backseat, but he quickly snapped out of it and lowered the partition,giving Amelia and Wyatt some privacy.

The spacious area suddenly felt cramped, and Amelia's senses sharpened. She could distinctly feel the changes in Wyatt's body. Warmth from his body pressed hard against her,making her pause. A sudden memory of Carlee's teasing words raced through her mind, and before she could stop herself, she blurted, "Wait a second-aren't you supposed to be...incompetent?"

Instant regret crashed over her as soon as the question escaped her lips. She wished she could vanish now.

Why had she said that?

Desperate to save face, she triedto pass the blame."I wasn't the one who said that, it was..." Yet, her loyalty to her friend kept her from selling Carlee out,so she let her sentence hang and snapped her mouth shut.

Seeing Amelia like this amused Wyatt. Laughter rumbled from him. "Well, do you still need proof about my skills in that department?"

Amelia couldn't possibly answer that question. She could only vow to give Carlee an earful the next time they met.

Clearly,Carlee had been wrong!

With Wyatt's intense gaze fixed on her, Amelia found it impossible to breathe. Just as the tension grew unbearable, the car finally rolled to a halt.