Page 46 of Fade (Fighting Fate)

Mom huffed with annoyance. “We just want to talk, Amy. Please stop being rude and sit down.”

The harshness of her voice made me feel like a child again, and I strangely found myself moving toward the couch. What the hell was I doing?

Approval replaced Mom’s annoyed façade, and I was hit by a wave of relief, which quickly turned to alarm when I realized what it was. I wasn’t ready for this. I thought I was. I thought I’d taken enough control over my life to stand up for myself, but here I was, panicking over their displeasure and rejoicing in their approval.

Sitting down on the edge of the couch, as far away from Ryan as possible, I placed my trembling hands in my lap and faced my parents.

“What would you care to discuss?” I asked.

The smug look on Dad’s face was what finally made me snap out of it. I was suddenly reminded of all the reasons why I left. I hadn’t been insolent. I’d been loyal and obedient, like a freaking dog. And it still wasn’t good enough for them.

My resolve tightened. Yes, I was hopeful they would like to make amends, but I wasn’t going to let them walk all over me. Daniel believed in me. He made me believe in myself. I wasn’t going to let him, or myself, down.

“Ryan came to see us this morning and has made a very interesting proposal,” Dad said, his chin tilted up with all his self-importance.

I glanced at Ryan, my eyes narrowing dangerously. He gazed back at me with a confidence I was sure was feigned when I saw a flicker of shame flash through his eyes.

“And what kind of proposal would that be?”

Mom grinned, excitement winning out over composure. “Ryan has told us he forgave you, and that he’d like for you two to get back together. He’s asked your father and me for your hand in marriage, which, of course, we’ve happily agreed to, on the provision that it happens no later than the month after you both graduate.”

I gaped at her. There was no other way to describe it. I was seriously stunned. That had been the last thing I’d expected to happen when I came here.

Turning to Ryan, I shook my head. There were so many things I wanted to say to him in that moment. The disappointment I felt on Daniel’s behalf was enormous.

“You should be disgusted with yourself. How you could do this to your own brother is beyond me,” I said, unable to stop the slight sheen of anger from appearing in my eyes.

Knowing there was no way I’d be able to stomach sitting there a second longer, I pushed myself to my feet and slung my bag over my shoulder.

“Amy, sit down!” Dad bellowed.

“I told you she’d be melodramatic about it all,” Mom said, rolling her eyes.

I strengthened my stance and gave each of them a firm look in turn. “You’ve all officially lost it. This is not family. This is not love. And I don’t want anything to do with it.”

With that, I turned and walked out, blocking out the sounds of their protests as I went. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had a hunch this would be the last time I would see them. And strangely, I was okay with that.

Chapter 20

Daniel

Six months later…

Excitement hummed in the air. Everywhere I looked, marines were smiling. We’d just arrived back from our six-month stint in Oz, and we were all looking forward to the two weeks’ leave we’d been given. Our time in Australia had been a breeze, really, so I didn’t particularly feel like we’d earned the time, but I desperately wanted to see Amy, so I sure as shit wasn’t going to complain about it.

Turning my cap around in my hands, I gave Camp Pendleton one last look around and smiled. I’d done it. I’d gotten through my first six months without Amy. And according to Mom’s philosophy, we’d made it out the other side completely unscathed. In fact, I thought we were stronger than ever. Every time I saw her smiling face through Skype, every time I saw just how strong she was growing—how confident and independent she looked—I fell in love with her a little more.

Striding toward the main gate, I chuckled at how hard it had been at times. I seriously had to learn to push all thoughts of her to the back of my mind. I knew that probably made me sound like a bastard, but she had the potential to consume me. If I didn’t do it that way, I wouldn’t have made it through the first week without fucking up.

It was hard enough getting my focus back into line on a Monday morning after Skyping with her on the weekends. Seeing her face and hearing her voice as she whispered how much she missed me had been a blessing and a curse.

But just like Mom had said, the time apart had really put our relationship into perspective. At least for me, anyway. I missed her like fucking crazy, and it only reinforced just how right I thought we were for each other. I couldn’t wait to get back to her.

Stepping onto the bus, I took a seat and closed my eyes. The only way I was going to be able to ride out the next seven hours without going mental was to sleep.

***

Nervous energy pumped through my blood as I pulled into Amber’s parents’ long drive. I wasn’t exactly sure why that was. I wasn’t worried about how she would react when she saw me. I knew we were good. I put it down to the fact that I knew th

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