“Are you firing me?” she asked with a look of fear in her eyes.
“Oh my God, no!” I said. I cleared my throat and took in a deep breath. “I think you and Jacob need to move to California.”
She laughed. “Yeah, right. I can’t move,” she said as she looked at my dad.
“You saw how much better Jacob was at the beach house in the Hamptons and you see the difference in him since we got here to California. I think this would be the best place for him.”
“That’s nice of you to think that, Collin, and believe me, I would love to move here for Jacob, but it’s not possible.”
“What if my dad and I made it possible?”
“What? What are you talking about?” she asked in confusion.
My dad took over. “Diana, I have a house that’s just down the beach that I am renting out and I want to rent it to you. I think it would make an incredible home for you and Jacob.”
“But, Connor, what about my job?”
My dad looked away because he didn’t want to lose her as his secretary. “I have another job here for you. You’d be making a little more money and you’d still have all the same health benefits. But instead of working in an office setting, you’d be working at my art gallery. It’s only a twenty-minute drive from here.”
Tears started to fill her eyes. “I...I...I can’t. You’ve done way too much for me already and there’s no way I could accept anything else.”
“They have programs here, Diana. Programs that work with kids and cystic fibrosis. It’s way better here than in New York. Jacob loves the water. He loves the beach; you’ve seen how happy it makes him, and today, he met a little girl who also has cystic fibrosis. Her name is Lexi and she lives in a house somewhere along the beach,” I said.
The tears that filled her eyes began to stream down her face. My dad looked at me and shook his head. He placed his hand on her arm. “No tears, Diana. If you want to move here, we’ll make it happen for you and Jacob. But the decision is completely yours. Would you like to go look at the house? Then, after, we’ll take you to the art gallery.”
She nodded her head and my dad handed her a tissue. “Great; let’s go see the house.” I smiled.
We spent the rest of the afternoon looking at the house and then at the art gallery. My dad introduced Diana to Joel and they hit it off right away. I nudged my dad and he told me to knock it off. Diana seemed to love the house and the art gallery. I was almost positive she was going to move here.
“Take some time and think about it,” my dad said to her. “Talk to Jacob and see what he wants.”
“Thank you so much, Connor and Collin. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve the two of you in my life. You are the most incredibly giving people I’ve ever met.”
“Aw, stop.” I smiled.
We drove back to the house and Diana told Jacob that just the two of them were going out for pizza because she had something she needed to talk to him about.
Chapter 33
We flew back to New York, back to the snow and cold. I wanted to stay longer in California, but there was business to be done and everyone had to get back to work or school. Amelia still had another week left before her classes and clinicals started up again. Diana had a long talk with Jacob and they both decided that they were going to move to California. On one hand, I was really happy because Jacob would be doing better, but on the other hand, I was sad because I was going to miss them both terribly.
“What’s wrong?” Amelia said as she sat down next to me on the couch.
“Nothing much. I was just thinking about how weird it’s going to be not to see Jacob all the time.”
“I know. But you said yourself it’s in his best interest to move to California. Plus, think of how happy he’ll be and how much better he’ll feel.”
“Come here,” I said as I pulled her on to my lap. “Have I told you today that I love you?”
“No. I don’t think you have. You better tell me.” She smiled.
“I love you, Miss Gray, and tomorrow, we’re going somewhere. Just me and you.”
“I love you, Mr. Black. Where are we going?”
“You’ll find out tomorrow, baby. Now, enough talk. Kiss me.”
She gave me her amazing smile and brushed her lips against mine. As our kiss became passionate and I practically had her shirt off, there was a knock at the door.
“Collin, it’s Julia. I tried to call you, but you didn’t answer your phone.”
I looked at Amelia and she laughed. I got up, adjusted myself, and opened the door.
“Hey, Julia. What’s up?”
“Can you watch Brayden for a while? Jake and I need to run some errands and we’d get done quicker if Brayden wasn’t with us.”
I looked at her as she held him in her arms. I knew my sister and I knew her well.
“You and Jake want to have sex with no baby in the house.”
She looked down at Brayden. “No. Why would you say something like that?”
“I know when you lie, Julia.”
“Okay, fine,” she said sternly as she walked into my apartment. “Jake and I want some time alone because every time we start to make love, our sweet son starts to scream. I can’t have an orgasm with my son screaming! I need to make love to my husband without any interruptions. Is that so much to ask?”
“Julia, TMI!” I said. I took my nephew from her arms and kissed her on the cheek. “Go and spend some time with your husband. In fact, have sex a few times and don’t worry about Brayden. Where are Mom and Dad?”
“They went out to dinner with Peyton and Henry. Thank you, Collin. I owe you.”
“No, you don’t. You know I’m always here for you.”
She set the diaper bag on the table, kissed Brayden goodbye, and headed back to her apartment. I stood in the middle of the room and looked at Amelia, who was smiling on the couch.
“What?”
“You are so sexy, holding him. I know you’re going to be an amazing dad someday.”
I walked over to the couch and sat down. “And you’re going to make an amazing mom.”
I leaned in to kiss her and Brayden started to cry. We both laughed and now I sort of saw what Julia was talking about.
****
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Amelia asked.
“You’ll see when we get there.” I smiled as I tapped her on the nose.