Lindsay leaned close to Amber and said, “You can be my date for the barn bash. I’ll even let you call me Dash.”
“We should come up with a schedule to keep Amber company so she doesn’t miss Dash too much while he’s gone,” Morgyn suggested, and the others chimed in their agreement.
As they pulled out their phones and began making plans, penciling their evenings around Amber’s schedule, noting the nights of her book club and the Meeting of the Female Minds, Amber filled with gratitude. It didn’t matter where they were in their lives or what they had going on. When one of them needed something, they were all there to help, and she knew it would always be that way. Her thoughts tiptoed back to Dash taking care of his family as a teenager, his sisters calling him the morning of the signing, and the love she’d seen between them. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world to have found a man who treasured his family as much as she treasured hers, and she couldn’t wait to hear his voice in four and a half hours.
Not that she was counting down the minutes or anything…
DASH STEPPED FROM the elevator into his luxurious waterfront penthouse in the heart of Tribeca, a hip area in New York City that was thankfully overlooked by many tourists. That was only one of the reasons Dash had settled there. The slower pace of Tribeca and the aesthetics of the cobblestone streets reminded him of Port Hudson. He also found the trendy boutiques, restaurants, and old industrial buildings more appealing than the skyscrapers, neon billboards, and frantic pace of other areas in the city.
He dropped his bags by the door and rolled his shoulders back. The six-plus hour drive had sucked. Especially since he’d spent the first hour debating turning around and heading straight back to Amber. He carried the pile of mail that he’d picked up into the living room and set it on the glass coffee table, looking around the ridiculously spacious room, which at thirty-four feet wide was almost as big as Amber’s entire house. He hadn’t cared about the size of the living room when he’d bought the unit, but the breathtaking views of the Hudson River had definitely been a selling point, once again reminding him of home. He gazed out at the river, but now instead of carrying the comforts of home, it was a stark reminder of how far he was from Amber.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket to text her and saw that he’d missed two messages from her and one from Damon. He opened Amber’s first as he walked over to the couch, and a picture of Amber with three of her sisters and Lindsay gathered around a laptop, on which her other two sisters and Trixie, the girl who had gotten engaged at the jam session, and another brunette were waving on a video call. Amber was wearing his VSU sweatshirt, her head tilted, hair adorably messy, and the entrancing smile he’d fallen so desperately in love with lighting him up from the inside out. He remembered how she’d given off a sweet girl-next-door vibe when he’d first seen her, and now that he knew her better—now that he loved her—he knew she was so much more than that. He read the second message from her. We might be talking about you. She’d added two kissing emojis.
“I bet you are.” He took a selfie, grinning hard because it was impossible not to when he thought of Amber, and thumbed out, I’m definitely thinking of you. He added a peach emoji, then thought better of it in case she was still with her family, and deleted it. He typed, Just got in. I’ll call you in a few minutes.
After sending the message to Amber, he read Damon’s text. Still doodling DP loves AM in your playbook?
Dash responded with, Hell yes. Still calling your right hand Natasha?
He scanned the pile of mail, his eyes catching on a pink envelope as his phone vibrated with Damon’s response. He quickly read the text. No. I changed her name to Amber. Dash gritted out a curse as another text from Damon rolled in. I’m queueing up GMA tomorrow at the board meeting so everyone can see my famous brother. Good luck.
He texted back, Thanks. See you soon, and set his phone down to pick up the pink envelope, instantly recognizing Amber’s swirly handwriting. You sneaky little minx. He sat back and opened the card, filling with happiness at the picture of tiramisu with a smiley face on it, and I TIRA-MISS U written above it. He opened and read the card.
Dear Dash, it’s Tuesday morning and we’ve just survived our first breakfast as a couple with my family. I’ve never brought a boyfriend to breakfast before, which made ours even more special. I can’t stop thinking about the morning after we first met, when I found you sitting at my parents’ kitchen table with baby Emma on your lap. I think everyone but me and Sable knew you and I would end up together, but I doubt they’d imagined we’d get this close this fast. Actually, I think you might have known that all along. Did you?
Dash had never had a doubt.
I already know I’ll miss you like crazy when you’re gone, and we still have several days together before you leave. If they’re anything like the time we’ve already shared, I’ll be twisted up like a crown of thorns when we say goodbye. But I don’t want to think about that right now. We have more important things going on, like your book tour. Reno and I are sending you loads of luck. I can’t wait to watch it all unfold. Have fun, and try not to forget the girl in Oak Falls whose heart you stole. Xox, Amber
Dash reread the letter. He couldn’t believe she’d thought to send him a letter ahead of time. Tuesday seemed like a lifetime ago. He didn’t even feel like the same man he’d been on Tuesday. In the days since, Amber had become an even bigger part of him. Their relationship had evolved, becoming more important than everything else.
He picked up his phone to call her on FaceTime. Her gorgeous face brightened the screen, filling some of the empty spots leaving her had created.
As he said, “Hi, sweetheart. I tira-miss you, too,” he knew the evolution of Dash and Amber had only just begun.
Chapter Eighteen
AMBER GAZED OUT the airplane window at the late-afternoon, early-November skies, a chilly mix of whites and grays with a dappling of pinks and blues, bathing the city beneath in shadowy layers. The last twelve days had passed in a busy blur with what felt like the entire community stopping in to check on her, but at the same time, even though she and Dash texted as often as they could, the days seemed to take forever until she got to hear his voice at night. She’d seen her doctor, and she hadn’t needed an adjustment to her medications after all. Sleep deprivation and stress had been the culprit of her breakthrough seizure. Her doctor had recommended several ways to alleviate stress, like yoga and meditation, and he’d given her sleep aids, but she hadn’t needed them. With the exception of when she’d been stressed about the signing, insomnia hadn’t been an issue. She’d simply had better things to do with Dash. She hadn’t had another breakthrough seizure and had caught up on her sleep while he was gone. She was prepared for a couple of late nights, and she knew her doting boyfriend would not let her get too run-down.
The flight attendant stopped by Amber’s seat. “We’re going to be landing soon. Would you like to finish your juice before I take your glass?”
Amber had been too nervous about seeing Dash and meeting his family and friends to drink it. “No, thank you.” She handed her the glass.