Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2) (39 page)

“Okay. I can’t wait.”

Nathan rang the doorbell. He then let go of Amanda’s
hand.

“See you this afternoon, my love.”

Amanda felt as if she were starting to hyperventilate.
Nathan walked down the short steps off the porch, and continued toward the
gate. Amanda watched him leaving. When the front door opened, she turned
around.

“Oh, it’s you. How was your morning, sweetheart?”
Florence asked.

“Fabulous,” Amanda replied. She followed her mother
back inside.

“I’m itching to hear more, but that’ll have to wait.
Your friends just called. They’re going to be here in a short while.”

“Emmy and Judith?”

“Yes. I don’t know what the plan is, but Emmy said
that it would be relaxing.”

Florence led Amanda to the kitchen. There, the latter
wondered what her friends were planning. She had to admit she was a little
tired after her morning with Nathan. A bit of relaxation would be welcome.

Shortly after having lunch, Amanda’s smartphone vibrated.
She pulled it out of her purse. It was a text.

“It’s Emmy. She and Judith are on her way,” Amanda
said. She was in the living room with her family. They were watching the news.

While they were waiting, a news report came on screen.
Amanda’s expression hardened when she saw
his
face there. Apparently,
Hilbert Melendez would be transferred to prison after his stint in the
hospital. The car crash in which Hilbert tried to take his life had taken
something else from him. He’d lost the use of his legs.

“Serves him right,” William said. “I’m not one for
violence, but that man had it coming. The number of women he harmed.”

Florence shook her head. Harold and Mildred looked
displeased as well. The latter looked toward Amanda.

“That man was delusional. Thankfully, he’s back in
jail, and not getting out this time.”

An air of tension hung in the room after that news
report. Luckily, Emmy and Judith arrived just in time to dissipate it.

“Hi, friends!” Amanda said after answering the door.
She hugged each of her friends.

“Happy birthday!” the girls said in unison. Emmy
handed Amanda a gift. It was in a small wrapped box.

“Thank you!”

The girls noticed Florence looking at them. They waved
their hands.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Tilley.”

“Afternoon, girls. How are you doing?”

“Great, ma’am. Thank you.”

“Good. How did you do in school?”

“We did great, Mrs. Tilley,” Judith said. “Although,
the final exams were sort of hard.”

Amanda looked at her friend. She knew what had upset
Judith enough to make the tests seem hard.

“What matters is that you passed. Next fall, you’ll be
entering your sophomore year. Can you believe it? Time does fly quickly.”

Emmy smiled knowingly at Florence.

“I’ll go take these to my room,” Amanda told her
friends. She went upstairs to do so. A few moments later, she came back.
Amanda’s mother and friends were sitting on the sofa, talking.

“Are you feeling tired, Amanda?” Emmy asked.

“Not a bit. I’m itching to find out what Nathan has
planned for today.”

Judith half-smiled.

“Are you girls leaving now?” asked Florence.

“Yes. We’re driving Amanda there.”

“Okay. You have a good time.”

Emmy and Judith stood up. They walked to the front
door with Amanda.

“See you, mom!”

“See you, sweetie.”

Once outside, Amanda turned to Emmy.

“Where are we going?”

“To get mani-pedis,” Judith replied. “It’s my gift to
you, actually. You’ll have your hair styled, too.”

“Sounds great. Thank you.”

Amanda, Judith, and Emmy entered the latter’s car.
They headed for Amanda’s favorite beauty salon.

Nathan stood in front of a mirror in his bathroom. He
was making the last adjustments to his tie and suit. Today, Amanda would not
only be celebrating her birthday. Nathan also had a big surprise for her.

The birthday dinner would be held in a fine Italian
restaurant. Amanda’s parents had let Nathan know her favorite type of food. Only
Amanda’s close friends and acquaintances would attend. Nathan had planned it
for the last month with her parents.

A few minutes later, Nathan walked into the living
room. Jeffrey was on the sofa, watching TV. He looked up when he sensed his
son.

“You look handsome, Nathan,” Jeffrey said, standing
up. “I’m glad to see you so happy.”

“I didn’t overdress, right, Dad?”

“No. You would make a nice cake figurine, though.”

Nathan guffawed, shaking his head.

“I’m not even wearing black,” he said. Nathan looked
down at his blue suit jacket. His trousers were graphite. “We should go to the
restaurant now. I want to be there before Amanda arrives.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Jeffrey and Nathan walked to the latter’s car. He
drove them to the restaurant. During the drive, Nathan thought about what he
was going to do. He felt nervous, but happy at the same time. After all that he
and Amanda had been through, Nathan felt sure about how much he loved her.

The drive to the restaurant didn’t take long. Once
there, Nathan led Jeffrey to the entrance.

“How many people are coming?”

“I’m not sure, but it should be over a dozen. You’re
going to meet new faces.”

“I just hope I can get their names straight. By the
way, how’s Ashton been doing?”

“He’s okay. He’s dating Grecia now.”

Jeffrey raised his eyebrows.

“Grecia?”

“Kayla’s friend. I realize you haven’t had a chance to
get to know them.”

Inside, there were a few people already. Some of them
were random customers. Nathan had chosen a restaurant with plenty of space for
Amanda’s birthday guests. They had reserved a few tables in a corner. Marissa,
Jonathan, Kellan, Ashton, and Claire were already there.

“Nathan!” said Marissa. They walked in each other’s
direction. She hugged him. “It’s great to see you!”

“Ditto. You look great.”

Marissa pulled from the embrace. She smiled.

“Thanks. You look dashing, too. Wait until Amanda gets
here. She won’t have eyes for another guy.”

“That’s the idea.”

Marissa laughed. Just then, she saw Jeffrey standing
behind Nathan.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Ferland!”

“Thanks. You’re Marissa, aren’t you?”

“The very same.”

“It’s great to see you again. Nathan tells me you’re
building quite a career for yourself.”

“He’s too sweet.”

Nathan laughed.

“Come on, Nathan. You have to meet the singer.”

Nathan looked confused. Jeffrey went to sit down on a
table. After excusing herself, Marissa led him toward one of the tables. There
was a man sitting there with Kellan. He looked to be in his late twenties. The
man looked up when Nathan and Marissa approached the table.

“Hi, Cam. This is Nathan, the guy who came up with the
whole idea.”

Cameron nodded to Nathan. They shook hands. Nathan and
Marissa greeted Kellan as well.

“You’re the guy who composed the song I ordered done
for my girlfriend?”

“Yes. Marissa told me you’ve listened to it.”

“I have. It turned out terrific, man. You did such a
great job.”

“Thanks.”

“I hope you don’t mind that we took so long. There
were just a few…misunderstandings.”

“Don’t sweat it. I was sure that no lady in her right
mind would leave her boyfriend if he loved her enough to have such a gift done
for her.”

“Thankfully, you were correct.”

Nathan turned to Kellan. The latter had his left arm
in a sling. Kellan’s face no longer looked beat-up, but there still were a few
scars.

“It’s good to see you around again. Amanda told me
that you’re getting better.”

“I am. You have no idea how I itched to get out of the
hospital bed. That woman got me good.”

“Luckily, you’re back on your feet now,” said Marissa.

“Yes. I’m still not completely well, though. In my
condition, I don’t know if I can still be a bodyguard.”

“Amanda may still keep you as her aide or driver. I
know her. She’ll feel deeply indebted to you,” Nathan told Kellan. “By the way,
I never thanked you for protecting my girlfriend. You kept Amanda safe when I
couldn’t.”

“I was just doing my job.”

Marissa and Nathan excused themselves and walked to
the next table. Claire and Ashton were sitting there, along with Nathan’s father.

“How are you, guys?” Nathan asked, shaking hands with all
of them.

“Great. Thanks.”

The group sat down.

“Who is the guy you were talking to? I’ve never seen
him before,” Claire said.

“He’s the one who composed the song I’m dedicating to
Amanda.”

“That’s so romantic! I’m so going to tell Oswald to do
something for me like that one day.”

Marissa and Nathan laughed. Claire waved her hand as
if she meant her statement as a joke.

“Where’s Oswald, by the way?” asked Marissa.

“He couldn’t join us today. Oswald is in his hometown.
Family matters.”

Nathan nodded.

“Your dad was just telling us about moving to another
house, and his new auto shop,” said Claire, changing the subject. Nathan looked
at his father.

“I also told them about the new guy I hired to help me
out. I’m already getting a bit old.”

Jeffrey had told Nathan about the new guy. He was an
auto aficionado, sort of like Ashton. Only, the guy was older than Kellan and
had job experience.

“So, the business is still going strong?” Marissa
asked Jeffrey.

“Yep. I have no intention of retiring any time soon.”

Claire looked toward the entrance. Emmy and Judith had
just arrived.

“Hi, everyone!” said Emmy. She spotted Nathan and
walked to his table. “Amanda is on her way. She should be here in a couple of
minutes.”

Nathan took a deep breath. Marissa covered one of
Nathan’s hands with hers.

“Don’t faint now, friend.”

Nathan chuckled.

“You wait until Amanda hears the song. I’m going to
immortalize the moment on video.”

Marissa squeezed Nathan’s hand. She then stood up and
went back to Jonathan’s table. Emmy and Judith were also there.

Sure enough, the Tilleys got to the restaurant as
Marissa had predicted. When Nathan looked at Amanda, he lost his breath. She
looked gorgeous.

“The birthday girl is here,” William announced. The
entire group’s attention was focused on them now. Nathan stood up, walking
toward Amanda.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Tilley,” he said. William shook
hands with Nathan.

“Good afternoon.”

“My, you look dashing,” said Florence. “We’re so glad
our daughter found you, Nathan.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Tilley.”

Nathan proceeded to shake hands with Harold and
Mildred. Ryan followed.

“How are you doing, Ryan?” Nathan asked. They shook
hands.

“Great, man. Thanks.”

Nathan and Amanda looked at each other. He took her hand.
She looked magnificent in her green-and-gold, flowing dress. It hugged Amanda’s
curves nicely, and the skirt had a slit on the side. The tank top bared her
shoulders, which were partially covered by the dress’s thin straps.

“Happy birthday, my love. You look amazing.”

“Thanks, Nathan.”

The Tilleys walked toward the last, unoccupied table.
They had reserved four tables for themselves and their guests. Before sitting
down, all of the guests stood up.

“Happy birthday!” they greeted. Amanda smiled.

“Thank you, guys. It’s great to see you all here.”

Amanda greeted each of the guests. When she saw
Kellan, she beamed.

“Kellan! You’re walking!”

Kellan smiled. He gave Amanda a tight hug.

“Thanks to you, I’m here today. I owe you for taking
care of me.”

“Kellan, you don’t owe me anything. You saved my life,
and I’ll always be thankful for that.”

“No problem. I just did my duty.”

“Is it possible for you to take back your job?”

Kellan shook his head.

“My injuries were too extensive. I don’t think I can
be a bodyguard again.”

Amanda pursed her lips.