The Wedding Date

Chapter Twelve

Amelia

My palms were sweating as I followed behind the waiter. I'm not entirely sure why he didn't just tell me where they were, I had spent literal years of my life on this boat after all. Though the helipad was certainly a surprising addition. I had to stop myself as I watch their helicopter coming closer from saying something I might regret. I still wasn't sure if I could trust Jack, afterall. It was so frivolous and unnecessary it was honestly shocking.

This is it, I was trying to calm my raging nerves whiping my palms on my dress. The adrenaline, the fear, the shock from that night has all worn off. Now, I'll be able to speak to them with a clear mind.

The waiter led me to the dining hall. He gestured to the door and then made his way back to the kitchen. I stared at the doors for a few long minutes gathering my courage before I pushed it open and stepped inside.

My mother sat waiting for me alone at the table. She had been served a glass of wine but, by the looks of it she had not touched it yet. As I entered she stood opening her arms to me.

"Oh Amelia, I'm so glad you came." She said waiting for me to walk into her waiting open arms. I stood there looking at her for a few long moments before I hesitantly went in for the hug.

"I missed you so much, sweetheart. Please sit with me." She said gesturing to the open seat a cross from her. I took it without a word. My mother settled into her seat next to me before meeting my gaze.

"I was hoping we could talk and clear the air about what happened." she said. I had been waiting months for this moment. A hundred thousand times I had thought about this moment and imagined what she might say to me.

"That night, I was so overwhelmed by everything that had happened. I was so worried for your future. And for your sister's future. I know that my behavior, it may seem unjustified to you but, I am your mother Amelia. I always have the best of intentions." She gave me a soft smile as she continued. I decided that even though I had issues with several of the things she had said I stayed quiet. A strategy I had learned in law school. If you left someone guilty in silence long enough, they felt the need to fill the silence. And if you let them talk long enough their story would start to fall apart.

The fact of the matter was that everything my mother had just said was not what I needed to hear from her. I needed an apology and she was giving me an excuse.

"You know how much I love you cupcake," She reached across the table to hold my hand as she spoke. Using her old pet name for me. "I just want you to make the right decision. I want you to come home. I want everything to go back to the way it was before."

She really doesn't understand, I thought to myself shocked, she doesn't understand that night changed who I was. I will never be that person again.

"Everything?" was all I could manage to croak. Surely she didn't mean, Skyler and I getting back together as well?

"Well almost everything. Unfortunately, I can not clean up every mess you make. Skyler isn't interested anymore. That's why I had you paired with Jack Priest for the wedding. He's good-looking and single." She smiled at me as if everything she had just said were completely normal. "We cleared out the guest room so you can stay with us, while the renovations are completed on your condo. And you'll need to start back on your diet right away honey, I hardly recognized you earlier how much weight you have put on." she told me running her hands through her long wavy black hair.

I was absolutely dumbstruck by her words and she rattled on so quickly I had no time to stop her. It was as the more she spoke the worse it got. How was I so blind before? I felt my heart throbbing in my chest. How had I not seen before? This woman doesn't love me. All she had wanted was to control me.

And control me she had. Even in college she had practically dictated every move I made. She had controled what I ate, who I talked to, who I dated.

For as long as I could remember my mother had taught me to count calories, control my intake. Saying she had been extreme about food would have been putting it lightly. All my life food had felt like an enemy I was fighting against. After I left, I had stopped counting calories. I had started eating what I wanted when I wanted. And most importantly I had talked with a counselor about my eating habits. I had gained weight but, even now I was what most people would consider average. I felt my fury building in my throat, dying for escape.

"Do you even feel sorry?" I asked my voice cracking. I felt tears welling my eyes. I already knew the answer. My mother let out an annoyed sigh, she had always hated when I "got emotional".

"Sorry for what, Amelia?" She asked in a curt annoyed tone. A tear slipped down my cheek.

"For what happened that night." I answered whiping the tear from my cheek.

"Oh, Amelia, please don't be so dramatic. Nothing even happened." she said waving a hand at me dismissively. I slammed my hand down on the table making glass dishes clash with each other. My mother jumped in her seat.

"Nothing even happened?" The tears were streaming down my cheeks freely now. I could taste the salt of them on my lips. "If he had managed to hold me down long enough to slip his c**k inside, then would you have cared?"

"Amelia-" She started but, I slammed my fist down again cutting her off.

"We are done here. If I have to listen to you make one more lame excuse I think I'll be f*****g sick." I spat standing from the table. Then I saw it, panic in her eyes.

"Amelia! Please, I'm so sorry! Of course I didn't mean it like that!" She stood from the table and quickly walked around it. She rushed forward reaching for my hands. Just as she was about to touch them I snatched them away.

"I waited months to see if what I saw in you that night had just been my imagination. But, it wasn't. It wasn't some knee jerk reaction. That is who you really are, who you always have been. I just couldn't see it before." I told her venom dripping from my words. "Tell Abbey I want to see her. By tonight or I'm leaving. I never want to speak to you again."

I turned to leave and had almost reached the door when she spoke again.

"You're really just going to go back to your tiny apartment in the ghetto and your mediocre job at the bank? How long are you going to continue with this charade!?" My mother yelled. I sucked in a breath and matched back over to her. I got right in her face making her yelp in suprise.

"Why don't you slap me again, mother? Maybe, I'll come to my senses." I whispered my tone absolutely deadly. I knew she understood the threat in my words. Part of me wanted so badly for her to strike me, so I could teach her a lesson no one in her life had ever taught her. I'm not a violet person, don't get me wrong. Some people just deserve it.

"Don't let your anger for these people control you." I heard Alice say to me somewhere in the back of my mind. As if coming out of a fog I snapped out of it, stepping back from my mother. I shot her a pair of daggers letting her know I was still serious about what I said before turning and practically sprinting from the room.

I came out of the dining hall in a huff.

Scanning the area around me quickly I decided I needed a moment alone and made my way to the crew cabins. During this time in the evening they were all busy preparing dinner so I knew that I could have a moment alone here. I leaned against the wall letting my hot angry tears fall. I slammed my fist into the wall behind me.

Clearly I'm not as 'over it' as I thought I was. I thought. I just tried to fight my mother.

I felt a laugh building in my chest that I couldn't supress.

What the hell is wrong with me!? The laugh that bubbled up from within me was hysterical and uncontrolled. I lifted my hand to try to stifle the noise btmut, after a few seconds gave up and let the laughter flow.

"Ma'am?" a voice called out to me. "Are you okay?"

I turned to see the same waiter from before looking at we with big concerned eyes. Still laughing I clapped him on the shoulder, I reached up with my other hand to whipe the tears from my cheeks. I felt lighter now.

"I'm better than ever." I told him before heading back to the second floor bar where the bridal party was still mingling.