can be painful. She just took a big step.”
“If she has to cry to do it, she’s not ready for it. I don’t want her upset.”
Cemil grinned. If Damek believed in violence as a quick answer, he might have punched him in the face. The man looked…amused.
“Why don’t you two talk things over? I think my job here is done. For now.”
Cemil grinned and patted Amelia on the arm.
Damek forced himself to count to ten in his head. She hadn’t died, and even though an occasional tear still slipped down her cheek, she seemed unharmed.
Finally, he spoke. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She wiped at her eyes. “Cemil was just getting me to admit aloud some truths that needed to be said.”
He wanted to ask her why. He’d all but unburdened his soul to her the day before. However, he wasn’t going to push.
“I, um—” She twirled a piece of her hair. “My parents were killed when I was young. They went out for dinner, never came back. The babysitter had to wake me to ask who to call.”
He walked forward, taking her hands in his own. Something inside of him settled. “That’s awful. I lost Zoe, but we were both grownups. You must have been so scared.”
“Right.” She nodded. “I’m sure I was. The whole thing is a blur.”
He pointed to the cliff. “That’s why you didn’t like being there last night.”
“I’m actually not afraid of cliffs. They’ve come to represent something to me, however, and I think it was time I claimed them for what they were. They are my excuse for not doing what I’m afraid of.”
“Which would be what?”
Fearful? Nothing could be further from the truth. He walked to the edge of the cliff and sat, dangling his feet over the side. She sat next to him. He didn’t know what she was afraid of, but admitting to those thoughts always came with a personal cost.
She hadn’t answered him, and he waited.
Finally, she spoke. “I’m afraid to have a family, to have a baby, to admit that I need other people and want to have a life outside of my office.” Her voice shook. “But those are the things I want.”
He stroked the side of her face. Of course she should have those things if she wanted them.
“Why have you held back?”
“Because people fall off cliffs.” She rubbed her forehead. “I mean, you know it. You lost Zoe. I hear my patients talk about it all the time. You have something you love and then it’s gone. Rather than throw myself off the proverbial cliff of risk taking, I’ve been keeping myself really busy. Keeping myself away from the edge.”
“Doctor Amelia.”
She turned slightly red, and pleasure surged through his veins. “I did lose Zoe, and it’s not a secret that it has screwed me up a little bit. I’ll never know what happened that day. Part of me is always going to blame myself.”
She started to say something, but he cut her off. “Never in all that time, in the years when I’ve missed her, been secretly angry at her, or just plain lonely and sad, have I wished I hadn’t met her or married her.”
She opened and closed her mouth. He waited to see if she’d respond, and when she didn’t, he went on.
“I would do it again, even knowing how it would end, because the time we had together was filled with love, laughter, and great memories. It would be awful to imagine not having that together.”
Amelia closed her eyes. “I know that.” She opened her lids to gaze at him.
He wished he could take away her pain by just squeezing her in his arms.
“I think it’s amazing you had that time, had that love. When I leave here, I’ll be alone. I’ve never known the type of love you had.”
He pulled her onto his lap so they sat together with their legs dangling over the edge of the cliff. “You have your own love in your life. Sometimes it just depends on how you look at it.”
She shivered in his arms. “Not really. My patients don’t love me. They need me, but it’s not love. I don’t even have a fish. I have nothing in
“If she has to cry to do it, she’s not ready for it. I don’t want her upset.”
Cemil grinned. If Damek believed in violence as a quick answer, he might have punched him in the face. The man looked…amused.
“Why don’t you two talk things over? I think my job here is done. For now.”
Cemil grinned and patted Amelia on the arm.
Damek forced himself to count to ten in his head. She hadn’t died, and even though an occasional tear still slipped down her cheek, she seemed unharmed.
Finally, he spoke. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She wiped at her eyes. “Cemil was just getting me to admit aloud some truths that needed to be said.”
He wanted to ask her why. He’d all but unburdened his soul to her the day before. However, he wasn’t going to push.
“I, um—” She twirled a piece of her hair. “My parents were killed when I was young. They went out for dinner, never came back. The babysitter had to wake me to ask who to call.”
He walked forward, taking her hands in his own. Something inside of him settled. “That’s awful. I lost Zoe, but we were both grownups. You must have been so scared.”
“Right.” She nodded. “I’m sure I was. The whole thing is a blur.”
He pointed to the cliff. “That’s why you didn’t like being there last night.”
“I’m actually not afraid of cliffs. They’ve come to represent something to me, however, and I think it was time I claimed them for what they were. They are my excuse for not doing what I’m afraid of.”
“Which would be what?”
Fearful? Nothing could be further from the truth. He walked to the edge of the cliff and sat, dangling his feet over the side. She sat next to him. He didn’t know what she was afraid of, but admitting to those thoughts always came with a personal cost.
She hadn’t answered him, and he waited.
Finally, she spoke. “I’m afraid to have a family, to have a baby, to admit that I need other people and want to have a life outside of my office.” Her voice shook. “But those are the things I want.”
He stroked the side of her face. Of course she should have those things if she wanted them.
“Why have you held back?”
“Because people fall off cliffs.” She rubbed her forehead. “I mean, you know it. You lost Zoe. I hear my patients talk about it all the time. You have something you love and then it’s gone. Rather than throw myself off the proverbial cliff of risk taking, I’ve been keeping myself really busy. Keeping myself away from the edge.”
“Doctor Amelia.”
She turned slightly red, and pleasure surged through his veins. “I did lose Zoe, and it’s not a secret that it has screwed me up a little bit. I’ll never know what happened that day. Part of me is always going to blame myself.”
She started to say something, but he cut her off. “Never in all that time, in the years when I’ve missed her, been secretly angry at her, or just plain lonely and sad, have I wished I hadn’t met her or married her.”
She opened and closed her mouth. He waited to see if she’d respond, and when she didn’t, he went on.
“I would do it again, even knowing how it would end, because the time we had together was filled with love, laughter, and great memories. It would be awful to imagine not having that together.”
Amelia closed her eyes. “I know that.” She opened her lids to gaze at him.
He wished he could take away her pain by just squeezing her in his arms.
“I think it’s amazing you had that time, had that love. When I leave here, I’ll be alone. I’ve never known the type of love you had.”
He pulled her onto his lap so they sat together with their legs dangling over the edge of the cliff. “You have your own love in your life. Sometimes it just depends on how you look at it.”
She shivered in his arms. “Not really. My patients don’t love me. They need me, but it’s not love. I don’t even have a fish. I have nothing in
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