Convincing Amy (Amy, #1)

Chapter 40: Alone

CHAPTER FORTY

Alone

"Allie! There she is!"

Amy gave a weak smile before she fell into the warm embrace of her mother's loving arms. The warmth that Jennifer Carter held within her skin transferred into Amy's heart, giving her a sense of home, family and love.

"I've missed you," Jennifer said, holding her youngest daughter tighter still.

Amy kissed her mother's cheek, whispered, "I missed you, too," and broke away before turning her attention to her sister, Allison.

The crowd at Tullamarine passed by Amy and her acquaintances as casually as ever, not even bothering to acknowledge that they were there; they had business to attend to, and they weren't going to let anyone stop them.

"Amy!" Allison cried, prying her sister out of her mother's arms and into her own. She held her as tightly as she could, though this was not as close as previous times, for there was now a large baby bump between them.

"Gosh, Allie!" Amy remarked at the sight of her heavily pregnant sister. "You're massive!"

Amy's words were true. Carrying twins, Allison Carter looked three times her usual petite frame. Her abdomen had swelled to carry her children and the rest of her body had gained extra also.

"I had to eat for three, okay?" Allison said, smiling. She leant in and hugged her sister once more.

Suddenly, something hard began rubbing against Amy's head, and she knew who was the cause of it immediately.

"Jackson!" she half scolded, half smiled. She moved away from her sister and embraced Jackson Smith in a bone-crushing hug.

Once Amy had been welcomed home by her family, she began to exit the airport, first going to the luggage collection bay where Jackson heaved her suitcase off the conveyer belt, talking rapidly with her sister as she was filled in on all the local gossip: Mrs Jennings had yet another husband (this would be her seventh!), Mr Oils had tragically passed away in a car crash, leaving behind his only daughter to be raised by his sister, and Isaac Portman had been caught cheating on his wife of only one year, Kirsty Portman.

Stepping out of the airport, Amy was hit by a frozen gush of wind. She cursed, gaining a scolding from her mother, but otherwise donned her jacket and dug her hands into her pockets. She hated the cold, and after coming from America's heated summer, the sudden cold was a shock to her system. The others laughed at her, and Amy couldn't help but join in with them.

Amy was led to the one of the nearer parking lots of Tullamarine Airport, and followed her family as they led the way through the maze of cars. Jackson pulled his set of keys from his pocket and pressed the central locking remote and a dark green minivan in front of Amy flashed its indicators.

"Wow. New car, Jackson?" Amy asked, helping Jackson lift her suitcase into the back.

"Yep," Jackson huffed, pushing the luggage as far as it would go. "The old one wasn't really suitable for children."

With this sentence, Jackson was positively glowing. It was crystal clear that Jackson was beyond excitement for the birth of his sons. It was evident that Jackson was planning to be the most devoted father he possibly could be.

Amy climbed into the backseat of Jackson's van with Allison, and Jennifer took the passenger seat. When everyone had buckled their seatbelts - and Jackson had made sure Allison and his unborn sons were comfortable - he drove out of the parking lot into the chilling morning weather Melbourne had so kindly provided.