Life Will Out

Chapter 25: All Of Me Loves All Of You

Monday, January 6

Amelia woke up in the bed, Link's bed but no Link. She remembered the night before as soon as she had "fallen asleep" he had gotten up to go sleep in another bed. She got up and her feet touched the cold hardwood floors of his penthouse. She had put on one of his shirts and made it down the stairs and into the kitchen. She paused before walking any closer to listen in on his phone call.

"I know Kate, she's perfect. She doesn't know about all my dirty laundry and I'm almost positive she'd leave me once she knows that I'm not easy to love. But Kate- I look at her and the world stops spinning, my heart flutter when she smiles, her blue eyes draw me in like a sunrise and all that can go through my head is that 10 year Atticus finally got his dream. And that I never have to look back at where I came from- she makes all the bad things go away and seem irrelevant." Link spoke kindly and whole heartedly. He ended the phone call and placed waffles with swirls of whip cream on the plates and set the table.

Amelia walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist. He turned and kissed her before they sat down and enjoyed breakfast. They spoke for a while about mundane things before Amelia broke the ice.

"Why won't you sleep in the same bed with me?" She questioned, knowing the answer but she wanted to hear him be vulnerable, she wanted to let him know he could let his guard down and she wasn't going anywhere.

"Okay then, I'm gonna try here because I really really like you and I want this to work and for this to work it means no secrets or hand ringing." Link began hesitant to dump his childhood of emotional baggage out for her.

"My biological parents Dove my mother and Avalon or A.V. Hartford my father were drug addicts and were in cahoots with the mafia you could it. They made deals they couldn't get out of and it cost them their lives. They owned a hotel- The El Royale. Strange place really on the exact border of Nevada and California. The hotel split down the middle even. Either way my room was one of the suites on the Nevada side. Room 102 was mine. I would watch people come in and play poker or play in the casino and loose everything including their lives. I remember one distinct time wathcing two men beat each other senseless with whiskey bottles and the floor was covered in liquor and blood. Another time a man burst in almost shooting me but he had the wrong room. Then when I was ten my parents heads were blown to bite in front of me. I was placed in foster care but the family I had for four years beat me with belts and put cigarettes out on my chest- that's why i have the marks on my chest and on my collarbone- the buckled usually hit me. I was told I was incapable of being loved or loving and I was all alone in the world until Eric and Maureen adopted me and I made a name for myself like I had promised my 10 year old self I would do if I ever made it out the El Royale." Link said with tears streaming down his face, he couldn't even look at Amelia out of fear for how she would react.

He looked up and was met with a loving gaze free from judgement of ridicule. She sat between his legs and gently touched his face.

"You are capable of love and your love means so much to me." Amelia said smiling.

"I used to do oxy, and I'm an alcoholic. I fell in love with an addict Ryan. We wanted to clean together and so one night we went in for one last time except only I woke up the next morning. He had OD' and aspirated on his own vomit and died. Then I found I was pregnant but my baby had no brain. He was my unicorn baby- magical and could do great things. I named his Christopher and donated his organs. I once died for three minutes and my brother had to save me. I get if you don't look at me in the same way anymore." Amelia said looking down so she wouldn't have to look at Link.

He turned her around so she straddled his lap and he kissed her. Then he gently said "I will steal these words from John Legend but all of me, loves all of you. Baggage and all because you make it all okay. I Love You." He said with sincerity.

Amelia froze- tears in her eyes. She was a runner and love scared her. "Don't say if you don't mean it." She croaked out with tears now pouring. She had lost her father, Ryan, her baby all the men in her life except Link and Derek.

"I mean it- I. Love. You. Amelia Shepherd. I love everything about you. You are like diving into a cold pool on a hot day. I was drowning and you've saved me. I'm all in and I mean this. " He said with love and sincerity in his eyes.

"I love you too." Amelia said with tears. She couldn't get out anything else but for Link that was enough. He had everything his younger self dreamed finally all together- like the missing puzzle piece was finally found.