Dominated

Chapter 32

"Was no one going to tell me that she was coming with us on my vacation?"

Amelia was sitting in the chair beside Calvin, watching the argument between Brooke and Wes unfold as she slowly ate from her small baggie of snacks. They had been anxiously waiting to board the plane, and Amelia's eyes were strained from looking at her book for so long. She had nothing better to do than to tune into the argument.

"I didn't want her part of the wedding," Brooke continued to say to Wes. "What made you think that I wanted her here?"

Calvin turned to Amelia with a deep frown. "You're not part of the wedding?"

She glanced at Wes to help answer the question, but he didn't appear the slightest bit affected by Brooke's confession. She determined that he would be of no use, so she nodded at Calvin to respond.

"I had to step down," she explained to him. "Brooke and I aren't seeing eye to eye right now."

"I can see that," Calvin said, scowling. "I don't like the way she's talking about you."

"I can handle it," she assured him.

Calvin sank into his seat and quietly sighed. "I don't think my son can."

"He'll learn to deal with the outbursts," she told him. "If he wants to marry her, he'll have to."

Calvin smirked. "What's gotten into you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You just seem different somehow," he said.

Amelia shrugged and handed him the baggie, offering him her snack. "Is change such a bad thing?"

"No, it isn't," he replied. He accepted the baggie of snacks and popped a piece into his mouth. "I'm glad you're finding your voice."

"I just upgraded three basic economy seats to first class," Damien announced as he handed Amelia and Calvin each a ticket. He claimed the seat on the other side of Amelia and kissed the side of her face. "Only the best for my sweet girl."

Brooke snorted. She was no longer arguing with Wes. Instead, she was glaring at Amelia. "My trip can't get any worse."

Ignoring her, Amelia dropped her head on Damien's shoulder and smiled. "You're very sweet for doing this, although you shouldn't have."

"It was very thoughtful," Calvin told his son. "Thank you."

Brooke scowled. She wanted to complain again, but Laura and Stevie took away her opportunity when they sprinted toward the group with their carryon flailing behind them.

"Good, you're all still here," Laura said breathlessly.

She blew her hair out of her face and tirelessly fell into a chair beside Brooke. Her hair was disheveled and tangled, and her eyeliner was smudged. She was wearing a pair of shorts not made for the winter weather and an oversized sweater.

"Stevie and I got caught up with work again," she informed no one in particular.

Stevie shifted her weight to her other foot and rolled her eyes. "Laura got caught up. I wanted to come earlier."

"The good news is that you're both here," Brooke said with a grin. "I'm just glad to be spending my vacation with my friends."

Amelia looked at Wes to read his expression, but he remained completely impassive. As if sensing her gaze, he lifted his head and softly smiled, but she didn't return it. Instead, she frowned, saddened by the concealment of his true emotions.

"We will begin boarding Flight 282 to Los Angeles with a departure time of 5:38 PM," a man announced over the intercom. "At this time, we invite our first class passengers to board."