Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 366

Amelia hadn’t quite caught what he’d said. “What was that? You’re mumbling.”

As if all that tenderness a moment ago had been just a trick of the light, Daniel’s voice slid back into its usual lazy drawl. “I said, Princess Amelia stops being pretty when she gets dirty. When the princess throws a tantrum, I’m the one who suffers for it, aren’t I?”

The ointment was cold as it touched her ankle, sending a shiver through her. Amelia felt awkward and restless, her mind resisting, but her body—well, her body seemed to crave the strange sensation. The two impulses wrestled inside her, and finally she gave up. Whatever. It’s just some medicine. It’ll be over soon enough.

Once Daniel finished cleaning the cut, he carefully checked her foot from every angle to make sure there were no other injuries. Only then did he relax and—oddly—grab a wipe to clean her high heels.

Daniel was a bit of a neat freak, actually. Who knew what had come over the golden boy today, crouched down on the floor, wiping her shoes like it was the most natural thing in the world?

Amelia slouched back against the chair, resigned. “That’s enough. Any more and you’ll scrub the leather right off.”

Daniel set her now-pristine heels aside, wiped each of his fingers clean, and then, without warning, scooped Amelia up and settled her onto his lap.

She was caught completely off guard. “What’s gotten into you now?”

“I guess I’m just lovesick for my wife,” he teased, grinning.

Amelia rolled her eyes at the cheesy line. “God, that’s corny. Could you at least try to mean it?”

“How do you know I don’t?” Daniel took her hand and pressed it to his chest. “Want to check if I mean it?”

“You don’t need to. It’s obvious,” she shot back. “You’re all cramped in there, anyway.”

Daniel suddenly sighed, resting his forehead against her collarbone, his voice dropping to a murmur. “What will it take for you to believe me? That I really do love you.”

“Amelia, I love you.”

Her eyelashes fluttered.

They’d never actually said the word “love” to each other. Three years ago, sure, they’d been close—practically glued together—but they’d always taken it for granted. No one ever said it out loud.

Now, after everything, whenever they met it was just bickering or jokes. Never anything serious.

Never like this. Never with Daniel’s voice soft and earnest, stripped of every hint of sarcasm.

Amelia, I love you.

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