FREED (The Mind Of Her Billionaire, #3) (9 page)

The doctor had been so positive about the whole thing, Amelia couldn’t help but be positive too. Justin gave a hand too and they informed the school about his diagnosis and what they were to do.

‘When he miss behaves, don’t go into too much detail. Just give clear consequences.’ The doctor had said.

Amelia had learned to practice that, consistently. In a calm manner, his disobedience was dealt with quickly. But the most important thing Amelia learned and notice improvement, was when she rewarded good behaviour and paid less attention to bad behaviour.  She’d started to take thirty minutes out of her day to give Gabriel her undivided attention. It was at those times she saw him at his best. He would light up, do things to impress her and just want to show her how good he was, and each time she would reward his good behaviour with a treat of his choice. The doctor’s advice was working in heaps and bounds, and Justin had also played his part. It was so good that Amelia had a great idea that she shared with Justin.

‘I think that’s a great idea,’ he said after she’d told him at dinner.

‘I thought I could name it the Justin Hughes Centre.’

He smiled. ‘That’s a great business move honey.’

‘I’m glad you like it.’ She knew that he liked it in the sense that it would draw more attention to his business.

Amelia had come up with the idea to open a centre for children like Gabriel. To help parents understand them and work with them, rather than label them naughty children. It would also take referrals from schools and foster care homes. It would be set up as a charity centre which was one of the reason’s Justin loved the idea.

Amelia realised that the two men in her life would probably never be able to empathise, but they had learnt the difference between right and wrong, and they’d all taken steps to correct that.

****

T
hings had become busier, Amelia split her time between Gabriel, work, her up coming wedding and the setting up of the centre. The wedding dress task had been assigned to Suzanne. Mandy had hired an assistant for herself as the work was getting too much for one person to handle. Mandy gave the assistant the wedding arrangements. They’d found a wedding planner and the new assistant was the go between Amelia and the planner.

Everything seemed to be working like a well oiled machine. Kira and Gary were over the moon about the wedding and so were her parents. She did explain that after the wedding what would happen. The only people who had truly understood it and respected her decision were her parents. She couldn’t have asked for better parents. They’d been so loving and supportive that it made her work harder with Gabriel.

Tate wasn’t as pleased about the decision, but didn’t show it. Instead he gave her all his support. He was happier now, with Mandy in his life. His purpose in life wasn’t about making Amelia love him, he understood that now. Some things would never be the way he wanted them to be, he had to live with that and be happy within himself.

Justin had started to make arrangements for his departure. He’d spoken to the authorities, and a deal had been made between him and the family. He was to pay a large sum of money to the parents of Sandra Reeds, give a public apology and serve some time in prison, details of which weren’t released to the press, or anyone else for that matter. It had been an internal matter and the family of the victim were satisfied with the outcome.

As far as Amelia could see it, her world was slotting into place. It wasn’t like the world she saw around her, where everything had to be done a certain way. She didn’t have to follow anyone’s rules but her own. Amelia felt free, for the first time in her life she understood what freedom was. The freedom to follow the beats of her own heart, to do what made her feel good, because that was all that truly mattered.

****

T
he wedding day came sooner than she would’ve liked. That day would be the happiest day of her life. She tried not to think about anything after that, just to stay in the moment.

Friends and family had already started to gather in their amazing garden. The wedding planner had done a brilliant job. For the first part of the wedding, white chairs had been put in the garden theatre style, split down the middle. In the middle was a trail of white petals all the way down to the front, where there was a white arch for the couple to say their vows. Everyone was wearing white and had been requested not to wear any shoes.

For the second part of the wedding, a marquee was set up a little further into the large plot of land. The colour theme was white and purple. Chairs and tables had been set up in a U-shape with a wooden dance floor in the middle. Everything was just perfect, the way Amelia had requested it.

‘You look amazing,’ said Kira. ‘And so happy.’

‘I am, I’m happy.’ Amelia sniffed, trying not to spoil the makeup.

Suzanne had done a magnificent job with the dress. It was simple, but chic. It clung to her slim but not skinny body perfectly. It was a white off shoulder dress, that made her look like a princess. She loved it, and she hoped that when Justin saw her, he’d love it too.

‘I can’t believe I’m getting married!’

‘Well you better believe it, everyone’s waiting for you,’ said Kira.

Just as she was stepping out of the room she bumped into Tate.

‘Wow.’ He couldn’t help himself. ‘You look...beautiful.’

‘Thank you.’

‘I was just coming to see you, to say...I wish you the best. I’m really happy for you.’

‘Thanks, Tate that means a lot to me.’ She took him into a hug.

‘Come on young lady.’ Her father interrupted. ‘Your man is waiting for you.’

There were a few chuckles and then she took her fathers arm. They walked in the direction of the gardens, and soon Amelia was walking down the isle of rose petals to marry the only man she really loved. It had been a long and difficult journey. A journey she’d never imagined she’d travel. It had taught her a lot and she would never forget everything she’d learnt.

Amelia stopped at the arch and looked into his eyes. He held out his hands and she took them. In the front row, Gabriel and her mother watched on. It was the best day of her life. They said their vows in front of each other, their witnesses and God and soon they were man and wife.

The family and close friends were ushered to photographs to a different part of the land. It had beautiful flowers around. Her favourite picture was the one taken of her, Justin and Gabriel, in front of a giant oak tree.

By the time food had been served, and they’d had their first dance, it was almost time for Justin to leave. But before that, each of them would give a little speech. Amelia stood up with and turned to Justin.

‘I’m going to cry,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to cry.’

He gave her his hand.

‘We’ve been through so much together,’ she started. ‘If there is one thing I’ve learnt through all this, is that only the good matters. That doesn’t mean I forget the bad, but I’ve chosen not to dwell on it. You’ve made me so proud!’ She sniffed. ‘I’m so proud to be your wife right now, and I want everyone in this room to know it. We’ve grown, we’ve gone through the darkest times of our lives, but here we are, man and wife. I love you Justin Hughes, and so does your son. We love you so much.’

There was a round of applause and she sat back down. He gave her a long kiss then stood up. But as he stood up, two men in black suits entered the tent and stood at the entrance. Justin looked at Amelia and she nodded, he turned to look at the men and nodded. They nodded back.

‘I’ve done things I’m not proud of,’ he started. ‘Things, no person should ever do to another human being.’ He turned to Amelia. ‘You saved me,’ he said looking into her eyes. ‘You made me feel something I’d never felt before. I took this step today, just to prove to you that a person can change, if they choose to. I choose you, I choose to do as you ask, because I love you.’

Amelia couldn’t help but cry.

‘The word love.’ He smiled faintly. ‘I had no clue what it was. But now I do. I guess I might be the best person to describe it.’ He smiled. ‘A professor once said to me...’ He looked at Doctor Gallagher. ‘That love isn’t just an emotion, it’s an action. As he prepared me to get to this day, he said he understood that I didn’t feel the way others did, but I did understand it. He said the easiest way to her heart, is to love her.’ He turned back to Amelia. ‘I love you, Amelia, I really do, and I’m taking the action to show you that I do. You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. You are the woman who will change the world one person at a time. You have certainly changed me.’ He pulled her up to him. ‘Many say that a person can’t change, I would agree. Who I am inside hasn’t changed, but I choose to make changes, I choose to change. I think that is the biggest lesson I’ve learnt. So thank you, Mrs. Hughes.’ He took her into a hug and she cried into his shoulder.

He pulled away and mouthed, ‘We’ll be okay.’

‘I know,’ she cried. ‘I know.’

He walked over to his little boy who sat with Amelia’s parents and knelt down.

‘You look after mummy young man.’

‘Where are you going?’

‘We talked about this son, do you remember.’

Gabriel nodded.

‘It’s time, but you’ll see daddy everyday, that’s a promise your mum and I have made. And one day, we’ll all be together.’

He stood up and just as he was about to walk towards the men, Amelia ran towards him and took him into a big hug, pulled back, gazed into his stunning grey eyes and then kissed him passionately.

He pulled back. ‘I’ve got to go,’ he said.

‘Okay.’ She tried to stay strong. ‘Okay.’ She nodded.

Justin turned away and walked towards the men in the suits. He nodded and soon they were on their way. This had been part of the deal, it was what the family had asked for. The officers had promised not to place handcuffs in front of his son, but did so once they were off the grounds. Justin was gone, he was back behind bars, to pay the debt to the Reed family. 

‘M
ummy,’ said Gabriel.

‘Yes sweetheart.’ She turned from the mirror and looked at her son as he entered her bedroom.

‘Can I take this picture for daddy?’ He walked over towards her and handed her a drawing.

Amelia gazed at the picture of a mother, a dad and a child all holding hands. It was a bright and happy picture and Amelia felt her body swell with pride.

‘Of course honey, this is beautiful.’ She ruffled his curly locks. ‘Well done for drawing such an amazing picture.’

He smiled and nodded. Doctor Gallagher had been right, the more positive she was with him, the more he wanted to do good. The truth was that Gabriel might never be able to feel empathy for others, but he would understand that doing good got better results than doing bad. He thrived on attention, and giving it positively worked wonders. He would become a healthy functioning adult and this was why she was so happy about the centre opening.

‘Are you ready mummy?’ he asked.

‘Yes, let’s go.’ She held out her hand and he took it eagerly.

They headed downstairs hand in hand. She popped her head through Mandy’s office, and left some instructions. The other assistant was out of the office doing things that had been asked of her by Mandy.

‘I’ll be about two hours,’ said Amelia. ‘Please just take messages, and deal with things that don’t need me.’

‘Yes, Miss Woods.’

‘Look at the picture I drew for my dad,’ Gabriel said proudly and held it up.

‘Oh, that’s pretty decent!’ said Mandy.

She’d learnt how to communicate with him.

‘I bet he’s going to be pretty impressed.’

‘I think so too,’ said Gabriel.

‘Let’s be off,’ said Amelia.

The pair set off out of the house and into the waiting Jaguar.

The trip was pleasant, they sang songs, something Gabriel requested on his trips to see Justin. There was something about music that excited him. It excited him so much that Amelia had invested in music lessons for him. It was another thing that kept him out of trouble.

‘I can’t wait to see Daddy,’ he said excitedly.

‘Not long now honey.’

Forty minutes later they arrived at the prison. They were shown into the room that he had been given for special visits. A deal had been made, but it had been made at a hefty price, a price that was worth it, in Amelia’s eyes. All the money in the world didn’t matter, what mattered was spending quality time with her family.

‘Hey.’ He stood up as they entered the room.

‘Daddy!’ He ran towards him and Justin took him into his arms.

It amazed her, how the two males in her life had transformed. They had changed so much that Amelia found it hard to believe. Justin knew what to do and he’d mentioned that the more he did it, the more he wanted to do it. The more he hugged his son, the more he wanted to touch him and love him.

‘Look what I did for you daddy.’ Gabriel handed him the picture.

Justin studied it for a moment and then smiled.

‘This is brilliant son!’

‘Do you like it?’

‘I love it! You are an extremely bright boy!’

Amelia could see the way Gabriel’s eyes beamed from his dad’s words. It was like watching a glow. It was something Gabriel craved that the doctor had encouraged. It was like a cure, something that stopped him from being destructive.

‘How are you?’ He asked Amelia and took her into a hug.

‘I’m great, even happier seeing you.’

They sat down and had a family chat. Amelia could never be happier. It was odd, the route her life had taken.

‘You ready for the big day tomorrow?’ he asked.

‘Yes and no.’ The opening of the Justin Hughes Centre had finally approached.

‘Why no?’ he asked.

‘I’m worried about my speech.’ She fiddled in her bag and brought out her iPad.

‘You? Of all people, nervous?’ He chuckled. ‘Aren’t you the same woman who used to address us at board meetings?’

‘I know it sounds strange, but this is different. At work, I know what I’m doing. I’ve trained for it.’

‘And you know what you’re doing now.’ He looked at Gabriel. ‘You may not have the degree in psychology, but you have the experience. Just say it the way you would.’