Love Me Back (Amelia and Daniel) novel Chapter 440

Those words hardly sounded like something a little girl would say—they carried a heaviness far beyond her years.

“Why are you suddenly asking me to take care of Mom?” he asked quietly.

Ruby replied, “Because I might have to go somewhere very, very far away.”

“Somewhere far away?”

Ruby nodded. “If I ever…”

Just then, the hospital room door swung open. Amelia walked in, and whatever Ruby had been about to say dissolved on her tongue.

The moment Amelia saw Daniel, her expression soured. “Why are you still here?”

Daniel scoffed. “If only you were half as sweet as Ruby.”

Ruby gave him a quick wink, a silent signal: what they’d just been discussing was their little secret, not to be shared.

Daniel mimicked her, giving a slow, exaggerated wink of his own before standing up with deliberate nonchalance. “Your mom just can’t stand to see us getting along. The moment we start having a good conversation, she has to kick me out. You really ought to give her a talking-to.”

As he passed Amelia, he suddenly leaned in, blocking her path. “Your daughter just handed you over to me. You’d better treat me a little nicer from now on.”

Amelia swung her hand at him, but Daniel was ready—he caught her wrist before she could land the slap.

“Alright, I get it—your warm farewell has been received. See you tomorrow.”

If Ruby hadn’t been there, Amelia probably would’ve hurled a pillow at his head.

Ruby covered her mouth, giggling. She always felt her mom came alive around Mr. Daniel in a way she never did otherwise.

Ruby spent five days in the hospital.

The first thing they did after being discharged was head home to pack their bags. The city’s Natural History Museum was just an hour and a half’s drive away—easily manageable by car.

Amelia had called ahead to let the museum director know about Ruby’s health. The staff kindly opened the museum an hour early for them, so they could avoid the crowds.

“You really love bugs, huh?” Amelia bent down to look with her. “How about we make this a regular thing? Mom can bring you here all the time.”

It could be a long, long time from now. Or it could be as soon as tomorrow.