Amelia lay in her bed, staring at her ceiling. She had been exhausted since staying by Joedan's side after his injury. She had slept for the better part of two days after leaving Jeff and Brad with Joedan. She still hadn't heard any word of his waking up yet.
Standing up from her bed, she went to her window and pulled back the blinds, letting some of the sunlight in. She had been putting off a much needed conversation with her father and it was time. Walking over to her wardrobe she picked out some clothes for her meeting. Taking a seat in front of her mirror, she began to run her brush through her locks.
Taking one last look as she headed for her door, she reached for the handle and stepped out into the hallway. Knocking on the door to the Duke's chambers, she waited for him to answer.
"Come in."
Opening the door, Amelia entered her father's chambers. "Father," Amelia said.
"Daughter," he said, smiling back up at her. "It's nice to see you managed to get some rest finally."
"Any word on Joedan?" her father asked.
"Not yet. He's recovering, the doctors are saying the rest is up to him," she said as she made her way over to the seat in front of his desk. Staring at her father awkwardly, she chewed her lip as she thought about how to say what she was about to.
The duke watched as his daughter sat there twirling a strand of her hair. She always did this when she was nervous about something. But he didn't want to make it easier for her, so he just sat patiently waiting for her to speak. Tapping his fingers on the arms of his chair, he smiled again at her. He already knew why she was here.
He knew something had changed between her and Joedan. He'd seen the way his daughter reacted when Joedan had gotten hurt. How stubborn she was to leave his side when he and Griff had tried to get her to go get some rest. Scratching his chin, he raised his eyebrows as he looked her right in the eye.
"Joedan and I are dating." Amelia blurted. So much for tact, she thought to herself as she watched her father's reaction.
"Come again?" the duke asked. He was chuckling on the inside but he wanted to tease her a bit, so he held his face straight. "Did I hear that right?" he asked again.
"And I really hope you'll support us because I don't want to argue with you." Amelia said, gripping her chair, returning a look at her father. She was prepared to lock horns, but she really hoped she didn't have to.
Pausing for a few more moments, the duke stood from his chair and turned towards his window. Looking away from Amelia, he smiled, but she couldn't see it. So his little Amelia had finally told Joedan how she felt, huh? He thought to himself.
"Are you going to say anything?" she asked, growing annoyed that her father wasn't giving her anything.
Turning around, he let out a hearty laugh, "It's about freaking time," he said as he laughed even harder. Rushing over to her side, "So who made the first move?" he said as he took the seat beside her, crossing one leg over the other. "Did Joedan finally grow a set of stones?" he beamed at her.
"Daddy!" she exclaimed, blushing at her father's antics. "If you must know, I made the first move."
"That's my girl!" he said. Amelia was surprised, she thought there might be a little more kickback from her father than this.
"Really? You have no qualms about this?" she asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.
"I have one question, Amelia," her father said, growing serious this time.
"Does he make you happy?"
Amelia was getting emotional. She didn't know why she even worried what her father would say. He had always made it clear to her how much her happiness meant to him.
"I'm not saying this will be easy," he continued, "you still have the responsibilities that come with being the daughter of a duke, and he still has the duties that come with being a soldier in our army."
"You know how fond of Joedan I am, and if anyone has shown their willingness to protect you, it's him," her father continued. Amelia threw her arms around her father, giving him a big hug. Trying to hold back her happy tears, she rested her head against his shoulder.
"Thanks, daddy," she said.
At that moment, Jeff knocked on the door, "Lady Amelia, Duke, sir?"
Rising to their feet both reached for the door. Jeff, standing on the other side, "Joedan is awake."
"Go, daughter," the duke said. "I will be along in just a few minutes."
Turning from her father, Amelia looked at Jeff and the two started off down the hallway towards the clinic.