Running Out of Time (A Philip Hamilton Romance)

The Schuyler Estate

Amelia's POV

We arrived at the Schuyler estate very late at night. Everyone was asleep aside from Mrs. Hamilton. "Alex, I've missed you!" She smiled as she hugged her younger son, "You and Philip will be sharing a room, so go and put your things away. I'm sure you are all exhausted."

We brought our things inside. I was staying in Angie's room since I had, officially, been accepted as part of the family. Angie was already asleep in her bed, so I had to be as quiet as I could while I was getting ready for bed. There was a quiet knock at the door. I opened it just enough to see Philip standing there. "I just wanted to kiss you goodnight," he whispered, beaming at me. I smiled, how could I not? I kissed him, gently, on his lips. I laid my head against the door, "I love you." He booped my nose, "I love you, too. Goodnight, Love." I shut the door and went to bed.

I woke up early the next morning to watch the sun rise over the lake. It was a chilly morning even though it was summer. I heard footsteps behind me and turned. "Oh, Amelia, I'm sorry, did I startle you?" Asked Mr. Hamilton. I smiled, warmly, "No, sir, I was just watching the sunrise." He returned my smile, "Amelia, I want to apologize for my behavior earlier this week. I never intended to harm or scare you." I shook my head, "There's no need to apologize. Philip and I could have handled it better." He put his hands on my shoulders, "I could've done better, as well. Anyway, I want you to know I'm very proud of the young woman you have become. You've come a long way from the little girl I met on the harbor that day." With that, he went back inside.

I sat out on the dock for a little while with my feet in the water. Just feeling the sun on my face. I felt someone sit next to me, but didn't open my eyes. "Good morning, Ami," I heard Philip whisper in my ear. I smiled, "Good morning, Dearest," I turned to him. He kissed my forehead and started playing with my braided auburn hair. "I don't think I've ever seen your hair braided," he teased, "I like it, though." I stuck my tongue out at him, playfully.

I had a sneaky thought and pushed him off the dock. He must've realized what I was about to do because as I pushed him, he grabbed me. We both fell into the water and were soaked. We just sat there in the water laughing. "You're so sneaky!" He snickered. He helped me stand up and we went back to the house to dry off. Everyone was awake by then and looked at us questioningly as we came in.

"Philip, did something happen down at the dock?" Mrs. Hamilton inquired. We started cackling, "We fell off into the water." Angie brought us towels and clothes to change into. We went into our respective rooms and changed for breakfast.

When we sat at the table, everyone else was already eating. Philip cleared his throat and stood at his seat, "I'd like to make an announcement." Mrs. Hamilton glances at me and smiled. All eyes were on Philip, but his were on me, "Miss Amelia Mercier has agreed to become my wife."  Everyone began speaking at once, congratulations all around.

Mrs. Hamilton stood after a few moments, "I have an announcement, as well." We all looked at her, "I'm pregnant," she said, gleefully. Oh, there was so much joy in the room, I can't even describe it. After we all settled and finished breakfast, Mr. Hamilton suggested Philip and I go for a horseback ride since the weather was so nice.

Philip's POV

I set Amelia in the saddle before I got on, so she didn't slip trying to get on after me. I pulled myself up into the saddle behind her. "We could ride separate horses, mon coeur," she giggled at me. I slipped my arms around her waist and took the reins. "Yes, but don't you want to be close to me?" I whispered in her ear. Since we spent the night together, I had wanted to be as close to her as possible.

I got the horse moving towards the woods that led to a river with a pretty clearing that only I knew about. I laid my head on her shoulder, so I could see where we were going. She leaned back against my chest, "Philip?" I turned my head and kissed her cheek, "Yes, Ami?" She smiled, "Where are we going?" I whispered in her ear, "Where I used to go to write when we would visit Grandpa." She shivered at my breath in her ear, "What did you write about back then?" I spurred the horse on as I wanted to get there quickly, "Usually about this girl that had caught my heart when we were seven." She nuzzled my cheek, "You wrote about me?" I grinned as we neared the clearing, "I still do. I always have."

Once we arrived, I hopped off the horse and helped Amelia down. She looked around, "It's beautiful!" I loved watching her look at the trees, always in awe.

I wrapped my arms around her, "This place always made me think of you. I wanted to bring you here, but you were already governess before I found it. And you were so proper around me." She giggled, "Except that one time in the stables." I turned her to look at me, "So we are going to talk about that kiss," I teased. She pushed me, playfully, "Hey, you kissed me, remember?" I grinned, "Yes, I did. And I never wanted it to end." Her eyes twinkled and she slid her arms around my neck, "Well, we have plenty of time now. And we don't have to worry about getting caught anymore."

I pulled her against me and kissed her, deeply. That was so much better than the kiss behind the saddles because I could kiss her as much as I wanted. We pulled apart, both breathing heavily. I hugged her as tightly as I could, "I thought you'd never speak to me again after that kiss."

She ran her fingers through my hair, "Honestly, I wasn't sure I'd be able to. That was the moment I really truly knew I was in love with you. I thought I'd have to hide forever, but I realized that I worked for your family, so that was pretty much impossible."

Her eyes seemed to change color in the sun. Her brown eyes appeared copper to me. "I wish I'd have tried harder to get you to talk about it back then. Maybe we wouldn't have lost so much time together. I pulled her auburn hair loose and tangled my fingers in it. She had the softest hair.

She rubbed her nose against mine, "We have forever now. That's all that matters."
I picked her up like a bride and spun around with her in my arms. She laughed, "Philip, I'm getting dizzy!" I stopped spinning and sat down with her on my lap in the grass. She adjusted, so that we were lying against a tree with her between my legs. She leaned against my chest and gazed up at me. "You have pretty eyes, Ami," I complimented. It was so nice to just be alone with her.

Later that night, there was a storm. My younger siblings were sleeping on the floor of my parents' room. Angie was watching the storm from Aunt Angelica's room because they both liked listening to the rain. Alex has gone to bed early, so he was already asleep. I was writing at my desk when I heard a scream come from the next room.

That's weird. Angie isn't in there which would mean that...

"Oh no," I stood up from my desk quickly and darted out of the room. Amelia was terrified of storms when we were kids, but I hadn't heard her get upset by one in years. I burst in the door, "Ami, are you in here?"