10. Sammy
CHAPTER TEN
sammy
Seeing her in pajamas made me want to cart her back upstairs, toss her on her bed, and worship every part of her. The thought of hauling her over my shoulder and taking her made me shift uncomfortably, all too aware of the fact I couldn’t just do that because we weren’t alone.
It took all my willpower to keep my cock at bay.
“Hey,” I rasped.
“Hey,” she whispered. Her eyes darted to the side and she grabbed my forearm, dragging me down the hall and out onto the screened back porch. She crossed her arms, hugging herself. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m sorry to intrude. I brought your keys and car,” I said.
“Oh. I thought Keith said it would take all weekend.”
“He pulled some strings.” Basically, I’d driven out at the ass crack of dawn to a shop that had the parts, and brought them back for Keith. “I’m concerned that someone cut the hose, Sarah.”
“Me too,” she sighed. “You didn’t have to do all that, you know? He said he owed you a favor. ”
“It’s no big deal.”
“It is,” she said. “What… What are we doing? I have two kids. I’m divorced from a man who hurt people you love. You don’t want to be around someone with so much baggage.”
“Why not?” I asked.
I was so sure of this. In fact, I couldn’t think of another time I’d been so sure of something.
Sarah was a shooting star through my dark skies. I couldn’t just walk away from a wish granted, especially when it was one I never knew I’d made until now.
I wanted her.
“Do you want to date Colton?” I asked.
She winced. “It’s… I don’t know. Maybe?”
“And you’re interested in me too?”
“Yeah,” she whispered. “I’m interested in you, Sammy. I have no fucking clue why you’re interested in me, though.”
I took a step closer. I didn’t touch her, even though every part of my body begged me to. “You’re smart, beautiful, funny, and strong. You’re so fucking strong. And brave.”
Her brown eyes widened. I leaned in, our lips a breath apart.
“I don’t know why I didn’t see you before, but I see you now. You’re so damn bright, it’s blinding. I can’t breathe when we’re in the same room. I could sit and talk to you for hours. I could sit and never say a word.”
Her lips formed a soft O .
I reached down and took her hand gently, closing her keys in her palm. I circled my fingers around her wrist, feeling the tremor of her heartbeat.
“Let me know when you’re ready,” I said. “And I will be here. Okay?”
She swallowed hard and nodded. “Okay. I will.”
“But don’t take too long,” I whispered. “Please. ”
I released her and left the porch, heading back through the house. I’d left my car at the mechanic’s, so I was going to walk back.
I paused to say goodbye to the boys. “I’m about to head out,” I said. “What are y’all up to?”
“Seeing a movie,” Davy said.
“Why don’t you come to the movie with us?” Jake asked.
“He doesn’t care about that,” Davy snapped at Jake, crossing his arms. “Dad never did, remember? He said movies are stupid.”
I shook my head. Mentally, it was just another reason to hate David. How could someone hate the movies? How could someone say that shit to their kid? “I love movies.”
“How about you take my ticket?” Emma asked politely. She was perched on a chair, her gaze tracking me. Donnie sat on her lap wearing purple pajamas, tongue lolling as he eyed me with the same interest. There might have been a hint of coercion to get me to go, but I was an easy sell.
I thought about it for a moment. A movie sounded great, but I didn’t want to make Sarah feel like she had to let me go, even if both boys wanted me to. “Only if your mom says yes,” I said.
Jake beamed. “Mom! Can Sammy go with us?”
His voice echoed through the entire house. I fought a laugh as he took off to find her. Davy continued to study me quietly.
Both of them were growing so fast. I could have sworn at least an inch taller since I’d seen them a few weeks ago at Christmas.
“Do you really want to see a movie with us?” Davy asked me. He looked up at me, scrutinizing me. He wasn’t impressed, but he seemed open to what I had to say.
“Yeah, bud,” I said. “I really do. ”
He stared for a moment and then nodded. “Alright, I guess. I’ll ask Mom too.”
The moment he was out of the living room, I looked up at Emma. She drummed her pink nails on the chair’s arm.
“You got any questions for me?” I asked.
“Plenty of them. But I’ll save it for another time. If you were anyone else in this town, I’d make you work a lot harder to even step foot in our house.” Emma got up and walked over to me, five feet of pure sass. I towered over her by a foot and a half, and it didn’t matter. She held herself with the confidence of a star quarterback. “Sarah has been through hell. If you do a single thing to upset her, I don’t care if you’re Cam’s brother. I will bury you. Understood?”
“I like knowing you’re as protective of her as you are of Haley,” I said. And I meant it. It made me happy to know that Sarah had people who cared for her.
“After my sister died, I didn’t have anyone else until I met Haley. And now there’s Sarah.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. I didn’t know that about her. I’d always assumed Emma was an only child.
Her eyes darkened and she sighed. “It’s okay. I have them both now. And the boys too. They’ve been through so much, Sammy.”
“I know.”
“Do you? Are you sure you know how much it’s been?”
The implication behind her words, spoken slowly and clearly, hit me hard.
“I just want you to think about it,” Emma continued. “You’re the first person Sarah has been interested in like this after David. A man she was married to for years who didn’t support her. Who smothered her. Who she had two children with, who are also hurt by his actions. Davy and Jake are constantly dealing with shit at school. They’re also in therapy, which is expensive. Sarah works herself to death to provide for them. All of this is without the layer of shit from Thomas Connor.”
I swallowed hard. “I care about her, Emma. I’m aware of what happened–”
“But you haven’t been there to see her pick up the pieces the way I have. And I’m telling you here and now, you’d better be serious. This had better not be a fling. This had better not just be a crush you’re chasing. Because Sarah deserves better than that.”
“I’m not entirely sure what this is yet,” I said honestly. “But I genuinely care about Sarah. I realize there is a lot I’ve missed or haven’t seen, and I’ll think about what you’ve said. But that doesn’t change me wanting to take her on a date to get to know her more.”
She pinned me with a heavy look for a long second, then nodded. “I believe you.”
My shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Thank you.”
Her expression softened into a faint smile. “Maybe think about if you’re ready to be a dad as well.”
Before I could say anything else, she turned on her heel. She left the room as I reeled in what she’d said, mind spinning. Donnie hobbled after her.
I was conflicted standing there, but I waited for the final verdict from Sarah. Despite Colt hating my guts and Emma’s warning, I wanted to go out with Sarah and her boys.
Jake popped around the corner. “She said yes.”
I grinned. “Excellent. I’ll buy the good candy.”
His eyes widened with excitement. I had a feeling Jake would be easy to win over.
I looked up, spotting Davy watching us with a frown.
He would be a lot harder.
Sarah reappeared breathlessly, ruffling his hair. He relaxed against her, still eyeing me. “Alright, I have to get ready. Give me twenty and I’ll be back down. We don’t want to be late. Sammy, are you sure you want to go?”
“He took my ticket,” Emma called from somewhere in the house. “He’s going.”
I smiled. “I want to.”
Sarah smiled back. “Okay. Wait here.”
“I’m not going anywhere, angel.”