When Love Is Unexpected: A Sweet Fake Relationship Friends To Lovers Romance

15. Chapter 15

At church, I”m introduced as Sam”s girlfriend to more family members, friends, and pastors Erwin and Vanessa Duncan. Where have I heard the name Duncan before?

”It”s nice to meet you,” I say, extending my hand to the pastor and his wife. Pastor Duncan smiles and shakes my hand firmly, but his wife offers me a dead fish handshake—the type my parents warned us about and taught us never to use. Why do I get the feeling that she doesn”t like me?

After church, we stop by a sandwich shop for a catered lunch of sandwiches, salad, chips, and cookies. It looks like a lot of family will be joining us for lunch back at the house.

I want to ask Robert and Alice why Sam has such a strong aversion to attending church, but I think better of it. Maybe they”ll think that as his girlfriend, I should know.

I wonder if Dad knows. Nothing gets past my father, and I distinctly remember him being in the room several times when I invited Sam to church, and he said no.

”We”re home!” Alice announces when we enter the house. Tiffany is making a pitcher of lemonade in the kitchen, and Josh is setting up the tables on the patio.

”Where”s Sam?” I ask.

”He must still be upstairs,” says Josh. ”We haven”t seen him since breakfast.”

As I walk up the stairs to the balcony, I can hear the clicking of the keyboard. I find Sam sitting on a patio chair, working on his laptop.

”Hey,” he says as soon as he sees me.

”Did you miss me?” I ask, walking up to him.

”I did,” he says, putting his laptop aside before standing.

”How much did you miss me?” I ask.

”Let me show you,” he says, hugging me. His arms feel like home.

”I met more of your family and friends at church,” I say.

”Oh yeah? he asks, ”I bet they”re all wondering what a gorgeous woman like you is doing with me.”

”Haven”t you heard?” I ask, ”You”re a total hottie.”

When I look up at him, his eyes are an ocean of turquoise blue gazing back at me.

”I thought you said you weren”t the least bit attracted to me.”

”I lied,” I say.

When he kisses me, I close my eyes and let myself get lost in his arms.

”I love the way you kiss me,” I say when his lips leave mine.

When he smiles at me, my heart melts.

”Everyone”s downstairs?” he asks. ”I”m hungry.”

”Yes,” I say, ”and I think we”re expecting company.”

”Yeah, Tiffany mentioned it earlier.”

”I”m going to change into something more casual,” I say. ”I”ll meet you down there?”

I change into a pink sleeveless wrap dress and put on some comfortable strappy sandals. I touch up the little makeup I have on, apply strawberry lip balm, and head downstairs.

I”m glad I can remember people”s names as I weave my way through the crowd forming on the patio and inside the house.

”Laila,” says Abby, ”this is my husband, Andrew.” Andrew is a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark brown hair and kind hazel eyes. I also meet Emma”s fiancé, Luke. He”s tall and slim, with curly light brown hair and gray eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. He has a dimpled chin and a nice smile that makes me smile back at him. After talking to both couples for a few minutes, I head down a long hallway searching for Sam. As I get closer, I hear his deep voice talking to someone.

”Did you call Tricia?” asks a woman who sounds like Amanda.

”I called her this morning,” says Sam. ”I let her know I”ll be at the reunion.”

”Did you tell her you have a girlfriend?”

”I let her know I”ll be bringing a date.”

When I enter the room, they smile, and Sam walks over and reaches for my hand.

”Hi, Laila,” says Amanda in passing. ”I”m going to help Mom and Aunt Alice in the kitchen.”

”That”s where I know the name from!” I exclaim. ”Duncan was the last name of the reunion organizer. Tricia Duncan.”

”Yeah,” says Sam. ”I spoke to her this morning.

”Any relation to your pastors?” I ask. ”I met them this morning.”

”Yes,” he says. ”They”re her parents.”

”So, you know her,” I say.

”We went to the same schools growing up,” he says.

”And the same church,” I say.

”Yes, and the same church,” he says, nodding. ”Ready for lunch?”

This time, we sit at the dining table with Sam”s parents and both sets of grandparents.

”Mr. Jameson,” I say, addressing Sam”s grandfather, ”Sam reminds me a lot of you.”

”All my grandkids call me Pops,” he says, ”so please call me Pops.”

”Sam is very sweet,” I say, smiling. ”I”ve noticed you”re the same way, especially with Janice.”

”Robert and I started dating in high school,” says Janice. ”He”s always been very loving.”

Robert is looking at Janice the way Sam looks at me.

Martin and Ruth, Sam”s maternal grandparents, are lovely people as well.

”I can see why Sam is such a loving, nurturing, caring, and honest human being,” I say to everyone at the table. ”He has an amazing family.”

I remember what Mom told me last week, ”Your dad wasn”t wrong about Adam or Aaron. He”s not wrong about Sam.”

When Sam leans over and whispers, ”I have something to tell you,” I notice the pensive look on his face.

”What?” I ask, squeezing his hand.

The phone rings, interrupting us. I look at the caller ID and show it to Sam.

”I”ll be right back,” I tell him before I excuse myself to look for a quiet spot where I can take the call.

”Hi, Eric,” I say, walking out the front door.

”Hi, Laila,” he says. ”Did I call you at a bad time?”

”I have a few minutes,” I say, sitting on a bench at the far end of the porch. ”How are you doing?”

”Well,” he begins, ”yesterday I got lectured up one side and down the other by all the men in your family. The only one missing was your little nephew, Jon. I have no doubt that if anyone ever tried to hurt you or your sisters, there would be hell to pay.”

I let out an involuntary snort when I try to stifle a giggle.

”You”re laughing,” he says. ”She”s laughing.”

When he starts laughing, too, I know everything”s going to be okay between us.

”I”m sorry,” I say. ”You”re talking about my dad and two brothers-in-law. It couldn”t have been that bad.”

”Oh, it was bad,” he says. ”But don”t worry, they fed me afterward.”

I”m so relieved to hear the relaxed tone in his voice.

”What did they say?” I ask, wanting to hear all about it.

”Well,” he says, ”your dad was very kind. He put the word son in front of all his warnings. He said, ”Son, I understand this break up is hard for you, but if this nonsense doesn”t stop immediately, dealing with me will be much, much harder.” Followed by, ”Son, Laila is my baby, and if she”s not happy, I”m not happy.” All I could say was, ”Yes, Sir.””

”What about Adam?” I ask. ”You two are friends.”

”Adam said, ”Laila is my little sister, not by blood but by love. I will protect her. You understand what I”m saying?” His stare was so intense I couldn”t even maintain eye contact. Yeah, I understood exactly what he was saying.”

”I”m sure Aaron was the diplomat in the group,” I say.

”Aaron showed up wearing a t-shirt that said World”s Best Bro-In-Law on the front.”

”No, he didn”t!” I giggle.

”Yeah, yeah,” says Eric. ”He sat across from me, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his arms in front of him.”

”So he didn”t say anything,” I say.

”His biceps could”ve done all the talking,” says Eric. “But no, he said, ”I”m only going to say this once: if Laila”s uncomfortable, I”m uncomfortable. Don”t make me uncomfortable.””

”Yikes,” I say, laughing.

”Later,” Eric continues, ”when we all got up to leave, Adam shook my hand and said, ”I”ve known you for almost three years, Brother. I think you”re a good man. Do not prove me wrong.””

”You are a good man,” I say.

”I think Adam”s comment is what snapped me out of the funk I was in. So, in short, I”m calling to apologize.”

”I accept your apology,” I say.

”So, are we good?” he asks.

”Yes,” I say, ”we”re good.”

”Friends?” he asks.

”Yes,” I say, smiling. ”Friends.”

”Enjoy the rest of your vacation,” he says before we end the call.

When I go back in the house Sam is nowhere to be found.

When I ask Abby where her brother is, she says, ”He’s in the office making a phone call.”

I”m almost certain Sam”s phone call is to Dad.

I accept the chocolate chip cookie Abby offers me and follow her to the patio where Emma, Luke, Andrew, Tiffany, and Amanda are sitting.

”We”re all going line dancing on Tuesday night,” says Emma. ”You and Sam should come with us.”

”I”m not much of a country music fan,” I say. ”And I”ve never been line dancing.”

”Well,” Andrew says, ”Sam must really like you because he always said he”d never date anyone who didn”t appreciate country music.”

”Is that right?” I say. ”Then, I”d love to go!”

When Sam joins us, he sits next to me and holds my hand. ”Is everything ok?” I ask.

”Everything”s fine,” he says. ”That was your dad. He called to fill me in on the talk they had with Eric.”

”So, he calls you? I ask, ”Must I remind him who”s his kid here?”

”So, everything”s ok with Eric?” Sam asks.

”Yeah,” I say. ”He apologized.”

”Good,” he says, ”You”ll have to tell me about it later.”

”Hey, buddy,” Luke says, ”ready to play some golf tomorrow?”

”As ready as I”ll ever be,” says Sam.

”That”s right,” I say, ”and Tuesday, we”re going line dancing.”

”You hate country music,” Sam says.

”But I like you.” I say, ”I told you I”d go anywhere with you.”

”Does that include a country bar?” he asks.

I smile and nod, ”So, you want to teach me line dancing?”

”Right now?” he asks.

”Right now!” I say.

”That was fun!” I say when we walk into our room, tired but elated.

”I”m going to shower,” Sam says.

”Okay,” I say, ”I”m going to call Loren to see how she”s doing.”

”I think you”re going to call her to ask about Aaron”s Best Bro-In-Law T-shirt,” he says, closing the bathroom door behind him.

I don”t have to ask Loren about it because I gave Aaron that shirt as a wedding gift.

When Sam comes out of the bathroom, he”s drying his hair with a towel. He”s wearing pajama pants, but he”s not wearing a shirt. I can see the small tattoo from here. Maybe his sisters know about it. I make a mental note to ask them tomorrow.

”What are you doing tomorrow?” he asks.

”I”m going shopping for a couple of dresses, jeans, a cowboy shirt, a hat, and boots.”

”Are you kidding?” he asks.

”I don”t kid about fashion,” I say, walking by him to go into the bathroom.

Thirty minutes later, I walk into the room after my shower and find Sam fast asleep on the bed.

He looks so peaceful. He really is beautiful. I tiptoe to the side of the bed and lean down to kiss him gently on the lips.

Before I know what”s happening, he wakes up, reaches for me, and brings me down on top of him, and with one little turn, I find myself pinned under him.

”Sorry,” he says. ”That was a reflex move.”

”You”re quick,” I say, feeling dizzy and breathless.

When he kisses me, I close my eyes and get lost in the moment. I enjoy the taste of his lips and the warmth of his body next to mine. I love to feel his arms around me.

When he puts his hand on my hip, I snap back to reality and immediately extract myself from his arms.

”I”m sorry,” he says.

”It”s okay,” I say, standing to my feet. ”Don”t apologize.”

”Why do I feel like I did something wrong?” he asks, running his fingers through his hair.

”Sam, I need to tell you something.”

”What is it?” he asks.

”I”ve never been with a man.”