Chapter 27- Sam
We walked into that hotel lobby looking like two people who’d been doing exactly what we’d been doing—fucking in the rain.
I could tell by the all-white marble and fresh flowers and bellhops that smelled like cologne samples that this bitch was going to be expensive.
My shirt and jeans were still half wet. It had been a terrible idea to have sex in the rain, but I couldn’t help myself. I never could when it came to her.
People looked up from couches and cocktails like we didn’t belong there. But I couldn’t bring myself to give a single fuck.
I waited behind a white dude that reminded me of my father—the relaxed, down-to-earth type. His wife kept looking back at me with a snooty look on her face. But I didn’t pay her any attention. My mind was back in the field of sunflowers.
I still couldn’t believe Zane had exchanged “I love yous,” but it had slipped out of both our mouths too easily. There was no second-guessing, just the truth soaking into our skin like the rain we’d lost ourselves in. And I could tell she meant it when she said it—I saw the tear she tried to hide.
This shit kind of felt surreal, because I thought I’d been in love before. With Janet. But now I realize that was just convenience. I wanted to settle down, and I convinced myself Janet was the one. But now, when I think about it, I don’t even think I ever really liked her.
Maybe the same would happen with Zane.
The thought crept in before I could stop it. I turned to look at her.
Zane’s hair clung to her face like wild vines. She stood by the elevator, covering her hard chest with her arms. She was trying to be unnoticed, but with her white dress clinging to her body and her pretty face, she was hard not to notice—at least to me.
She looked like love to me… the real kind. The kind that ruins your plans, fucks with your logic. She noticed me looking at her. She smiled in my direction, and my heart jumped. I sighed. I was gone.
I got the key cards and headed upstairs. The suite smelled like eucalyptus and money. The lights were soft, the bed was huge, and the A/C was blowing too cold for me.
I dropped our bags and peeled off my damp shirt. I had an extra one in my gym bag, but Zane had nothing. We hadn’t planned on staying. She glanced over at me as I took the jar of moonshine I’d bought from the bag.
“You really brought moonshine on a day trip?” she said, hands on her hips, grinning.
I chuckled but paused when I looked at her. “Yeah. I always stop and buy one when I’m up this way. I wasn’t going to drink it. The owner can make it taste like strawberry cheesecake. You should try it.”
As soon as I said the words, something clicked in my head. I’d been fucking her for weeks.
Raw.
No pulling out. Just straight fucking.
She reached for the jar and twisted the lid.
“Hold up,” I said, suddenly serious.
She blinked. “Why not?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Because you shouldn’t drink on an empty stomach. Just go hop in the shower, alright? I’ma run to the store real quick. Grab us some stuff. We’ll order room service, then the drinks.”
She frowned a little but didn’t push. “Okay. Don’t take forever.” She handed me the jar and sauntered out of the room.
I left fast.
Went to the Target down the block, grabbed T-shirts, shorts, toothbrushes, deodorant—random shit I thought she might need. Then I stood in front of the pregnancy test section trying to figure out what test to buy. I picked up two brands. Just in case.
I grabbed her favorite candy too, the nasty things shaped like little dots that tasted like Play-Doh. I didn’t overthink buying the test. It was just in case. But cool and calm didn’t last past checkout.
By the time I got back to the room, my nerves were tight and my palms were sweating. She was sitting on the edge of the bed in one of the hotel towels, drying off.
She looked up when I walked in, and my chest squeezed.
“Got you some stuff,” I said, setting the bag on the dresser.
Her eyes went through it fast, then stopped when she saw the pink box.
Her lips parted. “Sam…”
I sat down across from her, leaned forward with my elbows on my knees.
“I need you to take that,” I said, quiet. “Please.”
She held my gaze for a long second, then nodded slowly. “Okay.”
She went into the bathroom without another word.
I sat still. Counting seconds. Thinking about how we’d been reckless under the circumstances but not being able to conjure up a bit of shame or guilt. We didn’t start this. Janet and Mark did.
Five minutes felt like twenty.
When the door finally opened, she didn’t say anything. Just walked over to the nightstand and turned the test around so I could see it.
Two lines.
Clear as day.
Shit.
“Shit,” I said out loud before I could stop myself.
Her face shifted from neutral to sad. Her eyes dropped and her whole body went tight.
“You mad?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“No,” I said quickly, standing. I cupped her face in my hands. “No, no. I’m not mad. I swear.”
She still looked unsure, like she was bracing for me to say something fucked up.
“I’m just thinking,” I said. “I gotta move my whole damn timeline up now.”
She blinked. “Timeline?”
“Yeah. My divorce. Your divorce. The wedding. All of it has to come before little SamKeisha gets here.”
There was an awkward moment of silence before she blinked, then burst out laughing.
“I swear to God you are not naming my baby SamKeisha—”
I kissed her, tasting her mouth.
This wasn’t how I planned to do things.
But none of this had been planned.
Suddenly, she jerked back, eyes on mine, plush lips in a small “O.”
“Did you just say wedding?”