Chapter 14
FAYE
PRESENTATION EXECUTION PROTOCOL
Priority Level: LIFE-CHANGING
Status: TERRIFIED BUT DETERMINED
FINAL CHECKLIST:
Laptop fully charged
Backup drive secured
40 44 43 48 51 52 slides perfected
Real estate analysis updated
Breathing exercises completed
Stop adding new slides!!!
POTENTIAL COMPLICATIONS:
1. Technical difficulties
2. Emotional overload
3. Sam's smile
4. Sam's eyes
5. Sam
Note: FOCUS ON PRESENTATION
CONTINGENCY PLANS:
A) Backup PowerPoint on phone
B) Hard copies of key slides
C) Emergency exit routes mapped
D) Cardiac resuscitation plan
KEY PRESENTATION POINTS:
- Statistical evidence of compatibility
- Future projection models
- Risk/reward analysis
- The way he makes my heart race
Note: EMPHASIZE LAST ITEM
Current Status: T-minus 2 minutes to revelation
Threat Level: MAXIMUM
Personal Note: Just tell him you love him
T he thing about controlling everything is that sometimes the most powerful moments come when you finally let go.
I’d watched Sam up there on that stage tonight and the whole world had faded into the background as he stepped into the spotlight, alone but for the guitar in his hands.
I’d seen the look in his eyes—focused, intense, like he was about to pour every part of himself into the song. And when he started to play, every chord, every lyric, I’d know it was written just for me.
I was in awe of his courage—how he’d stood there, putting everything on the line, without knowing if I’d feel the same way. He’d spent years quietly loving me, supporting me, waiting for the moment when I’d finally be ready to let him in. Tonight, even knowing he might lose me, he’d taken that leap, baring his heart in front of thousands of people, just to make sure I knew what I meant to him.
He made me realize just how afraid I’d been. How many years I’d spent building walls, creating a life that was so carefully curated, so meticulously planned, because deep down, I was terrified of being vulnerable. I was terrified of letting someone see the real me, the messy parts, the parts that didn’t have all the answers.
But Sam… he already knew. And he loved me in spite of it all. Despite of it all. Or maybe because of it all.
I pulled Sam into his trailer, my laptop clutched in my free hand, my heart thundering against my ribs. He looked beautiful and uncertain in the soft lighting, still wearing his stage clothes—dark jeans and a black button-down with the sleeves rolled up. His hair was damp with sweat, his eyes wide with something between hope and hurt.
"Faye—"
"No." I held up a hand. "You got to say everything with your songs. Now it's my turn."
I opened my laptop, hands shaking slightly as I pulled up my presentation. Fifty-two slides of my heart laid bare in the only way I knew how.
Sam's eyes widened as he saw the title slide:
A Comprehensive Analysis of Why Samuel Dogg and Faye Moyo Should Consider a Permanent Merger of Hearts: A Five to Fifty Year Projection
A laugh burst from his chest—surprised and tender and a little bit wet. "Of course."
"What?"
"Of course you'd answer my heart's song with spreadsheets and slides." His smile was soft, wondering. "Of course you'd plan your way into loving me."
"I..." My carefully prepared script fled. "Is that okay?"
He crossed to me in two strides, one hand cupping my face while the other steadied my laptop. "Faye Moyo, it's the most perfect thing I've ever seen."
"You haven't even seen the real estate analysis yet."
"There's a real estate analysis?"
"With projected market valuations for potential future homes." I bit my lip. "And a separate section on dog parks. And maybe a timeline for..." I gestured vaguely. "You know. Future occupants."
"Future..." His eyes widened. "Faye, did you make a PowerPoint about our future fur-babies?"
"I made a PowerPoint about everything." I set the laptop down, suddenly needing my hands free. "Because that's what I do. I plan. I organize. I control. But you..." I touched his chest, feeling his heart race under my palm. "You make me want to color outside the lines a little."
"Only a little?" His hand was warm on my cheek.
"Baby steps." I managed a shaky smile. "I did include a projected timeline for spontaneous date nights. Color-coded by activity level and required preparation time."
He laughed again, that full, rich sound I'd unknowingly been collecting for years. "I love you."
"I know. I have an entire section analyzing the linguistic patterns in your lyrics that?—"
His kiss cut me off.
And for once in my life, I didn't mind losing control of the narrative.
When we finally parted, his forehead resting against mine, I whispered, "I love you too. In case that wasn't clear from the fifty-two slides of statistical evidence."
"Fifty-two? I thought you said fifty?"
"I may have added a few while waiting in the wings." I wound my arms around his neck. "The last two are about tonight's song and its impact on our relationship metrics."
"You're incredible." He kissed me again, softer this time. "Absolutely incredible."
"So... you want to see the rest of the presentation?"
His smile lit up his whole face. "Baby, I want to see every color-coded chart you've ever made."
I reached for my laptop, but he caught my hand.
"But first..." He pulled me close again. "I think I need to kiss you some more. You know, for the data set."
"That's not very professional," I murmured against his lips.
"Good thing I'm not trying to be professional anymore." His eyes were bright with joy and mischief. "I'm just a brown-eyed boy in love with a brown-eyed girl who plans happiness in perfect little rows."
"And graphs," I added. "Don't forget the graphs."
"Never." He kissed my nose. "They're my favorite part."
And somehow, that was the most romantic thing he could have said.
His next kiss was different—deeper, hungrier. The kind of kiss that made PowerPoints and presentations seem very far away. I pressed closer, feeling his heart race under my palm as his hands slid down my back.
"We should..." I gasped as his mouth found my neck. "The presentation..."
"Later." His voice was rough against my skin. "Right now I need..."
"What?"
He pulled back, his eyes dark and earnest. "You. Just you. No plans, no pretending. Just us."
Something inside me melted. "Sam..."
"Tell me to stop."
I wound my fingers in his hair, pulling him back to me. "Don't you dare."
His hands found the zipper of my dress as mine worked on his shirt buttons. Every touch felt charged, important. This wasn't like the desperate heat of the elevator. This was slower, sweeter, but somehow more intense.
Because this time we weren't pretending.
This time we weren't running.
This time we were choosing this. Choosing us.
"You're thinking too much," he murmured, pressing kisses along my collarbone.
"I'm always thinking too much."
His laugh vibrated against my skin. "I know. It's one of the things I love about you."
He backed me toward the small bed in the corner of his trailer, laying me down with a gentleness that made my heart ache.
"You're beautiful," he whispered, looking at me like I was something precious. "So damn beautiful."
I reached for him, needing him closer. Needing to show him with touch what I couldn't say with words. His skin was warm under my hands, familiar from years of careful distance, new with permission to explore.
When he finally moved over me, his weight a perfect anchor, something settled in my chest. Like coming home. Like finding something I hadn't known I was missing.
"Faye?" His voice was soft, uncertain.
"Yes?"
"I've loved you for so long."
I pulled him down to me, letting my body say what my heart had been too scared to admit. Let myself get lost in the feel of him, in the sounds he made, in the way he whispered my name like a prayer.
For once, I didn't try to control anything.
Didn't try to plan.
Just felt.
Just loved.
Just... was.
After, when we lay tangled in sheets and moonlight, his fingers tracing patterns on my spine, I whispered, "I added a contingency plan for this, you know."
His laugh rumbled under my ear. "Of course you did."
"Slide forty-seven." I pressed a kiss to his chest. "Physical compatibility metrics and projected intimacy schedules."
"Schedules?" He rolled us so he could look at me properly. "You made a sex schedule?"
"I like to be thorough."
His kiss was soft, laughing. "Show me."
"Now?"
"Mmm." His hands started wandering again. "We should probably make sure your data is accurate. For science."
I reached for my laptop. "I did include several scenarios that require immediate testing..."
"God, I love you." He pulled me back into his arms catching my mouth in a hungry kiss.
Happy New Year to me.