Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
LOUISA
Despite my doubts about whether or not I’m good for Sam, I can’t stay away from him. He started coming over after work on the weekdays, but when B is home, it’s hard to get privacy. So we started spending time at his house. I felt bad leaving Pepin home alone, so Sam insisted he come along.
Pepin loves Sam’s house. He has a fenced-in yard where he can trot around in the grass. He’ll be out there for hours, and when we check on him through the window, he’s usually napping in the flower bed.
As one can imagine, the landscaping in Sam’s yard is beautiful. The first time I caught Pepin in the flowers, I felt horrible. I ran out there and called him over. Sam just laughed at me and said a yard is meant to be enjoyed, and if Pepin enjoys napping in the flowers, then he’s glad they’re getting some good use. Sam is always sweet like that.
Pepin and Sam are besties. We take him on walks around Sam’s neighborhood, which are much better than the walks I used to do with him near the apartment. There are trails, trees, kids, and lots of other dogs for him to meet.
When I decide to spend the night at my apartment, Pepin is always so bummed to be going back. It makes me feel kind of bad that I had him cooped up in there for a whole year. But I don’t think he minded it until he knew what else was available to him.
Sam bought him a dog bed, food, and toys to keep at his house so we didn’t have to drag it all back and forth. Pepin feels right at home here, and so do I. It’s crazy to think that just a few weeks ago, I thought there was no way we would ever be together. And by a chance encounter, here we are.
I don’t believe in soul mates, and I don’t believe in fate. But those are the only ways I can describe how this happened. And if it truly was fate or we are soulmates, then this could be it. This is the happy ending.
But I can’t shake the feeling it’s not. I got lucky to find a guy like Sam in the first place. I was unlucky to lose him, but I got lucky running into him again. Now, I’m anxiously waiting for the other shoe to drop again. This time, I think it’s going to be me who messes things up. I’m afraid that telling Sam about my depression and what happened before my birthday will scare him away; I wouldn’t blame him.
A door slamming shut pulls me from my thoughts. I turn around and see Sam walking through the back door with Pepin. They were outside playing fetch while I was studying. I told Sam I failed the first exam, and since then, he has been really good about blocking out time for me to study, making sure I stick to it.
Of course, I’d much rather be outside with them, but I need to retake that exam so I can move on to the next one. I’m scheduled to take it next month.
“How’s the studying going? ”
“It’s fine. Boring, but fine.”
He walks into the kitchen and gets himself a drink. His shirt is off, and his chest is glistening with sweat. Muscles flex as he tips the cup back to chug the water. I can’t get over how hot he is. I know I’m staring, but I don’t care. He’s mine, so I’ll stare all I want.
He sets the glass down and walks over to kiss me on the forehead. “You ready for our date tonight?”
A few days ago, Sam and I realized that we hadn’t actually been out on a real date since reconnecting. Sam took it upon himself to plan the entire evening, not letting me in on any part of it.
“Very! Can you finally tell me what we’re doing?”
He smirks. “Nope.” He looks over at the stove to check the time. “Only that it starts in an hour.”
I playfully punch him in the shoulder. “Jerk.”
He winks at me and heads to his room to shower. I follow him so I can start getting ready. I grab the dress I brought over and bring it to the guest bathroom. I need to do my makeup, and I can’t do it in his bathroom with foggy mirrors.
I hang my dress up and plop my makeup bag down. I crawl up onto the counter and sit cross-legged in front of the big mirror. I throw on some music and get to work.
I keep my makeup simple and clean. Sam always tells me that I look great without makeup, so I’m doing a no-makeup makeup look for him. After I finish, I straighten my hair and pin the shorter pieces that hang in the front behind my ears. It’s still warm out, so I picked a short floral dress and some short, chunky heels.
I zip up my dress and walk out to the living room to see if Sam is ready. According to the time he told me, we need to leave in five minutes, so he better be.
When I round the corner into the kitchen, I find him packing a cooler. He hears my heels and looks over at me.
“Damn. You look beautiful, Lou.”
I walk over to him and start playfully touching his back.
“Beautiful enough that you want to just stay here all night and fuck me?”
His back shakes from laughter. He turns around and puts his arms around me, pulling me close. “No. I worked hard planning this, and I’m not going to let you spoil it with your sex appeal.”
“You’re funny.” I go up on my tiptoes and press my lips to his for a soft, brief kiss.
“Alright, the cooler is packed. I’m ready to go, are you?”
I nod and examine his outfit to try and figure out what we’re doing. Sam is dressed in nice navy pants and a white button-down short-sleeved shirt. Nice, but casual. My best guess is a picnic.
We let Pepin out one more time, and then we get into his truck and leave. I look in the back seat to see if I can spot any other hints.
None. Not even a blanket for a picnic.
“You can’t handle not being in control, can you?”
“I’m just a curious woman, that’s all.”
He gives me a side-eye look. “Sure, whatever you say, Lou.”
I playfully punch his arm. Ouch. It hurts me more than it hurts him when I do that.
We drive for a while until we pull up to a restaurant. Sam parks the car, and we walk to the entrance. It’s an Italian restaurant I’ve never been to before. The inside is cozy, with only 15 tables max. It looks like a little Ma and Pa restaurant, which usually means the food is delicious .
Sam gives the hostess our name, and she seats us at a table for two in the back.
“Have you been here before?”
“No, my mom actually recommended it.”
“You were telling your mom about our date?”
“Of course. Her and Quinn were sending all sorts of suggestions in the family group chat.”
I know Sam talks to his mom on the phone several times a week, but I didn’t know they talked about me. I grab the drink menu and hold it up to hide my giddy smile.
The waiter comes over, and we order our drinks.
Sam reaches his hand across the table, and I place my hand in his. His thumb rubs back and forth over my knuckles as he reads his menu. Is it pathetic that such a simple gesture means so much to me? That I'm swooning over a man because he's holding my hand in public?
Jay never took me to nice places. At first, I thought it was because we were poor and in college. But once we graduated and got jobs, things didn't change.
I'm still learning what life with Sam could be like, and I'm curious if this is a regular occurrence for him. "Do you go out to eat at nice restaurants a lot?"
"Not really. I used to go to some nice dinners when my brothers and I were with Joel."
"I sometimes forget that you have an incredibly wealthy father."
"Isn't that why you're with me, for the inheritance?"
"Oh, shut up." I shake my head at him and roll my eyes.
The rest of the dinner was lovely. We chatted about places we have traveled and the places we want to go. Sam went on a lot of vacations with his family when he was younger, always to extremely expensive places. But from what he told me, it sounds like it wasn't all that glamorous. It was a classic example of ‘money can't buy you happiness.’
I traveled a few times in college with friends, and those were some of the greatest adventures of my life. Backpacking across Spain and hiking in Patagonia were life-changing experiences for me.
After we finish our tiramisu, we walk back to his truck, and he starts to drive without saying anything about where we're going. A few minutes later, we pull up to an old-fashioned ice cream shop.
"More dessert?"
"Well, this was the original plan, but you were so excited when you saw tiramisu on the menu that I wanted you to have that too. So now we get a second dessert."
"I'm stuffed. But I'm sure I can find some room in here." I pat my stomach, pushing it out to look bigger.
"Good, because this is the best ice cream you'll ever have."
"That's a bold statement, Sam Carlyle. Are you prepared for me to disagree with you?"
"You won't, trust me." He takes my hand, and we cross the street.
"Doubling down, so confident! I guess we'll just have to see."
It was the best ice cream I have ever eaten. I want to punch Sam in his adorably smug face when I admit it to him.
I watch the muscles on his arm flex as he turns the steering wheel. Why is that so hot? I tilt my head and lean into him, resting my head on his upper arm. He reaches his hand across his chest and strokes my hair. I take in a deep breath and let it out.
This is joy. This is bliss. Simple, attainable happiness.
On the drive home, Sam gets cut off and has to slam on his breaks. I hear something clunk off the back seat onto the floor. Looking back, I see the cooler that I forgot was back there.
"What was the cooler for?"
By the look on his face, I can tell he's been waiting for me to ask. "It was just to throw you off since I knew you were going to try to figure it out.
"That is cruel!" I let my jaw drop, mouth hanging open in disbelief.
"I did what I had to do. Sorry if I got your hopes up for a picnic."
"That's okay, we can do that next time." I squeeze his hand, and he squeezes mine right back.
We pull into the driveway and park the car. Sam goes into the back seat and grabs the cooler. We walk through the door, and Pepin immediately greets us. That's strange because usually he's passed out on the couch, and when we get home, it takes him a second to wake up.
"Hey Lou, I think I left the porch light on." He points to the back door, which has a faint glow behind it. "Would you mind running over and shutting it off?"
I walk over to the back door and look out to see which light was left on. I'm shocked by what I see. Sam comes up behind me and puts his hands on my arms.
"Do you like it?"
I turn around and give him a big hug. "I love it."
He grabs the cooler off of the counter and walks back with Pepin by his side, eager to get to the backyard. I open the back door and step outside to where Sam's surprise is waiting for us.
Strings of twinkle lights are strung from the fence to the gutters on the house. There's a sheet stretched out over a metal frame, and a projector shines on it with an image of Sam and me, a picture I took the other day. In front of the screen is a large, cushy loveseat with pillows and blankets strewn all over it. Flameless candles line the path to the setup.