Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
SAM
Lou and I are back in her hometown to spend Christmas with her family. We did Christmas Eve with my mom and Quinn last night at my house again. It was just the four of us, and I couldn't be happier.
My mom has met Lou several times now, and they are two peas in a pod. We played games all night, and I swear they were ganging up on me.
We cleaned up the house this morning and then got on the road. I've met her parents before, but I haven't been back home with her yet. Since Thanksgiving was a difficult one this year, being the anniversary of Jacob's death, Lou insisted we stay and spend the entire weekend with my family. She was right by my side the whole time.
We pull into the driveway of her parents’ house, and B comes running out the front door to greet us. I watch her running, and one second she was there; the next, she wasn't. Lou and I both look at each other and jump out of the car. As soon as my door opens, I hear B laughing hysterically. We walk to the front of the car and find B flat on her back, having slipped on a big patch of ice.
Lou shakes her head, laughing. "You idiot."
I can't help but laugh too because only B would sprint on a driveway in winter and not look for ice.
B is still laughing and crying. "Quit laughing at me and help me up, you jerks."
We each grab a hand and hoist her up carefully. Despite our efforts, in a matter of seconds, we are all on the ground, roaring with laughter.
We manage to crawl our way to the car and stand. We unload our bags and make it to the salt path that their dad made leading to the garage door.
We walk in and are greeted by the sweet smell of cookies baking in the oven. The Christmas tree is lit up in a multitude of colors, filled with mismatched and handmade ornaments. I walk closer to get a better look.
There's one that's from Lou's first Christmas, several that were clearly made by a child, and a few that look so old and delicate, likely family heirlooms.
Lou walks up behind me. "Welcome to my childhood." I turn around to see her arms spread wide
I spin around, taking in all the decorations, all the pictures on the walls, and the cozy feel that the real fireplace gives it. "It's adorable."
"It's a lot." Lou lifts her eyebrows, opening her eyes wide.
I get what she means. You can definitely tell B grew up here, but Lou's style is completely different. She hates chaos and thrives on simplicity. But I like it; it feels lived in. It feels like a home.
Growing up with Joel's endless rotation of sleek and modern homes was stale and depressing. The contrast is comforting. And even though I lost a parent when I chose never to speak to my dad again, I at least have a wonderful replacement with Lou's family.
They have been so warm and welcoming every time they’ve come to visit. I keep asking Lou if they are always like that, and she reassures me that neither of her parents has a mean bone in their body.
Lou walks me to the kitchen, where her parents are busy cooking. The rest of the extended family is arriving later today, and I'm anxious to meet them after hearing all of Lou's stories about them last year.
When Mrs. Blake turns around, she squeals and runs over to hug Lou and pepper her cheeks with kisses. "I thought I heard you come in. We are so glad you made it safe." She lets go of Lou, and now it's my turn. "Oh, Sam. I'm so glad you could come. Are you sure your mother isn't going to be missing you today?"
"I'm sure she will, but we had dinner with her and my brother last night. Thanks for inviting me."
"Of course?—"
She gets cut off by her husband. "Sam! How are you?" He walks over and gives me a hug.
The first time her dad hugged me, I was really taken off guard. My family, besides my mother, have never been big huggers. Joel, especially, was not big on affection of any kind. But over time, the hugs have become more natural.
He turns to Lou and wraps her in a hug, picking her up off the floor.
"Dad, you're crushing me."
"I missed you too." He plants a kiss on her forehead.
We spend the rest of the afternoon catching up and watching her parents cook. I offered to help several times but was denied. Only once did her mom give in and let me chop onions, but only because she didn't want to ruin her makeup with onion tears.
Slowly, family members start arriving. First, it was her grandpa, escorted by a young nurse who he referred to as his new BINGO girlfriend. Then her cousins, who are slightly older than us, came with their children. And lastly was her aunt and uncle. I’ve been warned about her aunt several times and have been dying to witness her extravagant personality in person.
The first thing her aunt says to me is, "So you're the boyfriend." Not quite the welcome I was expecting, but I brush it off.
Now, as we’re all sitting around the dinner table, she says to me, "So Sam, should we be expecting a proposal any time soon?"
Lou almost chokes on her mashed potatoes. "Sam, you do not have to answer that."
I just look at her aunt with a smile and confidently say, "You can expect one whenever Lou tells me she's ready."
The whole table looks over at us. Her aunt, who is staring at me with a straight face, says, "Good answer." She then turns to look at Lou with a smile. "I like this one; keep him."
Lou takes a drink of her wine, clearly in shock by how this interaction just played out. Everyone goes back to chatting with one another, and her aunt goes back to telling B how she used to get guys when she was her age.
Lou leans over and whispers to me, "Sorry about that. I warned you she has no filter."
I whisper back, "What I said to her is the truth, you know."
She looks up at me with those sweet, caramel brown eyes, and I can tell she's trying to hold in her reaction, fighting a smile. "I'll keep that in mind."
I subtly kiss her on the cheek before sitting back up and continuing my meal.
LOUISA
When we're getting ready for bed, I walk from the bathroom to our bedroom, locking the door behind me. When I turn toward Sam, I see him holding a little red box in his hand. He extends it out toward me.
"Here's your final present."
I freeze, my eyes widening. "Sam..."
He opens the box, and I sigh with relief. A little silver key sits inside, and I instantly know what it is. The lease is going to expire soon at the apartment where B and I still live. I've been talking about renewing it but haven't made a decision yet.
Part of me was hoping he would ask, but I wasn't sure if he would think it was too soon since we’ve only been together for five months. But to me, those five months have seemed like five years. I am so in love with this man, and I trust him with my whole heart.
When he responded to my aunt like that at dinner, I instantly got butterflies. We've talked about marriage, but never in a super serious way. More in the sense of daydreaming about what our future could look like together. And I can absolutely picture a future with Sam in a way that I never could with Jay or anyone else.
Sure, I planned to marry Jay, but I never really thought about what married life would be like with him. I thought we would have kids, but I never imagined what raising children would be like with him.
With Sam, I've pictured it all; with him, I want it all.
"Do you want to officially move in with me?"
"Of course!" I get giddy, and his smile in response to my answer makes my heart so happy. I walk over and crawl onto his lap. "I was nervous for a second that you were proposing."
"I know,” he giggles, “I wanted to tease you a little to gauge your reaction. Then, after your aunt’s comment earlier today, I knew the look on your face was going to be priceless."
"You're cruel." He leans in to kiss me.
He grabs my face in his hands and pulls me closer to deepen the kiss. What started out as a kiss is now escalating at a rapid pace. I rip off my nightshirt, and he palms my breasts with both hands and plays with my nipples while running his lips down my chest.
I tug at his shirt, and he releases me briefly to pull it over his head and throw it on the floor next to mine. I press my body into his, melting over the warmth of his bare skin on mine.
I run my hands all over the soft skin of his abs, down to his shorts. I pull on the elastic band of his shorts, and he lifts his hips up, me with him, and pulls them down.
All I'm wearing under my nightshirt is a pair of panties, which he now pulls to the side. He touches me between my thighs and massages in gentle circles at first.
He brings two fingers up to my lips, and I open my mouth to suck on them. He takes those fingers and enters me, moving in and out, getting me really wet. I stroke his hard cock while he plays with me, running my fingers over the tip to spread his precum.
I try my best to quiet my moans since B's bedroom is right next door, and my parents' bedroom is down the hall. I know from personal experience that these walls are very thin, or B was just really loud.
Once he gets me to come like this, he wraps an arm around me and quickly spins us so I'm lying on the bed, and he's standing at the end of it, between my legs.
He leans over me and grabs my panties with his teeth, pulling them down my legs. He straightens up and grabs the base of his cock, pushing it into me.
A few months ago, we had a talk about not using condoms during sex. Sam told me he hadn't been with anyone since me and that he got tested before we met up. I told him about Ruth, B's nurse friend at the clinic, and how I got tested regularly between partners. I've also been on birth control since I was a teenager. We agreed that we trusted each other and wanted to occasionally do it without a condom.
Even after months of having sex with him, it's still a tight fit, so he goes in slowly. Once he's all the way in, he grabs my legs and holds them up for me while thrusting from a standing position. I reach above my head and grab onto the bed to stabilize myself.
The sound of his hips smacking my ass with every thrust echoes throughout the room, but I don't care right now.
Sam clearly notices it too because after a minute, he switches things up to a position that doesn't make as much noise. He flips me over on my stomach and pulls me down so my legs hang off the bed. He enters me from behind and places his arms on either side of my head to support his weight .
He aggressively rolls his hips, and I put my face into the comforter so I can let out the sounds I've been holding back.
He picks up his pace even more, and I grab onto his wrists. With the way he positioned me, my clit is rubbing against the bed with every thrust, and I can feel myself reaching another climax.
I release one of his wrists and put my hand between my legs to help myself along. He takes his now free hand and gently presses down on my neck, pinning me to the bed.
Being gently dominated by him always gets me hot. My hips start shaking, and he can tell I'm close, so he starts thrusting harder. A light smacking sound comes from his hips hitting my ass, but not nearly as loud as before.
I turn my head and bite his meaty forearm as I come. At that, he releases my neck and pulls his cock out. Stroking it a few times, he finishes all over my back.
He leans forward and brushes the hair out of my face to kiss my cheek, and I turn more for him to kiss my lips. I remain face down so I don't spill his come all over the sheets. He goes across the room to grab the towel I used to shower earlier. It's still a little damp, which helps him clean me up. He wipes my wetness off of him and then crawls into bed with me.
I snuggle into his bare chest and kiss his soft skin.
"I love you, Sam. And I can't wait to live with you."
"I love you too, Lou." He kisses my forehead and runs his fingers through my hair.
The only way that this Christmas could get better is if Pepin were here to celebrate with us today and if Jacob were there yesterday when we celebrated with Sam's family.
But life didn't deal us great cards this past year. I hope that this next year is filled with a lot more happiness and less loss. But now, I have Sam here by my side to fully support me through whatever obstacles threaten to keep us from experiencing true joy.
To anyone who feels like they need to quiet all the noise with a painfully irreversible decision...
Please don't.