19. Chapter 19
When his lips meet mine, I put my arms around his neck as he pulls me into a sitting position. At first, it seems like he”s pouring all the day”s frustration into this one hard kiss, but after a few seconds, it transforms into a long, sweet, tender kiss, like the slow and steady rhythm of a love song. His hand is on my neck, gently caressing all my hurt and doubts into oblivion.
When the kiss ends, he rests his forehead on mine.
”Good night, Laila,” he says in a husky voice. ”I”m going to go sleep in the house.”
I nod and give him a knowing smile, ”Good night.”
When I wake up in the morning, I go for a short run on the beach. The weather is breezy and cool, and the beach is empty except for a few people out for a walk. I use the time it takes to walk back to the house to call Katherine.
I let her know the lunch meeting with Eric appears to have worked because he called and apologized.
”Good,” she says. ”It sounds like the guys put the fear of God in him.”
”Especially Aaron,” I say.
”Yeah, I heard,” she says, laughing.
”Does Adam still have the shirt I gave him?” I ask. ”The one that says World”s Best Brother on it?”
”Yes. He wears it to the office on casual Fridays.”
I fill her in on Sam’s and my sleeping arrangements, the argument, and how we made up last night before he went to sleep in the main house.
”Sleeping in the same room with him was stupid,” she says.
”Don”t hold back now,” I say. ”Tell me what you really think.”
”The attraction you two have for each other has been there from the moment you met.”
”I think it”s something more,” I say. ”I”m in love with him, Katherine.”
”I know,” she says. ”Everyone knows. The only one who had to catch up with the news was you, little sister.”
I speak to Tori for a few minutes before ending the call, and then I walk around the side of the house and back upstairs. Without Sam, the room feels cold and sad. Kind of like me.
When I walk into the house a little before eight, the kitchen is abuzz with activity. Robert and Pops are at the table exchanging golf stats. Sam is over by the sink making coffee. He glances at me and smiles before walking up and kissing me on the cheek.
”Good morning,” he says.
”Good morning,” I say, looking into his eyes, searching for confirmation that we”re okay.
When he whispers, ”I miss you,” into my ear, my knees go weak, and my heart does a happy dance in my chest. Everything is back to normal—our normal. He touched me, kissed me, smiled, and said something sweet. I love him, and with that comes a rush of emotion that tries to escape my body in the form of tears, but I fight them back.
”Can I help?” I ask Alice and Emma, who are cutting fruit and whisking eggs. It looks like French toast, fruit, and eggs are on the menu.
Half an hour later, Sam takes one last bite of French toast before taking his plate to the sink.
”I gotta go,” he says. ”My appointment with the tailor is at nine.”
”I”ll walk you to the door,” I say.
At the door, he leans in and kisses me on the cheek again.
”Can we talk when I get back?” he says.
”Yes,” I say before taking the initiative and kissing him on the lips.
After everyone”s done with breakfast, Emma and I clean the kitchen.
”I received the wedding gift you and Sam got us,” Emma says, stacking dishes in the dishwasher. ”Thank you.”
”You”re welcome,” I say. ”I hope you like it.”
”The box is huge and heavy,” she says. ”It”s very nicely wrapped, by the way. I know exactly what it is. We can”t wait to use it.”
I smile and keep drying the pan in my hands. ”Have you received a heavy box from Just In Clay Ceramics in New York?
”Maybe,” she says. ”All the gifts that have arrived so far are in my room. Luke and I bought a house in La Jolla, so most of my stuff is already there. My room here is almost empty. Would you like to come with me to the new house to drop off some of the packages?”
”Yes,” I say. ”Let”s do it!”
La Jolla is about ten minutes away. Emma”s new home is a two-story craftsman-style house in a quiet cul-de-sac in a pristine neighborhood close to the ocean.
After we unload the car, she gives me a full tour.
”Thank you for showing me your new home,” I say. ”It”s beautiful.”
On our way back to the house, Emma is quiet. She appears deep in thought.
”Laila,” she says, ”can I ask you a personal question?”
”Yes,” I say. ”Of course.”
”How serious are things between you and Sam?”
”Well,” I begin, ”Sam and I have been friends for over two years. We started a long-distance relationship when we realized we had stronger feelings for each other.”
”You know what I find interesting?” she asks. ”You two say the exact same thing every time the subject comes up.”
”You think we”re making it up?” I ask, wanting to get to the core of her question.
”No,” she says, ”I”ve seen you two together. I”m sure there are feelings there.”
”So, what exactly is your concern?” I ask.
”You”re twenty-six years old and on your way to Boston to begin your career. It”s a new city, a new job, and new responsibilities. I”m just wondering how my brother will fit into your new life.”
”I see,” I say. ”I don”t think much will change, given that Sam lives in Greece right now.”
”This whole thing,” Emma says, waving one hand around while keeping the other on the wheel, ”looks and feels a lot like what Sam went through in his last relationship.”
”I can see how it looks similar,” I say. ”But it”s not.”
”Patricia loved my brother but still chose to walk away. Her career goals and dreams didn”t line up with his.”
”Why can”t couples have it all?” I ask. ”I want and should be able to have a career, goals, and love.”
”It sounds like you”ll have a lot on your plate,” she says. ”I don”t want Sam to get hurt again. We”ve spent the last seven years encouraging him to find someone special. We never expected him to find someone so similar to his ex.”
”Wow,” I say. ”Was that meant as an insult?”
”I”m sorry,” she says, ”I don”t mean it disparagingly.”
”You could”ve fooled me,” I say, sounding offended and short. ”Sam is a grown man. I don”t think he needs his family to choose a wife for him. I don”t mean it disparagingly.”
”Patricia wants him back,” Emma says, causing my head to snap around to stare at her. ”She”s been trying to contact Sam for almost two months.”
Why hasn”t Sam mentioned anything to me, I wonder.
”You didn”t know,” says Emma. ”If Sam wants her back, they will pick up right where they left off.”
”And where was that?” I ask.
”Engaged and on their way to the altar.”
”Are you implying I”m in the way?” I ask.
”I”m not implying anything,” she says. ”I”m being perfectly clear and honest about not wanting Sam to get hurt again. That”s all.”
”Are you glad you got that off your chest?” I ask.
”I wouldn”t be a good sister if I didn”t. Please don”t take this as a personal attack because that”s not at all how I meant it. You”re a sweet woman. I can see why Sam is smitten with you, and I hope that what we”ve all witnessed so far is real and long-lasting. If it isn”t, then please be honest with him.”
”Have you had the same talk with Sam?” I ask, sounding defensive, I”m sure.
”I did,” she says. ”I found him sleeping in the den early this morning.”
”That explains a lot,” I say. ”So you think we had a fight, and I kicked him out of the room. Trouble in paradise, so to speak.”
She glances at me. Bingo!
”Not that I owe you, or anyone, an explanation, but the only reason Sam left the studio last night is because we were making out, and before we ended up having sex, he did the right thing and left the room.”
This time, it”s she who snaps her head around to stare at me.
”Do I dare ask?” she says, with a smile that soon turns into a giggle.
I start laughing too, putting an end to the horrible tension that was building up in the small car.
”Yep,” I say. ”I”m a twenty-six-year-old virgin.”
”My brother,” she says. ”The perpetual gentleman.”
When we arrive back at the house, Sam isn”t there, but the car he drove off in this morning is in the driveway, so I know he”s back. I run upstairs and find him in the studio, pulling his clothes out of the closet.
”You”re moving out?” I ask, sitting on the bed, cross-legged.
”Without realizing what I was agreeing to,” he begins, ”I think I promised your dad that your virtue would remain intact while we were here.”
”I had a very interesting talk with Emma,” I say.
”So did I,” he says. ”She shook me awake at four o”clock in the morning. She said she couldn”t sleep, so she came into the den looking for a book she”d left and found me on the couch. She wanted to know why I wasn”t in bed with you.”
”What did you tell her?” I ask.
”I told her it was none of her business,” he says. ”That made her mad, and she went on an hour-long tirade where she questioned me, my motives, even my manhood.”
”Why didn”t you tell me about Patricia?”
My question surprises him, and his smile instantly disappears.
”What about her?” he asks. ”I told you everything.”
”You didn”t tell me she wants you back.” The look on his face confirms Emma”s assertions.
”I don”t think Patricia has ever known what she wants.” He says, avoiding my gaze.
”If I wasn”t in the picture,” I begin, ”would you give your relationship with her another chance?”
”That was a long time ago,” he says.
”You”re not answering my question,” I say.
He walks over and sits next to me.
”Laila, you and I are friends. What we”re doing here is pretending, remember?”
”Do you really believe that?” I ask, feeling a lump form in my throat and an uneasy feeling take root in the pit of my stomach.
”You were in a full-fledged relationship with Eric for two years,” he says, ”and broke up with him because you don”t want a long-distance relationship while embarking on a brand new life in Boston. You tell me, what do you think this is?”
I don”t know how to answer that, and my hesitation is all he needs to draw his own conclusions.
”When all this is over,” he says, waving his hands around, ”you”re going to get on a plane and return to New York. I”m going to get on a different plane and fly to Athens. Is there anything about the facts, as I”ve laid them out, that I”m wrong about?”
Again, I don”t say anything.
”I want to tell you that this is something more than pretend,” he says, ”but your silence says much more than my words ever could.”
”Are you mad at me?” I ask.
”Coming here and pretending that we”re in a relationship was my idea,” he says. ”I can”t be mad at you for agreeing to help me keep my family off my back.”
”Looks like I”ve given them another reason to be on your case.”
”What do you mean?” he asks.
”Your sister asked me about last night. I told her you left because we didn”t want to get carried away. She understood what I meant, and I confirmed her suspicions that my virtue is as pure as the driven snow.”
He looks at me and puts his hand on the crook of my neck. I love the way he touches me. I close my eyes, wanting to enjoy every second of it. His thumb is caressing my cheek and then my lips.
”So, you think this is simple attraction?” I ask, opening my eyes and looking deep into his.
”Nothing about what I feel for you is simple,” he says.
”Are you going to kiss me?” I ask.
”I want to kiss you, but I don”t think it”s a good idea.”
”So, we”re going back to being only friends,” I say. ”That”s the plan?”
”It”s the safest plan,” he says.
”But is it what you want?” I ask.
”Yes,” he says, and my heart sinks.