Chapter 36 Sam
SAM
The chilly November wind cuts through us like a blade slicing through butter. Fuck, it’s cold. Alec rests a steady hand on my shoulder and gives a small squeeze—his quiet way of telling me to move, to take the next step.
I knock on Olivia’s door and wait.
It’s only been just shy of two days since I last saw her, but they’ve been the longest, heaviest days of my life. When I texted her—Can we talk?—I waited for a reply that never came.
At first, I thought the worst. I told myself she’d made her choice, and maybe she’d realized I wasn’t worth the chaos. I even tried convincing myself I was fine with that.
I wasn’t.
Every hour that passed without a word from her gutted me a little more. I kept checking my phone like a fool, rereading old messages, wondering what I’d missed, what line I’d crossed that made her shut me out completely.
Then Jonah called.
I’d been mid-prep at the restaurant, numb from the ache of missing her, when I saw his name flash across my screen.
He told me about the accident—Paige, the hospital, the concussion, the bruised ribs—and suddenly nothing else mattered.
Every ounce of anger, of pride, of hurt I’d been clinging to evaporated in an instant.
When he hung up, to my surprise, my phone was ringing with a call from an unknown number. Paige.
Hearing her small, trembling voice on the phone—God, it ripped through me.
That kid’s tougher than most adults I know, but the fear in her tone was unmistakable.
That’s when I realized Olivia’s silence had nothing to do with me, with us.
She wasn’t ignoring me. She was surviving something far worse.
That was all it took. I packed a bag, called Alec, and we drove through the night. Now here I am, standing on her porch again, the same one where I walked away like an idiot not long ago, praying she’ll open the damn door.
When she does, my chest tightens, every muscle tenses.
She’s pale, drawn, her eyes shadowed with fatigue. Her hair’s in a messy knot, and she looks heartbreakingly fragile—but she’s still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
Pushing past the lump in my throat, I whisper, “Mon trésor.”
At first, her expression is impassive, her mouth flattened into a straight line. Then her lips tremble, her teeth worrying the soft flesh of her bottom lip as tears pool in her eyes. And then she breaks. Big, silent sobs shuddering through her body as tears spill freely down her cheeks.
“I’ve got you.” I rush to her, gathering her into my arms, cradling her as I lead us inside.
Alec’s quiet footsteps follow, and he closes the door behind us.
“Sam, I’ve missed you.” Her voice cracks against my neck, warm tears dampening my skin.
“I missed you too.” I nuzzle my face in her hair.
The scent of her—clean, soft, home—grounds me. My arms tighten around her, and for the first time in days, my lungs fill properly.
Behind me, Alec’s low voice cuts through the moment. “Paige?”
Olivia peers over my shoulder, her expression confused.
He steps forward, presses a gentle kiss to her cheek, and smiles softly. “Where’s Paige, Livvy?”
“Ah—she’s upstairs, but…”
“We know,” he interjects, his tone calm and steady. “That’s why I’m here. Well, Sam too, but he’s got other reasons too.” He dons a gentle smile. “I’ll go up to her.”
Without waiting for a reply, he heads for the stairs, giving us both space but also chasing the reassurance he needs. Paige’s accident hit him hard. She’s fast become like a granddaughter to him, and he needs to see with his own eyes that she’s all right.
She watches him go, bewildered, then looks back at me. I guide her to the couch and pull her into my lap.
“Sam, how did you know about Paige?”
“Jonah, and before you castrate the man, hear me out.” My tone softens. “He loves you like a brother and wants to see you happy. He knows what you mean to me. He thought I should know—and he was right. You should’ve called me.”
“But you said you needed space,” she whispers, her voice small, uncertain.
My first inclination is to point out my text about wanting to talk, but I leap to the most logical explanation for her silence after I hit send. She hasn’t seen it.
“Livvy.” I tilt her chin so she’ll look at me. “No matter what’s going on between us, I need to know if you’re okay. If Paige is hurt, if you need me, I want to be there. Space doesn’t mean silence. We’ve got things to talk about, yeah, and it won’t all be easy—but I’m not going anywhere.”
She fixes me with a look, still stuck on one detail. “Jonah?”
“Yeah. He called me, told me about the accident, said Paige had a concussion and bruised ribs. Then Paige called.”
Her eyes widen. “She called you?”
I nod. “She told me you weren’t talking to Pete. She said you were focused on canceling your big meeting with Mrs. Preston tomorrow. But with the hotel launch so close, you can’t afford that. So I’m here—to stay with Paige, so you can go. I’m here to help.”
Realization floods her expression, her breath catching as she stares at me. Then, without warning, she surges forward, clutching my face between her hands and kissing me with a ferocity that steals the air from my lungs.
Heat tears through me, every nerve alive. Her mouth is desperate, hungry, all need and apology. Every stroke of her tongue is an ache, every sound a confession.
When she breaks the kiss, her words tumble out in a rough, breathless rush. “Sam, I love you.”
It’s raw. Unfiltered. Real.
I growl against her lips, “I love you too.”
Our mouths collide again, all fire and forgiveness. Her body molds to mine, and everything else falls away—the distance, the silence, the pain.
There’s still so much to say, so much to work through, but for now, this is enough.
For now, she’s in my arms.
And for the first time in days, everything is right again.
I can finally breathe.
We stay wrapped around each other for what seems like forever. Her breath warms the side of my neck, her fingers tangled in my shirt like she’s afraid I’ll disappear if she lets go.
The house is quiet except for the whirr of the furnace and the faint creak of footsteps on the stairs. A moment later, Alec appears in the doorway. He doesn’t say anything at first—just stands there, hands in his pockets, his expression soft but full of gravity.
His eyes flick to where Olivia’s still curled in my lap, her cheek pressed against my chest, and then back to me. “She’s sleeping. Paige will be okay.”
Relief surges through me, sharp and sweet. I want to see her and will but not now. I nod, swallowing past the tightness in my throat.
Olivia exhales, a long shaky breath, and her body loosens against mine. “Thank you.”
Alec nods, his gaze lingering on us a beat longer than necessary. He’s studying me, assessing as if deciding whether Bas would approve of what he sees. Whatever conclusion he reaches, it brings a faint, satisfied smile to his lips.
“Good… That’s good.” He shifts his gaze to Olivia. “You should get some sleep, chère fille. The both of you should.”
There’s a fatherly warmth in his tone, but also his quiet authority that never really needs volume to be heard.
Olivia tries to get up, words spilling from her about taking Drew’s bed and she needs to get Alec towels. I hold on firmly and quiet her with a gentle kiss on her temple.
“I’ll figure it out.” Alec turns toward the door, but not before resting a hand on my shoulder and giving it a firm squeeze. It’s the same gesture Bas used to give—a silent, grounding reassurance.
“Take care of them.”
“I will.”
When he heads upstairs, the house settles back into stillness. Outside, the wind howls softly through the trees, brushing against the windows like a lullaby. Olivia’s fingers tighten around mine, her body melting farther into me.
“Sam?” she murmurs, half-asleep already.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you…for coming back.”
My chest swells, the words lodging deep. I press a kiss to her hair and whisper against her temple, “Always.”
Because I would. Again and again. No matter the distance, the doubts, the mistakes.
She’s it for me.
And sitting there in the dim quiet of her living room—with her heartbeat steady against my chest and Alec’s words still echoing in my head—I know one thing for certain.
Bas would be proud.