Chapter Twenty-five
S am and Clark were sitting in Clark’s living room, drinking a couple of beers together. Merry was with her committee, talking about the Mistletoe Winter Games and the last few little wrap-ups for the Mistletoe Christmas season while Jace was at a sleepover. The two brothers hadn’t had a lot of time together lately, so Sam was enjoying the one-on-one hangout.
“How are things going with getting your shop? Is there any chance your boss wants to retire in the next year?” Clark asked.
“She’s only forty-five, dude. She wants to keep going for years to come, so if I’m gonna set up shop, I’m gonna have to find a place outside of town.” Sam sighed. “Honestly, I’m wondering if it’s worth the headache. Besides, both her and her husband are good to me. I make my own schedule. I just give her rent for my station, and the rest is up to me, so it’s like being my own boss.”
“Sounds like you have the benefits of your own business without the headache. Why don’t you stay there and continue to do what you love but save money for other things? If you have to leave Mistletoe in order to start a new shop, it kind of defeats the purpose of moving back, doesn’t it? I thought the point of being here was to be close to your nephew and watch him grow up.”
“I guess it’s hard to let go of something that’s been your dream since you were a kid.”
“Do you really want to make schedules and pay for repairs and deal with disgruntled employees?”
Sam squeezed his eyes shut. “That actually sounds like a massive headache.”
“It is. I might not own the tree farm, but I still have to deal with people calling out sick and getting the schedule covered. Then there are the constant calls when there are issues—”
“I get the picture.”
“What about settling down or having a family?” Clark asked.
Sam’s chest tightened at the thought of Wren and having a child with her. Of the two of them building a life. But he wasn’t sure if she would ever realize they should be together or if it was a pipe dream to stick around, support her, and always be in the background until she hopefully got over her fear.
“I’ve thought about that a lot lately, especially with Wren coming back to town, but there are a lot of factors to it,” Sam said.
“I thought you guys were hanging out a lot, and things were progressing?”
“They are, just... not in the way you think.” This was an awkward conversation to have with his little brother, but here goes. “I offered to help Wren have a baby.”
“Wait, dial that back for me again. What?”
“Wren wants to be a mom and was looking into insemination. I offered to be her Huckleberry.”
Clark’s jaw dropped. “Like... you father her child, but you’re not in the picture?”
“Yeah. It’s the way she wants it.”
“Are you—have you lost your mind?” Clark stood up, dragging his hands through his hair. “You are going to sign away the rights to your child and live in the same town as them? After having a relationship with Wren? Don’t you know how people talk? They will speculate all kinds of things, mostly about your character for abandoning your kid—”
“Whoa, buddy, calm down,” Sam said, holding his hands up. “Wren and I are friends. I’m just doing this because I want her to be happy.”
“Because you love her, but how does she feel about you? No one who truly cared about you would ask this.”
Sam’s temper pricked. “She didn’t ask, I offered.”
“Regardless, she should have said no.” Clark ran his hand through his hair. “This is not something people do—”
“Hey, news flash, little bro, I am almost forty years old, and if I decided to walk into a sperm donation clinic and give them my entire nut sack, that wouldn’t be an issue. I want to give Wren a piece of myself, like a kidney, and you’re flipping out?”
“Except this isn’t a kidney!” Clark argued, clapping his hands with each word. “It is a living, breathing kid!”
“Look, I appreciate your concern, but what happens between us is not up to you. I shouldn’t have discussed it with you.”
Clark shook his head. “I’m sorry, okay? I just don’t want to see you get hurt or put into a terrible situation where you regret your decision and have no recourse.”
“I know you’re worried, but I’m not. You never know how things are going to turn out. Maybe playing the long game will make her realize that I’m the man of her dreams and she can’t wait for me to be her boyfriend.”
“You know, this whole situation is kind of ironic.”
“And you’re going to tell me how that is?” Sam said, the tension in his shoulders dissolving as Clark picked up his beer and settled back into the couch.
“Well, for starters, you’re the guy who could have had any woman he wanted, but when you’re finally ready for a relationship, the one woman you want isn’t.”
“Yes, several people in my life have had a good laugh at that fact,” Sam grumbled. “My most pressing concern is how to convince her that she belongs with me.”
“I don’t know, man,” Clark said, his expression sympathetic. “When I was still on the fence about Merry, I did a lot of stupid things and almost lost her. It was only because of your great advice and meddling that I was able to repair the damage I had done.”
Sam smirked. “Was that a thank-you for your older brother’s genius relationship help?”
“Yes, that was a thank-you. I figured admitting that I wouldn’t be with Merry right now if you hadn’t meddled was thank-you enough, but if you need to hear the words, I appreciate you.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Sam said, finishing his beer and getting off the couch. “So, your advice is to be honest and not give up. Is that correct?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Clark asked.
“Just seems like a pretty simplistic strategy for convincing the potential love of someone’s life to let their guard down and be together.”
The door opened, and Merry came in and removed her jacket, shivering loudly. “Brr, it’s cold outside.”
“Tell us something we don’t know,” Sam shot back.
“Whoa, what’s wrong with you?” Merry asked, crossing the room to lean over the back of the couch and stare down at him.
“He’s having trouble with the woman he loves,” Clark offered.
“Gotcha.” Merry came around and sat down on the other side of Clark. “How can we help?”
“You want to help me with my relationship woes?” Sam asked.
“Why not?” Merry asked, her hazel eyes boring into his. “You’re my brother-in-law, and I want you to be happy.”
“Alright, I’ll take it.” He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “What advice would you give to somebody who wanted to date a woman who wasn’t ready for a relationship?”
“Find somebody who is ready for a relationship?” she deadpanned.
Sam scoffed and shot Clark a knowing look before Merry reached out to him, laughing.
“I’m sorry, I was just kidding. What is it about this person that tickles your fancy?”
“This person is like a once-in-a-lifetime, never-gonna-give-you-up kind of thing.”
“First of all, it’s too late for you to Rickroll me,” Merry said, reaching across to poke him. “Your nephew already does that to me all the time.”
“It was unintentional, I promise,” Sam said, leaning back against the couch. “I know she’s the one, even after I lost her almost two decades ago, I never found anyone else. It never felt right. She came back into my life, and I realized it’s because she was it. No one could take her place.”
“Then I would just tell her how I felt,” Merry said.
“Boom,” Clark hooted. “I told you; honesty is the key!”
“Wait a second,” Merry said, leaning forward to study Sam’s face. “Are we talking about Officer Little?”
“No,” Sam said sharply.
“We are,” Clark said, grinning.
“Absolutely not.” Sam glared at his little brother, silently telling him to shut the fuck up.
Merry’s gaze shifted back and forth between them, trying to figure out who was lying. “And... you’re in love?”
Sam groaned but didn’t confirm or deny the allegations.
“Wow,” Merry said.
“I know.” Clark nodded. “I couldn’t believe it, either.”
“Does she feel the same way?” Merry asked.
“He isn’t sure, but they’re sleeping together.”
“Dude,” Sam said, throwing his hands up, “your wife doesn’t have to know everything!”
“Well, I think that’s great. Maybe she’ll stop trying to give everybody tickets for jaywalking if she’s happy and in love.” Merry made a face. “It’s such a stupid law.”
“I think she’ll continue to give tickets for jaywalking because it’s breaking the law,” said Sam, earning a dark glare from Merry.
“I stand by my opinion.”
“I appreciate that, and I want to thank you for all the pep talks. Both of you,” Sam said, getting up from the couch. “I guess now that you’re home, I should see myself out.”
“You don’t have to go,” Merry said, snuggling into Clark’s side.
“No, I probably should bounce. I need to mull over all this good advice and plan my next move.”
“Drive safe, then, and remember,” Merry said, pointing at him, “you are the prize.”
“Whatever the hell that means.”
“She means that while you think Wren is the best thing in the world, you deserve someone who feels the same way about you,” Clark said, his expression pensive.
Sam placed his hands over his chest, above his heart. “That was so sweet. I’m going to make that my next tattoo.” Sam turned, starting to push his jeans down. “What do you think? Should I put it on the left ass cheek or—” Clark chucked a throw pillow at him, hitting him square in the backside and making him stumble.
“Stop trying to show my wife your ass! You know she has a sensitive stomach.”
Sam chuckled, pulling his pants to rights. “Seriously, I love you both.”
“We love you, too,” they chorused.
Sam lost his smile and shivered. “That was very Stepford. The horror.”
He ducked out the door as the next pillow narrowly missed his head. As he crossed the front porch, heading to his Jeep, Sam sent Wren a text.
Leaving Clark’s. Feel like company?
Sam slipped his phone into the cupholder and climbed in, thinking about Merry’s and Clark’s advice. Honesty.
So simple and sound, it just might work.