9. Avery
AVERY
Life was good.
No, scratch that, life was incredibly amazing. It still shocked me to see just how much life had changed in the last two weeks. Two weeks since I’d taken a chance, gone over to Sam’s and explained. Two weeks of us being… together.
But as wonderful as it was, old habits died hard. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. For Sam to show a side of him, a red flag of some sort, that would explain and show me that not everything was as great as it seemed. Because life was damn close to perfect.
His family was everything a girl with nothing would ever want.
His sisters were as chaotic as he’d warned, but it didn’t take away just how loving and welcoming they were.
And his mom? God, all I wanted to do was hug his mom and thank her profusely.
Not just in gratitude for the incredible man she’d raised, but because she was so warm and caring.
I’d seen her three times in the last two weeks after her birthday lunch, and each time felt like she’d hand-sewn a little piece of the jagged edges of my heart.
Not by doing anything out of the normal, or love bombing, just by clearly and unmistakably bringing me into the fold of their family.
I wasn’t just her son’s girlfriend or the person he was dating. I was one of them.
For the first time in my life, I belonged.
Not just to the Miranda family but the Forge Creek community.
I met people out and about in a real way.
I wasn’t sure, but I had a feeling falling for Sam had cracked my heart open and demolished all the shields I’d kept up to keep people an arms-length away. I was actually letting people in.
And it was terrifying because I knew what it felt like not to have that, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that one wrong move or step would make that all disappear.
I shook my head and walked out of my small home office towards the kitchen. Just as I reached the living room, I heard the doorknob start to turn and watched as the door opened. There he was. This big, beautiful man stood there looking way too good than should be fair.
“Sam?” I called. He smiled at me. A smile I felt all the way through me, warm and thick. He was supposed to be working late, so we had planned for me to meet him at his place later.
“Honey, I’m home.” The combination of those three words and the happy tone in his voice stalled my feet beneath me. Honey, I’m home. Those three words did something. Emotions bubbled up my throat to the point where I was almost choking on them.
“Avery?” he said, but I stumbled, taking a step back. His dark gaze narrowed behind his glasses, and he slowly ran a hand through his freshly trimmed beard.
“Baby?” he called, and to my horrifying dismay, I crumpled up and started to cry.
And this wasn’t some kind of cute pretty girl cry, either.
Nope!
This was the ugly, ragged sobs and snot running type of crying. Oh god! This is it! This is what’s going to push Sam away! I was sure of it, and the realization only made me cry harder. I didn’t have to pick a fight to get rid of him; I just had to have a crying fit.
But he didn’t leave.
He disappeared from view, but only because he rushed towards me, wrapping his strong secure arms around me, pressing a palm to the back of my head to keep me close against his chest.
“Breathe, baby, breathe,” he urged, and when I tried, it came out so rough he hissed. “Breathe,” he repeated, taking my hand in his and bringing it up to rest on the middle of his sternum.
“Look at me, princess.”
“Sa-Sa-Sam,” I stuttered his name. The tips of his fingers on his other hand tipped my head upward, forcing me to make eye contact with him.
“Breathe with me,” he demanded.
Slowly, I started to follow every inhale and exhale.
We never broke eye contact as we breathed in unison.
“That’s my girl.” He wiped away every single tear.
I wasn’t sure how long it took for my heart rate and breathing to return back to normal, but never, not once, did Sam try to rush me. When I was better, he lifted me up like a groom would his bride and sat us down on the couch, splaying me over his lap and bringing my head to his shoulder.
“Want to talk about it?” he asked.
I glanced up at him, and his image started to get blurry all over again just as my nose started to sting. I knew if I shook my head, he would drop it. Daddy didn’t push even if he was dying to know. Sam would never force me to talk about something I wasn’t ready for.
“I love you,” I said, my vice surprisingly steady even if a little hoarse.
“Av—"
“You came in, and I saw you at the doorway, and you said, ‘Honey, I’m home’ and—" My lips wobbled, but I pushed forward because he deserved to know what was in my head. For us.
“And all I could think about is you are. You’re home. With me. Just like I feel at home with you and…” I sniffled. He wiped away the errant tears running down my face, but he didn’t look at me like he thought I’d lost it or like I was crazy or too much.
He stared at me like a man in love.
A man who matched everything I felt.
“I used to say that the whole—“
“Honey, I’m home?” he cut in, and I nodded.
“But no one was ever here.” My voice cracked. “But now… now you’re here and I’m here and we’re…”
“Each other’s home.”
“Yeah, and I love you.”
“Baby—"
“No, please, Sam, let me explain. I’ve loved you for a while.
” His face softened, and it gave me the courage to spill my guts.
“But I was too scared to say it out loud because I was terrified the moment I did, it would all just slip between my fingers. Kept thinking the other shoe was about to drop, and you weren’t going to be who I thought you were. ”
“Baby—“
“I was wrong. You are so much better than I could have ever imagined, Sam. I love you, and I’ve never… never felt this way about someone. Not even close.”
“You’re going to kill me with all this sweetness, princess. I love you, too, baby girl. So fucking much.” His forehead rested against mine, and for a moment, we just sat and let everything settle between us.
“You came home early,” I mumbled, my head now on his shoulder.
“Got one of the guys to take the last appointment because I missed you and wanted to surprise you,” he whispered against my temple.
“Mission accomplished,” I teased. His chuckle sounded rough.
“I need you to know something, baby.”
“Hmm?”
“I know today was a lot and what I’m about to say probably won’t help, but you need to know something.” I lifted my head and blinked. “You remember meeting my mom?”
“Two weeks ago? Yeah.” My lips twitched. I couldn’t help but tease him. “I’m not the old one here, remember?”
“Cute, princess. You remember what she said?” The smile on my face fell slowly. Not because I didn’t feel happy but because it was the one thing we didn’t talk about after the stuff we did once everyone left.
“Sam—"
“She wasn’t wrong. I’m going to marry you, Avery.”
“Honey—"
“I waited forty years to find you.” His tone was filled with emotion as his expression intensified. “I’m not going to pussyfoot and wait around to make you my wife. We have a lifetime to live, and I’m ready to start that now.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to ask, not just tell me.”
“Daddy knows best.” This made me laugh.
Whatever webs of fear I had left were brushed away, and when I breathed in, I realized I wasn’t scared. No. What was left behind was love and excitement at a future I hadn’t ever let myself dream about.
“Okay, then. Fine.” He blinked once. Twice. A third time.
“No argument?”
“What can I say?” I shrugged and raised a hand to stroke the side of his bearded face knowing his dark eyes were the ones of my very own happily ever after. “When you’re right, you’re right, and when you know, you know,” I whispered.
Before I knew it, his lips crashed against mine and he swallows the laughter that escaped from me, but that was okay. I loved how he sealed the deal.