Twelve Weeks

by Robin Edwards

  Chapter Seventeen

  SAM

  “Sam!” Nikki yells as I make my way to the bonfire she’s set up. Tasha is beside her, which explains her feigned excitement to see me.

  “Hey,” I smile awkwardly as Nikki wraps her arms around my neck.

  “Hi, Sam,” Tasha says in her sultry voice. She’s wearing a sheer white dress that barely covers her bikini. Her body is impressive, but her desperation is so thick I can’t bear to be around her.

  “How are you?” I ask, trying to be polite.

  “Not well. You didn’t call me for my lesson,” she pokes her lips out as I run my fingers through my hair. So, she’s going to do this every time I see her, I guess.

  “I told you to call me,” I hold my hands in the air, accepting no responsibility.

  “You didn’t even give me your number,” she whines.

  “Tasha, you’re best friends with my sister, surely you can get in touch with me,” I reason with her the same way I did with Jamie.

  “But I want your number from you. In fact, I thought we could just get coffee or something. We both know I don’t belong on a surfboard,” she giggles, looking down as she invites me to take in her double D’s.

  A rush of guilt waves through me, realizing Jamie was right about Tasha, who I thought to be harmless. She was inappropriate, but I never thought she would be so bold.

  “I’m just glad you don’t have that lonely ass girl with you this time,” Nikki chimes in.

  “Oh my gosh! Where did you find her, Sam? She was so homely – all to herself at the party. She doesn’t have friends?” Tasha laughs, and Nikki claps her hands as if it was the funniest joke in the world.

  “No, not there, she definitely didn’t have any friends,” I admit, more to myself than them.

  “Sammy!!” Alyssa yells, and I brighten up, happy to see my favorite sister.

  “Where have you been?” I ask after giving her a bear hug.

  “Mom has me watching the barbeque, come help me,” she tugs at my arm.

  “What? No chef?” I joke, knowing how my mom tends to over plan.

  “Oh, they were here all day. I think she’s trying to make the evening more rustic – you know, a little DIY,” she says while turning a piece of chicken over on the grill.

  “Where’s Don?” I ask. Alyssa’s husband is like another brother to me, but I haven’t seen him in weeks.

  “Oh, he’s around here somewhere,” she looks towards the water before continuing, “I was hoping you’d bring Jamie.”

  “Oh, yeah… We’re not on the best terms,” I confess.

  “What’d you do?” She immediately blames me.

  “How do you know it was me?” I frown.

  “Tell me,” she orders with authority.

  “Well, first it was Tasha. Jamie didn’t like that she was all over me at the party,” I begin.

  “I saw that,” she turns her nose up looking back at Tasha and Nikki.

  “Yeah, well I’m not interested in her, so I don’t see how it matters. She asked me to teach her how to surf, so I said I would, and Jamie kind of lost it,” I shake my head.

  “You what?!” She turns to me so fast, her hair flies in the wind.

  “She said I promised to teach her when I first met her,” I try to explain, but Alyssa isn’t having it.

  “I don’t care if you promised her mother you’d teach her. That girl is trouble, Sam, and you know she’s not really interested in surfing,” she adds.

  “Well, that’s not the big problem anyway,” I try to change the subject after seeing the aggression in her eyes.

  “What else did you do?” She sighs.

  “She was mad about the party – and how I didn’t introduce her to mom,” I study her face, curious to see how she’ll react. To my surprise, she smirks, and I know she’s on my side.

  “That’s a tough one because you probably saved her a long, condescending conversation, but she can’t possibly understand that being from a sane part of the world,” she teases, making fun of the norms in Sutton Hills.

  “That’s what I tried to explain. Of course, Nikki was rude, and then she brought Tasha over, and I didn’t introduce her to Mark or Michael because we just didn’t see them. She acts like I want to keep her a secret, but I took her to the party,” I plead my case.

  “I know what you mean, but Sam if you want to make her feel comfortable, you have to just be bold. Forget what everyone will say and just let them know you love her. She’s head over heels for you, so at least you don’t have to worry about that,” she smiles.

  “I don’t know about that. I saw her online with some guy last night. I almost broke my phone,” I growl, the anger instantly re-emerging as I remember the picture.

  “What? When did you last talk to her?” She asks.

  “We got in the fight over the party, and then she left,” I reveal.

  “Sam, you haven’t talked to her in weeks?” She asks with wide eyes and I know she’s no longer in agreement with me.

  “I’ve been swamped,” I justify my lack of communication, but she seems anything but convinced. In fact, I don’t even think she’s paying attention because her eyes seem to be focused on the party next to ours.

  “Yeah, well, now is your chance,” she nods towards the group beside us as they celebrate the successful lighting of a bonfire.

  Lisa is the first face I recognize, and then my eyes fall to Jamie, as she sits alone on the edge of a beach chair. She looks deep in thought, and I wonder if she could possibly be thinking of me.

  Then a guy, the one from the picture, comes and sits beside her. She smiles, scooting over to make room for him to sit, and the rage boils in my veins.

  “Be nice!” I hear Alyssa call from behind me, but I’m already halfway to the group, my feet moving faster than my mind as I rush to confront Jamie and her new little boyfriend.

  Chapter Eighteen

  JAMIE

  “What are you doing?” His voice is coated in disdain, his eyes laced with disgust when I turn to face his outburst.

  “No! You don’t get to come over here with your judgment and controlling tactics. Go back over to the upper echelon, your Highness,” Lisa stands between us mocking Sam.

  “It’s okay, Lisa,” I assure her, my voice is dejected and tired.

  “Is everything okay?” Josh asks, placing his hand on my shoulder, and I watch as Sam’s jaw clenched, his eyes becoming slits as he stares at our embrace.

  “Yeah, I’ll be back,” I remove his hand, walking a few feet away, hoping Sam will follow, but he stays there staring at him until I call for his attention.

  “Are you serious?” I ask.

  “I was going to ask you the same thing,” he begins, moving closer to me.

  I want to be mad at him, I really do. I’ve spent so much time worrying about us, and how he abandoned me, but now I’m just taking in every detail about him. He’s even more handsome than I remember, having only photos and memories in his absence.

  “Well, I’m glad to know you’re alive,” I sassily place one hand on my hip.

  “You have my number too, Jamie. Who the hell is he?” He growls.

  “Josh? He’s just a friend,” I shrug. How dare he ask me about a guy when he’s the one that’s been on one trip after the next without so much as a text.

  “A friend? You’re posting him online like he’s more than that. Then I see you out here parading around with him?” He accuses, and I can’t help but feel a little happy that he’s jealous because I’d feared he wasn’t interested in me anymore.

  “What? Are you worried I might let him teach me to surf?” I quip, noticing the beautiful blonde not more than fifty feet away, as his family gathers behind him.

  “Jamie, I already told you that didn’t mean anything,” he argues, but his aggression has faded like he knows he wouldn’t want me doing what he had.

  “Look, Sam, I’ve had a lot of time
to think about this, and I just don’t think it can work,” I take a deep breath.

  “Because of this mystery dude, you’re flaunting around?” He scrunches his eyebrows together in disbelief.

  “No, crazy! I’m not dating Josh!” I place my hands over my temples, frustrated by his continued lack of understanding. “You just don’t get it, Sam. I’m never going to be okay with you refusing to stand up for me. I don’t care who it is, family or not. If you love me, there shouldn’t be any secrets,” I search his eyes, but I can’t read his emotions.

  “Jamie, I have to walk you into that life slowly. It’s different in Sutton Hills, and reputations mean so much,” he runs his fingers through his hair as he always does when he’s stressed.

  “And I taint your resume? Is that it?” I smirk at his callousness.

  “No, Jamie. Of course not. I don’t care about any of that, I’ve always told you that,” he reminds me.

  “Well, for someone who doesn’t care about their standards, you sure are caught up in their rules. Look, I’m sure there are plenty of girls from Sutton Hills that will look great on your arm, and your resume. I wish you the best of luck,” I try my best to hide my emotion before turning to return to my party.

  Two steps in the sand and I feel his strong fingers wrap around my wrist as he spins me towards him.

  “I’m not letting you walk away again. If this is what you want, come on,” he grumbles before tugging at my arm as he marches in the sand towards his family, who are all staring at us like we’re putting on a performance.

  “Listen up!” Sam yells once we’re only a few feet from his family, as they sit in beach chairs, and stand to watch. I see his mother, who is in the center of the seats, her eyes locked on her son. Nikki and Tasha are standing to the right of him, and if I weren't frozen in shock, I’d surely burst into laughter when I notice her provocative dress and stilettos at the beach.

  “This is Jamie,” he turns to me before continuing, and I see a flash of the warmness I missed gleaming in his eyes. “She’s my girlfriend, and she means the world to me. She’s not from Sutton Hill, and it shouldn’t matter. I’m in love with her, and I don’t care where she lives or what her last name is. I’ll be changing that soon anyway,” he announces loudly, and a few of the women cover their mouths after gasping.

  “Sam,” I whisper, unable to access my vocal chords.

  “Baby, I’m sorry. About everything. I messed up, but I can’t lose you. Every day without you is torture. I don’t care about any of this, baby. I want you. I need you,” he professes, his body moving closer as his voice grows softer.

  My stomach muscles clench when his hands cup my face, a lone tear sliding down my cheek.

  “I didn’t mean for it to happen like this, Jamie. I don’t even have a ring,” he chuckles, lowering his handsome face for a moment before staring deep into my soul.

  “Baby, I want you forever. You’re never a secret. I want everyone to know how crazy I am about you. And I know this is soon, but,” he pauses, dropping to one knee.

  “Sam,” his name falls from my tongue, barely a whisper, more of breath.

  “Will you marry me?” He asks, kneeling in the sand, as my vision blurs from the tear pouring out of my eyes.

  “Yes! Of course!” I cry, and he chuckles before rising to his feet, lifting me in his arms as he spins me around before kissing me with all the passion we’ve held off between the two of us. His family and my friends all applaud, but it sounds like a distant melody in the background as I focus in on Sam, in what feels like a dream. My heart melts, kissing him over and over, eager to spend the rest of my life this happy.

  The End

  I wanted to thank you for taking the time in reading Twelve Weeks. We hoped you enjoyed reading this happily ever after story.

  It brought me great joy to write this as I love writing stories that entertain readers and draws them into another world with characters you love and hate. They say great books are those that evoke emotion out of you and I hope that’s what it has done for you.

  Thank you once again, and I’ll see you in the next one.

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