by LYNN, K. C.
“I went to see him you know.”
My gaze snaps back to his, the disclosure taking me by surprise.
“I left the day after you proposed to her,” he says, a quiet rage I know well darkening his tone. “I got on a flight, went to the fucker’s house, and pulled him from his bed at three in the morning with a gun pointing in his face.”
I’m gripped by the story he reveals and I begin to wonder if he is about to confess murder to me. If so, I decide I will not say a fucking word because if anyone deserves death it’s that asshole.
“I took him to the bridge and hung him over the edge by his throat. I wanted him to know what it felt like to have his life hanging in the balance of someone else’s hands.”
When he makes no move to say more, I ask him the one question I’m dying to know. “Did you do it?”
He shakes his head. “I considered it. I’ve killed a lot of people in my life. I could have done away with him and no one would have been the wiser.”
The remark is a reminder of the time he spent in the Navy. I recall when Sam told me about everything he endured in Iraq, including the scars he still bears to this day. Despite my feelings toward him, hearing that garnered my respect.
“I knew that it wasn’t the same though. The line here is different than the battlefield.” An almost blank look takes over his expression. “For the sake of my family I stayed on the civilian side. However, I did beat the shit out of him until he pissed his pants,” he finishes with a proud grin.
I feel a smile of my own form. “Nice.”
He shrugs. “He deserves more for what he did to her but it had to be enough. If he ever comes near her again though, I will kill him,” he adds without hesitation.
“He’d be dead before you got to him.”
His head turns my way, gaze locking with mine.
“I meant what I said to your dad earlier. I’d do anything to protect her. I’d not only kill for her, I’d die for her.”
He continues to watch me, long and hard. Whatever he sees clearly pleases him. “Yeah,” he releases on a heavy breath, “I know.”
“So are we good now?” I ask.
He takes a long drink of his beer before answering. “Yep.”
“You’re going to stay out of our relationship?” I question further.
“Of course not,” he responds, bursting my fucking bubble. “I will always be involved in my sister’s business, Crawford. I’m her brother, it’s my job, but as long as you make her happy then you will get no shit from me.”
“Fair enough.” I nod. “And the bakery?”
“What about it?” he asks.
“I want to fucking eat there. That’s what.”
He shakes his head. “Sorry, can’t do it.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“Because it’s my wife,” he snaps. “Her pies belong to me!”
“Newsflash, asshole, everyone eats her pies. It’s what helps her dream thrive, and I like going when Sam is there.”
This doesn’t seem to make him feel better so I try a different tactic.
“Think about it this way. It’s money out of my own pocket and I always tip well, which basically means I am paying you…” I trail off, letting him ponder that and hope it helps my case.
It does.
“Fine,” he relents before pointing at me. “But you aren’t ever allowed to eat her First Kiss Pie, got it?”
“Got it.”
Satisfied with that, he takes another swig from his beer. “And for the record, I never tripped you today.”
“The hell you didn’t.” Lifting my leg, I show him the bruised evidence. “Look at this shit.”
He assesses the black and blue mark. “That must have happened with your own stick because mine didn’t touch you.”
“How the fuck do I trip myself?”
He shrugs. “You tell me.”
The back of my teeth gnash, that forgotten anger racing to the surface all over again. Until he shoots a smirk my way.
I shake my head, my blood pressure dissipating. “You’re such an asshole.”
He has no shame in admitting it. “Yeah, it’s something I take pride in.”
Clearly… Though, the more I’ve thought about it the more I realize what happened today probably was an accident. The guy might be an asshole but a cheater he is not.
“Well would you look at this shit.” Cam’s boisterous voice cuts through the night as he, Jake, and Austin appear out of nowhere. “You two jackasses are hanging out and no one is dead yet.”
“Not yet,” Sawyer counters, “but I am willing to make an exception for you, Phillips.”
The comeback has the rest of us breaking into laughter.
“Where the hell have you guys been?” I ask.
“Around,” Austin answers as the three of them take a seat. “We weren’t sure if it was safe to enter the house yet.”
Sawyer grunts. “My mom is good and pissed. I’d stay clear for awhile longer.”
Mine is too. I heard her giving my dad some serious shit before I came out here. I’d feel bad if I knew he didn’t deserve it.
Sawyer divides up the rest of his beer, passing one to each of them. It’s then I decide to open mine, feeling a little more confident he didn’t tamper with it.
“To your last night of freedom.” Jake lifts his can, tilting it my way. “What do you have to say for it?”
“Good fuckin’ riddance,” I say, meaning every word.
Cam nods. “I would probably say the same thing if I had someone as hot as Sam.”
“You could if you kept your dick in one woman long enough,” Austin throws back.
Cam actually has the audacity to look affronted. “I could if I wanted to.”
We all snort in disbelief.
“It’s true. I just haven’t found someone worth that kind of trouble yet.”
“Trust me, you will,” Evans says. “And when it happens it will make you regret every chick that came before her.”
I can’t deny the truth in that statement.
“And that’s coming from the biggest manwhore of us all,” Austin jokes, slinging an arm around Sawyer’s shoulders. “How times have changed.”
“They really have,” Jake adds but without humor. His gaze moves to each of us. “It’s crazy to think just how much things have changed for us all.”
They have, but one thing has remained and that’s our friendship. It makes me even more grateful to have all of them stand with me tomorrow on another important day of my life. I’m even warming up to dickhead being there, too.
“Hey, remember the time we pulled that prank on Reinhart Academy?” Cam asks, talking about our biggest high school rival in every sport we played.
I smirk at the memory. “Yeah, we hid stink bombs all over that damn school.”
“And got busted because Corey Zimmerman got locked in the fucking janitor’s closet,” Jake cuts in the with the reminder, making us all laugh.
“Man, I forgot about that little shit,” Sawyer says. “He was a fucking riot. Whatever happened to him?”
The four of us share a look, our smiles fading along with our laughter.
“He died five years ago,” Austin tells him. “Suicide.”
Sawyer gapes at him, clearly taken back. “You serious?”
I nod, remembering that it was us who got the call and showed up first to the gruesome scene.
Grim silence falls over the moment before Cam breaks it by raising his beer for another toast. “To Corey.”
“And friendship,” Austin adds, lifting his next.
“And rivalries,” Sawyer says, looking directly at me. “Being left in the past where they belong.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Sam
Love is a powerful force. A reckon of fate. It can be messy and terrifying yet freeing and exhilarating all at once. Filled with ups and downs, highs and lows, and irrevocable moments that will rock the very foundation of who we are.
When you find it it’s like a puzzle piece fitting into place and righting everything else that didn’t make sense in your life before. If you’re fortunate enough, that kind of love can span lifetimes, returning when you least expect it and leading you to where you are always meant to be.
It’s what I call destiny, and today, Jase and I will finally live out ours.
I gaze at my reflection in the floor length mirror of the dressing room that I currently get ready in. A space that’s nestled between two bedrooms and where Jesse has been hiding my dress the last few days.
My mother, bridesmaids, and Jase’s mother wait in the adjacent room for the big reveal while my sister moves around behind me, doing some last minute touches on my wedding gown that she designed just for me.
It’s bohemian style with a touch of vintage, the lace in the front dotted with pastel peach pearls signifying a time that only Jase and I could even begin to understand.
My long blonde hair is down in simple beach waves, a gold clip pulling back one side that matches the dainty gold bracelet that’s wrapped around my arm just below my elbow. It’s perfect for the garden ceremony and the exact look I wanted for today.
“There, all done.” Jesse wraps an arm around me from behind, tears forming in her eyes as she gazes back at me in the mirror. “My baby sister is the most beautiful bride ever.”
“Thanks to you,” I whisper.
“No way, this is all you. It always has been, Sammy. You just never saw it like the rest of us.”
Emotion thickens in my throat, her words meaning more than she will ever know. As much as I love my brother and sister I always felt like I lived in their shadows, their lights shining so bright in any room they walked in. It wasn’t until I met Jase that I finally saw that light inside of me, too.
“Ready to show the others?” she asks.
I nod, excited. Not even my mother has seen my dress. I wanted it to be a surprise until this very moment.
Just as we walk toward my bedroom door there is a knock on the opposite side of the room, bringing us to a stop. Jesse and I frown at one another.
“Who is it?” my sister calls.
“Jase.”
My eyes bug out of my head, panic infiltrating my chest as I stand motionless. “What’s he doing here?” I whisper.
She shrugs and decides to ask him. “What do you want?”
“To talk to Sam.”
“You can’t,” I blurt out.
“Why the hell not?”
“Because it’s bad luck,” I tell him.
“Says who?”
“Says everyone!” Jesse and I screech at the same time.
“Come on, Sam. This will just take a minute. I promise.”
Glancing at the clock, I see the ceremony is supposed to start in just a few minutes.
What on earth could the man need to discuss right now?
My sister watches me, waiting for instruction.
“Go ahead,” I tell her. “I’ll be quick.”
She nods but throws out a quick warning to Jase. “You better stay outside that door, mister.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
His grumble puts a smile on my face.
Once Jesse leaves, I walk to the other side of the room, placing my ear to the door. “Okay, I’m here, Crawford. Make it quick, I sorta have something important to do in a few minutes.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I just…I wanted to say…” he stammers out each word, something he has never done before.
It has the already nervous butterflies in my tummy running rampant. “Jase, is everything okay?”
“Yeah. It’s fine. It’s just…” A frustrated breath leaves him. “Look, I can’t talk to you like this. Will you please just crack the door open a bit?”
“No way!”
“Come on, Sam. At least give me your hand…please?”
The plea in his voice has me unable to refuse. Sighing, I unlock the door, cracking it open just enough to slip my hand through.
His warmth engulfs mine, flowing straight into the palm of my hand, and just like that all the concern I had moments ago disintegrates, his touch obliterating everything but us.
“That’s better,” he breathes, sounding as calm as I feel. “Did you have a good night last night?”
“Yeah,” I answer. “You?”
“Yep. Hung out with the guys and reminisced. It was a good time.”
“That’s good.”
Silence settles as I wait for him to say something else.
“Is that it?” I ask, annoyed. “Is that all you wanted to say?”
There’s a smile in his voice when he speaks again. “Nah. I also wanted to tell you that I love you and I can’t wait to marry you.” He lifts my hand, bringing it to his lips for a kiss that has me melting into a puddle on the floor. “And I really can’t wait for you to have our baby.”
My head rests on the door as I fight back tears. “Don’t make me cry, Crawford. I just got my makeup done.”
He chuckles. “No crying, Peaches. Just know I got you. I always got you, and today will be the beginning to the best life you will ever have. I promise.”
“I got you, too,” I say on a sniffle.
“For eternity, Samantha.”
“For eternity,” I repeat, knowing that’s what he wants to hear.
“Good. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” With one final kiss to my hand, he disappears, leaving me trembling with all the love I feel for him.
After taking a quick moment to collect myself, I head to the other side of the room and open the door. Everyone turns to me, their gasps exploding through the room as a series of flashes go off from the photographer.
“Oh, honey, you’re beautiful!” my mother cries, rushing over to gather me in her arms.
“Absolutely gorgeous.” Mrs. Crawford follows suit, blubbering as she hugs me too. “My son is such a lucky man.”
“I’m the lucky one,” I tell her, meaning it. “Thank you for letting me love him, too.”
The words only have the other woman crying harder. “Oh gosh. I’m such a mess.” She pulls a bundle of tissues from her clutch, handing some to my mom as well.
“You look beautiful, Auntie,” Hope says in awe. “Like a real Cinderella.”
“Thanks, sweetheart. You do, too.” Kneeling down, I pull her into my arms, kissing her sweet little cheek before hugging Grace then Zoey.
“You really do look stunning, Sam,” Zoey whispers the compliment before stepping back.
“Thanks, so do you guys.”
Their dresses are replicas of mine but soft peach in color. They also wear garden wreaths on their heads instead of a gold clip.
A knock on the door has me turning just in time to see my father enter.
“Ladies, I—” Whatever he’s about to say falls into nothing but silence, his steps faltering as he gets his first look at me.
“Hi, Daddy.” I smile.
He clutches his chest, speechless. In the few silent moments that pass so much takes place between us. It’s as if my entire childhood flashes before my eyes. Every time I jumped into his arms when he got home from work. Every second he was there, wiping my tears and scraped knees. They all emerge one precious memory at a time.
“We’ll give you two a minute,” my mother says before leading everyone to the door.
Mrs. Crawford nods a greeting toward my father as she passes him. “John.”
“Elise.” My father nods back. “You look beautiful today.”
“Thank you.” She smiles.
Once the door closes, my father turns back to me, letting go of an emotional breath. “Wow. You look…wow.”
“You already said that.” I laugh.
“It seems I’m at a loss for words.” He comes to stand before me, gently grasping my shoulders as he gazes down at me with all the love he has ever shown me. “You look so much like your mother right now it’s breathtaking.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment since I know you think she i
s the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“I do and so are you.”
My heart warms. “Thank you.”
Silence falls upon us, his eyes searching mine as guilt emerges in their depths. I know what he’s going to say before he even says it. “Look, Sammy. About last night—”
I hold my hand up, stopping him from going further. “I don’t want to talk about it, Dad. I just want to forget it ever happened. I wish things could be different but I have come to the realization that they aren’t and they never will be and that’s okay. I don’t need you two to like each other. I just need you to love me and be there for Jase and me. Can you do that?”
He swallows hard and nods. “Of course.”
“Good. I also need you to promise not to beat up my father-in-law at my wedding,” I say, only half joking.
The smallest hint of a smirk softens his face. “I promise.” He gathers me in his arms, hugging me close. “I love you, Sammy, and I am so proud of the woman you have become.”
The emotion in his voice triggers my own. Hugging him back, I manage to whisper the only words that matter. “I love you too, Daddy.”
Grace walks back in a moment later. “Sorry to interrupt y’all but Catherine wanted me to let you know it’s time.”
My belly dips in a combination of nervousness and excitement.
My father looks down at me with nothing less than adoration and offers me his arm. “You ready, princess?”
My arm curls around his. “More than I have ever been ready for anything in my life.”
He nods. “Then let’s do this.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jase
Music quietly drifts through the courtyard as I stand with my best friends and soon to be brother-in-law, who I don’t happen to hate so much anymore, waiting for the ceremony to start.
All fifty white chairs are taken by our friends and family. My mom sits in the front row, tissues firmly clutched in her hand as she wipes her uncontrollable tears away. My dad’s arm is around her shoulders, his gaze on me as he gives me a proud nod that I return.
We didn’t get much time to talk this morning but he did apologize about last night and promised today would be better. I’m sure it will because I refuse to accept anything else. Today isn’t about rivalries. It’s about marrying the woman I love and finally making her mine forever.
