“Oh, I know.” Annie grinned. “Tell me about it. The parent gene sends your reactions into overdrive on the regular when you see your kid hurt or upset, huh?”
“Hell, yes.”
“Good. That’s how it should be.”
They looked at each other again; their eyes met and held again. This time neither of them looked away; the be-tutu’d alcoholic elephant looked alert.
“I’ve missed you, Annie.”
Oh, God, there was that voice, that way of saying her name. That husky growl that was also somehow sweetly possessive. Nobody ever had, ever would, ever could, say her name the way that this man did... and she didn't want anyone else to, not for as long as she lived. This was Sam's unique gift to her, Sam's offering that she treasured. It always had been.
“I've missed you too,” she said with a tremor in her voice. “I've been so worried about you and Cindy, though, so most of the time, I forget that I miss you... then it just comes back to me in a rush. Kind of takes the knees out under me every time.”
“I get that, honey.” Gently, he pulled her closer, and was nothing but relieved when she came, just snuggled right up like she'd never left. “I spend hours and hours thinking about Cindy or a patient, worrying about something so damn huge, and then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I see your face. I hear your voice. I feel your touch on me. I just miss you, so damn much, and it takes everything that I have in those moments not to get in my car and go to your house and just take you.”
Annie was almost breathless. “I...”
“Baby, can I talk?” Sam touched her lips. “Me first, then you?”
She nodded silently, her eyes shining.
“OK, then.” He traced her lips, then took his hand back with regret. “I want this to work, this thing between us. It can't be the way it was before, we both know that, but I think it can be ever better. I think...” He hesitated. “I think we can be a family, you and me and Cindy, and we can build up a life together. A home. I want that, want it with everything that I have and am, but here's the thing: you've done the Mom thing. You've raised your kids, you've just sent them off out into the world. Hell, you're probably thinking about grandkids now, but even if you are looking at babysitting, for the first time in your whole life, you're on your own, free to live your life on nobody's terms but yours. You answer to nobody, you don't have to put anybody before yourself. I don't know if you can or even if you want to raise another child, especially one who isn't yours. But if you can imagine being there for Cindy as she grows up, living with us, making a home and life with us, well... we'd welcome you with open arms. We'd love you. God, honey, you'd be so loved.”
Annie took a shaky breath, but said nothing.
“If you can't be a Mom to my daughter, I understand. I promise you, I do, and it's OK. It doesn't change a damn thing for me though, princess, because I want you in my life, in my bed. You could live in your house, and I'd live with Cindy in mine, and we'd see each other whenever you wanted. I could arrange for a babysitter overnight and stay with you, or you could come stay with me. I'm good either way. I can tell you that you'd be the only woman in my life, that I'd be with nobody but you... we'd be together in every way that mattered, but you wouldn't have to take on any responsibilities. You'd still be free.”
Tears were rolling down her cheeks now. Sam's face tightened and he brushed them away.
“Why are you crying?” he asked softly. “Why are you sad?”
“Oh, Sam. I'm not sad.”
“No?”
“No.” She shook her head, managed a tiny smile. “I want to be there for both of you. I want to help raise that strong, beautiful little girl.”
“You do?” Sam stared at her, almost afraid to believe it. “You – you want to move in with us? Make a family?”
“Yes. But not yet. Not even soon.”
Sam sighed, but not sadly. It was more a sigh of understanding.
“The way I see it, you and Cindy have known each other for a few weeks,” Annie said. “In that time, she's suffered a second huge loss in just a few months. She lost the man that she thought of as a father, and now her mother. You two have to get to know each other, just you two, as Dad and daughter. I can't – no, I won't – deny either one of you that experience.”
“But?” Sam said, hearing that word unspoken.
“But.” Annie smiled. “But I will come over as often as you and Cindy invite me, and we'll cook and watch movies and go to the park and hang out. I won't stay over, Sam, but you're welcome to come to my house a couple of times a month, when you can arrange overnight babysitting, so you and me can spend time alone, and find each other again.” She shrugged, and the movement pressed those luscious breasts against his arm. “And we'll take our time, all three of us. We'll take it easy. And then... who knows? Maybe then we can talk about being a family, for real and for good.”
“So – you're saying that you're open to it? That you'll think about helping me raise that little girl as if she was your own?” Sam stopped dancing, held her as close as he could. “That there's a chance that you'll be my wife?”
“Yes,” Annie told him. “I'm saying yes, there's a chance. For all of that.”
“A good chance?” he teased her. “Like, more than fifty-fifty?”
She got up on her tiptoes then, pressed her mouth to his. It was just a soft, short kiss, but it burned Sam like fire and stole his breath. It was the sweetest, best kiss he'd ever known, because he knew exactly what it was: it was a promise. A promise that this amazing, beautiful, fierce woman was going to open her heart to his daughter, and let Cindy come to her in her own time. Annie was going to stand and wait, wait patiently and without anger or resentment, for Cindy to accept and love her the way that Sam did.
And when that day came – even if it didn't come for years – then Annie was going to step up, step in. She was going to give Cindy a mother, a family, a home. She was going to be Cindy's almost-everything, the way that she was Sam's.
"Maybe seventy-thirty, handsome,” she whispered against his mouth. “Depends on a few things.”
“What things?”
She winked, a sexy little wink that made him harden against the curve of her hip immediately. She felt it, of course, and now she broke into that radiant, glorious smile, the one that he missed desperately and needed to see, every day, for the rest of his days.
“On many, many things,” she purred, rubbing herself against him just a bit. “I think we're discussing one of them right now, actually.”
“Are we?”
“Mmmm-hmmm.” She kissed him again, deeper, harder, and his whole body responded, helplessly. “I'd say that you need to find an overnight babysitter pretty soon, so we can take this conversation to the next level. By the way, that level is horizontal.”
“Next weekend good for you?”
“Perfect,” Annie said. “Next weekend we can start things fresh and shiny and new.”
“Yes, princess.” Sam took her face in both hands, lowered his mouth to hers. He ran his tongue over the curve of her lips, then kissed her like he was claiming her, like he was cherishing her. Like he was coming home. “Let's go back to the begining of the fairy tale, and start again. I think some serious rewrites are in order.”
Epilogue
One year later
Annie held the front door of Sam's house and stood aside, trying to flatten herself against the wall as much as humanly possible. Sam, Noah, Mac, and Jax staggered past, loaded down with boxes of her stuff. They were closely followed by Sarah, who waddled as quickly as her protruding stomach allowed.
“OK, sweetie?” Annie asked her daughter as she shut the door against the pouring rain. “You need something?"
“The bathroom," Sarah grumbled. “Again. Jesus, being pregnant means peeing twenty-three hours a day, doesn't it?"
“Sure does," Jax said to his wife, setting down the boxes. “I think you've admired the inside of every bathroom in Denver."
; Sarah's glare almost knocked him over backwards.
“This is all your fault," she hissed at him as she toddled to the bathroom. “You're the one who wanted twins. 'It'll be fun to have two at once', you said. 'One pregnancy, two babies', you said. Well, the last time I checked, Hamill, you weren't the one who had to carry them around!"
“You look beautiful!" he called to her back. “Love you!"
“Haaarrruuummppph," she replied as she shut the bathroom door. “Don't talk to me ever again."
“Does she really hate you, Brother Jax?" Noah asked Jax. “Can you really never talk to her again?"
“No, Noah," Jax said soothingly. “She has hormone overload, and she can't sleep at night so she's tired, and the babies are heavy. She's just ready for them to come, I think."
“Soon!" Noah said with great enthusiasm. “Maybe today!"
“Oh, well," Jax said. “Today might not be the best day, what with Annie moving in here and all. Maybe tomorrow."
“Tomorrow!" Noah agreed. “I'm free tomorrow too."
“Excellent," Jax said. “I'll see what I can do."
“Daddy?"
They all turned to look at Cindy. She was staring at all the boxes, blinking a bit at the mess.
“Hey, sweet pea," Sam said. “You doing OK?"
“Is this all Annie's stuff?" the little girl asked. “In the boxes?"
“Yes, angel," Annie said gently. “You think it's a lot?"
“I don't know." Cindy contemplated the matter. “It's your clothes and shoes?"
“Yep. Any my books, and my CD's, and lots and lots of pictures."
“Pictures?" Her dark eyes lit up. “Of Aunty Sarah and Uncle Noah when they were little?"
“Yep."
“Ohhhhh. I'd like to see those."
“For sure," Annie said. “I'll unpack everything, and we can maybe ordre pizza and have a picture night. What do you think?"
“Yes!"
“Good," Annie began, but then the bathroom door opened and Sarah emerged, looking panicked. "Uh – Sarah?"
"Oh, God, Jax," she said, and they could see her shaking from ten feet away. “Jax..."
“Holy fuck, baby," he said softly. “Yeah?"
“Don't swear!" Noah and Cindy told him in unison, but he wasn't hearing them. His wife was about to give birth to their son and daughter, and despite thinking that he'd been ready for this, he was suddenly very, very aware that he was fucking not. What the actual hell had he been thinking, that he'd be able to stand seeing Sarah in agony and afraid? He rushed over to her, helped her to the sofa, wincing as she doubled over in pain.
He deposited Sarah on the sofa as gently as he could, then Jax shot a pleading, desperate look over at Sam and Mac. Thank Christ two doctors were standing there, because Jax was about to lose his mind. He needed a few minutes to pull it together so he could be there for Sarah.
Sure enough, the two badass doctor types were on top of it. Sam was already next to Sarah, taking her pulse, and Mac was on his cell, calmly calling ahead to the the hospital. Yeah, after years and years of seeing the most damaged people on earth roll through the hospital doors, Jax didn't suppose that a healthy young woman going into labor in a warm, safe place was a big deal for them.
“Today!" Noah said excitedly. “It will happen today after all, Brother Jax!"
“Apparently so," Jax said, holding Sarah's hands. “You OK, Red?"
“Argh," she said, and she clutched his hand between both of hers. “Oh, Jax,it hurts."
“I know, baby. It's gonna be OK."
“Mom?" Sarah said. “Mom?"
“Right here." Annie sat on her other side, stroked her hair. “You've got this, sweetie. You're going to be just fine. You and those sweet babies. Breathe, Sarah. Just breathe."
**
Five hours later, the hospital waiting room was packed with Jax and Sarah's anxious friends and family. Jax had come out of the delivery room an hour earlier and told everyone that Sarah's doctor had decided that she needed a Caesarian after all. He'd been worried and distracted, and everyone had offered their words of support. He'd nodded, then dashed back to his wife.
King turned to Sam now. “"Shouldn't it be done?"
“If everything went fine, then yes." Sam cuddled a sleeping Cindy closer as she sighed and moved around a bit. He dropped his voice. “They'll have to check the babies, then Sarah and Jax will get time alone with them. The doctor will want Sarah to have skin-to-skin time, maybe try feeding them. I say give it another hour."
“Can we ask?" Curtis growled, his large hand on Tessa's stomach. She was due in three months, and she was watching all of this unfold with barely-restrained panic. Curtis knew that his wife was imagining all kinds of complications with her own delivery, and he was hoping for the 'happy ending' news ASAP. “Get an update, at least?"
“Sure." Mac got to his feet, kissed Mirrie's hand, just above her wedding ring. “Gimme a minute."
They all watched him lope off gracefully, then returned to staring at each other. Noah and Callie were openly happy and excited, but they were the only ones. Everyone else was grim, worried, tense. They were pretty sure that things would be OK in the end, mostly because Jax would have been kicking ass and taking names in that delivery room, so the idea that he'd have allowed the labor to go on too long or too far was ludicrous, but still. Shit happened all the time with birth, and when it happened, it happened fast. They'd relax when Jax came out and they heard the good news with their own ears; they'd relax completely when they saw Sarah and the twins with their own eyes.
“"You doing alright?" Sam asked Annie. “You need a glass of water?"
“No, babe," she said quietly. “I'm good. It's just – it's quite a day, huh?"
“Sure is." He grinned at her, those amazing brown eyes warm and teasing. “Moving in and becoming a grandmother twice over, all in the same day? One for the books, I'd say."
She laughed, then stroked Cindy's dark hair. “Do you think she'll wake up and ask for the pizza I promised her?"
“Yep." Sam smiled down at his daughter, and Annie saw pure affection all over his handsome face. “The kid has a mind like a steel trap – especially for food."
“I've noticed." Annie sighed, shifted in her chair. “It's been my secret weapon with her, really."
“Feeding her?"
“Yeah. They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but I think it's also the way to win over sweet little girls."
Sam leaned over and kissed Annie, a brief, hard kiss. He'd watched her over the past year with his daughter, watched as she'd slowly, carefully, patiently, let Cindy come to her in her own time, in her own way. It hadn't been difficult for Cindy to like Annie; loving her had taken a bit longer, though.
Annie had given her the time and space that she'd needed, given herself the same time and space. After all, loving someone wasn't a one-way street, and Sam knew that if Annie couldn't look at Cindy as a child that she wanted to be a part of forever, then this would and could never work. He'd held his breath, he'd kept the faith, he'd just held on... and two months earlier, Cindy had told Annie that she loved her.
Annie had been baking cookies with Cindy at the time, and they had been alone in the house. She'd dropped the spatula that she'd been using to stir in the chocolate chips, and hugged Cindy close. She'd then told Cindy that she loved her,too, loved her like a little girl she'd be happy to watch grow up. Cindy had cried then, there in Annie's arms, and snuffled that she wanted Annie to watch her grow up, too.
That night, Annie had stayed over at Sam's house for the first time since Cindy had come into his life. The next morning, she'd joined them for breakfast for the first time. And she hadn't really left since. The moving in process of that day was really a formality, a nod to what everybody already knew and accepted, a confirmation of the obvious.
Sam had the ring in his pocket. He was going to propose that night.
Assuming all was OK with Sarah and the babies.
T
he answer that they'd all been waiting for came less than ten minutes later: Mac returned, Jax following right on his heels. Everyone shot to their feet – even the pregnant Tessa and Naomi – and they gazed at Jax in anticipation.
"Everything's fine," he told them, looking strained but happy. "Everyone's fine."
They moved towards him as one, a wave of sheer delight and joy, hugging him, clapping him on the shoulder, kissing him. He grinned broadly, then raised his voice a bit:
"You can come and meet Jennifer Rose and Caleb Michael in about thirty minutes. Their mother is feeding them right now, and says that after, she needs to brush her hair and put on lipstick before she has visitors, because – oddly enough – she looks like a woman who's just given birth to twins."
"Jenny and Caleb?" Annie said a bit teasingly, knowing how long they'd gone back and forth on the names. "Final decision?"
"Final decision," Jax told her. "Sarah informed me of that about three minutes before big brother Caleb arrived, and I wasn't about to argue with her."
"Smart move," Mac said. "You really ain't as dumb as you look, are you?"
The room erupted into laughter, then everyone got ready to troop down the hall in small groups, to meet Jenny and Caleb Hamill.
**
Sam tucked Cindy into bed, kissed her on the top of her head. She'd slept through visiting the babies, which would annoy her greatly in the morning, he knew. But she was exhausted, and so he'd just make sure that she got to the hospital early the next day.
He went out to the living room, saw Annie starting to peel the packing tape off the boxes. He quickly went over to her, took her hands.
"Nah, honey. Wait until the morning, OK?"
"Oh, I'm not ready to go to sleep," she told him. "I'm way too keyed up from meeting my beautiful grandbabies. I'll be up for a while."
"Good."
She cocked her head at him. "Good?"
"Yes, princess. Good."
"Why good?"
Lush Curves (Dangerous Curves Book 8) Page 20
