She hadn’t.
I didn’t know if not talking about his past was a coping mechanism for Ben, or if he just didn’t want to tell me. This frustrated me because I wanted to be the one person he could tell anything. I wanted to help him deal with it and put it behind him.
And I knew it wasn’t behind him.
There were moments that would surprise him and hurtle him into the past. I hated those. He’d be off for a little while and zone out, reconstructing the barriers that kept those memories at bay. Yeah, he’d snap out of it, but I didn’t want him to have to go through it alone. I was there; all he had to do was reach out.
Nevertheless, I made my decision not to push or pry, which was extremely difficult for me. It went against my very character. However, I’d done it for him. I let him be, gave him as much space and time as he needed, because I felt as if I rocked the boat too hard, he’d slip from my grasp.
I wouldn’t allow that to happen.
I could ignore his past if I had him in my life.
He was more important than anything to me.
“What are you thinking about?” Ben asked, breaking the silence.
I peered up at him, hiding my thoughts. “Just you.”
He smirked and cupped me between my legs. I mewled, still sensitive. It probably had a lot to do with the hours-long love making session we had the night before, not just the shower.
“Anything in particular?” Ben searched playfully, skimming his fingers over my clit.
“Nope. Just you,” I fibbed, biting my lip. That felt really good, but we didn’t have time for more. “I need to get cleaned up, handsome.”
Frowning, Ben agreed, “I know. How long do you have until you need to be there?”
“Before you surprised me and jumped into the shower with me, it was forty-five minutes. So, fifteen minutes.”
Ben’s smirk returned. “You have plenty of time.”
I laughed and pushed against his chest, trying to get away. “No, I don’t, you nympho. I’ve gotta go. Clara will kill me if I’m runnin’ behind on her weddin’ day.”
Ben pouted playfully. “But you’re mine.”
I felt that comment down to my toes.
“I am yours, but as her maid of honor, I’m Clara’s today.”
As well as her wedding coordinator, I should have added. It was my duty to get there early and make sure everything was set up according to plan. I had one hell of a day ahead of me.
“Fine,” he grumbled and let me go. “I’ll make you some coffee for the road.”
“Thanks, honey.”
I smiled and watched as he opened the glass door to the shower. Steam followed him as he ambled out and cool air rushed in. I was far from cold, though. Watching his ass as he moved was enough to get me all hot and bothered again. Seriously, that man’s body was something else.
I rushed through the remainder of my shower and then hopped out a few minutes later. Since I’d stayed at Ben’s last night, I had already taken everything to the B&B yesterday, where Clara and Grey were getting hitched later this evening. It was one less thing to worry about.
I threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. We were getting our hair and makeup done at Teresa’s, so I wasn’t worried about getting ready. I towel dried my hair as I slipped on my shoes and walked out of Ben’s room to join him in the kitchen.
The first time I stepped foot into Ben’s house, I was in love. For a manly-man, he did an exceptional job decorating and furnishing it, everything done in black, tan, and gray tones. It went well with the rustic bones of the house. Large and comfortable furniture made it perfect for a family, too. I especially loved his bed and his massive bathroom. However, one thing that saddened me was the lack of pictures of Gwen or Ben’s parents. I’d only been in Linc’s room a handful of times, and even he didn’t have any. At least Ben had some of him and Linc and him and his grandfather.
Lost in my head, I didn’t realize there were voices coming from the kitchen. But I realized it when I walked in and saw Linc and Dr. Melbourne sitting at the bar, freezing me in my tracks.
Though Linc knew his father and I slept together – a mortifying fact I found out when Linc let it slip that he knew about London – we never rubbed it in his face. If I stayed the night while he was home, he didn’t see me go into his father’s room at night or leave the next morning. Ben and I waited until he was in bed, and I was gone by the time he woke up, so I was in uncharted territory.
Why Linc was even up this early was beyond me, especially on a Saturday. That boy didn’t get up until noon on the weekends. And why was Dr. Melbourne here? He never dropped by unannounced.
I pulled the towel away from my head, letting it dangle from my fingers, and wondered if I could sneak out before they noticed me.
Wishful thinking.
“Hey, Sam,” Linc hollered. He shoveled a spoonful of Cheerios into his mouth and acted as if everything was normal.
“Uh…hey, Linc,” I murmured back, my eyes wide.
“Mornin’,” Dr. Melbourne said, sipping his coffee. He watched me over the rim of his mug, entertained by my predicament.
“Hi, Dr. Melbourne,” I replied and gave him a finger wave, having no idea what to do.
“Here’s your coffee,” Ben stated, leaning against the counter by the Keurig. He already had a thermos topped off and ready to go on the counter next to him.
Had I woken in another world where this was normal?
If I weren’t so distracted, I would have enjoyed seeing Ben in his kitchen in nothing but his running shorts, with his hair wet and disheveled.
Damn.
As I walked towards Ben, Linc asked, “Do you have to leave so soon?”
My smile was tight. “Sorry, klutz, but yeah. It’s gonna be a busy day.”
“I’ve never been to a wedding before,” he commented, continuing to eat. “Should be fun.” The last part was garbled since his mouth was full again.
“Yep.”
It was the only reply I could come up with.
I stopped next to Ben and whispered, “A little notice would’ve been nice.”
“What?” he asked, surprised. He took the towel from my hands and laid it on the counter while he encircled my waist.
Stepping closer, I tipped my head at our audience. “Should they be seein’ me here, both of us fresh out of the shower,this early in the mornin’?”
A brilliant smile spread across Ben’s face. “Sweetheart, both of them know about us. What’s the difference?”
I didn’t have time for this.
“We’ll talk about this later,” I warned, narrowing my eyes.
Ben’s gaze glittered with mirth.
I grabbed my coffee, continuing to give him the evil eye. “I’ll see you later,” I told him and stepped out of his embrace.
“Not so fast, baby girl,” Ben murmured, tugging me back against him. He laid a wet and deliciously long kiss on my lips. My head spun when he let me go, and if I wasn’t prepared, I would have fallen over. “I’ll call you after we’re done fishing to let you know we’re on our way,” Ben informed me as he turned back to the Keurig. I could hear the laughter in his voice. He got a real kick out of doing that in front of them.
Nevertheless, that explained Dr. Melbourne’s presence and Linc’s early morning. Those men loved to fish.
I took a deep breath, not wanting to face the other people in the room, and smoothed some wayward strands of wet hair from my face. “Sounds good. I’ll see you later.”
Ben shot me a wink. “Later.”
Ass.
“Let me walk you out,” Dr. Melbourne offered, already slinking down from his stool.
“You don’t have to do that,” I told him, not wanting to put him out.
He waved me off. “It’s no trouble. I need to grab somethin’ from my car, anyway.”
“Okay…” I couldn’t say no to that.
Once I said goodbye to Linc, Dr. Melbourne and I walked out the front door, the progressi
on a little slow. It pained me to see the lively old coot needing to use a cane these days. Dr. Melbourne had lost most of his hair over the years, having only a bit of white fluff around the sides of his head. He wore thick glasses and had a large pot belly. Ben must’ve gotten his height from his father, because Dr. Melbourne was maybe a hair taller than me. Even though his health wasn’t what it used to be, his mind was as sharp as a tack.
When I was little, I thought of him as if he were Superman. There was nothing Dr. Melbourne couldn’t do – he just had that way with children. As I grew up, that changed, but it changed in a way that I could call him my friend. He was kind and sweet, but if you got on his bad side…whew wee, that man could tear down a man twice his size with only a few words. I’d seen it happen. It was his brutal honesty that I loved the most. That was hard to find these days.
We remained silent as we walked down Ben’s porch and driveway. When we approached my truck, I went to open my door, but he stopped me.
“Just because I’m old don’t mean I can’t open a pretty lady’s door,” he complained, scowling at me.
I laughed and waved at the door dramatically. “Then by all means.”
Once he opened it, and before I could hop in, he clutched my arm. “I need to speak to you for a moment, Sam.”
“What’s up?” I asked, stifling an urge to check the time.
Clara really would kill me if I was late. These last few days had been tense. The bakery lost her cake order, and my dress was too big when we had our final fitting last weekend. There had been a whole slew of things that went wrong. I’d been able to smooth out everything for her, even my dress, but it kicked up her anxiety.
When Dr. Melbourne didn’t spit it out, I eyed him closer. It was the first time I’d ever seen him hesitant. “Is somethin’ wrong?” I questioned, confused.
His eyes misted as he cupped my face, taking me off guard. “No, Sam, everythin’ is perfect. I just needed to say… Well… Thank you.”
My laugh was strained as I inquired, “For what? I didn’t do anythin’.”
“You’ve done more than you know – you’ve given me back my Ben.”
I still didn’t understand. “But Ben’s-”
“You’ve given me back the person that was lost to me, that sixteen-year-old boy that had hope and light shinin’ from his eyes. You’ve brought him back.”
Emotions clogged my throat. “I had nothin’ to do with that.”
“Sure you did,” he replied, smiling fondly. “Since he’s met you, Ben’s been happier than I’ve seen him since before his father and that witch killed all his joy.” If I didn’t know the backstory about Gwen, I would have been taken aback by the vehemence in his voice. “You’ve brought him back to life when he was only wadin’ through each day.”
“He just needed to get away from them. That’s all.”
“Oh, child,” he murmured, brushing the apple of my cheek with his thumb. “If you’d seen him before, you’d know. You’ve given him somethin’ special, and it’s changed my boy for the better. Both of them. Even Linc is different. And he looks at you like you’ve hung the moon.”
“Dr. Melbourne-”
“It’s Pops to you, Samantha June.” He hadn’t used my full name since I was a kid. “You’re family, and I have a feelin’ you always will be.”
I sniffled, touched beyond belief. “Pops,” I whispered.
“Just keep on lovin’ him, Sam. Keep doin’ what you’re doin’.”
“I will,” I promised.
“After everythin’ my Victoria and that snake-”
Clutching his wrist tightly, I stopped him before he could go on. “He hasn’t told me. Whatever you’re about to say, don’t. I want him to tell me about them when he’s ready…and he isn’t yet.”
If that happened, I knew Ben would look at it as a stab in the back. I wouldn’t take that risk.
Dr. Melbourne pressed his lips together in frustration and dropped his hand from my face. He shook his head and swore a couple of times. “That boy…” he finally murmured. “He’s gotta stop bottlin’ up that stuff. Yeah, it’s bad, but it’s not bad enough that he can’t talk about it.”
“Pops,” I pleaded, not wanting him to finish.
His stare became intense, causing me to squirm. “Don’t give up on him, Sam. Just don’t. When his mom comes to town, it’ll get bad. Please don’t give up on him.”
My skin pebbled, and my gut turned to stone. “His mother is comin’?”
“Shit,” the doctor muttered. “I wasn’t supposed to say that.”
“What?” I questioned, hurt.
Does Ben not want me to know?
“Victoria wants to surprise him,” he explained.
“No, Dr. Mel…I mean, Pops. If he finds out I knew before she gets here, he’ll kill me.”
He waved me off. “No, I’ll tell him. I’ll tell him. I was thinkin’ I might, not wantin’ to spring it on him, but this takes it out of my hands. I’ll tell him while we are fishin’.”
Relieved, I muttered, “Good.” I paused, then asked, “When’s she comin’?”
“Don’t know. She didn’t say.”
“Shit.”
That couldn’t be good.
How is Ben going to cope with this?
Dr. Melbourne must have read my thoughts.
“Just…” He took my hand and squeezed it. “Just keep doin’ what you’re doin’ with him. Okay, Sam?”
“You have my word,” I vowed.
He squeezed my hand once more, saying, “You’ve made an old man real happy, Samantha June.”
I smiled at him, not adding anything. Words weren’t needed.
“Have fun today. Don’t get the bride too liquored up before she walks down the aisle.”
Laughing, I joked, “You know me all too well.”
“That, I do, Sammy dear. That, I do.” He turned around and slowly walked away, giving me a wave over his shoulder.
I climbed into my truck and started the engine. Sagging against the seat, I gave myself a second to let all that marinate. I had no idea what to make of it.
I’d seen a change in Ben as well, but I thought it was mainly between us and our relationship.
And his mother…
That was definite food for thought.
I noticed the time and cursed.
I was officially late.
Chapter 25
Samantha
The B&B was chaotic. There were people everywhere, scrambling to get everything done in time. However, I couldn’t help but admire what was accomplished already.
Clara’s vision for her wedding was to mix class with a little bit of country, representing herself and Grey; therefore, the theme was rustic chic. When she told me, I was unsure, but then I did a little research and saw pictures of other weddings and realized it was a really good idea. And, now that I saw the final results, I was blown away.
The ceremony would take place at the very back of our large backyard, with the big, beautiful mountains as a backdrop. The florist constructed a large arbor made of willow for Clara and Grey to stand under. Coral peonies, peach and ivory roses, and blush hydrangeas were weaved into the arbor to match the centerpieces and the wedding party’s bouquets. A burlap runner was rolled down the aisle between several rows of white chairs.
To the right of the B&B, there was a large garden with a vast grass area in the middle, which was where the reception was being held. Three very long tables covered with white linens and burlap and white lace runners were set up in an unfinished rectangle, overlooking a newly constructed dancefloor. A smaller table for the bride and groom was placed on the open side of the rectangle, with another, albeit smaller, willow arbor behind it. Bulb lights were strewn overhead, going from side to side. There were even large mason jars dangling from the trees surrounding the garden, the candles inside to be lit later tonight. The centerpieces were to die for. Bits of willow protruded here and there in between the roses, peonies, and hydrangeas, addin
g some height. Different styled old mason jars were scattered in between the centerpieces, adding to the rustic feel. The buffet table and cake table were by the patio for convenience reasons – it was very close to the kitchen – and they were both decorated to match the tables, with the same bulb lights scattered above them.
It was breathtaking.
I had to pat myself on the back for pulling this off. Clara was going to love it.
Speaking of Clara…
I checked my phone and saw that it was time to get ready. I sent my dad a text, letting him know it was his show now and that I was officially off duty for the rest of the day. He’d disappeared somewhere a little while ago, needing to fix an issue with the caterers.
As I turned around, I noticed someone watching me from the porch.
Wonderful.
Realizing that I’d finally noticed him, Mr. Johnston walked down the steps, heading my way.
I had no idea what the man was doing back in Bliss. I was surprised when I saw his name on the reservations list last week. I’d specifically told Teresa and Mrs. Birdie not to take any this weekend for anyone that wasn’t attending the wedding. Somehow, his had slipped through.
“Hello again,” he greeted me as he approached, smiling broadly.
“It’s good to see you, Mr. Johnston.”
Not.
“I was told there’d be a wedding, but wow.” Whistling, his dark eyes scanned the backyard. “This is something.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, wanting this conversation to be over. There was something about the man that was off-putting. “My brother is gettin’ married.”
“Congrats to your family.”
I nodded my head in thanks.
His gaze darted back and forth between my eyes and cleavage. “I’m sure the whole town will be attending.”
Gross.
“Yes, a good amount,” I replied stiffly.
“I’ll keep out of the way. The happy couple doesn’t need some stranger milling around.”
Fated Bliss (The Bliss Series Book 2) Page 29
