Love Everlasting

by Julie Lessman

  His wife. Saltwater immediately welled in her eyes.

  And her husband, gifted by God.

  “Okay,” she whispered, her throat doing a little ducking of its own, “but I’m going to warn you right now, Dr. Carmichael—it’s been almost ten years since this so-called ‘perfect woman’ has” —her cheeks flamed hot as she worried her lip, suddenly feeling like an awkward teenager all over again— “well, you know, so not only am I probably rusty, but I’m a whole lot older too.”

  He grinned and deposited a kiss to her nose. “When it comes to the woman for me, you’re sheer perfection, Tess, just the way you are.” He laced his fingers through hers with a firm confidence that helped to settle her nerves. “And when it comes to the other, Mrs. Carmichael?” Tugging her toward the house, he kindled her with a smoky look that whirled her stomach before slipping her a wink. “Just follow my lead.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  “Okay, boys—you sure I can’t get you anything else?” The pretty halter-clad waitress at Rocks on the Roof smiled, her gaze sliding from Sam to Jack to Chase with a flirtatious air while she waved the dinner check in the air.

  Sam plucked it from her hand before Jack could, his smile subdued considerably given the spark of interest in the girl’s eyes. “No thanks, Emily, and the bill is all mine.”

  “Oh, no you don’t,” Jack and Chase said in unison, both reaching into their pockets.

  Sam tucked a credit card into the leather bill holder and handed it to Emily before Jack or Chase could even retrieve their wallets “Go, Emily, please, before they make a scene.”

  “What are you doing, Ham?” Jack said, credit card finally in hand. He nodded toward the bill. “Between this and that fancy blazer you’re wearing, dude, I’m starting to worry Augustine hiked your salary when you got back with Jazz.”

  A grin eased across Sam’s face as he brushed a piece of lint from the new Ralph Lauren sport coat he bought for his next date with Shan. “Nope. This is just my way of saying thanks for saving my life.” He nodded toward Jack. “First you in hounding me to death to go to church and then introducing me to Shannon.” His gaze flicked to Chase with a sheepish smile. “Then you in putting the hammer down to help me see the light.” His expression sobered as he thought about the gift these two men were, opening his eyes to a faith that not only saved his life, but his soul as well. He swallowed the lump of emotion clogging his throat. “I’ve never had friendships like this before,” he said quietly, “and I can’t thank you two enough for putting up with me.”

  Jack pocketed his credit card away while Chase did the same. “Don’t thank me, bro, thank my sister. As far as I’m concerned, Shannon saved your butt, not us. Although I suppose we did earn that dinner, eh, Rev?”

  “I know I sure did,” Chase said with a mock scowl, upending the rest of his water. “This is the second time I’ve had the girl of my dreams stolen away by some fast-talking joker. Truth be told, I’m glad both of you are off the market, although without Lacey or Shannon, there’s not too much catching my eye at the moment.”

  Grinning, Jack slapped Chase on the back. “Cheer up, Chase, there’s always Cat,” he quipped, although Sam knew Jack would like nothing better than seeing his wayward sister corralled by the no-nonsense preacher.

  “Yeah, sorry about that, Rev,” Sam said with a rueful grin, “but Jack’s right. Cat needs you way more than Shannon does, so the way I figure it, it all worked out the way it should.” He drew in a deep breath as he scratched the back of his head. “Or at least I hope it does …”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Jack said, eyes in a squint.

  “It means, O’Bryen, that like it or not …” Sam took his time answering while Emily delivered the ticket with a sultry smile, her close proximity making him uncomfortable with a woman for the first time in his life. He signed and handed it back with a polite smile, along with his usual healthy tip. When she left, he reached into his pocket to produce a velvet box, chuckling at Chase’s low whistle and the wide span of Jack’s eyes when Sam revealed a diamond ring. “I hope to become your brother-in-law in the not-too-distant future.”

  “No kidding?” Jack jumped up to pump Sam’s hand, a contest as to whose grin was wider. “Does Shannon know?”

  “Not a clue,” Sam said with a smug smile. A mix of pride and love swelled in his chest over the way he’d kept his relationship with Shannon aboveboard and kept her off the scent of a proposal despite seeing her every day for a month.

  “I want to take my time to really get to know you, Shan,” he’d told her that night in the dory, even though he already suspected she was the one. And when they’d danced every single dance at Tess and Ben’s intimate garden wedding just last week, he’d known for a certainty he couldn’t wait much longer to make her his wife.

  “So, when are you going to pop the question?” Chase wanted to know.

  “Saturday night when we celebrate our official one-month anniversary. I know how much she loves to cook, so I thought I’d pull the stops out and take her to the 700 Kitchen Cooking School at Mansion on Forsyth Park.” He gave them a wink. “Already arranged with the chef for a surprise in her dinner roll, so I can’t wait to see her face.” He pocketed the ring and grinned like a fool. “And I can tell you right now, this will not be a long engagement if I have any say.”

  Chase cuffed Sam’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you, man, and I sure hope I have the honor of officially ending your illustrious career as Dr. Love.”

  Sam chuckled as he put his credit card back in his wallet, shooting Chase a wicked grin. “Oh, I’ll still be Dr. Love, Rev, but I’ll only be making house calls for one woman.”

  “Good to know, Ham.” Jack rose to his feet, one side of his mouth inching up in a wry smile. “Because I’d really hate to mess up the pretty face of one of my best buds and brother-in-law.” He pushed in his chair. “And speaking of house calls,” he said with a glance at his watch, “I’m late for mine right now.”

  Following suit, Chase stood as well. “I’m afraid I need to head out, too, Sam—early meeting with the board.” He eased his chair in with a crooked smile. “I don’t have the practice of burning the candles at both ends like you, Doc.”

  Sam laughed while he checked his phone. “Yeah, well the fires on both ends have been effectively doused, I assure you, by both you and Shan.” His smile skewed as he returned a text. “And I’d be leaving, too, if I hadn’t promised two college buddies I’d meet them for a drink, trust me.”

  “Don’t forget Augustine’s in early tomorrow, bro, so not too late if you value your job.” Jack pinched Sam’s shoulder on his way out. “Thanks for dinner, Sam, and I couldn’t be happier with the news.”

  “Me too, Doc.” Chase offered a quick handshake. “Appreciate the dinner—the best I’ve had in months. But then a pastor can’t afford what you high-rollers can.”

  “Can I get you anything else, Dr. Cunningham?”

  Sam glanced up in surprise, wondering how Emily knew he was a physician.

  She gave a slight shrug, her megawatt smile putting him on-guard. “Your friends kept calling you ‘Doc,’ so I just assumed.”

  Sam quickly rose. “Actually, I’d love a cappuccino, Em, out on the terrace if that’s okay. I’m meeting more friends in a few minutes.”

  “Absolutely, Doc.” Her head tipped in question. “And … anything for your ‘friends’?” The question seemed to beg an answer as to whether his friends were male or female.

  Sam paused, wondering if Reece still put away the Wild Turkey like he used to. No doubt, Zach was still hooked on Bud Light. “Yeah, Em, thanks for asking—bring me a Wild Turkey on the rocks and a Bud Light too, if you will.”

  “Sure thing, Sam,” she said softly, way too much familiarity in her tone. Her over-the-shoulder smile lingered as she headed for the bar, and he instantly made a beeline for the terrace, completely ruined for other women by the one girl he hoped to make his wife. Shannon was truly one of a kind, and
gratitude instantly flooded his soul while moisture flooded his eyes. “Thank you, God,” he whispered as he made his way to the far end of the terrace.

  Sinking into the plush cushions of a rattan sofa seating, he fixed his gaze on the Savannah Bridge at night. The cable-stayed bridge was all lit up like a grand lady adorned in glittering diamonds, and he couldn’t count the times he’d sat up here with various women. But not once had he truly appreciated the beauty of Savannah’s historic riverfront. With a tangerine moon drizzling over an indigo river, the distant call of foghorns merged with the pungent smell of the salt marshes that so reminded him of the ocean mere miles away. But tonight, he saw and heard it all as if for the very first time, suddenly painfully aware how empty his life had been.

  Before Shannon.

  “Here you go, Sam, one cappuccino, a Wild Turkey on the rocks, and a Bud Light.” Emily bent over to set the drinks down, providing an ample view of her V-neck halter and a killer smile. “How about something sweet to go with that coffee, Doc?” she asked, her voice suddenly husky and low.

  Patting the washboard stomach he worked so hard to maintain, he tempered his smile to cordial. “No, thanks, Emily, couldn’t eat another thing.”

  “I wasn’t talking about food, Doc,” she whispered, slipping a piece of paper with what looked like a phone number on it under the Wild Turkey. “I get off at eleven if you change your mind.” Tossing him a secret smile that carried all the way to the door, she disappeared back inside, and Sam shook his head, amazed he’d ever been attracted to women who came on to him like that.

  “The hot girls are still hitting on you, I see,” a familiar voice said with a chuckle that harbored a trace of envy. “Bet you have to carry a stick now that you have your MD.”

  Sam glanced up to see two of his fraternity brothers approach with lurid grins, taking him back to college days when he took full advantage of women who hit on him back then. He hadn’t been a player until Amber betrayed him, having an affair with her professor while she wore Sam’s two-bit diamond ring. From that point on, he took whatever women were willing to give, and the lewd looks on Zach’s and Reece’s faces reminded him it had been plenty. The thought made him feel both nauseous and dirty at the same time, and never had he craved a hot shower more.

  “Naw,” Sam said as he stood to shake their hands, “she’s just hoping to boost her tip.”

  Zach elbowed Reece with a snicker. “Yeah, I’ll bet she is—delivered personally to her apartment.”

  “You guys haven’t changed a bit, you know that?” Sam sat back down and lifted his cup in a toast. “But it’s still good to see you. What are you two clowns doing in Savannah anyway?”

  That’s all it took to unleash ten years of crazy catch-up, nearly bringing Sam to tears with laughter, reminding him just why he’d been friends with two of the fraternity’s funniest guys. They’d made him laugh and forget while he made them popular with the ladies, a trade-off that had served them all well.

  He learned they were married to sisters and each had two kids, although it sure didn’t show in their actions when Emily delivered more drinks and another cappuccino. They practically drooled, as if one out-of-town trip had dropkicked them right back into college.

  “So, enough about us mortals,” Reece finally said, giving Emily a wink when she delivered his third Wild Turkey, “I want to hear how the Greek gods live, Ham, so fill us in.”

  Taking a careful sip of his third cappuccino, Sam paused, well aware there was a time when he would have dazzled them with his conquests of women, but just the thought of that now left a bad taste in his mouth. So he told them how much he loved practicing medicine instead, and the satisfaction of giving back to society with the volunteer work that he did.

  Reece guzzled half of his drink while he slid Sam a knowing look. “Sounds good, man, but that’s not the kind of ‘satisfaction’ we want to hear about, Ham, and you know it. Have a heart, man—Zach and I have a ball and chain now, so we want to see how the other half lives.”

  “Yeah, dude,” Zach said with a lift of his beer, “I’ll bet your bedroom has a revolving door, so fill us in.”

  Rarely did Sam ever blush, but he could feel the heat crawling up his neck right now, singeing his skin with both shame and disgust. He set his cup down and sat back with a stiff fold of arms, as if he could ward off the regret that kept slamming his conscience. “Actually, I’m about to get engaged, I hope, so my days as a player have officially come to an end.”

  “Seriously?” Reece stared in disbelief, half-empty glass mid-air.

  “Seriously.” Sam draped an arm over the back of the rattan sofa, striving for a calm and casual air that didn’t come easy with three cappuccinos jacking him up. “I met the woman of my dreams, so I’m done with the whole singles façade, and happily so.”

  “No kidding,” Zach said with a grin. “Well, what do you know—life is fair! Congratulations, Sam. She must be some girl.”

  “Oh, she is, trust me.” He could no more stop the goofy grin from his face than he could stop the flow of the river below. “She’s one of a kind—sweet, smart—”

  “And hot?” Reece upended his drink with a sly smile.

  Sam laughed. “What do you think, Reece?”

  “I’m guessing she’s the hottest thing in Savannah, knowing you, Ham.”

  Jasmine’s image suddenly popped in his mind, and Sam reached for his coffee, shocked that the notion of a well-stacked knockout no longer appealed. “She is,” he said quietly, “a true beauty on the inside and out, and I’m a very lucky man.” Thinking of Shannon, he smiled, rib cage expanding with pride that she belonged to him. “And you know the best part?” He glanced up with a sincerity he had never shared with the two men before. “She’s the purest woman I have ever met, body and soul.”

  Reece almost spit out his drink. “Pure? Dating you? I don’t believe it.”

  “Wait …” Zach stared, eyes gaping. “You mean you two don’t—?”

  “Nope,” Sam said, quickly cutting him off. “She’s a woman of faith, man, and she’s opened my eyes to it too.” He lifted his cup in a toast. “And to be honest? I’ve never been happier.”

  “Wow, man, that’s great.” Reece waved Emily down, wagging his empty glass in the air. “So, what’s this angel’s name? Mother Teresa?”

  Sam grinned along with Zach and Reece. “Close. Shannon Terese O’Bryen. And you’re right, Reece—she is an angel.” His smile faded when Reece exchanged a quick glance with Zach. “What?” he asked, the caffeine in his system morphing into overdrive.

  “Hey, man, I don’t know how to tell you this, but my wife’s friend knew a Shannon O’Bryen at Georgia State and she was no angel, but it’s probably not the same girl.”

  Sam blinked. Shannon went to Georgia State before she transferred to Armstrong State in her senior year. His heart slowed to a hard thud. “Probably not,” he said calmly, forcing a casual demeanor despite the sweat glued to his collar. “What about her?”

  Reece’s gaze flicked to Zach and back before a knot ducked in his throat. “It was a big deal, Sam, made the papers and everything, according to my wife.” He hesitated for several seconds before he continued, all humor gone from his eyes. “She was a home-wrecker, man. Had an affair with one of the top professors, busting up his marriage in a messy soap-opera story. The wife was so devastated, she tried to shoot them both when she found them together, right before she drove off a bridge. She survived, apparently, but the marriage sure didn’t.”

  Sam couldn’t breathe, the air in his lungs like toxin.

  “Yeah, there was a big scene in the quadrangle caught on video, apparently,” Zach said, his eyes as somber as Reece’s, “where the wife was screaming and waving a gun, calling this Shannon a whore and saying she ruined the lives of her and her five children. It’s all you saw on the news for days, especially after this Shannon tried to run, ending up driving off a bridge just like the wife. I’m telling you, man, it was freaky—a veritable reality
show that rocked the campus.”

  Sam’s voice was a barely a whisper as he stared at Reece like he could see straight through him. “Was she from Atlanta?” he rasped, hoping against hope that she was.

  Reece’s gaze never budged from Sam’s as he thumbed the side of his empty glass, not answering right away while he gave it a slow spin. “No, man … Isle of Hope,” he said quietly, expelling a wavering sigh.

  Clink. “Here you go, boys.”

  Sam almost jumped out of his skin when Emily set the drinks and steaming cappuccino on the table, her brows in a bunch when she noticed the zombie look on his face. “Can I … get you … anything else?” she said softly, as if aware something had just rocked Sam’s world.

  “Yeah.” He gave Emily a glazed look while he slumped back in his seat. “A double Chivas,” he muttered, desperate to numb the awful ache in his heart. His body felt sick as he took a heavy swig of his cappuccino, the strong brew burning as much as the angst in his gut. He stared straight ahead while fury surged through his bloodstream along with the caffeine. “And keep ’em coming.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  “Okay, Shan, something’s fishy here,” Lacey said with a pursed smile, fishing rod in hand and brow angled high, “and I don’t think it’s that bass you just caught, girlfriend.”

  Shannon glanced up from where she was hooking her nice-sized catch to the stringer, a smile tiptoeing around the edges of her mouth. A crisp sea breeze ruffled her hair while a pale white moon danced on the water, reminding her that these unseasonably warm October nights wouldn’t last forever. “Why, whatever do you mean, Lace?”

  Cat popped her hook from her Adirondack chair, casting a sideways smirk at her sister. “She means, Shan-none,” she said with a wicked grin, employing the nickname she’d coined for her sister after Shan told them about her strict moral policy with Sam. “Your lips have been squirming all night like they’re just aching to laugh, and those stars in your eyes are so bright, I’m tempted to wear shades. So you may as well spill it, sis—what juicy facts are you keeping from us?”