Sin City Baby

by Rye Hart

  But I wasn’t sure Sam knew how I felt at all.

  “I’m gonna call cab,” I said, finishing off my beer and putting the bottle on the bar top.

  “I can take you home,” Liam said.

  “No. I need to think for a while, by myself. I’ll probably end up just passing out on my couch anyway.”

  “Just let me know when you get home, okay?”

  I slid from my seat and hailed a cab, and before I knew it, I was rattling off Sam’s address instead of mine. The alcohol seeped into my mind. My blood. Filling me with a confidence I hadn’t felt in a long time. The cab pulled into the driveway, and I told the driver to stay. I had some things I wanted to say to Sam while I had the liquid courage to say them.

  “Luke?”

  Sam opened the door, and she looked more beautiful than ever.

  “Oh, Sam,” I said.

  “What in the world are you doing here?” she asked as she stepped out onto the porch.

  I tried to think of something, anything to say to break the ice so I could tell her what I had come here to tell her. I opened my mouth but what came out wasn’t some easy segue into the truth. It was the truth itself. “I love you, Sam.”

  Her eyes widened at my admission, and I took another step toward her.

  “I’ve loved you for so long,” I said. “And I hate the fact that I don’t have the courage to tell you that without being drunk. But I’m tired of you not knowing. I’ve loved you for years, Sam. And I don’t care how crazy this whole situation is. I just love you. I want you to know that.”

  Sam took a step toward me and cupped my cheek. She guided my lips to hers, and I could taste the cherry flavor of her Chapstick. I wrapped my arms around her, splaying my large hands over her back. Holding her close. Running my tongue against the pout of her perfect lips.

  She pulled back and took in a shuddering breath before I sat her back down onto her feet. I wanted to do so much more, I wanted to carry her into her house and make love to her, just the two of us. But I was drunk, and I didn’t want to make a move in my current state. I wanted it to be special, not the fumbling drunken mess it was sure to be if I tried anything now. She deserved so much better than that. So, I gave her a final kiss goodbye and went back to my waiting cab.

  CHAPTER 20

  LOGAN

  TWO WEEKS LATER

  “Logan Anderson.”

  “We got a problem,” Liam said.

  “What’s wrong? I’m out at a site with Levi.”

  “Samantha’s freaking out.”

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Apparently her parents found out she’s pregnant, and you can imagine their reaction.”

  I tucked my clipboard under my arm and signaled for Levi. He needed to stay at the site so I could figure out what the fuck was going on with Sam. I hopped into my truck and cranked it up as Liam started rattling in my ear. I spit rocks skidding out of the gravel driveway then got on the road toward Liam’s office.

  “I’m headed back to the main office now. Where are you?” I asked. “And how the hell do you know all this?”

  “Samantha called me in tears as she was driving. Logan, it’s bad.”

  “How did they find out she was pregnant?” I asked.

  “According to her, they put two and two together. They told her they were ashamed of her and would have nothing to do with her or the baby.”

  “What the fuck? Are you serious? God I’ve never wanted to punch a couple of old folks so much in my life. Where is she now? Is she at home?”

  “When we hung up, she said she was fifteen minutes out. I made her stay on the phone with me until she calmed down. Her driving in the state she was in wasn’t safe.”

  I whipped a U-turn in the middle of the road and started speeding in the other direction. I was more than fifteen minutes out from the fucking office, but I was only ten minutes away from Sam’s place. I could meet her there and wrap her in my arms before she even stepped foot into her home. I was going to kill her parents. Who the fuck did they think they were?

  I could’ve strangled the two of them.

  “I’m heading for Sam’s place now,” I said. “You meeting me there?”

  “You read my mind,” Liam said. “See you soon.”

  I tossed my phone to the floorboard of my car and ducked into some back roads. I could speed down those like a fucking demon without getting caught.

  I whipped my car into Sam’s townhome complex and saw Liam getting out of his car. I didn’t see Sam’s car anywhere, so I parked, and the two of us went to sit on her porch. I’d never been so nervous in my fucking life. I jiggled my legs and chewed on my lower lip. Every car that came around the corner caught my ear. My heart would stop, and I would study it closely to see if it was Sam.

  Then, we saw her.

  In that beat-up old silver car of hers.

  Liam and I stood from the porch and headed straight for her. Sam’s eyes were red and still filled with tears, and her nose was red from blowing it. She climbed out of her car and I immediately gathered her against me.

  Liam dipped his hand down into a potted plant and retrieved her spare key. The air conditioning unit was running on full blast so it felt like a fucking icicle in her place. Liam turned the thermostat down and I walked with Sam over to the couch where she sat down and curled against me.

  Liam shut the front door and came to sit beside us. He picked up Sam’s feet, removing her shoes and her socks. He settled her legs into his lap and began to massage her gently, and soon her crying turned into sighing. She leaned her head against my shoulder and praised Liam’s handiwork as my arms gripped her tightly.

  “Thank you, guys, for coming over,” Sam said.

  “Of course,” I said.

  “We’ll always be here for you Sam,” Liam told her. Sam pulled her feet from Liam’s hands and stood up from the couch. She drew in a deep breath and rubbed at her cheeks again before she made her way for the bathroom. I got up from the couch and followed down the hallway, concerned she might’ve been getting sick. I heard water running and the fan going, but I didn’t hear her throwing up.

  And when she emerged, Sam had a plastered smile on her cheeks.

  Shit. She looked a little manic, like she was about to lose her marbles.

  “You guys want to see the bridesmaid dress?” Sam asked. “I haven’t tried it on since I bought it in the store with Lauren.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to talk?” Liam asked.

  “About what?” Sam asked.

  I looked over at Liam and saw worry cross his features.

  Yep. This was typical Sam. And not one of the better parts of her personality. When things got to be too much, she emotionally removed herself from everything. She compartmentalized better than any person I’d ever come across, but it didn’t do her any favors when it came to coping with her own life circumstances. She motioned for us to follow her into her room, and I obliged, Liam trailing behind before we sat down on the edge of her bed.

  “I haven’t tried this dress on since I found out I was pregnant,” Sam said.

  “Speaking of pregnancies,” Liam said, “have you set a doctor’s appointment with anyone in the area?”

  “I have,” Sam said.

  “When is it?” I asked.

  “Next week,” she said.

  “Well, let us know what time it is, and we’ll all be there with you.”

  Sam didn’t say anything.

  “You do want us there, right?” I asked.

  Sam walked over to the mirror she had in her closet and began twirling around. Studying herself in the dress that I wasn’t even slightly paying attention to. Her eyes were dull. Removed. Unfocused. I stood from the bed and shoved my hands into my pockets as Liam cleared his throat.

  “We want to be there for these appointments,” he said. “All of us.”

  “And I’m not sure about having four guys in a doctor’s office all trying to hold my hand,” Sam said plainly.


  “Will you at least think about it?” I asked.

  “Right now, this wedding is what’s on my mind. Once we can get through Lauren’s wedding this week, then we’ll figure out what comes next,” she said.

  “Promise?” Liam asked.

  Sam panned her gaze over to us before she heaved a heavy sigh.

  “Thanks for coming over and helping me with everything. I admit I fell apart a bit in the car.”

  “A bit?” Liam asked. “I couldn't even understand you in the car.”

  “And now the moment is over,” Sam said. “My parents have made their decision, and now I have to make mine. And my decision is to rest and relax and save my energy for my best friend’s wedding. And you guys should be doing the same. She’s got all of you running around for the majority of the day helping her.”

  “Liam, could you unzip me? I think the shoes I bought will work fine with this dress,” she said.

  I sighed and shook my head, trying to bite back my frustration. This was fucked up in so many ways I didn’t even know where to start. Liam unzipped her dress, and Sam stepped out of it, hanging it back up in her closet. She escorted us to the front door, and we each bent to kiss her, taking one cheek each. I wanted to stay with her. To hold her close and let her know it was okay to cry. To be angry. Even to feel hatred.

  But Liam grabbed my arm and ushered me out the door.

  “She’s compartmentalizing,” I said.

  “And that’s her choice,” Liam said.

  “But it’s nowhere near healthy. Not right now.”

  “Lauren’s wedding is in two days. Two days, Logan. Keep it together for two damn days. Then we can figure out what the fuck to do about this.”

  My eyebrows rose so far into my hairline they were camouflaged by my brown locks.

  “Sounds like someone’s got some pent-up agitation as well.”

  “I’m pissed she isn’t listening to us. And I’m pissed she won’t talk to us. And I’m pissed about a lot of fucking things. But if you push a woman like Samantha, all you do is push her away. And that isn’t a risk I’m willing to take because I love her, damn it.”

  I furrowed my brow at my brother as his chest heaved.

  “I love her. And if focusing on the wedding is what she wants us to do, then that’s what she’ll get. But the second this damn thing is over?”

  I nodded, letting him know he didn’t have to go any further than that question.

  “Now come on,” Liam said. “Let’s get the fuck back to work. And update Levi and Luke. Because shit, this is just fucking bad.”

  And for the first time in years, Liam and I finally agreed on something.

  CHAPTER 21

  LEVI

  Finally, the day of my sister’s wedding was here. I was happy for her as any brother would be, but I had to admit that I was looking forward to it being done with. The whole situation with Sam and my brothers and the baby was weighing heavy on me and we still hadn’t figured out what was going to happen with all of it. None of us had heard on whether or not Samantha had talked with Lauren about anything, and since we were all still a part of the wedding, our only assumption was that the conversation hadn’t happened yet.

  After running all over Hell’s creation for my sister, I was ready to meet Sam at her place. All of my brothers were already there, and it pissed me off that they beat me to her. I desperately wanted some alone time with her, but I knew today that would be nearly impossible.

  I pulled my car up to her place, and they were all standing on the porch. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.

  She looked magnificent. Her yellow dress hugged every luscious part of her before falling to her knees. Her pale-yellow shoes matched the silky fabric, and her beautiful golden hair was piled high on her head. I got out of my car, and she looked over at me, her eyes lighting up at my presence. She stepped off the porch and moved toward me, her legs carrying her as fast as she could.

  She barreled into my arms, and I picked her up, hugging her close as I swung her around.

  “You look beautiful, Sam.”

  “It’s about time you showed up,” she said into my neck.

  “I don’t know about you,” I said as I sat her back down, “but I’m ready to get this show on the road.”

  “Honestly, me too,” Sam said. “I just want life to go back to normal. Well, as normal as it can get anymore,” she said, looking around at all of us.

  “Wait, we’re not normal?” I asked, jokingly. “You mean not every girl has four dudes chasing after her at the same time?” Sam was laughing. A beautiful, boisterous belly laugh that turned her face red. It felt good to watch her laugh. Watch her smile after all the shit she was going through and had been put through by her parents. Logan had filled me in on the shit that went down. How she pushed them all away and wouldn’t talk about what her parents had done to her. And it was typical Sam. I wasn’t sure why Logan and Liam figured it would be any other way. Sam was the kind of person that would talk about shit like that in time. Hell, I didn't like to be hounded about shit that pissed me off right away.

  I knew how Sam felt.

  She’d talk when she was ready.

  “You guys ready to head to the chapel?” Sam asked. “I think I’m due in the bridal suite in about an hour.”

  “Which means you’re already late,” I said with a grin. “Hop in. I’ll get you there as fast as I can.”

  I raced Sam through town with music blaring through my speaker system. We sang at the top of our lungs, and I stole glances of her every chance I got. Sam was gorgeous in that dress, and I wanted to rip it off her body. I thought about all the things I would do to her with that dress bunched up around her waist and nearly drove off the road. I reached my hand over and took hers, watching as her fingers threaded through mine. She settled our hands down against her bare leg, and I thought I was going to blow through the fucking roof.

  I knew if I didn’t get her to the chapel as soon as I could, she might not make it to the wedding at all.

  We pulled up to the chapel and Sam went to find Lauren while I joined my brothers on the steps.

  “How is she?” Logan asked.

  “Seemed ok on the way here. She was laughing, which we haven’t seen her do in a while now,” I said.

  Liam nodded. “Laughing is good, but how about talking?”

  I shook my head. “Sam will talk when she’s ready, you guys know that about her.”

  “But she should be talking with us about everything,” Luke said.

  I could feel my temper starting to rise and I really didn’t want to ruin our sister’s day by arguing at her wedding.

  “Listen guys, can we just focus on what’s happening today? Can we just get our sister married and let Sam breathe for a minute? We’ve been up her ass for the better part of the last month,” I said.

  The rest of the guys agreed and we all went in to the chapel together.

  The wedding went off without a hitch, and Lauren beamed with happiness the whole time. The wedding guests filed out and headed to the reception, and I was able to steal Sam away in my car one last time. She had been gorgeous on the altar and I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off her the whole damn time. She outshone Lauren in ways I couldn't even describe.

  But if anyone asked, Lauren was the most beautiful woman that day.

  We arrived at the reception and Sam took her place by my sister who was greeting guests with her new husband. I watched the way she smiled at everyone and my heart nearly burst. Good God, I loved that woman. My chest ached with the depths of the feelings I had for her. And the thought that the baby she was carrying might be mine nearly stole my breath. That was one of the reasons I had agreed not to find out who the father was, because if it wasn’t me, I thought I might be crushed. I preferred to just dream that he or she was mine.

  We got through dinner and the toasts, and then the music started. I went to the table where Sam was sitting and bent low to whisper in her ear.

  �
��May I have this dance?” I asked.

  I held my hand out to Sam, and I twirled her around on the floor. We danced for a couple of songs before Logan intervened, and I went to go get her a glass of water. Logan spun her around the floor before Liam cut in. We held her close to our bodies during the slow songs and spun her around during the fast ones. Sweat trickled down her brow, and we had to sit for a break, and that’s when I saw it.

  Lauren was staring at all of us with a curious eye.

  “Guys, we need to tone it down,” I said.

  “What’s wrong?” Liam asked.

  I nodded my head toward Lauren, and he eyed her, clocking the confused stare she had on her face.

  “Shit,” Liam said. “Okay. Thanks for the heads up.”

  We tried to keep the dancing as platonic as possible, but Sam kept pressing into us. Gravitating toward us. And fuck, I couldn't keep my hands off her. It was a constant battle between holding her at arm’s length and wanting to pull her into a bathroom and slam her against the damn wall. There were some group dance numbers where we all got away with dancing around her without touching her, but Lauren’s gaze always found us like a damn tractor beam.

  I didn’t give a shit about Lauren knowing, and neither did the other guys. But we knew Sam wasn’t ready to have that talk with Lauren yet, and we had to respect that.

  Logan twirled Sam into her seat. She was laughing. Head back. Throat exposed. That beautiful sound filling our table. But soon her eyes got heavy and her body sagged in the chair, and I could see the exhaustion in her features.

  “Sam? You good?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” she said breathlessly. “Just a little winded.”

  “Do you want me to get you something?” Liam asked.

  “Actually, I think I might retire to my hotel room for the night,” she said.

  “Do you want me to drive you there?” Logan asked.

  “With the way Lauren’s been eyeing us all night? Probably not the best idea,” she said.

  “Then let me get you outside and hail you a cab. It’s already dark. You don’t need to be out there alone,” Liam said.