Chapter Thirteen
You’re Happy
Three days later…
Sam took the key from my hand, inserted it in the lock in the front door of the soon-to-be-not-my home in Indiana, turned it then opened the door for me.
I shoved in.
I had my overnight bag and purse over my shoulder and both my hands were laden with duty-free shopping bags.
Sam had his bag over his shoulder and was rolling both my huge, stuffed near to bursting pieces of luggage.
I was always grateful that Sam was a gentleman. It was one of the plethora of things I liked most about him.
But at that moment, I loved it.
With a droop of my shoulders that I wanted to do five seconds after hooking the straps on them, I dumped all my stuff on the floor five feet in.
Yes, even my purse.
“Leave them there, baby,” I muttered to Sam as I meandered through the living room to the hall to my bedroom.
I got to the bedroom, flipped off my flip-flops and was crawling on all fours up the bed when I heard Sam call, “Kia, honey.”
“Nap, fifteen minutes then I’ll call Mom and go get Memphis,” I mumbled.
Then I collapsed.
Then I passed out.
* * * * *
Indeterminate hours or minutes later…
I woke up but didn’t open my eyes.
I hated my house but I had to admit, it was cute and this was mostly due to Cooter’s Mom having good taste since, even back then (red flag?) I had no say.
But it was not built of high-quality materials which meant the walls were very thin.
Therefore I clearly heard Sam’s conversation in my living room with an unknown man.
“…set up?” I heard the end of whatever Sam was saying.
“Full coverage, four guys, three shifts. Couldn’t do the alarm but got trips set on doors and windows. You bunk down for the night, last shift’ll set ‘em, anyone trips ‘em, the whole neighborhood’ll wake up.”
“Good,” Sam replied.
Then I heard indistinct noises that sounded an awful lot like the noises people made on TV and in movies when they were expertly fiddling with a gun.
“Know you favor a nine millimeter, we’re on that. Right now, that’s gonna have to do,” the unknown man told Sam, proving me right, Sam was expertly fiddling with a gun.
“How long before you can get your hands on the nine?” Sam asked.
“Tomorrow,” the man answered.
“Good,” Sam repeated.
“You gonna keep both?” the man asked.
“Yeah,” Sam answered.
“Would too,” the man said then asked, “How you want us to play this?”
“Don’t care you get made. He sees she’s protected, that’s fine with me,” Sam replied.
“Copy that. You got hunters?”
“Yeah but they’re workin’ mostly blind. Sheriff has shut down. Need a brief with him then I’ll have more intel for you and the boys out workin’ this.”
“Right.”
I heard the front door open and Sam’s, “‘Preciate this.”
A moment of silence which I suspected included a cocky, masculine head nod or jerk of chin then, “Town talk, he knocked her around.”
I sighed.
“Town talk is not wrong,” Sam said in what was weirdly a seriously annoyed growl and when he went on, I would know why, “but, even knowin’ it, not one fuckin’ person did fuck all about it. Seven years.”
“Jesus.”
“She’s done with livin’ scared,” Sam stated.
“Yeah,” the man agreed.
“So, like I said, appreciate this,” Sam kind of repeated.
“Yeah,” the man replied.
Then the door closed.
I laid there, eyes closed, feeling the bizarre but far from unwelcome sensation of being in my house, a place that was unsafe for me for years, and feeling safe and doing it at a time when I was arguably more unsafe then I’d ever been.
But it was more, it was knowing Sam was not messing around with making me safe and that was far from unwelcome too.
But I was getting used to it.
Even so, it was not becoming any less precious.
Wanting to roll out of bed and go to Sam, exhaustion wouldn’t let me and I hoped he’d come to me.
I fell asleep again before he did.
* * * * *
Four hours after arrival home…
My eyes flickered open and all I could see was the wall of Sam’s chest covered in a light blue, seriously wrinkled from three hellish flights shirt.
I blinked, feeling weird and I knew this was partly because of three hellish flights but also because of jetlag.
Then it hit me my cheek was on Sam’s shoulder, one of my legs was tossed over one of his and my arm was around his gut.
He wasn’t moving, he was breathing steady so I carefully lifted my head so as not to wake him and looked at him.
Stubble. Fabulous eyelashes. Gorgeous.
Sam.
In my bed.
In the bed I had shared unhappily with Cooter.
All the beauty that was Sam, right there, where Cooter laid his head.
Okay, call me crazy vindictive but I freaking loved that. One look at Sam lying there beside me could easily wipe out seven years of the memory of Cooter doing it.
And I knew this because it did.
I cautiously pushed up then bent to brush my lips against his, thinking he’d continue to sleep, I’d get up, call Mom, write a note, go get my dog and maybe pop by the grocery store for some food to make us dinner.
I was pulling back when both of Sam’s arms closed around me, he rolled and I ended up on my back with all of Sam on me.
“Honey,” I whispered, my arms moving around him, my eyes catching his.
“Two choices, I eat you then fuck you in bed then we shower or I eat you in bed then I fuck you in the shower.”
I stared up at him, indecisive due to being just awake and jetlagged not to mention spoiled for choice.
“Uh…” I mumbled.
Sam, always decisive, decided.
“Eat you and fuck you here, then shower,” he muttered.
Then his head dropped and he kissed me.
Then he ate me.
Then he fucked me.
Then we showered.
* * * * *
I was standing in the bathroom in nothing but my brand new, beautiful, silk, purple with big pink flowers robe that cost more than many people’s rents, rubbing moisturizer on my face. Sam was in the bedroom having dragged all our luggage in after we took our shower thus I had my robe and moisturizer. He was wearing nothing but a pair of jeans.
This was our state when it happened.
I was rubbing moisturizer in but mostly looking at Sam out of the corner of my eye because he was bent over, pawing through his bag, probably looking for a clean shirt but the muscles of his arm and back were flexing and contracting, it was more than a little fascinating so, since I was concentrating, I saw it when his head snapped up.
Then I heard, “There’s a car in the drive. Where do you think they are?”
Mom.
“Maybe they went to the grocery store.”
Teri.
“Maybe their flight was delayed or something. Kia said she’d text when they landed and she hasn’t texted.”
Oops.
By the way, Paula.
Then there was a yap.
Memphis!
Sam’s head was no longer looking toward the door of the bedroom but turned to me in the bathroom, his brows up but he was still leaning over his big, leather duffel bag.
“Memphis and the girls,” I said on a smile, putting down the moisturizer and starting toward the door, my mouth opening to shout my greeting.
I didn’t make it before I heard.
“OhmigodohmifuckingGOD!”
Teri.
Sam’s head jerked back toward the bedroom door and I started rushing but while doing so I heard whispered, “Holy fucking shit.”
Paula.
I made it to the bedroom to see Teri shoved by Paula who was shoved by my mother all entering the room.
Memphis did too, bouncing and yapping straight to me.
I totally forgot about the girls.
“Baby!” I cried, crouched, she jumped into my arms and immediately started licking my jaw as I held her at the same time giving her scratches and straightening. “I missed you, girl, I had a great time but I sure missed you.”
She yapped then she licked me.
“Kia, baby,” Sam muttered, my head moved from grinning down at my dog to him to see he was straightened and his eyes were still at the door.
I looked to the door.
“He calls her baby,” Teri breathed, her eyes big and glued to Sam.
“I know,” Paula breathed, her eyes big and glued to Sam.
Mom just stared at Sam, eyes big and glued to Sam’s chest.
No one moved or said another word.
“Is this what you guys call being cool when you meet Sam?” I asked, cuddling my dog and glaring at them. “You’re all drooling, even you Mom.” And, uh… yuck. “For goodness sakes,” I finished.
Three female bodies jerked and their eyes came to me. Then they came to me, rushing me and nearly bowling me over. Memphis yapped, thinking the attention was for her, she started trying to lick them all as a gift for them being generous with their attention as they huddled and hugged me.
Then Teri and Paula took a half a step back (Mom stayed latched to me and Memphis) and all three grinned at me.
“Girl, that robe is fah-ree-king fabulous,” Teri noted, her eyes doing an up and down on me. “Where’d you get it? Paris?” she asked when her gaze settled on my face.
“Lake Como,” I told her.
“Scorching!” she declared and I smiled at her.
Mom’s hand came out, her fingers curled around my jaw and she turned my head to her. The she studied me.
Then she remarked, “You’re tan.”
I grinned at her.
Her eyes went funny and she whispered, “And you’re happy.”
My grin wobbled because I read her eyes were happy too and I hadn’t seen that, not in a long time, not when she was looking at me.
She let my jaw go and her gaze went to Sam.
So did mine, Teri’s and Paula’s.
Memphis yapped into the silence.
Sam now had a shirt on, partially buttoned, it was pale yellow, cotton, not linen but it was still wrinkled from being in his bag.
Nevertheless, he worked it.
Mom let me go and walked to Sam as he did up another button.
“You’re Sam,” she declared, extending her hand.
“I am,” he took her hand then smiled down at her.
“Ohmigod, hot,” Paula breathed and I shot a killing look at her that she missed seeing as she was staring at Sam.
“I’m Essie Rigsby, you can call me Essie. I’m Kia’s Mom,” Mom pointed out the obvious since I looked nearly exactly like her except less round and younger.
“I guessed,” he muttered, giving her hand a visible squeeze before letting it go while saying, “Good to meet you.”
“And you,” Mom whispered.
“Ohmigod, I think I’m gonna cry,” Teri muttered.
Memphis yapped.
“Right, okay, how about this, I’ll finish the introductions not in my bedroom? Is that a plan?” I suggested.
“No freaking way,” Paula replied then moved quickly to Sam. “Hey, Sam. I’m Paula. I’ve been best friends with Kia since forever and if you want to know any dirt, any dirt at all, all you have to do is ply me with tequila.”
“Paula!” I snapped because this was totally tactless at the same time totally true which made it tactless and scary.
She didn’t even look my way and this was probably because Sam was smiling down at her, squeezing her hand and she was visibly transfixed.
Then she pulled herself together to whisper, “Dude, I so totally know we’re supposed to be cool with you but I gotta have this one. You… are… awesome and my husband loves you.”
“Paula, seriously –” I started.
“My turn!” Teri shouted over me then rushed to Sam, knocked Paula out of the way (yes, knocked), Paula went flying and Teri grabbed Sam’s hand and declared, “I’m not going to be cool. I clocked you when you were a Bruin. I’m into football, Kia isn’t so, in girl land, normally, that would mean I could lay claim to you and get first dibs but obviously in real life it doesn’t work that way which kind of sucks but, whatever, I still get to meet you and you’re in my best friend’s bedroom and she’s wearing a robe and I think that… is… awesome.”
She ended this breathy, bright-eyed and leaning into him.
All right, now I kind of wished the hit man was aiming and about to fire through my window.
Unfortunately, the curtains were closed (something Sam was particular about) so he would be shooting blind and he might hit my Mom or Sam.
“Teri, seriously?” I asked.
“You the one who has a cutout of me in your bedroom?” Sam asked over me, releasing Teri’s hand and she turned woodenly toward me.
“You told him that?” she breathed, noticeably pale and obviously mortified.
Shit.
I threw a quick glare at Sam then rearranged my features when I looked back at Teri.
“Well, uh… I was in my trying to drive him away phase and it kind of slipped out,” I explained.
“You were in a driving him away phase?” Paula asked and my eyes went to her. “Babe, are you loco?”
“Maybe, at the time, temporarily,” I muttered, my gaze sliding to Sam to see now he was smiling at me.
“I’ll say,” Teri muttered back.
“Right,” Mom cut in and I looked to her to see she was digging in her bag. “Ford’s chomping at the bit, wandering around with the matches, ready to fire up the grill.” She pulled her cell out of her purse and looked at me. “You were supposed to text when you got in. If you had, we would have told you to pop by but you didn’t. So, sorry, sweetie, but surprise, your Dad and I planned a welcome back party for you and it’s kinda happening right now.”
“What?” I asked as Sam moved to me then slid an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side.
The room went still, no one moved, no one spoke, they all just stared at Sam, me and Memphis.
All except Memphis who yapped and tried to reach Sam’s fingers at my shoulder with her tongue.
“Hello?” I called into the void. “What? There’s a party happening right now?”
Mom blinked then focused on me but not my question. “Couldn’t see it in my head but there it is right in front of me. You two look real cute together.”
Sam chuckled.
I snapped, “Mom!”
“What?” she asked.
“Party?” I prompted.
She nodded, flipping open her phone, muttering, “Margaritas, beer, brats, Essie’s world famous homemade onion rings and Nutter Butter, hot fudge, ice cream parfaits for dessert.”
There it was. Mom’s world famous homemade onion rings were double dipped in beer batter which meant they not only had twice the batter, that batter absorbed twice the fat and thus they were awesome and Nutter Butter, hot fudge, ice cream parfaits were wicked good. They had crumbled Nutter Butters in them, hot fudge she made that had two sticks of butter and half a bag of sugar in it and my mother actually wrote to a frozen yogurt manufacturer once to request them to provide her with the knowledge of what was the point so, suffice it to say, the ice cream would be premium.
I looked at Sam and said, “Told you so.”
Sam smiled down at me.
“Freaking, freakity freak, that smile is good,” Paula whispered and my head jerked to her.
“Would you stop perving on my boyfriend right in front of me?” I snapped.
“Babe, your boyfriend is Sampson Cooper, you gotta get used to that shit. I’m doing my best friend duties and helping,” Paula fired back.
“Ford,” I heard Mom say and looked to see her talking on the phone. “Yeah, they’re here. They made it, safe and sound. They needed a little…” she paused, took in my robe, her gaze gliding over Sam’s half-buttoned shirt but studiously avoiding Sam’s eyes and she kind of but not totally lied, “rest. Kia needs to spend half an hour on her hair and twenty minutes on her makeup and they’ll be over.”
“Yep, that’s your mother,” Sam muttered.
I shot him a look.
He ignored the look, let me go and took Memphis from me, lifting her up so they were eye-to-eye.
“You Memphis?” he asked my dog and Memphis yapped her affirmative while I stared at them thinking that no one, but no one, but no one but Sam could make talking to a King Charles spaniel eye-to-eye cool.
Sam curled Memphis into one of his arms and rubbed her head with his other hand, Memphis panted happily and Sam’s eyes came to me. “She’s cute.”
“Told you that too,” I said softly.
He grinned at me.
“Right!” Mom stated loudly, snapping her phone shut and instantly shoving it in her bag. “Your father says the match has been struck, the grill has been lit. This means I need to get home and man the deep fat fryer. You’ve got half an hour. Bring your camera.” Her eyes went to Sam. “Very nice to meet you, Sam and see you in half an hour.” Her eyes swept through the girls. “Out to the car, Kia has to get ready and iron Sam’s shirt so we need to leave her to it.”
“I’ll iron your shirt,” Teri offered, her eyes on his chest and I could be wrong but it looked like they were glazing over.
“I think I got it, Teri,” I told her.
I watched her body jerk.
“Spoilsport,” she muttered to me on a grin.
“All right! See you guys in half an hour,” Paula stated, hooking Teri with an arm and moving to follow Mom who was already out the door, this because she knew from experience when Dad was at the grill, the whole world began revolving around his grill efforts and she was part of that world so she had to get her ass in gear. “Rudy’s at your Mom and Dad’s. He’s psyched. This is gonna be so fun.”
“Later!” Teri called on a wave.
“Later!” Paula pulled her out of sight.
“Later, guys,” I called as Sam’s arm curved around me again and curled me into him and Memphis.
I tipped my head back to look up at him.
We heard the front door close.
“You don’t have to iron my shirt,” he informed me and I felt my eyes widen in shock at his intimation, not capable of wrapping my head around the thought of Sam standing at an ironing board much less ironing.
“Are you going to do it?”
“Fuck no.”
Well, there you go. I couldn’t wrap my head around it because it wasn’t going to happen.
“Sam, just a reminder, you’re in Indiana,” I told him. “Mom’s hint was not a hint so much as a command. We’re considered a couple. I might be flogged if I allow my man to go out with a wrinkled shirt. I’m jetlagged, feel weird, am about to face a party where everyone is going to not act cool with you so I’m not in the mood to fit being flogged in that schedule.”
He chuckled and through it offered, “How’s this? You get ready but tell me where the ironing board is. I’ll set it up.”
“That’s a plan. The ironing board is in the mudroom off the kitchen.”
“Right,” he muttered, dropped his head, kissed my nose, Memphis yapped and then he let me go and strode from the room, again rubbing Memphis’s head as she panted happily.
My eyes followed.
Then my brain processed through the last ten minutes, the brilliant hour before that and the fuzziness of being in a different time zone and it hit me that he took Memphis with him while giving her head rubs.
Sam liked Memphis.
Awesome.
I smiled then rushed into the bathroom in order to accomplish the formidable task of folding fifty minutes (my mother was not wrong) of getting ready into twenty.
I failed and we were ten minutes late.
They were eating Dad’s brats and Mom’s onion rings, we arrived with Sam carrying bags filled with the gifts, not to mention the fact he was Sam, so no one noticed.