“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.