On Friday night when Samantha flew home to see her mother, Connor was in the seat next to her. On Saturday morning, she was the first to wake up. She didn’t pretend to stay asleep or run away. Instead she rolled over and stared at Connor’s sleeping face, trying to memorize every single tiny thing about him, every inch of his skin, his hair, his smell. She was determined to savor every moment she had with him, regardless of what their future held.
“Waffles?” Connor’s voice was thick with sleep as he pulled her to him for a kiss.
“God I love you,” was her giddy reply.
Samantha was sitting in Connor’s lap and feeding him the waffles he had just made them when her mother wandered into the kitchen.
“Good morning,” she said to announce her presence to the couple.
“Morning, Mom,” Samantha said with a blush on her cheeks.
“More work talk?” her mother teased. Samantha got up from Connor’s lap and pulled him into the kitchen next to her mother.
“Let me properly introduce you two. Connor, this is Susan Cane, my wonderful and wise mother. Mom, this is Connor Grayson, the man I am going to spend the rest of my life with.” Samantha had a smile from ear to ear as she watched the stunned faces of two most important people in her life. Connor was speechless as he stared at Samantha in amazement.
“Well, in that case I am very pleased to meet you Connor. Let me know when you two set the wedding date. I’m going to take my coffee back to my room.”
“What was that?” Connor’s ability to speak miraculously came back to him as Susan left the room.
“What? It’s the truth,” Samantha responded with a smirk, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down for a kiss.
“Is it now?” he teased, pressing soft kisses along her neck. She pulled back from him, her eyes turning suddenly serious.
“I don’t want today to just be about today. I want today to be about how I want to spend every day for the rest of my life. With you. I love you, Connor Grayson. I always have. And I’m pretty sure no matter how hard I try not to, I always will.”
“Right back at ya, Lucky Charm.”
The End
Epilogue
Six Months Later…
“Where are you?” Samantha could hear the stress in Connor’s voice.
“Allie and I are at the batting cages with shortcakes,” Connor’s niece Madison huffed in disgust at her nickname, making Samantha giggle. “We’ll be home in a couple minutes.”
“Don’t rush, I’ll just host this party for our entire family by myself. No biggie.” Connor was playful but Samantha knew he was getting irritated.
“Okay, Lucky. Keep your pants on. I have to head to my mom’s to shower and change, but I’ll be over soon. I love you.”
“See you soon. Love you too.”
Her mother was finally in remission. It had been a long and stressful six months. Samantha and Connor had flown back almost every weekend, usually together, but sometimes just one could afford to get away until they finished the merger. Connor flew back a few times himself when Samantha wasn’t able to. Over the past six months, not only did Connor become Samantha’s family, so did his parents and sisters. Once Connor finally beat down the walls around Samantha’s heart she couldn’t keep anyone out. His sisters became her best friends, especially Allison. Samantha loved Allie for all the ways she was like Connor, confident, easy, and loving.
They had enjoyed their times back home so much that they decided they wanted to move back. After spending eleven tortured years apart, Samantha and Connor were eager to make up for lost time. Samantha was offered her dream job, partner at Phillips, Morrissey & Tanner, after the merger but she turned it down. She decided to amend her thirty year plan, focusing more of the living happily ever after part. Samantha and Connor each put in their notice and were planning on starting their own merger transition company.
Now that her mother was officially cancer free, they were all getting together for a celebration at Connor’s house. It wasn’t going to be anything too elaborate or fancy, but Connor had been on edge about it all week and Samantha was running out of patience. He had been so pre-occupied that he wasn’t willing to talk about anything regarding their new business. Connor seemed to keep pushing off the decisions. He was dragging his feet on just about everything except preparations for this stupid party. Samantha was trying to remind herself that it was sweet of him even as he grated on her last nerve.
Connor: ETA???
Samantha: Final touches. Be there in five.
Samantha was dressed in a soft coral dress, putting the finishing touches on her make-up before she drove over with her mom to Connor’s house.
“You look amazing,” Samantha admired how beautiful her mother looked despite what she had been through.
“Thank you sweetie. I have a good feeling about today. The start of something new,” was her mother’s reply with a brilliant smile on her face. She was practically radiating. Samantha was so proud of how strong she had been, how positive she still was after everything. The quick drive to Connor’s house took only a minute, but it took her twice as long to find parking. She kicked herself for not just walking. How many people had Connor invited! She had never seen the street so packed.
The house was overflowing with people, but everyone got quiet as Samantha and her mother walked in. Everyone seemed to turn and look at them. Samantha knew her mother was the guest of honor, but something felt off. She walked into the large living room, smiling awkwardly at everyone until her eyes fell on Monica.
“Oh my gosh! What are you doing here?” She ran to embrace her friend.
“Your better half invited me. I couldn’t say no,” Monica said with a knowing smile. Samantha was happy to see her, but surprised. Connor had gone all out. Pretty much everyone Samantha knew was crammed into this house. Monica pointed behind her, and Samantha’s eyes started searching the room for him. She spotted Connor across the room, looking sexy as hell in his white buttoned down shirt and navy slacks. God, she loved that man. The smile on her face was instant and uncontrollable.
“Samantha…” Connor’s voice sounded uncertain, almost shaky, although he was speaking louder than necessary. It was as if he was trying to make sure everyone could hear him. The room grew quiet as he crossed to Samantha.
“Connor…” her tone was teasing, although she was growing uncomfortable with all the attention.
“I have a confession to make.” He took her hands in his as confusion spread across her face. “This party isn’t for your mom. It’s for us.”
“For us?” Samantha looked over at her mother for an explanation. Her mother looked like the cat that ate the canary, a satisfied smirk on her lips.
“Samantha Cane. I have been in love with you since I was eighteen. God knows you have not made it easy.” The room filled with laughter. Samantha wasn’t laughing. Her heart was thudding and her mind racing as Connor went down on one knee in front of her. “But, I can’t imagine my life without my lucky charm. Samantha, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” Samantha screamed, jumping into his arms as he stood up. The room was full of applause but all Samantha could hear was the sound of Connor’s voice in her ear.
“I invited everyone I could think of. There are too many witnesses for you to back out now,” Connor said as he slipped the ring onto her finger.
“Never,” she said with a laugh. “I love you!”
“I love you, too.”
They had only been dating for six months, but after half a lifetime of being in love, the engagement didn’t seem rushed at all. Being married to Connor just felt right. She knew it wasn't going to be easy. Nothing with Connor ever was. They were going to argue and fight. But, it was all worth it. Loving him would always be worth it.
Their first married fight was teasing each other about whose name came first on the company masthead, Grayson & Grayson.
Thank you reader!
I wanted to take a moment to thank you
for letting me take you on an adventure with my characters and their story. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.
This is my first attempt at a full length novel and I welcome your comments! Please feel free to leave an honest review on Amazon, or shoot me an e-mail at [email protected].
Happy reading!
About the Author
Lucky Charm is Amelia Kingston’s first full-length novel. Born and raised in California, she has spent most of her days on the beach, soaking up the sun with a book in her hands. Getting caught up in the lives of an author’s characters, their struggles, their loves, their loss, is her favorite past time. She has been writing short stories most of her life, but until a recent loving nudge from her significant other she was too intimidated to attempt a full book. She loves to read, write, and talk about books.
If you want to know more, please drop her an e-mail at [email protected].
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