Worth the Risk

by Jenna Byrnes

  Doug shook his head, smiling.

  Sarah wasn’t as amused. “You lied to me, Bailey.” She glanced at Sam. “You both did.”

  Bailey’s speech slurred like she was drunk. “But look how well it turned out! Sam’s great, isn’t he? And you’re screwing, so we all got what we wanted!”

  Trying to rein in her anger, Sarah put her hands on her hips. “I can’t believe you—”

  Bailey doubled over in her bed and groaned. “Something’s wrong, Doug! Get the doctor!”

  “Shit!” Doug flew off the bed and out the door.

  “Bailey, can I do anything?” Sarah asked, but the team of nurses and doctors that arrived pushed her to the back of the room.

  “You’ll need to leave,” one of them told Sarah.

  She nodded slowly, walking out in disbelief over several things.

  “Sarah.” Sam caught up to her in the hallway. “Let me explain.”

  “Explain what? It’s no big deal. You and my sister-in-law were friends and you lied to me about it. Why did you lie, Sam? Did you sleep with her, is that it?”

  “Look.” He reached for her arm.

  She yanked away. “Did you fuck Bailey, is that why you lied to us? She didn’t want Doug to know she was bringing an old boyfriend to town?”

  “Of course not!” he scoffed. “We were friends, nothing more.” He looked at her guiltily again. “She didn’t want you to know she was trying to set us up.”

  Sarah’s eyes widened. “Trying to set us up? You mean she brought you here to seduce me?”

  He grabbed her arm. “That’s not what I said. Jesus, Sarah, you’re twisting everything around!”

  They both glanced up as Doug entered the waiting area, looking upset.

  “What is it?” Sarah rushed to his side.

  “Bailey has placenta previa—the placenta detached and is coming out before the baby. They’re prepping her for a c-section right now.”

  She hugged him quickly. “Okay, they caught it early—everything’s going to be fine. Go to her. I’ll be right here waiting for you.”

  “Thanks, Sis.” Doug nodded, hugging her back.

  “I love you,” Sarah told him before he left.

  Doug smiled. “Me too.” He returned to Bailey.

  Sarah stepped over to a window and looked out.

  Sam came up behind her quietly. “I’m sure she’s going to be fine.”

  Sarah spoke to him, looking out the window. “You should leave.”

  He grabbed her arm and spun her to face him. “We need to talk about this. You’ve got the wrong idea—”

  “I think I see the whole picture pretty clearly, thank you very much,” she snapped at him. “My sister-in-law—who is so much in love she thinks everyone else should be that way too—felt sorry for me.” She almost shook as she continued angrily. “Poor Sarah, no man around for eight years. So Bailey calls a horny college friend and thinks he’ll be just the cure for my problem! Well I hate to tell you this, but I never had a problem! I don’t need Bailey’s pity and I don’t need whatever it is you’re selling.”

  He held her wrist firmly and stared at her. “What colour is the sky in your world, Sarah? You’re so far from reality it’s frightening.”

  She twisted her arm to jerk away from him. “You lied to me, so please don’t expect me to believe a word you’re saying. Just leave, Sam. I don’t want you here.”

  He took a step back. “Whatever. I’m not going to argue with you right now, but I’m staying for Bailey and the baby.”

  “Whatever,” she mimicked and turned away from him again. She could see why Mandy liked saying that stupid word so often, it was strangely satisfying to spit it out. Sinking into the nearest chair, Sarah closed her eyes and said a prayer for Bailey’s health, even as she fought back burgeoning irritation for her sister-in-law. But the baby—she was totally innocent. She squeezed her eyes to keep in the tears and prayed for her unborn niece.

  * * * *

  Sam walked across the waiting room and dropped into the last chair he could find. He’d known Sarah might be miffed when she found out he and Bailey had known each other before, but he’d never dreamed she’d be this upset. Hopefully Bailey’s tense situation was at the root of her anger, and once the baby arrived and everyone was fine… Sam let the thought trail off. He hoped Sarah would calm down, but he didn’t expect her to. She had a stubborn streak a mile wide. He needed to figure out another way to pacify her.

  He smiled at the thought and glanced over at her furtively. Her eyes were closed and he suspected she was praying. Sam didn’t have many conversations with the Lord, but he figured now was as good a time as any to initiate one. Bailey and her baby needed all the help they could get.

  * * * *

  Opening his eyes to noise in the room, Sam blinked and realised that an hour had passed while he waited. Pretty typical for him—attempting to pray and falling asleep. He hoped the Lord understood good intentions.

  He stood up and stretched then walked over to where Sarah talked with Doug. “What’s going on?” Sam asked.

  Smiling, Doug replied, “They’re fine. The c-section went as planned, and both girls are doing well. Bailey’s still asleep, she hasn’t even seen Lissa yet.” He looked at his sister. “Sarah, she’s beautiful! She has dark hair and her skin is all pink and perfect.”

  “Of course she is!” Sarah hugged him. “You named her Lissa?”

  Nodding, Doug replied, “Melissa Renee. We named her after Bailey’s mom. We’re calling her Lissa.”

  Sarah wiped a tear from her eye. “It’s perfect, Doug! Missy would be so pleased.” She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, said, “Missy is pleased, I can feel it. She’s so proud of you both today.”

  “I think so too.” Doug squeezed Sarah’s hand. “They’re cleaning up the baby right now. When Bailey wakes up and we get her settled in her room, I’ll come get you.”

  “Great.” Sarah nodded and Doug left.

  “Well, that’s a relief.” Sam commented.

  “Yes it is.” Sarah looked at her watch. “It’s too late to call Mandy tonight. I guess I’ll wait for morning. She’ll be so excited.”

  Sam looked at Sarah. “It’s officially Saturday. She’ll be home tomorrow.”

  “Yes, isn’t that great?” Sarah’s tone was false and her smile insincere. “I’ve missed her.”

  He took a step closer to her. “We still have some time to be together. I never got to show you my surprise.”

  Glaring at him, Sarah moved away. “I don’t think so. Now that the truth is out, I’m not really interested. But there are lots of other women in town, I’m sure you’ll find plenty willing to warm your bed.”

  “You think that’s what I’m after?” He couldn’t believe she really felt that way.

  “Yeah, I do. And now that I know what’s going on, I feel ashamed and humiliated that my first relationship after all these years turned out to be with a gigolo.”

  “A gigolo?” He laughed out loud, but stopped when he saw she was deadly serious. “You are fucking out-of-your-mind-nuts, lady. I didn’t want anything from you except some companionship and a good time.”

  “Well you got your good time, that’s for sure. I think the sex should be enough to hold you over until you meet up with your next conquest. Good luck with that.”

  Sam grew angrier with each word she spoke. “Kiss my ass. I’ll bet it gets windy up there on Mount Holier-than-thou. Hope when you finally come down it’s not with a big crash and burn.”

  “Aw, bite me.”

  “You wish.”

  “Whatever!” Sarah snarled.

  “Whatever!” Sam repeated, truly feeling all of sixteen again.

  “Hey!” Doug burst through the doors. “She’s awake! Come on.”

  Sarah followed her brother and said snottily over her shoulder, “They only allow family in these rooms.”

  “Yeah, well Bailey can throw me out if she wants to,” Sam muttered, fol
lowing them.

  “My brother can throw you out,” Sarah retorted, sounding like she’d regressed to age eight from the sixteen-year-old of a minute ago.

  “Leave me out of this!” Doug raised his hands in the air. “Whatever’s going on is between the two of you.” He said softly to Sarah, “But I must admit it sounds strangely like the way Bailey and I used to argue before we got married.”

  “Shut up!” Sarah growled at him and walked into Bailey’s room.

  Doug grinned and whispered loudly to Sam, “What did you do, man?”

  “Shut up!” Sam shook his head and trudged in after Sarah.

  Bailey sat up in bed, looking pale but happy. “See what I’ve got!” She held up her daughter, swaddled in pink from head to toe. Only a pudgy little face was visible.

  “She’s beautiful!” Sarah hugged Bailey and took the little bundle from her. “Oh my gosh, look how sweet she is!”

  Sam looked over her shoulder. “Wow, Bailey, congratulations. She’s a doll.”

  Sarah flashed him an irritated look and turned so he couldn’t see Lissa.

  “Thanks,” Bailey smiled at Sam. “Say, I think I might have said something I shouldn’t have earlier.”

  “Nah, everything’s cool.” Sam leaned down and kissed Bailey’s cheek. “They say it’s better to have loved and lost…than to live with the psycho bitch the rest of your life.”

  “Excuse me?” Sarah shrieked, and the baby cried.

  “Hey, watch it!” Doug reached for his daughter and cradled her in his arms protectively.

  Sam smiled at Bailey and then Doug. “I’m out of here. Can I get you anything? Do anything for you?”

  “Cigars,” Doug announced. “I need cigars.”

  “Real ones or pink bubble gum ones?”

  “Well, hmmm, I think I might need some of both.”

  “You got it.” Sam nodded. “I’ll bring them up tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, buddy,” Doug smiled.

  “Anytime. Congrats, you two.”

  “Thanks, Sammy,” Bailey told him.

  “Goodnight.” He glanced at Sarah and she sneered at him.

  “Me-ow,” Sam taunted, flexing imaginary claws at her before he walked out.

  * * * *

  It was definitely not the way Sam intended to spend his weekend. With Mandy gone until Sunday evening, he had envisioned hour upon hour in bed with Sarah. But now that they weren’t speaking, there wasn’t a chance of that. Saturday night came and went, with Sam growing angrier as each hour passed.

  Sarah was being an ass. If she thought he and Bailey hatched some grand scheme to get him laid and to break her dry spell, well she was a damn fool. He didn’t need any help getting women, Sarah should know that. He came here as a favour to Bailey. She needed someone to fill in during her maternity leave.

  Sure, she mentioned something about an attractive sister-in-law, but it never went much further than that. He came here to do a job, and the relationship that spawned with Sarah was as much a surprise to him as anyone. Wasn’t it?

  He tossed and turned Saturday evening, unable to sleep and too tired to get up. Thoughts of Sarah floated through his mind randomly, and even when he tried to focus on something else she somehow slipped back in.

  He was angry about Sarah’s reaction. The phrase completely unreasonable kept repeating itself. He thought her behaviour very foolish.

  He also thought he might die if he couldn’t get his hands on her again. The few days they had spent together were intense, but he had barely gotten started learning everything he wanted to know about her. I’d like to spend a lifetime exploring that body.

  Where did that thought come from? They barely knew each other. It was far too early to be talking about lifetimes. Isn’t it?

  Flopping on to his stomach, Sam buried his head under the pillow. He needed to smother all thoughts of Sarah Stevens right out of his mind.

  * * * *

  Sam went to work on Monday feeling like he hadn’t slept a wink all weekend. It would have been fine if he’d been not sleeping with Sarah, but not sleeping by himself only served to piss him off.

  He touched base with Bailey every day and knew she’d be released to go home Wednesday. She had invited him over, but he declined, wanting to give the family some time alone. Agreeing to stop by the following weekend, he went shopping for gifts. He decided on a stuffed pink elephant, a toddler swimsuit complete with pink sunglasses and a box of chocolates with nuts for the woman who did all the work.

  “This is precious!” Bailey squealed at the little swimsuit. “I absolutely love it!”

  Sam smiled. “I thought you might. I know it’s big, but some day…”

  “It’s perfect!” She reached over to where he sat next to her on the sofa and hugged his neck. “Thanks for everything, Sam, the cigars too.”

  “Absolutely. You have a beautiful daughter.” He looked at the child, sleeping in her father’s arms.

  “Would you like to hold her?” Doug asked.

  Sam raised his hands, shaking his head. “Nope, no thanks. I’ll look from a distance. She’s pretty tiny.”

  “Yes she is.” Doug eyed the child with eyes full of wonder and love.

  Smiling, Sam realised Doug and Bailey already looked at each other that way and now they had someone new to share their love with. He thought the little girl to be the perfect addition to their family.

  Bailey touched his arm. “So, have you seen Sarah?”

  “Just out the window.” Sam straightened his shoulders. It was still a touchy subject, and his feelings of anger and desire battled on a daily basis. It wasn’t made easier seeing Sarah coming and going from her house.

  “I’m so sorry, Sam,” Bailey said softly. “I really blew it for you guys.”

  “Nah, it would have come out eventually. She actually thinks we were plotting behind her back. I tried to tell her it wasn’t anything nearly that devious.”

  “I tried too,” Bailey admitted. “She’s pretty stubborn.”

  “Wonder where she gets that from?” Doug looked at the ceiling before he grinned sheepishly. “I talked to her too. Once Bailey explained things to me, I tried to tell Sarah. She didn’t want to listen.”

  Sam smiled and shrugged. “Que sera sera. Whatever will be, will be.”

  “No!” Bailey snapped at him. “You have this ‘whatever’ attitude, but in this case, that’s not going to cut it! You need to go after her, Sam. Make her believe you. She has to hear it from you.”

  “I tried, Bailey. Believe me, I tried.”

  Doug asked, “Was this before or after you called her a psycho bitch?”

  Sam grinned sheepishly. “She made me angry.”

  “You push each other’s buttons,” Bailey said. “Like Doug and I used to do. Something deeper is there, Sam, I know it is.”

  He stood up. “I should go.”

  “Don’t rush off,” Bailey told him. “Sit down, stay awhile.”

  “Thanks, but you need your rest. I’ll check back with you in a few days. Maybe if that little pink thing has grown some, I might consider holding her.”

  “Sam,” Bailey said in a pleading tone.

  Something was up—he needed to get out of there. Smiling at them as he walked to the front door, Sam said, “See you all later.” When he stepped outside, he saw Sarah and Mandy driving up. He walked swiftly to his car, but they were out and coming up the sidewalk before he could get away.

  “Hi, Sam,” Mandy said cordially.

  “Hey, kid. How was your youth group thing?”

  “Conference.” Mandy rolled her eyes at him. “Great. A lot of fun. I haven’t seen you around since I got back.”

  “Been busy,” he glanced at the girl’s mother. “Sarah.”

  “Sam,” she acknowledged without looking at him.

  “How have you been?” He wanted her to say she’d been miserable.

  Instead, she faced him and replied, “Perfect. And you?”

  Sam glared at her wi
th steely eyes. “The same. Gotta run. Bye, Mandy.”

  “Bye, Sam,” the girl sounded confused.

  “See you,” Sarah retorted snottily.

  “Not if I see you first,” he muttered under his breath, and stomped off.

  * * * *

  Sam’s sleeping habits didn’t improve. He tossed and turned every night for the next week, growing more irritable as each day passed. He wasn’t winning people over at work with his cranky attitude, and he feared he might be fired if he couldn’t shake the funk he wallowed in.

  He thought about driving to the city and looking up an old girlfriend. Or hitting a bar and finding a new girlfriend. Hell, even a hooker might do the trick. If he could bury himself in some tits and ass for a few hours, perhaps his mood would improve.

  Maybe he should find someone in Perry so he could have the pleasure of leading her up the stairs to his loft with Sarah watching. That would serve her right. Sarah needed to be taught a lesson. Sam just couldn’t decide exactly which lesson.

  * * * *

  At the end of another torturously long week, Sarah floundered in a funk of her own. Nothing seemed interesting anymore, her job was dull, Mandy slipped back into her fifteen-year-old ‘whatever’ self and life dragged on without much to look forward to.

  Not so long ago, she had brimmed with excitement and anticipation for what each day might bring. She couldn’t wait to get up in the morning and felt even more excited by the prospect of going to bed at night. The time with Sam had changed something in Sarah—woken up a part of her that had lain dormant for too long.

  But that time was a lie, and it hurt to think about it. It hurt even more to think of Sam, rolling around with her on the bed, or the way his hair fell in her face as he rose above her. She thought of the look on his face as an orgasm washed through him and remembered his tender expression as he watched her climax.