by Nikki Ryan
He hated to admit it but he was freaked out about becoming a father. Having a life that is solely dependent on you. He was uncertain if he could handle it. And what would he do if something catastrophic happened to his little girl? How would he cope? Would Alyssa hate him because he didn’t protect her? Sam knew he had to talk to his dad about this. But since he had a ton of a shit to do today, it would have to wait. Today, he and Alyssa were moving into their new home.
* * * * *
The funeral for the man they’d removed from the burning fire was scheduled for today. The team decided that they would all go in support of the family.
Sam stood in his living room in his dress blues. Alyssa had insisted that she was going as well. She had on a black baby doll dress that flattered her curves and black flats.
“Are you ready,” she asked, grabbing her Coach purse.
Sam grabbed his hat. “Yes. You need to drop me off at the station. We’re going in the trucks as a team. Alyssa nodded.
He kissed her cheek when they arrived at the firehouse and exited the car. “See you in a bit.”
“Okay.” Alyssa sped off in the direction of the cemetery.
Ramsay turned into the cemetery behind the others. Sam exhaled a breath. This was going to be tough. Seeing people mourn their loved ones was never easy but a little piece of him was destroyed whenever he witnessed a child mourning the loss of a parent.
The funeral was just about to begin when the Chief, twelve firefighters and two paramedics arrived and fell into formation. Sam looked at the mourners, the wife in particular who stared straight ahead. He wondered if she was medicated. The children didn’t look any better. His heart sank and his throat seemed to swell up as he found it difficult to swallow. He searched the crowd for Alyssa. When he found her, she was watching him. He gave her a slight smile and looked straight ahead as the priest began the eulogy.
Sam and many of his colleagues cried during the ceremony. When it was over, the wife walked over to them and thanked them for coming. Her words sounded dead when they left her mouth.
“Ma’am,” Sam said. “I want you to know that I have worked with the finest men and women in one of the most courageous professions every day for the past ten years and not one of us has ever been as . . .” Sam choked back the tears. “What your husband did was by far the bravest thing I’ve ever seen.”
The others nodded in agreement as the woman looked at each of them.
She looked back at Sam. Her shoulders began to shake as she sobbed uncontrollably. Sam immediately took her into his embrace and held her as she cried. She stepped back once she had control of her emotions and looked up at him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to . . .”
“No apologies necessary. If there is anything any of us can do for you to help you through this difficult time, please let us know.”
The woman nodded her thanks and walked back to her children. Well, that sucked. The crew was getting ready to leave. Sam told the Chief that he was going home with Alyssa. The Chief simply nodded and got into his city issued SUV.
Sam walked over to Alyssa who had been waiting for him near the burial.
“Are you okay? That was really tough,” she said.
“Yes it was.” He took her hand and together they walked to the BMW parked off to the side.
“You’re a wonderful man, Sam McKiernan. You have such a beautiful heart.”
Sam looked at her and blushed at her compliment.
“Oh my. Are you blushing? I don’t think I’ve seen the great Sam McKiernan blush before.”
“Just get in the car, Miss smarty pants.”
They laughed all the way home.
Chapter Eighteen
“Well, I’m glad that’s done,” Sam said as he rested his feet on the coffee table. He wrapped his arm around Alyssa and pulled her in.
“I’m exhausted.” Alyssa tucked her feet beneath her and laid her head on Sam’s lap. It was baseball season again and the Red Sox were in full swing. Sam played with Alyssa’s hair as they both watched the game. Within minutes of having her head massaged, her breathing deepened. Sam took the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it across her sleeping form.
“Sam?”
“Yes? I thought you were sleeping.”
“I was kinda. I just wanted to tell you how happy I am.”
“Me too.”
“Sam?”
“Yes?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
After a moment of silence, he said, “Lys?”
“Yes?”
“Go to sleep.”
And she did.
Three weeks went by very quickly for Sam and Alyssa as they settled into their new home. They were now headed to the Cape for Sam’s sister’s wedding.
“I can’t believe we’re staying in the same hotel,” Kat said to Connor as she stepped out of the back seat of Sam’s car.
“I know, right?” Alyssa said. “Of all the hotels on the Cape, Elizabeth chooses this one for her wedding reception.”
The Hotel was right on the water with ocean views from the glass walled ballroom. It had been the selling point for Elizabeth when she and Sylvia began looking for reception areas. And it was known for its five star cuisine and impeccable customer service. They had been lucky when a couple had cancelled their wedding suddenly and opened up that Saturday in June.
Alyssa inhaled the salty air.
“I love the ocean,” she said. “She could hear the waves crashing on top of each other over the knoll and couldn’t wait to soak in some rays. “Let’s go in and get our room,” she said to Kat.
They had all decided to take Wednesday through Friday off to enjoy themselves before the wedding on Saturday. The rest of Sam’s family had been there since Monday afternoon.
Kat followed Alyssa to the reception desk as the guys grabbed the luggage from the trunk.
The woman behind the desk smiled at them.
“How may I help you?”
“We’re here for the Cooper-McKiernan wedding. Our reservation is under Sam McKiernan.”
The sound of the keyboard keys echoed through the large room.
“Yes. I have four adults staying in one of our Oceanside two bedroom suites. I see there is a credit card on file under Sam’s name. Would you like me to use that one?”
“Yes, please.”
Alyssa and Sam had fought over who was going to pay for the room until Sam told her that it cost seven hundred dollars a night and that was with the wedding courtesy discount.
The woman handed Alyssa four keycards and a copy of the receipt when Sam and Connor stumbled in.
“What the hell did you put in these bags, Katherine?” Connor said. He dropped them to the floor abruptly.
“Hey! Careful,” Kat said. She walked over to him and kissed him on the mouth. Alyssa and Sam watched their public display of affection. They hadn’t been surprised when Kat and Connor had showed up together to help finish the new house three weekends ago. The two have been inseparable ever since.
Alyssa looked away first. “Sam. You need to sign.”
“Right.” He lugged their bags over to the desk and took the pen. A man wearing a hotel uniform came through a side door and began loading their bags onto a cart.
“Thank you, sir. Kyle will bring your luggage to your room momentarily,” the woman behind the desk said.
“Thank you. I think our ladies packed their entire life in those bags.” He smiled.
Without hesitation, the woman batted her eyes at him. Alyssa responded with a roll of her own and led the way to the elevator.
“Come on, Romeo,” she said.
“Coming, dear.”
The four of them laughed as they rode the car to the fourth floor.
Kat was the first one to their room. She swiped the keycard and walked in.
“Holy shit! This is amazing!”
There was a full kitchen and large living area when you first walk
in. The rooms were located on either side. Alyssa walked into what must be the master bedroom. There in the middle of the room was an ornate king size four poster bed with a TV/armoire against the wall. The bathroom was as big as the living room in her apartment with separate whirlpool and shower. Even the toilet had its own room with a closed door. The floors were tiled in blue marble. Alyssa stood admiring the room when Sam walked in.
“Wow. This is nice.”
Alyssa nodded. They both went to check out Kat and Connor’s room which was a carbon copy of their own.
“Can you believe this?” Kat asked Alyssa.
“Hey guys. Look at this.” Sam opened the French doors that led outside to the oversized balcony that overlooked the sandy beach and sparkling blue pristine water.
“Pinch me,” Kat said. Connor pinched her bicep.
“Ow!” she exclaimed. “I was kidding, you lug head.” They both laughed.
“Let’s get our suits on and head down to the water,” Alyssa said. The two couples went their separate ways to change and met back in the living area ten minutes later.
“Are you sure you put enough sunscreen on me?” Connor asked Kat. “It doesn’t feel like it.”
“Quit your crying. You have enough on. Now let’s go.” Kat and Alyssa each carried bags with beach essentials; sunscreen, book, and towels. Only Alyssa had Twizzlers in hers. Her mother started that tradition when she and Kat were very young. They had always taken Kat on vacations to the Cape when her parents were alive. Twizzlers had been her mom’s favorite candy. She took them everywhere. When she died, it turned into a comfort food for Alyssa.
“There’s a store just down the road where we can buy some cheap chairs for the week,” Connor said.
“Cool. Ladies, we’ll be right back.” The two men left the girls standing in the parking lot. Kat moved first and followed the sound of the waves. They walked over the knoll onto warm white sand. Alyssa took off her flips flops and let the sand squish between her toes. She followed Kat to an area that she had declared “the perfect spot” and lay her towel down. They both sat on their towels watching the other beach goers. Sam and Connor found their position and opened up the chairs.
They stayed on the beach the entire afternoon. Fortunately for Alyssa, Kat had seated them in front of the snack shack.
“I’m stuffed,” she said, getting up to throw the onion rings container away.
“You should be. It scares me to watch you eat these days,” Kat said. Alyssa stuck her tongue out at her.
“I’d like to see how well you do pregnant.”
Connor choked on his French fry and started coughing forcefully. Sam laughed as he watched Kat pat Connor’s back.
“Not cool, Alyssa,” he said when he finally recovered. “Not cool at all.”
“What? You don’t want to have a have a baby with me?” Kat asked, feigning hurt feelings.
Connor stared at her his mouth agape. “I . . . ugh . . .”
“Oh relax. There will be no babies in our near future,” she told him.
“Oh thank Christ!” he said as he sank deeper in his chair. They all laughed.
Alyssa looked at her watch. “I think we should head back to the room and take showers. We have to meet your family in an hour and half.”
They cleaned their space and threw their garbage in the can as they walked back over the knoll to the hotel.
The day of the wedding arrived too quickly. The four went to the beach every day. By Friday, they’re skin was perfectly sun kissed. All four of them were part of the wedding party. Elizabeth had needed one more bridesmaid and was thankful that Kat had said yes. She had paired her with Connor since her two bridesmaids had both slept with him and hated his guts.
“You look breathtaking,” Sam said to Alyssa when she and Kat walked into the living room in their pale blue gowns. Thank goodness Sam’s sister didn’t feel the need to find dresses that included a huge bow attached to the backside. They were spaghetti strapped and form fitting. Alyssa had initially worried how she’d look in the dress a few months ago when Elizabeth had first shown her. But thankfully, she hadn’t gained too much weight and was all belly and the dress flattered her curves. The girls had met up with the bride and other bridesmaids that morning for spa treatments. Then they had their hair and makeup done after lunch.
Sam walked over to her and kissed her on the lips.
“Holy cow, girl. Look at you! You’re hot!” Connor said to Kat.
“Calm down.” She blushed. Connor lightly brushed her cheek with his lips. “Really fucking hot,” he whispered. She let a yelp when he spanked her ass.
“We better go. Mom is probably having heart failure right now, wondering where we are,” Sam said.
They found John, Sylvia and Peter waiting for them in the lobby.
“There you are! I was just about to send your father up to get you four,” Sylvia said. “Don’t you two look lovely, dears,” she said to Alyssa and Kat. Both responded in kind. Sylvia wore a silver gown that somehow made her look regal. She, too, had gone with the girls to the spa and hair salon. Her hair sat neatly in place.
“Syl, the limo has just arrived,” John said.
The rest of the party stayed at another hotel due to the price. Elizabeth decided to get dressed in their hotel room so that there were no chances of the groom catching a glimpse of her.
John’s phone rang as he climbed into the limo.
“Hello?” There was a pause. “Yes, Lizzy. That’s excellent. We’ll be there shortly. Yes, we have the groom.” He hung up the phone.
Sam looked over at Peter. “Man. You look white as a ghost.”
“I’m scared shitless.”
“You’ll do just fine, son. I was nervous on my wedding day, too, but look how awesome that turned out for me.” John squeezed Sylvia’s hand. “We’ve been married forty five years.”
“Or you could be divorced in a year.”
“Shut up, Connor!” Kat and Sam said in unison.
“I’m just saying.” He looked over to Peter. “Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.”
Sam punched Connor in the arm.
“Knock it off, you two,” John said.
They pulled up to the church and Sylvia said, “Thank God we’re here.”
They all climbed out, taking great care of not messing hair or tearing fabric.
“Girls. Come with me. Let’s go see Elizabeth before she marches down the aisle,” Sylvia said.
Alyssa thought the ceremony was the greatest one she had ever attended. Both Peter and Elizabeth had put in a lot of time and heart in writing their vows. The one thing that had sucked was when she had spotted Tiffany in attendance while Sam walked her down the aisle. Tiffany had been glaring at her when she had glanced in her direction. Sam seemed oblivious as he smiled down at her.
“Did you see that Tiffany girl glaring at you during the ceremony?” Kat had asked her when they had a moment alone.
“She’s pure evil, Kat. And she wants Sam back. I don’t trust her at all.”
“I bet not. Let’s go before the limo leaves without us.”
The ballroom back at the hotel had floor to ceiling windows with the ocean as the back drop.
The round tables in the room boasted cream and pale blue colored linens. Vases filled with blue hydrangeas occupied the center of each one of them.
Alyssa spotted the bar and was suddenly thirsty. She walked over and asked for a water.
“I bet you think he’s yours now.”
Alyssa tensed and turned to face Tiffany. The dress she wore was one size too small. Her boobs spilled out from the top and her make-up looked like it had been done by a clown.
“Why can’t you just leave him alone? He doesn’t want to be with you,” Alyssa said.
Alyssa spotted Sam walking towards them and instantly felt her body begin to relax. Tiffany leaned in and poked Alyssa in the chest.
“He’s mine. He’ll always be mine,” she said through her teeth.
“Everything okay here?” Sam asked. He stood beside Alyssa and laid his hand gently on the small of her back.
“Hi, Sam.” Tiffany lit up.
She made Alyssa sick. There was something very unstable about this woman. Fatal attraction kind of unstable. Tiffany placed her hand on Sam’s arm. Alyssa watched in disgust.
“You don’t really want her, Sam. We were meant for each other. Everybody knows it.”
Sam removed her hand from the sleeve of his jacket.
“I really don’t know what happened to you while you were in California but your vision is blurry, Tiffany. We’re over. We’ve been over for a very long time. Your doing, if I remember correctly. Now, I’m not going to tell you again, leave Alyssa alone. She’s carrying my child and I don’t want her upset.”
Tiffany’s features turned menacing as she looked from Sam to Alyssa.
“Emma just walked in with Shawn. Let’s go see them,” Sam said to Alyssa. Alyssa didn’t realize she had been holding her breath until they had walked away from Tiffany and released it.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
Alyssa nodded. “There’s just something not right about her. I feel uneasy when I’m around her.”
Sam nodded his understanding. “I’ll try to keep her away from you.”
“Thanks.”
They reached his brother and Emma. Shawn held his hands out to Alyssa when he saw her approach.
“Come here, beautiful boy,” she said as she took him from Emma and kissed his chubby cheek.
“You look absolutely gorgeous, Alyssa,” Emma said.
“Thank you. I feel like a princess.”
“It was such a beautiful ceremony, wasn’t it?”
“My favorite so far.” Alyssa smiled.
The DJ announced the arrival of the bride and groom. The crowd went wild with applause as Peter and Elizabeth waltzed in hand in hand.
“She’s glowing,” Emma said, leaning in towards Alyssa.
“Yes she is. She looks so happy.”
The night progressed nicely for Peter and Elizabeth with the exception of Tiffany. Every time their eyes met, hers oozed malice.
Alyssa was also worried about Sam drinking too much. He and the guys sat at the bar before dinner and were doing a series of shots. By the time he sat down to eat, he had been slurring his words. He had snapped at her during dinner when she quietly asked him to slow down. It had hurt her feelings. He had never treated her like that before. So she spent the rest of the evening by Emma’s side, watching Sam from afar. The men flocked around the bar again after dinner only this time Tiffany wedged herself in between Sam and Connor.