It wasn’t that my mom and dad didn’t like Sam. They’d just made it clear that high school relationships didn’t last. We would grow up, they’d promised, and realize that we wanted different things.
In some ways, they were right. Sam’s dearest ambition was to play professional hockey. He’d moved away right after graduating, being drafted to a team in Edmonton. As different as hockey might seem from getting a university degree, there were similarities, too. We were both ambitious. We both knew what we wanted.
For Sam, it was hockey. For me, the dream was to get accepted to the University of Toronto to study law. But first, I had to finish my undergraduate degree.
I’d always liked studying, and it was exciting to leave home and try out adult independence for the first time. But I missed Lunengrove far more than I thought I would. And on top of that, I missed Sam.
Which was why, when he picked me up from the airport, I practically threw myself into his arms. He caught me, just like he always did, leaving my suitcase on the ground as he lifted me up and planted a tender kiss against my lips.
“Take me home,” I demanded. Even now, Sam’s house felt more home-like to me than anywhere in Toronto. “You didn’t make plans to go out for dinner, did you?” I doubted Sam would’ve done that. He knew I liked to spend my first night with him at his house, not in some busy restaurant.
“Of course not,” he confirmed before turning to give me a grin. “I’m very well trained,” he informed me with a wink. It made me laugh. There was some truth to it. Sam knew what I liked, we’d dated for years. Growing up together had its benefits.
Sam caught me up with who on the team was doing what, how everyone was, which games that I hadn’t caught on TV had been better than others. I loved listening to how passionately he spoke about hockey, it always made me smile.
It felt like no time at all before we were pulling up outside Sam’s house. He rented it but even so it was huge. There was absolutely no need for him to have such a big house and we both knew it, but it was still pretty cool. We were young; having such a huge house to ourselves felt amazing.
“Everything’s just as you left it,” Sam joked as we walked in. It was two months since I last visited. Things really did seem just as I had left them, which made me frown. Sam laughed. “I have cleaned, I promise! I just...” There was a small pause and a little shrug, his huge shoulders moving effortlessly.
“If I don’t move the things from where you left them, then it feels like you’re still here.”
I leaned against his side, his arm wrapping comfortably around my waist. “That’s so romantic!” It was easy to understand his feelings. University didn’t come with a huge house like this but anything Sam left with me was kept in a special box of his things. Seeing it in one corner of my closet was a reminder that he’d visit again soon.
Even though we missed each other equally, it wouldn’t do us any good to talk about it. Sam lived his life here, and mine was on my university campus. We’d have to be patient until we could live in the same space once more.
“I’ll tidy later,” I promised. “Then when I have to go, at least my things will be in new places.”
Sam laughed and I grinned back. God, I’d missed hearing him laugh. Even though we spoke on the phone a lot, it wasn’t the same. Seeing the way his cheeks dimpled, the way his body moved towards mine, it was so much better than speaking on the phone.
“So, pizza?” Sam asked hopefully. It was one of our traditions now. That, too, was nice. To have these traditions, to just know that this was what we were doing. Months apart weren’t going to change how much we enjoyed having our pizza nights.
Somehow, over the time we’d lived so far apart, we had stopped eating pizza without each other. It was our thing. Pizza was something we shared when together. So of course, Sam hardly needed to ask.
“Yes! I’ve been fantasizing about pepperoni almost as much as I’ve been fantasizing about you.” The blush that heated my cheeks was unavoidable, but it was still true. Being with Sam physically was one of the things I missed the most, something that couldn’t be captured in a phone call or a text.
Besides, he only got hotter with every month he trained to play professional hockey! What girlfriend wouldn’t have wanted him?
And the way Sam laughed, I could tell he knew exactly what I meant. That was always the thing with Sam, he knew so perfectly whatever was going on in my head. When people - like my family - said that we couldn’t last, it was because they didn’t see this. The way Sam smiled at me, the way he just knew me and knew what I liked and who I was.
“Pepperoni it is,” he nodded. “And maybe a meat feast for me,” he added. “But don’t worry, I’ll help you finish yours, too.” The promise made me snort. We always did this. Ordered pizzas too big, then struggled to eat them until we gave up and had the leftovers for breakfast.
Cold breakfast pizza was the best when shared after a night with Sam.
As hard as it was to tear myself away from Sam to let him call the order in, it was exciting to wander through his huge house to his bedroom. I’d left so many ‘essentials’ there last time that it wasn’t even necessary to unpack. Sitting on Sam’s bed, I leaned over to press my cheek against the pillow on his side of the bed. It smelled like him, making butterflies explode inside me at the thought of spending three whole nights cuddled up next to him.
That was as long as university could spare me. But it was better than nothing. That was what I tried to remind myself. Seeing Sam was better than not seeing Sam, even if leaving him always made my heart break.
“We should finish that movie we started last time I was here,” I announced as I made my way back into the living room. “The one about the basketball team.”
“Anything you want.” Sam smiled. It was impossible not to smile back. He seemed to read my mind when he pulled me in for a kiss. “I missed you so much,” he sighed. And yeah, that was also something I totally got. Being apart was hard. Even if we spoke all the time, it was still painful that we weren’t able to touch, to be close.
A lot of my life since meeting Sam had included Sam; not having him there to share my university experiences was weird. Maybe it felt like that to him, too, just about hockey. We talked about it sometimes, but dwelling on it made things even harder.
So instead, focusing on the positives, on the now, we settled on the couch and Sam let me lean into him.
“Oh, I have exciting news!” Sam turned to me, raising one eyebrow. We usually shared things with each other right away; it was unusual for me to have kept something to tell him in person. But this wasn’t about us, not directly. “Kate’s getting married!”
My sister had been seeing her boyfriend for nearly as long as Sam had been my boyfriend. “I’m a little jealous,” I admitted. Our relationship had lasted longer - but, unlike Kate and Brian, Sam and I had yet to live together. We didn’t even live in the same province right now.
“Congratulations to Kate,” Sam hummed. He did well at putting up with my family but it wasn’t a great secret that Sam didn’t love them. It was fair enough, since they were the ones who had started with their distaste of Sam. Never once had it been something Sam did, so all things considered, he did well to at least try.
Instead of continuing discussing Kate and Brian’s relationship, Sam turned to me, pulling my legs into his lap. “So, you’re jealous,” he commented. “I didn’t know you liked Brian like that,” he teased.
Rolling my eyes, I brought a hand up to shove lightly at Sam’s shoulder. “I don’t.” He hardly needed me to tell him that. Ever since Sam had asked me if I was his girlfriend, no other guy had caught my eye. Sam was perfect, or at least perfect for me.
“It’s just -” My shoulders lifted in a shrug. “We’ve been together longer. But we don’t get to have a party to show everyone how much we love each other.” And my parents fawned over Brian, who wanted to be a teacher, in a way they’d never fawned over Sam. That couldn’t be helped, but maybe if
Sam were to marry into the family one day, my mom and dad might finally understand that we were serious about each other.
I could tell from the small frown line that appeared between Sam’s brows that he was thinking about what I’d said. One day, that frown line would become a wrinkle. While that was a strange thought now, it was also kind of thrilling to know I’d see it get there. Because in my head, there was absolutely no doubt that Sam and I would still be together.
“We can have a party,” he said finally, shrugging. “If you want, I’ll organize a party for you every weekend,” he added with a small grin, before reaching to take my hand. “Or do you mean that you’re jealous your sister is now engaged? I have thought about it, you know, about us getting married.”
“You have?” A million butterflies swirled through me, making my head spin. Sam’s warm arm around my waist helped me keep both feet on the ground - at least, metaphorically. “I have, too.” Even before Kate had announced her engagement, the thought of marrying Sam had crossed my mind.
My smile was so wide it made my cheeks ache. “I know we can’t now.” Living apart, there was no way it was sensible for us to get married. “But maybe when I finish university? Or… after law school.” That seemed a million years away. It was my turn to frown.
Letting go of my hand, Sam cupped my face, rubbing his thumb over my cheek gently. “Maybe we can’t be very good married people right now,” he agreed. “But we can be okay engaged people.” That wasn’t what I had expected him to say! It must have shown, because Sam laughed.
“I want to marry you and it sounds like you want to marry me, too,” he pointed out. That was a fair assessment based on what I had just said. “So how about it Helena Worth, will you one day be my wife?”
“Yes!” Launching myself forward, my lips caught Sam’s, noses smushed together while Sam’s fingers tangled in my hair. It might not have been the most perfect kiss in the world, but there was no doubt that both of us would remember it forever.
As Sam pulled back, my hands still on his chest, we shared the sweetest smile. “Your wife! That sounds so grown up.” It would be perfect. So perfect that I didn’t know how we were going to wait. “And you’ll be my husband.”
“Yes,” he laughed. “And we’ll be grown-ups together,” he joked. Despite this big house and our career plans, it didn’t quite feel like we were adults just yet. But if we were going to become adults, it was something we could do together. We’d done all the other things together, so thinking that this was something we’d learn together, too, was pretty exciting.
Sam pressed another kiss against my lips. When he pulled back, there was a small frown between his eyebrows, just like there had been before. “I need to give you... a thing. A ring? But I don’t have a ring,” he hummed. And sure, maybe an engagement usually included a ring but I didn’t need one. Not when I had Sam’s promise!
I told him as much and Sam’s eyes widened. “I can do better than that!” he announced, pushing my legs off his lap so he could get up. “Wait here.” The instruction made me chuckle; I had no intention of going anywhere.
Watching Sam dash off, my curiosity spiked. It wasn’t likely that he’d return with a ring when he’d just told me he didn’t have one, but that didn’t stop me from picturing what he might bring back. When he did return, Sam jumped over the back of the couch, landing next to me with a wide smile.
In his hands, he held a hockey puck with the logo of our high school and a Sharpie. “It’s better than a ring,” he informed me seriously. Bringing the puck up, Sam pulled the lid off the Sharpie with his teeth.
“I,” he wrote slowly, “promise to marry,” (or ‘mary’ as Sam had written it. Somehow, as my heart pounded harder in my chest than I could remember it ever beating, Sam’s dyslexia was absolutely charming). “you, Helena Worth.” He signed his own name under the promise and finally handed me the puck.
The grin on Sam’s face was, I was certain, as wide as the one on mine.
“I’ll treasure it forever.” Somehow, that made Sam’s smile even wider. Most girls might want an engagement ring to wear, but this hockey puck made me happier than I’d ever been before! “But what about you?”
I hadn’t brought much with me, and even if I’d been willing to rip a page out of one of my law books, Sam would hardly appreciate that as a gesture. “Oh! I know!”
With slightly shaking fingers, I reached into my pocket, taking the Sharpie with my other hand. On the back of my boarding pass, I carefully printed “I promise to marry Sam Levesque.” After circling the date of my flight, my signature completed the gesture.
Sam took the ticket, his fingers brushing mine. “So that makes it official. We’re engaged!”
He seemed to stare at the ticket in amazement and then up at me with that same expression. “Yeah.” Sam nodded and then his smile widened. “We’re engaged! To be married! To be together forever!” His joy was intoxicating; I couldn’t help but laugh.
There were more kisses, only interrupted by the pizza delivery. I laughed when I heard Sam inform the delivery guy he’d just gotten engaged. There was a ‘congratulations’ quickly followed by ‘you still have to pay for the pizza’, which just made me laugh harder.
When Sam returned, it was to hold the pizza box up like it was a prize. “Engagement pizza, m’lady,” he teased.
“I’m so excited.” My heart skipped a beat, joy and anticipation and happiness sweeping me off my feet. My smile turned into a smirk. “About the pizza,” I teased, making Sam laugh almost as heartily as he had at the pizza guy.
Getting to my feet, it was clearly my job to go fetch the plates and drinks. Sam wasn’t quite grown up enough to have a bottle of Champagne saved for special occasions. Instead, we toasted our new engagement with classy imported beer.
It couldn’t have been more magical. Getting engaged to Sam was everything I’d ever wanted. Even knowing our engagement would be a long one didn’t dim our enthusiasm. We would wait together, just as we’d done everything else together.
PRESENT DAY
The days until the wedding flew by, faster and faster, until Charlotte was getting married tomorrow. There’d been so much to think about, so many details to cross-check, not to mention making sure I checked in with Charlotte to make sure she wasn’t coming down with a case of nerves.
The night before her wedding, I left her in the capable hands of her mom. They were going to spend the night together, getting in some last-minute mother-daughter bonding and advice.
And I had other plans. Ever since Charlotte had told me about the romantic first night she wanted with Pat, I’d determined that she was going to get it. At least, if I had anything to say about it. Obviously, Pat would have to do the actual romancing.
But I could help things along. I’d prepared a hamper, bought flowers and candles, and even tucked in a fancy new board game recommended by the internet that was supposed to be all about co-operative play.
It didn’t get much more co-operative than marriage, right?
I waited until late, making absolutely sure there was nothing more Charlotte needed from me. The promised storm had kicked up earlier in the evening. As I drove over to the new house, buckets of rain lashed against the windows of my car.
Protecting the precious hamper with my body and my coat, I hauled it up the driveway and under the porch roof. My new key - borrowed, of course - turned stiffly in the lock.
As the kitchen flooded with electric light, I couldn’t help but smile at how good the tiles looked that Sam and I had picked. We’d done a pretty great job. The refrigerator was already plugged in, containing milk for tea in the morning and breakfast after the wedding.
I added a few things: butter and jam for toast, cheese for grilled cheese, eggs, a pint of ice cream in the freezer. If they wanted a midnight feast, they would have options.
Making sure the kitchen was stocked took a while. But that was fine, because the wine, candles, and board game just needed to be dropped off in
the bedroom. My fingers trailed up the lovingly-sanded banister, marveling at how good the house looked. Charlotte was lucky.
And Pat was lucky to be marrying her. I loved how they made each other happy.
The higher I climbed, the louder the wind roared, rattling the windows in their frames. It was a miserable night. I could only keep everything crossed that tomorrow would be all the calmer for it.
Luckily, most of Charlotte’s wedding was taking place indoors. But even so, she wouldn’t want the guests getting soaked as they ran from the church to the reception venue.
Thinking about the wedding the next day, it was hard not to let my mind stray to what my own wedding might have been like. We’d have had to get married in summer, I supposed, so that Sam would’ve been home from Salt Lake.
But thinking about Sam was doing me no good. I had a job to do, and it was very nearly done!
Pushing open the door, my mouth dropped open in a little scream. The window swung against the wall with a bang, rain bulleting in like machine-gun fire. Every drop seemed to land on a glitter of smashed glass, covering the floor from the wall all the way to the bed.
Without even thinking, I fumbled for my phone. It was already ringing by the time I got it to my ear.
“I’m at the house, one of the windows has smashed in the storm. You’ve got to come help me!”
Chapter Thirteen
Sam
“I got here as soon as I could. There was flooding on one of the roads,” I said as soon as I made it inside. “How bad is it?” The call that Helena had made to me had been panicked; I hadn’t bothered to ask her many questions. Instead, getting in my car, I’d headed over to Pat’s house as quickly as I safely could.
The storm was everywhere, heavy rain and fallen branches. It was a terrible night before Pat’s wedding, but the forecast had promised a better day tomorrow. Of course, it had said nothing about broken windows.
Home Matched (Salt Lake Pumas Book 4) Page 11