by Lori Drake
Sam wiped his boots on the doormat and crossed the threshold, tucking his keys into the pocket of his worn blue jeans. “Sorry to drop by unannounced. I won’t take up too much of your time.”
“Don’t be silly, bro. Family is always welcome, and needs no invitation,” Chris said, standing from the couch and walking over to grip hands with Sam and pull him in for a half hug and shoulder slap.
“Do you want a beer or something? Coffee?” Joey asked.
“No, thanks. I just wanted to talk to you for a minute. I owe you an apology. It was a dick move, holding back what I knew about Lucas’s history in dog fighting, and since then… Well, I’m not the best communicator, but all I was trying to do was give you the time and freedom you needed to train.”
Joey stared at Sam for a long moment. She wasn’t sure she’d ever heard him apologize before. Then she smiled and lifted the flowers to inhale the mingled scents. “Apology accepted.”
He breathed out, shoulders relaxing. “Thank you. I also wanted to let you know I’m leaving for a while.”
“Leaving?” Joey frowned. “If this is about us—”
“How many times do I have to tell you, little sister? Not everything is about you.” The corner of his mouth tipped up in a small smile. It was the only reason she didn’t slug him.
“Okay. Then why are you leaving? And where are you going?”
Sam rubbed the back of his head, studying the floor for a moment. “Here and there. Oklahoma, for starters.”
“Okla— What the hell is in Oklahoma?”
He smiled faintly. “Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.”
“Could you be a little less vague?” Chris asked.
Sam blew out a breath and rolled his shoulders. “I screwed up. With Jess. I need to make it right.”
“I see.” A smile crept onto Joey’s lips. She’d witnessed an interaction between Sam and Jessica before Jessica left with the Gray River pack that made her wonder if there’d been something going on between them, but this was the first time Sam had said a word about Jessica in the months that’d passed since then. Not that Joey was ever particularly privy to his innermost thoughts. Not that, she suspected, anyone was.
He frowned at her, then shook his head. “Anyway… last I heard, they were in Oklahoma. So that’s where I’m headed. If they move on by the time I get there, well, I’ll just keep going.”
“Make sure she knows she’s welcome to come back.” Chris put a hand on Sam’s shoulder, meeting his eyes.
“You both are,” Joey added.
Sam nodded. “We’ll see.”
Joey stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Sam for a hug. He hesitated before hugging her back, but she’d take what she could get. “Be careful, okay? And if you need anything, anything at all… don’t hesitate to call. I know things have been rocky, but… I love you. Don’t forget that.”
“I won’t. And I love you too. Even if I may be bad at showing it sometimes.”
Joey’s eyes stung a little as she stepped back and took Chris’s hand. They walked Sam to the door, and once he was on his way, Joey wrapped her arms around Chris and leaned into him with a sigh. “It’s so weird. I feel like everyone’s drifting apart. Sam’s gone, Jon and Sara are living with Dad, Ben and I are living here…”
“It was probably bound to happen eventually.” He rubbed circles on her back, holding her against him. “But Sam will be back, and there’s not enough room here for Dad, Jon, and Sara anyway, much less the baby.”
Joey pulled back to look up at him, eyes wide. “We could build an addition. Do you think that’s why they stayed?”
“No, I think Jon and Sara want a little space now that they’re starting a family… He’s making a pack of his own, on some level. And Dad’s not going anywhere with a grandchild on the way.”
Sighing, Joey put her head down on his chest. “I hope that’s all it is.”
“It’s time to start thinking about our next chapter, too.”
“The wedding?”
“The wedding.”
“Are you still opposed to Vegas?”
He sighed heavily. “Do you really want to get married in Vegas?”
“I really want to get married. And I don’t want to deal with a ton of out-of-town guests again—ever again, if I can manage it.” She tipped her head back, looking up at him in all earnestness. “You know that’s what’ll happen if we try to do it here. I don’t want it to be a big thing. I just want our family there. Our pack. A few close friends. That’s it.”
He looked into her eyes and framed her face with his hands. “I have stipulations.”
“Like?”
“No gaudy, themed wedding chapel. No Elvis impersonators. You wear a dress—even if it’s not white—and Dad gets to walk you down the aisle.”
“Is that all?” She grinned. “Consider it done.”
“One more thing,” he said with a smile that made her knees weak. “We do it as soon as possible.”
Will Joey and Chris get the wedding of their dreams, or a brand new nightmare? Find out in GRAVE RITES, coming Summer 2019.
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