The Girlfriend (Single Wide Female in Love, Book 2)

by Lillianna Blake

  Contents

  Title Page

  A note from the author

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Preview: Book 3: The Fiancée

  Other Titles

  Legal Notice

  Single Wide Female in Love

  (Book 2)

  The Girlfriend

  By

  Lillianna Blake

  Copyright © 2015 Lillianna Blake

  Cover design by Beetiful Book Covers

  All rights reserved.

  LilliannaBlake.com

  Dear Reader,

  The Single Wide Female and B.I.G. Girls Club books are written for every woman out there who has struggled with their weight, self-esteem and any number of issues that we all face as we work to become the best versions of ourselves that we can be.

  They are meant to be light-hearted and fun, but I do hope that they will inspire you—to REALLY live your life to the fullest, loving yourself completely as you do so.

  You might prefer to get to know Sammy in the Single Wide Female: The Bucket List series first. You can pick up that first book for free here:

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  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R334AE4

  If you enjoy The Girlfriend, I’d appreciate it if you would take a moment to leave an honest review here:

  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0152BWEX2

  And…

  ** I have a FREE book for you! **

  Wanna know what inspired Sammy to write her bucket list? Visit my website below and get your complimentary copy of “Sammy’s Big Plan!”

  LilliannaBlake.com

  Enjoy!

  Sincerely,

  Lillianna

  Chapter 1

  The waitress cleared the dishes away from the table. I felt my heart begin to race. I gazed across the table at Max. He fumbled with his suit jacket in an attempt to smooth it down. I tried not to grin at how fussy he was about his appearance. Max always dressed well, but he never seemed to care too much about how he looked. This was the first time in a long time that I’d seen him looking even the slightest bit insecure. With a gentle touch, I reached out and straightened his lapel for him.

  “Thanks.” Max smiled at me. “It’s nice to have you looking out for me.”

  A laugh bubbled up within me.

  We’d been dating for exactly one year. It was hard not to think about that first kiss that we’d shared, since we were at the very same restaurant where it had happened. Max had suggested the place and the night. He had also been acting as if he had a secret.

  As soon as I’d heard the plans for the evening, my mind had gone wild with anticipation. I’d gone to a lot of trouble to be sure that my hair was perfect, my dress fit me just right, and my make-up was flawless.

  Now that we’d finished our meal, I expected it to happen at any moment.

  The proposal.

  There was no question in my mind that Max and I belonged together. We’d talked about marriage and our future together. It was just a matter of when we would take that next step.

  When Max made the arrangements for the date, I was sure that he would be taking that next step—so sure, in fact, that I’d hired a photographer to take a picture of the moment. I always thought it was a shame that most people didn’t get a picture of their proposal, and I knew that it was a photograph that I would treasure.

  As I waited for him to get down on one knee, my mind filled with visions of the wedding and the plans to be made.

  Even though I expected it, when Max stood up my breath caught in my throat. It was hard for me to believe that it was really happening. It was everything I’d dreamed about since the very first day I met Max.

  “Sammy.” Max smiled.

  I smiled back. Then I glanced over to where I knew the photographer was seated. The woman was poised to pounce on the opportunity.

  Max continued to run his hands along his suit jacket. “I guess you know what tonight is.”

  “I do.” I looked up at him with adoration in my eyes. “The anniversary of our first kiss.”

  “That’s right. It’s been an absolutely amazing year—the best year of my life.”

  “One of many to come, I hope.” My heart filled with warmth. I was dizzy with excitement. I grinned so wide that the muscles in my cheeks ached from the effort.

  “Absolutely.” The lights in the ceiling above him reflected in his eyes, which gave them the illusion that they twinkled. “That’s why I didn’t want this night to end without something special.”

  I gripped the edge of the table and reminded myself that no matter what, I would not trip or fall when he proposed. I wanted the moment to be perfect.

  “Sammy, this is for you.” He reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and drew out a small black box. As he held it out to me I felt my excitement deflate just a little. He wasn’t on one knee. I’d expected a little bit of a speech. But I reminded myself that it didn’t matter how he proposed.

  “Oh, Max!” I reached out for the box. When I flipped the lid open, I felt the muscles of my cheeks finally relax. I stared with shock at the perfect heart-shaped gold charm nestled in a pillow of white. It was a stunning necklace, but it was not an engagement ring.

  “Do you like it? I got it to match your tattoo.” His voice was full of pride.

  I jumped at the flash of the camera and Max turned toward it.

  “How odd. I think that woman just took a picture of us.” He shook his head. “Here, let me put it on for you.” He lifted it out of the box while I still struggled to recover from my shock.

  I was glad that he was occupied with the necklace. His warm fingertip swept across the sensitive skin of my neck. I didn’t think that I could breathe again, but my body made me. I tried to snap myself out of my disappointment. I knew that I was being rude by not responding to him.

  “It’s beautiful.” I willed my voice to sound genuine. I wasn’t sure if I succeeded. I waved my hand at the photographer when Max wasn’t looking. I didn’t want her to take any more pictures. “Thank you, Max.”

  Max stepped back around in front of me. He leaned over to kiss me. The moment his lips touched mine it didn’t matter that he hadn’t proposed. I knew that he would when he was ready. My cheeks burned with embarrassment for getting myself worked up about it.

  “Thank you, Sammy—for making my life so beautiful.” He kissed me once more.

  Really, I couldn’t complain. I was amazed by Max and just how much he loved me.

  Chapter 2

  As we left the restaurant I turned back to see the photographer getting up as well. She tried to catch my attention, but I pretended not to notice. I wrapped my arm around Max’s and hung on tight.

  “Did you enjoy the meal?” He paused to open the car door for me.

  “I did.”

  He reached out and repositione
d the necklace. “It looks good on you.”

  “Thanks.” I started to sit down in the car.

  “Wait.” He leaned close and met my eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  “What do you mean? We had a great night.”

  “Sammy, don’t act like I don’t know you. I can tell that you’re upset.”

  “I’m not upset. Maybe I just ate too much.” His eyes bored into mine as if he was searching for something.

  “Sammy, you know you can tell me anything.”

  “I know.”

  “So tell me.”

  “There’s nothing to tell, Max. It was an amazing meal, I love my necklace and now I’m just a little tired.”

  He stared at me a moment longer and then nodded.

  I sat down in the car and frowned as he closed the door. It weighed heavy on my heart that he thought I was upset after he’d planned such a special night for us.

  He wasn’t entirely wrong about me trying to hide my feelings from him. I just couldn’t shake my disappointment. I was ready to start the next chapter in our lives—our marriage—but it was clear to me that Max wasn’t yet. I knew that it wasn’t fair of me to try to rush him.

  Just when I started to wonder what could be holding him up, he reached out and took my hand.

  “I love you, Sammy.”

  “I love you too, Max.” I leaned over to kiss him.

  The passion we shared swept away the doubt in my mind. If Max needed time, that was fine with me. I knew that we belonged together.

  The next morning I woke up determined to get some serious work done. I may have neglected a few days of work while preparing for the proposal that hadn’t happened. It wasn’t just my date with Max that had distracted me, though.

  Lately, I hadn’t been enjoying my apartment as much as I once did. It had always been my retreat, my place of solace, but now it felt rather empty when I was in it. Max and I saw each other so often that it was hard for me not to feel lonely when I was at home without him.

  There wasn’t an inch of the place that didn’t hold some memory of Max being there. So, if I made myself a cup of coffee, or picked up the remote to turn on the television, I was reminded that everything was much more fun when Max was around.

  Maybe that was why I was in such a rush to get married. I looked forward to a time when Max and I would be saying goodnight rather than goodbye.

  Still, as I tidied up and prepared to settle in for a writing session I felt a small pang of regret for the independence I would be losing. It was nice to be able to work in my pajamas without a thought of brushing my hair or sprucing up.

  I was really passionate about my latest book in the B.I.G. Girls Club series. Writing on the topic of living life with confidence always helped me clear my thoughts. As I read over what I’d written already, I felt all of my anxiety beginning to subside. I’d been trying to cling too tightly to the future instead of living in the present.

  I immersed myself in the book for almost two hours. When I surfaced from it, my shoulders were a little sore. I stood up and began stretching. Once I felt more limber, I reached for my phone to call Max. But then I stopped myself.

  It suddenly dawned on me that I’d wrapped myself up in the expectation of being proposed to. I hadn’t thought about anything else. In fact, since Max and I had begun dating, I’d spent all of my free time with him. Maybe the problem was that I’d forgotten that I had a life of my own to participate in.

  Instead of calling Max, I decided to call a friend. The only problem was, I didn’t have too many to choose from. I had plenty of people that were acquaintances, but very few that I considered very close friends.

  It had been quite a while since I’d spoken to my friend Stephanie. Things had been tense between us for a while when she was dating Max, and we’d lost touch since then. But one thing I knew about Stephanie was that no matter what happened between us—no matter how much time passed without contact—we’d always be great friends.

  I decided to give her a call. As soon as she answered she gushed into the phone.

  “Oh my God, Sammy, I swear that you must be psychic.”

  “Huh?” I laughed.

  “I was just thinking about you. I can’t believe it’s been over a year since we’ve hung out. I mean, we chat online, but when was the last time we actually saw each other in person?”

  “That’s why I’m calling. I wanted to see if you were available for lunch.”

  “Absolutely! Where do you want to meet?”

  “Maria’s?” I smiled. Stephanie and I always loved to binge on Mexican food.

  “Okay, great. I can be there in an hour, is that okay?”

  “Sure.”

  After I hung up the phone, I started to get excited. Stephanie hadn’t seen me in a long time and I was sure she’d be surprised by the weight I’d lost. Not only that, but I would get to tell her that Max and I were dating. She and Max had dated a bit, but it never turned into anything too serious. In fact, she’d been the one to point out to me that Max and I were meant to be together.

  I raided my closet for my newest outfit. It was a slingback blouse with a pair of khaki shorts. I didn’t often wear shorts, but now that I felt more confident in my own body, I’d begun wearing them.

  Once I was dressed I grabbed my keys and headed for the door. With a good amount of work done for the morning, I felt good about taking a short break.

  Chapter 3

  I pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and paused to look into the mirror.

  “Be mindful of what you put in your mouth,” I said out loud to my reflection. “We did not work this hard to blow it all now. You still have to fit into a wedding gown.”

  I laughed at the thought, but really, I couldn’t wait.

  I walked up to the restaurant in time to see a couple step out hand in hand. I noticed that they wore wedding rings. They looked quite a bit younger than me. I had been noticing things like that lately. I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t help it.

  I opened the door of the restaurant. Stephanie stood up and waved to me as I walked in. We giggled as we hugged each other tight. There didn’t need to be a reason for our laughter. It was just natural between us. The moment I was with her again, I was flooded with the memories of all of our past antics. I didn’t know how I’d let so much time pass without seeing her.

  “Wow, Samantha! You look fantastic!” Stephanie took a step back and studied me from head to toe. “Why didn’t you tell me that you’d lost so much weight?”

  “Well, I still have quite a few pounds to go.” I smiled. “I’m proud of how far I’ve come, though. You look amazing, as always.”

  “Thanks.” Stephanie blushed a little. “I really needed to hear that.”

  “Of course. Is everything okay?”

  We sat down together at the table.

  “I already ordered some chips and salsa.” She pointed to the large bowl in the middle of the table.

  “Great.” I snatched one up and scooped some salsa. “Now tell me what’s going on?” I frowned. I could see some sadness in her expression.

  “Oh, I don’t want to talk about it. I want our reunion to be fun. What’s been happening with you?”

  I studied her for a minute. I didn’t really want to let it go, but I could tell that she didn’t want to talk about it just yet.

  “I do have some news.” I smiled.

  “What is it?” Stephanie asked.

  “Remember how you always used to tell me that Max and I were meant to be together?”

  “Yes—because you are. You’re like peanut butter and jelly—just need some bread to smash you together.”

  “Well I guess we found our bread.” I laughed.

  “What? Really?” Stephanie squealed. “That’s amazing! When did this happen?”

  “About a year ago.” I felt a little guilty for waiting so long to tell her.

  “A year? Samantha!” She looked as if she was about to lecture me, but the waitress interrupted
us.

  Once we’d ordered our food, Stephanie crossed her arms.

  “How am I the last person to know?”

  “I’m sorry. I’ve just been so busy. I quit my job, became a writer, had a book published…”

  “Now that I knew. I read it and it’s fantastic!”

  “Thank you. I can’t believe that you read it.”

  “Of course I did. Samantha, I’m proud of you for following your heart. Is there a chance of a wedding in the future?” Stephanie teased.

  “I think there will be.” I smiled. “I mean, we have talked about it a little.”

  “Oh wow. This is so exciting! I can’t wait to see you as a bride. Are you going to do a big wedding or a small one?”

  “Wait, wait.” I laughed. “I can’t think about that yet. He hasn’t even proposed.”

  “Ah, what’s he dragging his feet for? It’s not like you guys haven’t known each other forever.”

  “I honestly don’t know. I keep waiting, but he doesn’t seem interested just yet—and that’s okay. No need to rush.”

  Stephanie offered a sympathetic nod. She knew me pretty well too, and I was sure that she could see the disappointment in my expression.

  “Well, whenever he gets around to it, I definitely want to be there. So let me know!”

  “I will of course. But what about you? We’ve only been talking about me. I want to know what’s happening in your life.” I finished the last of my burrito and sipped my water. I sat back and waited to hear all of the glorious things that Stephanie had been up to.

  “Well, I’m afraid it’s not as pleasant as your news. Actually, I almost got married.”

  “What? And you didn’t tell me?”