“I love you, Cheyenne.” He says and then kisses me on the forehead.
With my eyes closed, soaking up the moment, I reply “I love you, too Sam. Like a whole lot.”
He smiles and our lips meet for a sweet embrace, but quickly turns into a fierce passionate make out session. He lifts me from underneath my butt, wrapping my legs around his waist and leads me into my bedroom. No words of exchange, as our lips have yet to separate from each other.
A shower is much needed after all the dirty things that just went down and Sam joins me in the water. As he stands behind me, towering his lean body over mine, getting clean is the furthest thing from my mind. I can feel every inch of him against my backside causing my face to flush and a throbbing sensation to build between my thighs. I’m really starting to get used to this whole boyfriend thing. If it means I can have him whenever I please, sign me up. Twice.
After another session, against the steamy tile, we finally separated our bodies and were able to get dressed and make it to Penny’s early enough to meet up with Dave before he goes on stage. We walk in and see him at the bar talking to Chad as we make our way over.
“Hey killer. What’s up?” Chad calls, as we get close.
Dave turns in his seat and stands up to greet us. He gives me a hug and reaches his hand out to Sam.
“I’m Dave, nice to officially meet you.” He smiles and it’s easy to see it’s genuine.
“Sam, nice to meet you as well.” He shakes his hand firmly and nods toward the bar. “Hey Chad, good to see you. Can we get a round of shots?”
“Sure thing. Anything in mind?” Chad replies.
“Nah. Whatever you’re in the mood for.”
“Oh honey, you’re brave.” I laugh, knowing too well what he might have just gotten us into. Chad is known for making over the top shots, but is typically on point with the mood of the crowd he is working with.
Chad does his thing behind the bar and we mostly just sit quietly, awkwardly, watching him.
“So, you ready for the show? Do you know about how long you guys will be taking off?” I ask Dave, trying to start conversation, although I already know the answer since we just discussed this yesterday on the phone.
“Uh, yeah always ready to play. No set time frame for the break. Just when it feels right I guess. I am really looking forward to spending time with my daughter.”
I can tell Sam is slightly surprised at his statement and probably didn’t expect him to have a child.
“Oh, you have a daughter. That’s cool. How old is she?” Sam asks.
“She is five going on twenty. Her name is Fiona and she is quite the handful. Nothing like her mother, I’m sure she gets it from me.” He lights up when he talks about his daughter and Annabelle. I am so glad he is getting another chance to mend his family.
“Voila!” Chad shouts as he finishes sliding our shots towards us along with a beer for Sam and my usual double.
“Thank you very much, señor. Should I even ask?” I squeeze the lime into my drink and look up to see his devilish grin.
“This, my friends, is what I like to call Fire & Ice. Drink Up.”
It seems perfect, like he ready my mind. I could use a forest fire to help break the ice of this meet and greet.
We each grab our glass, nod in unison, say cheers and tip them back.
“Whoo. I like it.” I say as finish the last drop in my glass.
“Not bad” Sam adds. “Good combination.”
“Agreed.” Dave holds out a fist and Sam bumps it with his. How sweet, I may be witnessing the moment they become best friends.
I smile and start to relax, hoping the ice continues to melt. We each grab a seat at the bar and continue a light conversation over a couple more shots and in no time at all, the boys are talking about baseball and I find myself sitting quietly, letting them chat. Who knew Dave was so into sports? I guess I just had a vision of the typical rock star being only into the music.
We hear a whistle from the stage area and Dave takes the cue and finishes his beer.
“Time to get to work. Maybe we can grab a drink after the set. I want you to meet someone.” Dave smiles and gives me a quick hug, then reaches out a hand to Sam. “Nice to meet you. Hope you enjoy the show.”
Sam shakes his hand with more comfort to his grip and nods his head.
“Break a leg!” I shout as he walks away and throws up a hand in acknowledgment.
Sam and I remain at the bar and continue to sip on our drinks. He doesn’t say anything at first, but I am dying to know what he really thought of Dave, hoping we could all be friends.
“Well, what do you think?” I ask with a hopeful smile.
“As much as you know I hate to admit when I am wrong. Dave seems like a stand up guy. We only got to talk for a few minutes, but I didn’t get a bad vibe from him.” My smile grows bigger and I get an excited gleam in my eye. “Slow down, Cheyenne, you’re eyes are telling me you are about to explode with excitement. I didn’t say we were best friends or anything. Just that he is cool.”
“I know. I am just glad you gave him a chance. I love you for that. Well, that and the fact that you are super hot.” I wink and lean off my seat towards him for a kiss. “Want to grab a seat a little closer to the stage, or is this good right here?”
“I would love to just stay right here, but I also know that you would love to be closer to the dance floor, so let’s grab that seat over there.” Sam points to an empty high top table and stands up from his stool reaching for my hand.
“You know me too well. Thanks babe.” I stand up with my drink and grab his waiting hand. We reach the table and he pulls over a fourth chair from another table so that we can fit two more people. Sawyer and Preston are supposed to be here to join us for the show. I pull out my phone and send her a quick text.
Plan on joining us?
Sawyer: Sorry…got a little caught up. ;)
You nasty little girl. Leave that boy alone. I’m surprised his thing hasn’t fallen off yet.
Sawyer: You’re ridiculous. But seriously, I would die if it ever did! LOL see you soon!
The strum of Dave’s guitar grabs our attention and everyone starts clapping and cheering as the show starts. I turn my gaze to Sam who is wearing a smile as I catch him staring at me. I mouth the words “I love you” and pucker my lips for an air kiss. Reaching down under my stool, he swiftly slides me over to be closer to his side and places his lips on mine. The music, his lips, and the pure happiness I am feeling have me swooning. I doubt I’ll ever grow tired of this sappy love shit. It feels too damn good, no matter what the risk.
They get to the second song and a beautiful brunette in her late 20’s walks by our table and grabs a seat near the front of the stage with some of the band mate’s friends. She waves to Dave who instantly smiles and winks back at her. This must be the one. Annabelle.
Her long brown hair is effortlessly twisted into a fish-tail pony and pulled to the side. Her makeup is worn in the most flattering natural way, which reminds me a lot of Sawyer. She is wearing cropped boyfriend style jeans with a gray, V-neck, open back blouse. The wedges on her tan feet are the finishing touch on her trendy outfit choice.
The mood on stage changes with the next song; one that I haven’t heard in a quite a while. The slow beat and melody rain with emotion and Dave’s eyes hardly escape from her direction. She is singing along with every word and it makes my heart flutter to watch their love. It is a beautifully written ballad that details their story and the hard times they have faced. I reach for Sam’s hand and give it a squeeze, silently thanking him in my head for sticking with me though all of our difficult times.
Sam winks at me and stands up from his chair holding his hand out to me in request for a dance. Is he serious? He never wants to dance. This song must be working it’s magic on him too.
Standing up sporting the biggest grin, I take his hand as he twirls me around dreamily then places his hand on the small of my back holding out the oth
er in mine. We slowly sway to the song and I rest my head on his chest. I’m in love. Deep, beautiful love.
Gross.
We finish dancing as they fade right into the next song and I see Sawyer and Preston take their seats at our table.
“Nice of you to join us, love birds.” I say as we return to our seats.
“That’s funny, it looks like the only love birds in here are the ones slow dancing alone on the dance floor.” She cocks her head to the side with the sarcastic come back. But damn it if she wasn’t right. I was now the blushing girl in one of the couples I made fun of for their silly displays of love. What’s most strange about it is that I didn’t even hesitate when he pulled me to the floor. I didn’t care who was watching or what they were thinking. In my head, it was just Sam and I alone on the wooden floor.
I didn’t even have a rebuttal. I just smiled and shook my head, rolling my eyes and taking a sip of drink.
“Wow. Now I really have seen everything. Cheyenne didn’t even take the chance to get the last word. Don’t worry though, love looks good on you.” Preston says and winks at me. “Not as good as it does on my lady though.” He put his hand under Sawyers chin and reached down to kiss her sweetly.
“Ugh, get a room, Romeo.” I reply and we all start laughing.
“Nope, there she is. That’s my girl, sassy as ever.” Sam says as his smile spreads from cheek to cheek.
We all laugh at my expense, but I am not offended in the slightest. I was beginning to change, but it was definitely for the better.
We finished watching the show and then met up with Dave at the bar when they were done clearing the stage.
“Awesome show, man.” Sam says shaking Dave’s hand.
“Thanks. It was a lot of fun tonight. We always like to have a good time, but tonight was special. With it being the last show for a while, we wanted to go out with a bang. Not to mention, a certain someone being in the crowd.” He looks behind him as the beautiful brunette reaches his side. “Speaking of the angel.” Dave places his arm over her shoulder.
“Hi, everyone. I’m Annabelle.” She says lifting her hand in a friendly wave to all of us.
“This is Sam, Cheyenne, Sawyer and Preston.” Dave announces, pointing us each out. “Should we grab a shot?”
“Fire and Ice?” I ask looking between Sam and Dave with a smile.
“Hell yeah.” They both reply in unison.
Everyone else laughs and agrees with a nod. Chad takes our order and a few minutes later, lines up the 6 shots, then adding one more for him.
“Here’s to Knucks Road.” Chad says as he lifts his glass.
“Here’s to second chances.” Dave says and smiles at Annabelle as they both raise their glasses.
“Here’s to love. Old and new, sometimes difficult, but always true.” I say, not sure where the hell that came from. Sam and I lift our glasses and look to the final couple.
“Here’s to that!” Preston replies and Sawyer burst into laughter raising her glass with his.
“Cheers!” she says and we all tip them back and start laughing.
“Really, Cheyenne? Were you just reading a romance novel or has this new love really grabbed a hold of you?” Sawyer asks, still laughing.
“Oh, eat a dick.” I reply. “You win. I was wrong about love. It really is worth the risk and I’ve never been happier.” My tone turns more serious as I look into Sam’s eyes. He wraps me in a hug, dips me back, and plants an over the top fairy tale kiss on my lips. My head is swimming and the chills cover my body. It’s just Sam and I, once again, alone on the wooden floor.
“Ugh, get a room!” Preston hollers and the laughter spreads once again.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“You ready, babe?” I shout, placing a duffle in the trunk.
“Yeah, but don’t close that. You have one more bag. Not that you need more bags. You do realize we are only going for a few days, right?” He places the bag inside and I close the trunk.
“You never know what you might need? Plus how can I predict what I mood I will be in, which directly corresponds with my outfit choice?” I smile and he shakes his head knowing he will never win this argument.
“You want me to drive?” he asks with a hopeful expression. I think he prefers to feel in control and maybe doesn’t want to admit that my somewhat distracted personality scares him when behind the wheel.
“Sure, but that means I get to play deejay!” I reply skipping to the passenger door.
Again, he gives just a smile and headshake, not winning this one either. We have similar music tastes, but four hours of my drive mix could be enough to make anyone head straight off the bridge.
“I promise, I’ll mix it up this time.” I wink, but am actually serious. I changed my drive mix for this trip to include some of his favorite songs and artists. I think he will be pleasantly surprised.
We get in the car and begin our trip. The first few songs are my basic pop classics. Sam is always a good sport and never complains, even when I sing at the top of my lungs completely off key. Sometimes he even joins in on the ones he knows. After a few more, the new tracks I inserted into the mix begin to play and a smile reaches his lips.
“So, have you always had this on here, or did you add it just for me?” he asks.
“I figured you would want to drive, like usual, so I thought I would make it a little more tolerable if you could hear some of your jams.”
“Thank you, that was very thoughtful.” He reached over and squeezed my hand.
“I know. I am the sweetest girlfriend ever.” We share a glance at each other and I reach down to turn up the volume.
He sings along to his favorites and I sit back and enjoy the ride.
We have been exclusively dating now for a little over a month. The weirdness in the beginning was quickly replaced with comfort and ease. Being in a relationship with someone you’ve known forever definitely has its perks. There was no awkward getting to know you phase, where we had to ask about each other’s favorite color and life goals. Sam was one of my best friends and we transitioned nicely into our relationship. It was mostly just a huge adjustment for me, allowing myself to feel the emotions that I had been pushing away from day one.
I was still scared shitless. I don’t know that I would survive a heartache, but also don’t know that I would survive letting him get away and never knowing what could have been.
Sam makes me feel whole, like I have been only half way living for most of my life. I would have never known what I was missing if I didn’t give this a chance. I was falling to pieces not being with him and now I know why. It was supposed to be this way, always.
Since Sam works a lot and I stay busy with my senior year class load, we spend just the right amount of time together. There is no smothering and we get a chance to miss one another. We have our Tuesday night dates with Sawyer and Preston, but it’s not always just the four of us. Becka and Lilly join us a lot of the time and we have even been lucky enough to have the new lovebirds, Dave and Annabelle join us when they are in town. As I suspected, Dave and Sam are good friends now and the past is in the past where it belongs. Annabelle is so full of life and has a heart as big as Texas. She is so much like Sawyer, and we have all become very good friends.
The drive home to Redwood goes by in a wink. I dropped Sam off at his mom’s house and head to mine. We were all going to spend time at home and then meet up at Jeff’s for the annual turkey bon fire. It was the one time of year where almost everyone came home from school and was able to hang out and catch up.
It would be a blast as usual, but this year had a few firsts. This would be the first year that I came to the party on the arm a guy I was actually in a relationship with. It would also be the first year without Austin. It breaks my heart that he won’t be here to see Sam and I together. Finally.
I had always imagined the four of us sitting around this fire when we were old and gray, telling stories and laughing at the good times we had. It wouldn’t be
the same without him and I am glad that Sawyer has Preston to be by her side tonight and keep her spirits up.
Tomorrow, my mom and bill will be serving up dinner, but there will be a few additional guests at our table. Sam and his mom will be joining us this year and she is bringing over dessert. The other real shock to the guest list is my dad. Since he and Lora were no longer an item, I asked my mom if we could invite him over so he wouldn’t be alone. I told her as much of the truth as I thought she needed to hear, sparing her the details of the fake affair. As much as I want her to know that my dad was a good man, I couldn’t risk causing her pain or confusion. She was over the moon happy with Bill and was in a civil place with my dad. There was no reason to go stirring the pot now.
She was more than welcoming to the idea and so was Bill. They are comfortable in any situation and I can only hope to grow up and be exactly like them. It was going to be a Thanksgiving for the record books.
I made my way inside and greeted mom and Bill before heading to my room for a quick shower and nap. Driving always made me tired, but being a passenger was surprisingly worse. I still had a few hours before I would be heading to Jeff’s.
My shower was revitalizing. Lying in my bed, I sent Sam a quick text before closing my eyes.
Taking a nap. Eating with my parents. Kissing your face. That’s my plan. See you in bit!
Sam: Sounds good. Love you.
Love you more. Xoxo
Sam: Insanely Impossible ;)
Smiling like a child who just caught candy at the parade, I laid the phone down on the end table, closed my eyes and drifted into dreamland.
The nap was just what I needed. I ate with mom and Bill and then got dressed and headed to Jeff’s. Sam went over early to help set up the tables and finish collecting the wood for the fire. It was said to be one of the best ones that they have ever made. Those boys are always trying to out do themselves with the biggest fire that could be seen from space.
On my way ;)
Falling to Pieces Page 19