Jazz traced a gentle finger down his arm, her eyes following the motion rather than looking at him. “Was she there? Your new best friend?”
“Jack’s sister?” Heart stammering, Sam sensed the first shred of jealousy he’d ever seen in Jasmine before—at least with him.
“Yeah.” Her lashes flipped up as she stared at him with a tinge of apprehension. “Shannon, is it?”
He expelled a long wavering breath, hardly able to believe the shoe was finally on the other foot with the woman he loved. “Yeah, Shan was there. Why?”
She gave a little shrug, as if feigning indifference. “No reason. It’s just that I thought you and I were friends, too, Sam, but I don’t see you nearly as much as Shannon does.”
There was a time when he would have teased her about being jealous, gloating that he could elicit a response out of her like she always did with him. But not anymore. Now his heart ached that he’d hurt her. Unleashing a heavy sigh, he drew her into a tight hug. “Jazz, you know I love you, both as a friend and as the only woman I’ve ever really wanted. But you belong to Derek right now, and I doubt he’d appreciate my spending so much time with you.”
“I don’t belong to Derek,” she whispered.
The air swirled still in his lungs. Pulse pounding, he held her at arm’s length. “What do you mean ‘you don’t belong to Derek’?”
“I mean I broke it off,” she said with a shy chew of her lip, the sheen of hope in those green eyes shimmering with possibilities. “I finally figured out I’m in love with my old boyfriend.” Caressing his jaw with her fingers, her eyes drifted closed as she grazed her lips against his.
The familiar taste of her triggered a rush of want so strong, he all but devoured her with a husky groan. “So help me, babe, I’ve waited forever to hear that,” he whispered, blood pumping through his body at a ridiculous rate. He pulled away to cradle her face in his hands, hardly able to believe she was finally his. “Are you sure? Because there’s no going back. You’re the one I want, Jasmine, and this time I mean forever.”
Tears brimmed in her eyes as she lunged, the depth of her kiss sending red-hot lava through his veins. “I’m sure, Sam, but if I wasn’t, Jack’s encouragement would have put me over the top.”
“Yeah?” he said with a curious smile, tenderly brushing the hair from her face. “And what was that?”
“That the kind of love I was looking for was right under my nose, and if I didn’t grab you, it would be the biggest loss of my life.” Her lips curved in a tease. “After him, of course.”
Sam grinned outright. “He said that?”
She nodded, skimming the side of his face with her fingers as her smile softened into awe. “He also said your love for me is so deep, it actually pushed you toward a faith that’s transformed you into one of the finest men he knows and one he’s proud to call a good friend.”
A prick of moisture stung at the back of Sam’s lids, catching him off-guard as he drew her close, burying his head in the crook of her neck. “He’s right, you know, about my love for you, Jazz,” he whispered, “but the true credit belongs to the power of faith.” Shannon’s image suddenly came to mind, and with it, a surge of gratitude swelled in his chest.
And a woman with a whole lot more of it than me.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“So, you forgive me for acting like a moron?” Sam glanced up as he retied his Nikes on the bench at the Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion, sweat glistening on a sculpted torso that put a lump in Shannon’s throat.
“Of course I forgive you,” she said, quickly diverting her gaze to the rolling azure waves as they lapped at Tybee’s white-sugar shore. She took a drink of her water bottle and closed her eyes to breathe in the clean scent of the ocean. The sea breeze fluttered her ponytail and cooled the moisture on her skin, her sports tank damp from their six-mile run on the beach. “I planned to tell you all along, Sam, the next time I saw you, but uh … you kind of caught me off-guard.” A smile squirmed at the edges of her mouth as she took another drink. “Didn’t expect it to be at church.”
“Yeah, I figured that was a factor.” He grinned that lovable crooked grin as he upended his water, face shifted to the side so he could watch her while his Adam’s apple glugged. Wiping his mouth with the side of his arm, he grinned and poured the remainder over his head, drowning his dark curls like a kid under a hose. “I think I caught God off-guard, too, since there weren’t any bolts of lightning for me to dodge.”
She grinned, wondering if she’d ever get past this melted, gushy feeling inside whenever she spied hints of the little boy in Sam. The one who had been so wounded and hurt, yet hid behind the fun-loving façade, never letting anybody know. The same one she always wanted to nurture and love.
And kiss?
“Stay with me …”
Heat swallowed her whole at the memory of that night in the car, how one kiss had so disarmed her in a span of a few seconds. Sam emanated a raw magnetism that even Eric hadn’t possessed, shocking her that one man could have such a powerful effect. Battling a shiver, she took another drink, eyes closed as she drained the bottle straight up.
“Ready?”
Not really. “Yeah,” she said with a toss of her empty bottle into the trash receptacle, falling in beside him as they strolled the long span of pier back to the beach.
“So …” He slowed his pace as always when he noticed her huffing to keep up. “Guess who paid me a visit at the office?”
Shannon’s shoes slid on the sand when she ground to a stop on the pier. “Jasmine?”
He grinned and tugged on the bottom of her tank to keep her moving. “Yep.”
“What did she want?” Shannon’s voice was breathless, an odd mix of euphoria and fear.
His teeth flashed white against a perfect tan. “We’re back together, Shan, for good.”
She skidded to a dead halt, heart plummeting deeper than the ocean on either side of the pier. “That’s … that’s … incredible,” she whispered, forcing the brightest smile she could manage considering the painful cramp in her heart. “You did it!”
“No, you did it.” His eyes were tender as he gently buffed her arms with his palms.
“No, God did it, Sam,” she whispered, unable to thwart the tears in her eyes.
His chiseled features melted into affection. “Through your amazing faith, Shan, and a boatload of prayer.”
She tipped her head to stare up at him, so very proud of the man he’d become. “And your faith, too, my friend, not to mention your adherence to God’s precepts.”
The smile dissolved on his face as he cuffed the back of his neck. “Yeah, well about that.” He continued walking, and she fell in step, her stomach suddenly as restless as the waves battering the sandy shore. “It’s not going to be as easy as I thought,” he said quietly, hands plunged in the pockets of his running shorts. He kept his gaze pinned to the weathered dock as if he were avoiding her eyes, his mood suddenly somber. “We’ve only been together two nights, Shan, but it’s been a battle when I take her home. She wants to stay at my place or me at hers, but I told her we weren’t going there this time, and naturally she threw a fit.” He stared up at a blue sky scudded with clouds. “Which I really can’t blame her, I guess, because we practically lived together before.”
Shannon swallowed hard, a knot of jealousy wedging in her throat.
He huffed out a noisy sigh. “Not to mention she’s the sexiest woman on the planet, and I’ve been without now for four months, practically a first since puberty.”
Shannon wasn’t prepared for the awful stab of pain that seared through her chest. The sexiest woman on the planet …
“But …” His mouth compressed, jaw sculpted in iron. “I told you once I’m not a quitter, Shannon, and that when it comes to self-control, I’m a wall of steel, so I’m not about to quit on the faith you’ve introduced me to no matter how tough Jazz makes it. And trust me, she’s a master.” He shook his head, a wry bent to his mouth. “W
hich means I need your prayers more than ever until I can get that woman to the altar.”
That woman. The one he loved and planned to marry.
“You have them, Sam, you know that.” She paused. “But I believe I can go it one better.”
He peered at her out of the corner of his eye. “Yeah? How?”
She stopped to face him, holding out her hand. “Give me your word,” she whispered.
His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly as he stared first at her hand, then up into her eyes. “That won’t be necessary, Shan. I can do this.”
“I know you can, Sam,” she whispered, gaze fused to his. “I just want to help.”
Hands on his hips, he glanced out over the water, as if trying to decide if it was worth it or not. He’d told her once that his mother had broken promises to him over and over before she’d deserted him forever. Which is why he always gave his word rather than a promise when it was something that truly mattered. Something forged in iron that he fully intended to keep, like he’d told her one evening at the onset of their friendship. “I’ve spent a lifetime restoring integrity to a name bonded in shame,” he’d whispered, eyes lagging into a far-off stare, “so my word is at the core of who I am, Shan, and I will never, ever betray it like my mother betrayed me.”
“Well now, see?” she had responded with a peaceful smile, “you and God have something in common then, Sam, because the Bible says, ‘when God wanted to guarantee His promises, He gave His word, a rock-solid guarantee’ because ‘God cannot break His word.’”
“It says that?”
“It does,” she’d answered with a grin and a playful pinch to his cheek. “So, like Father, like son, I guess.”
He had grunted his doubt at the time, but Shannon could see his disbelief was on the wane. And now, here he stood before her on the pier, wrestling with a choice between lust and love. A man with one foot in the world and one in faith, not yet fully committed to the God who could provide the strength he would need. But Shannon could. Her heart thudded as slow and sure as the seconds dragging by. Through prayer and the bond of Sam’s word.
But whoever keeps his word, in him truly is the love of God perfected.
He finally unleashed a noisy sigh and placed his hand in hers, giving it a firm shake. “You have my word,” he said quietly, the sobriety in his eyes confirming it was a promise etched in stone from a man she could trust.
Her smile beamed brighter than the sun. “You won’t regret this, Doc. I promise.”
“Yeah?” He looped a loose arm over her shoulder, giving her a light squeeze. “I already do, kiddo. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned about you in the short time we’ve been friends, Shannon O’Bryen, is that your promises are true.”
“Just like your word,” she said with a grin, “which could very well be the first thing we’ve ever had in common.”
“Naw, we both like basketball and miniature golf, right?” He pressed a random kiss to her head. “Which is only one of the gazillion reasons I love you, Angel Eyes.”
Cheeks warm, she opted to change the subject. “So when do you plan to propose?” she asked, slipping from his hold to jog backwards in front of him.
He shrugged, hands back in his pockets. “As soon as I can, but we’ll have to give her dad a little time to adjust before I put a ring on his daughter’s hand.”
“Does he like you, I hope?” She shaded her eyes as she squinted up, aligning her stride to his once again.
He grinned. “Come on, Shan, what’s not to like?” He tweaked the back of her neck, scrunching her shoulders. “You’re the only who couldn’t stand me.”
A grunt tripped from her lips. “I find that hard to believe, with all the hearts you’ve trampled, Dr. Love.”
“Ah … ah … ah, young lady, I did not trample. I carefully and gently transitioned from lover to friend with devoted diligence, which is why I remain friends with the women I’ve dated.” He wrinkled his nose. “Well, most of them, anyway. So to answer your question, yes, Randy Augustine does like me. I mean, he hired me into his practice after all, so that speaks for itself, I guess. But I also think he feels a kinship because we were both in the foster system and had to work our way up.”
“Well, that’s certainly a plus. Do they go to church?”
Sam laughed. “I doubt it. Jazz is not exactly the religious type, and Augustine’s on the links every Sunday morning.”
“So bring Jasmine to church with us on Saturday night and stay for volleyball after,” Shannon suggested. “You’ll need a church to get married in, and Hope Church is one of the prettiest on the island.”
“With you?” One thick, dark brow angled high. He shook his head. “Unfortunately, she’s a little sensitive about you, Shan. Frankly, if it were up to her, I wouldn’t hang out with you at all.”
Shannon’s rib cage shrank, the thought of not seeing Sam on a regular basis suddenly bleeding the air from her lungs. “Maybe that’s for the best,” she whispered.
For both Jasmine and for me.
He halted so fast, she was already several steps ahead when he caught up at the entrance of the pier to brace his hands to her shoulders. “No way, Shan, we’re buds, and Jazz is just going to have to accept that.”
“Not after you get married,” she said softly, knowing full well her friendship with Sam would have to come to an end. “Your wife’s needs and desires come first, Sam, remember? If you were my husband, there’s no way I’d want you hanging out with an old female friend.”
He stared at her for several seconds, then expelled a heavy sigh and dropped his arms, continuing onto Tybrisa Street. “Well, then, we’ll just have to become couple friends.” He slid her a wary look while he placed a hand to her lower back, guiding her out of the path of a bike. “Speaking of which—how was your date with Chase?”
Her body automatically relaxed at mention of Chase, the man who’d offered to help her keep it together while Sam was pursuing Jazz. “Good.” She slid into Sam’s car when he opened the door, smiling at the memory of both Lulu’s on Saturday night and biking with Chase on Sunday. As one of Jack’s best friends, Chase fit right in with her family, especially since Jack and Lacey still lived next door till they found a house of their own. It surprised Shannon how quickly she and Chase slipped into a comfortable and easy friendship, affection lighting her eyes for a man she knew would become a close friend. “He’s a great guy, and I like him a lot, although we’ve only gotten together about three times.”
Sam’s gaze felt like a laser as he started his car. “Three times since Saturday?” he asked, a ridge above his nose. “Sounds like things are moving pretty fast.”
She glanced out her window to deflect the blush she felt in her cheeks. “No, we’re just hanging out, that’s all, having some fun.”
The car didn’t move. “Just fun … or more?” he asked, and she turned back at the edge in his tone, her eyes softening when she remembered Chase’s words.
“Call me gun-shy, Shan, but he looked and acted just like Jack did when I started dating Lacey—jealous.”
“Well, I’m not having the same problem you are with Jazz, if that’s what you mean,” she said with a tender smile, “so you can rest easy, Dad.”
“Good to know.” The car started with a growl that matched the look on Sam’s face as he backed out of the parking spot with great care, face relaxing into a smile when he waved to a young couple with a toddler in a stroller, waiting until they crossed the street. “I just love kids,” he whispered, his whole demeanor changing as he watched the couple with a sense of longing in his eyes. “I hope and pray I have a houseful someday, although I doubt I can talk Jazz into more than two.” He shifted and eased the Vette down the street, shooting a grin Shannon’s way. “But I sure love their honesty and innocence, you know? Which” —he reached over to give her knee a quick squeeze— “is one of the things I love most about you too. Seeing that kind of purity in kids is one thing, but in an adult?” He shook his head as he s
ignaled to change lanes. “You’re a rare find, Shannon O’Bryen, in such a jaded world.”
The lining of her stomach turned to lead, weighing her down with the need to tell him the truth. “Sam … there’s something you need to know…”
The theme to Jaws began to play on his phone, and he snatched it up, silently mouthing an apology. “Hey, Jazz, what’s up?”
Shannon slowly released the breath she was holding as Sam calmly talked Jasmine through some computer emergency, his tender and caring tone making her heart ache. By the time Jasmine finally let him go, they had pulled into Shannon’s drive, where Jack and Matt were playing basketball.
“Hey, you two, you’re just in time for some two-on-two—interested?” Jack strolled down the paver driveway with the ball under his arm. “I need some real competition because goofball here’s about to put me to sleep.”
“That’s what happens when you lose, dip-stick,” Matt called with a hand to his mouth, reaching for the hose to get a drink. “Boredom sets in.”
Jack leaned on Shannon’s side of the car. “Come on, guys, I need some exercise, and the only workout Ball gives me is with his yapper.”
“Trust me, Jack,” Sam said with regret in his tone, “there’s nothing I’d rather do than trounce you in basketball, but Jazz called with a hard-drive issue, and I’m her IT guy.”
Jack opened Shannon’s door with a grunt. “Trust you? The day you’d rather trounce me in basketball over spending time with Jazz, dude, is the day I’ll begin to worry.”
Shannon got out and quietly closed the door. “Thanks for the run, Sam. I do believe I’m warmed up enough to feed these two guys some humble pie.”
“Ha!” Jack tossed the basketball in the air and caught it before looping an arm over his sister’s shoulder. “You’ve been hanging with Ham way too much, Shan. You’re starting to sound as cocky as him.”
“Nope, she’s just better at basketball—like me,” Sam said with a grin as he put the car in gear. He stopped to squint at Shannon. “Hey—you were in the middle of telling me something when Jazz’s call interrupted, so what were you going to say?”
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