“Well,” Laura said with a shrug. “I was just wondering if you were planning on driving home... Or if you wanted to come back to mine?”
“I have a feeling that it’ll probably be just the one,” Sam said, unable to hide her smile.
“Yeah. There’s that option.”
“I’m assuming you’re okay with that?”
“Definitely,” Laura said, her eyes giving her away. She was practically undressing Sam.
“I like this side of you,” Sam said as she took a drink.
“My horny side?” she deadpanned.
“I was going to say your forward-thinking side, but I don’t mind it when you’re horny either.”
Laura shook her head. “Always the comedian.”
“I can’t help it.” Sam took a drink, already thinking ahead to tonight, not quite believing how lucky she was that this was finally happening. There was no reason why this wouldn’t work this time, why they couldn’t finally be together.
“I still can’t believe you’re here,” Laura said with a half-smile, reading Sam’s mind. “It’s embarrassing how many times I’d see someone about your height with the same hair color, even if it was a different cut... I’d still keep looking at her until I was sure it wasn’t you.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, I was doing the very same thing, all over the world, where it made absolutely no sense, so... I never forgot about you, as much as I wanted to.”
Laura reached for her hand, covering it with her own. “I have trouble believing in fate and all that ‘meant-to-be’ stuff. I don’t know how long it’s going to take me to finally put all that in the past. If I had done things differently...” Laura sighed. “Who knows...”
“I know, but we’re young. We’re both here now. We just need to start over. Forget about what happened back then. I know it’s easier said than done, but what choice do we have?” Sam had thought about all those what-ifs, too, but it wouldn’t change things. They’d lost a lot of years, and there was nothing either of them could do about that now. “We could be really happy together, Laura.”
“I know.” Laura lifted her bottle of beer to her lips and took a long drink. “I know... Let’s get out of here.”
Sam finished her drink. “Your place or mine?
“Yours.”
“Alright. Let’s go.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sam squeezed through the crowd and handed Laura her bottle of beer. “Sorry that took so long, and sorry for making us late.” They were supposed to be here at eight for Kate’s party, but it was almost nine-thirty.
Laura clinked her bottle against Sam’s. “Please, don’t apologize for joining me in the shower. We’ll just have to allow for some extra time when we’re getting ready to go somewhere. I’d hate for that to be a once off.”
Heat crept across Sam's neck. "No. It definitely won't be..." Backing Laura up against the cool tiles and kissing her way down her body was something that Sam was going to do again and again. Although she'd probably take Laura from behind the next time.
Sam cleared her throat. Now was not the time to be thinking about all the things she wanted to do to Laura. "So, are all these people here for Kate's fortieth?"
Laura nodded. “I’d say so. Lot of her work people. She’s an English teacher. Junior and senior. Wait, you didn’t have her, did you?” Laura asked, her eyebrows furrowing as she was probably trying to do some subtraction in her head.
“What’s her last name?”
“Sullivan.”
“No... No. Didn’t have her.”
“Good. That would have made this awkward.” Laura’s eyes were looking past her, and Sam turned to see a woman walking over to them, a purple glittery birthday sash hanging across her body over a black knee length dress.
“That’s her?”
“Yeah.” Laura said, giving Kate a smile as she wrapped her arms around her. “Hey. Happy birthday!”
“Thank you,” Kate said, her eyes on Sam now. “Are you the famous Sam?” she asked, her words slurring slightly.
Sam gave her a lopsided smile. “I wouldn’t say famous, but yeah, that’s me.”
“Kate,” she said, extending her hand. “I’ve got my eye on you, Sam.”
“Oh yeah?” Sam asked, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. She’d been anxious to meet some of Laura’s friends, because that was something that never would have happened last time, but she hadn’t been expecting this.
Laura jumped in. “Kate, you don’t have to do the whole big brother talk or whatever this is.”
“I’m just looking out for you,” Kate said as someone handed her a glass of champagne. “Thanks,” she called after them. “Anyway, Laura. Can I talk to you? I’ve been meaning to tell you something for a while now. I just have to do it. I hate keeping things from you.”
Sam took another drink and left her bottle on the table behind them. “I’m just going to find the restroom. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She left them to have whatever private conversation Kate wanted to have with Laura.
Sam weaved her way through the busy bar. The bathrooms were down a hallway at the very back of the bar. She shouldn’t have been surprised to see a line of women waiting outside the door, and she debated using the ones upstairs even though that section of the bar was closed off tonight. Someone bumped into her as they rounded the corner, and Sam froze when she realized who it was.
Anthony’s lips curled into a smile. “I don’t believe it. Sam fucking Santoro.”
Sam took a quick glance behind her, towards the busy bar. She could just make a run for it, but surely, he wouldn’t be stupid enough to do something here, with people just around the corner waiting to use the restrooms, and a bar full of people in the opposite direction.
“You should run,” he said. “Just like you did last time.”
Sam’s short fingernails dug into her palms as she balled her fists up, ready to defend herself if it came to that. “I didn’t run. I was threatened.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m not a naive nineteen-year-old anymore. If I have to go to the cops, I will. I know your brother retired a few months ago. No one’s going to cover for you now.”
“What makes you so sure?” Anthony asked with a grin. “I’m highly respected in this town. If I need to remind you why you should leave again, I will,” he said with a shrug.
Sam’s personal space was evaporating in front of her as Anthony drew closer with every word. “I’m not going anywhere,” Sam said, doing her best to keep her voice steady. “I’m not scared of you. Besides, Laura divorced you. Why does it matter anymore?”
“Because,” he seethed. “You’re the reason she left me. You put all those crazy ideas in her head. She never looked at another woman before you showed up. Now, I have to see her out on dates with other women. Do you know what the guys on the team say about me behind my back??”
“No, but if they’re anything like you, I can imagine-”
“Just shut up. Fucking dyke,” he spat.
The corner of a poster frame dug into her back, but Sam wasn’t going to move. She stood her ground, something she wished she’d done last time. She wasn’t going to waste her breath on him either. She needed to get out here, before he completely lost his temper.
Sam took a step to the side, but Anthony’s hand was around her bicep in a second, pulling her back in, his stale breath hot against her neck. “I’m warning you... Leave. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so nice last time. Maybe I should have used a little force.” The grip on her arm tightened, and Sam was on the verge of retaliating. She could probably get a kick to the groin in if she had to.
“Anthony?”
They both turned to see Laura standing in the middle of the hallway.
“What are you doing?” Laura asked, and she was at Sam’s side in a second, putting herself between the two of them. “What the hell are you doing?”
Anthony took a few steps back, his hands
in the air. “A misunderstanding. That’s all.” He turned and left before either of them could say anything, and Sam exhaled, her hands shaking as Laura looked her over.
“Are you okay?” Laura asked. “What was that? Did he... Was that why...?”
Sam just nodded, swallowing down the lump in her throat.
“Let’s get out of here.” Laura reached for her hand. “Is it okay if we go to your place?”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
Sam drove them back to the cabin in silence, neither of them willing to start this conversation in the car. She pulled up outside the garage, fishing her keys out of her jacket pocket, and climbed the steps up to the porch. She unlocked the front door with a shaky hand and flipped on the light switches before shrugging off her coat. Laura hung hers up beside Sam’s.
Laura sank down into the couch, wiping her hand across her face. She looked up at Sam, and there were tears in her eyes. Laura’s voice cracked as she spoke. “Is that what happened? He threatened you? That’s why you left? Not because you got tired of waiting?”
Sam blew out a breath, still standing inside the door at the foot of the stairs. “He showed up at the studio one night, looking for you, but it was just me there. You’d left maybe ten minutes before he got there.” Sam cleared her throat. “That was the night that we almost gave in... Anyway, he said he knew about us. How? I don’t know. Maybe he was bluffing, but he told me I’d better leave. He called me just about every name in the book, and I told him I’d call the police, report him, but he told me about his brother being a cop... I didn’t go right away. It was a few days later.” Sam sat down beside Laura. “I’m sorry that I didn’t have the courage to stay.”
“Don’t apologize,” Laura said, wiping away a tear that streaked down her cheek. “He always had a temper, but I only ever really saw it at games. He never hit me. But when I saw him tonight, with his hand on your arm, and the grip he had on you...” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you felt like you had to leave.” Another tear escaped her eye, and Laura brushed it away. “I should have known that he’d do something like that. He was always jealous.”
“It wasn’t just about me.” Sam ran a hand through her hair. “He didn’t say it outright, but he gave me the impression that he’d make both of our lives hell if I had stayed. Yes, I was tired of waiting for you, and I guess, it was the push I needed to move on, to try and forget about you. So, that’s what happened. I know we live in a small town, but I thought I could avoid him when I got back, and I had until tonight.”
“Speaking of small towns... Do you know what Kate wanted to tell me?”
“No. What?”
“She’s been seeing Anthony for almost a year now. That’s why he was there tonight. They’ve been sneaking around for months, not wanting to hurt my feelings.” Laura wiped away another tear. “I’m just so sick of this place. I couldn’t even talk to Kate. Once she told me... I went looking for you. I wanted to leave. I mean, I don’t care. He’s free to date whoever he wants. It was just... I don’t know. It was another thing I didn’t see coming, and Kate was drunk, so she was being overly dramatic about it.” Laura sighed.
Sam wrapped her arm around Laura’s waist, leaning her head on Laura’s shoulder. “Are you going to tell Kate about him? About what he did?”
“I’ll have to. She’s still my friend, and I want what’s best for her. She’ll probably think I’m just being jealous, but that’s all I can do. Warn her. Let her make up her own mind.”
“Yeah,” Sam said softly. She could have fallen asleep on Laura’s shoulder. She was so tired, mentally more than physically.
“What if we left?” Laura asked a few moments later.
“What?” Sam asked, sitting up.
“Why don’t we go somewhere else?”
“Where?”
Laura turned to face her. “Anywhere.” The tears were gone, and her eyes glistened with possibility rather than sadness.
“What about your business?”
“I can do wedding photography anywhere. If we want to keep moving, I can find something else to do. I might not even need to work if I can sell my house and we rent somewhere. I’m not worried about any of that. We’ll figure it out.”
“And the weddings you already booked?” Sam asked. How was she being the sensible one right now?
“I actually don’t have half as many booked as I normally would, between the holidays and thinking about selling the house. I didn’t want to overload myself. We could move somewhere within an hour or two for the first few weeks, until we decide what we want to do, until the house is sorted out and I’ve done all those weddings.”
“Look, you know me,” Sam said with a smile. “I’m always happy to be on the move, but are you sure that’s what you want? This is the only place you’ve ever lived, right?”
“Yes, and that’s exactly why we should go. Start somewhere new. Forget about everything that happened here. Unless you don’t want to leave your family?”
“No. It’s not that. I’m just surprised, I guess.”
Laura reached for her hand. “I know this probably looks like a knee jerk reaction, but I’ve actually thought about moving before.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I didn’t want to risk you coming back and not finding me... Assuming you’d look for me.” Laura’s cheeks darkened at the admission, and Sam pushed a lock of silky blond hair behind her ear.
“Of course, I’d look for you. Laura, I love you. I have for years. So many years,” she said with a smile. “You’re right. We should start over. Anywhere you want.” Saying those words out loud was something Sam had only ever dreamt of. She never thought she’d get a second chance.
Laura’s smile was infectious. “Yeah?”
“Let’s do it.”
Laura’s lips were on hers as soon as the words were out of her mouth, and Sam sighed into the kiss. Laura’s tongue glided across her own in a slow, sensual kiss that left Sam breathless. Laura’s hand rested on her neck as they continued to kiss, and Sam melted into her.
“I love you, too, by the way,” Laura whispered, their foreheads pressed together.
Laura’s hand moved down her arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake, and now, Sam was the one on the verge of tears. She swallowed down the lump in her throat as she met Laura’s eyes.
“I could have said it ten years ago,” Laura said, brushing Sam’s hair behind her ear. “I should have.”
Sam tried to blink back the tears, but they fell, cascading down her cheeks, one after another.
“Hey,” Laura said, wiping them away with her thumbs.
“Happy tears.” Sam took a deep breath. “And about ten years’ worth of emotions. I’m not a crier,” she said with a half-smile.
Laura wrapped her arms around her, and Sam hugged her back, breathing in her perfume, the same scent she’d worn the first time Sam had met her. So much had happened in those ten years, but this, whatever this was between them... The chemistry. The connection. That had never changed, and Sam knew that things were going to work out this time.
Everything she’d felt for Laura back then was nothing in comparison to how she felt right now. Her heart swelled as she pulled away and when she met Laura’s eyes, Sam could see that love reflected right back at her.
Some things were worth the wait.
Copyright © 2019 by Emma Collins
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Chapter One
Sydney Dawson turned on her wipers, pushing the snow flurries off the windscreen, but her vision still wasn't great. Two of the street lights were out, and Sydney slowed down to a crawl as she tried to get her bearings. According to her GPS, this was it, the homeless shelter where she had to do sixty hour
s of community service.
She parked across the street from the building that almost looked derelict, but she found the white sign to the left of the metal door saying that this was indeed a homeless shelter. She double checked her rose gold watch. She was a minute or two late, which wasn't like her, but this wasn't an appointment with a client with potentially millions of dollars on the line. This was her punishment for her first DUI.
Sydney unbuckled her seat belt and reached for her handbag but thought better of it. Why would she bring her designer purse, along with all her cards, money, and cell phone into a homeless shelter? She slid her thumb ring off and unclasped her watch, carefully placing both of them inside one of the zippered pockets and hid her bag underneath the passenger seat.
She put on her scarf as she got out of her black Audi and buttoned up her emerald green winter jacket. She made the short walk across the road with only a few snowflakes getting caught in her walnut brown hair. She ran a hand through her locks as she pulled open the heavy door.
Several people were milling around the hallway area, probably homeless people looking for somewhere to stay based on the way they were dressed. Most of them had plastic bags or a backpack over their shoulder, and Sydney took her chances, following the hallway to the right.
She paused outside an open door to what appeared to be an office, and a dark haired woman looked up from the computer in front of her.
"Hey," the woman said. "How can I help you?"
"Hi. I'm Sydney Dawson. I've been emailing a Jessica Woodson about volunteering."
"That's me." Jessica stood up and came around from behind her desk. She looked like she was in her late thirties, and she was dressed casually in jeans and a hoody. She extended her hand. "Jess. Thanks for choosing to volunteer here."
Sydney took her hand, giving it a firm shake. Surely, she knew she was only doing this as part of her sentence. "I'm glad I can help," Sydney said instead.
"And thanks for completing the paperwork ahead of time. I'll just take a quick look at your drivers license and get you to sign one last form, and then you're good to go."
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