Page 78 of Love Everlasting

“So, enough about us mortals,” Reece finally said, giving Emily a wink when she delivered his third Wild Turkey, “I want to hear how the Greek gods live, Ham, so fill us in.”

Taking a careful sip of his third cappuccino, Sam paused, well aware there was a time when he would have dazzled them with his conquests of women, but just the thought of that now left a bad taste in his mouth. So he told them how much he loved practicing medicine instead, and the satisfaction of giving back to society with the volunteer work that he did.

Reece guzzled half of his drink while he slid Sam a knowing look. “Sounds good, man, but that’s not the kind of ‘satisfaction’ we want to hear about, Ham, and you know it. Have a heart, man—Zach and I have a ball and chain now, so we want to see how the other half lives.”

“Yeah, dude,” Zach said with a lift of his beer, “I’ll bet your bedroom has a revolving door, so fill us in.”

Rarely did Sam ever blush, but he could feel the heat crawling up his neck right now, singeing his skin with both shame and disgust. He set his cup down and sat back with a stiff fold of arms, as if he could ward off the regret that kept slamming his conscience. “Actually, I’m about to get engaged, I hope, so my days as a player have officially come to an end.”

“Seriously?” Reece stared in disbelief, half-empty glass mid-air.

“Seriously.” Sam draped an arm over the back of the rattan sofa, striving for a calm and casual air that didn’t come easy with three cappuccinos jacking him up. “I met the woman of my dreams, so I’m done with the whole singles façade, and happily so.”

“No kidding,” Zach said with a grin. “Well, what do you know—life is fair! Congratulations, Sam. She must be some girl.”

“Oh, she is, trust me.” He could no more stop the goofy grin from his face than he could stop the flow of the river below. “She’s one of a kind—sweet, smart—”

“And hot?” Reece upended his drink with a sly smile.

Sam laughed. “What do you think, Reece?”

“I’m guessing she’s the hottest thing in Savannah, knowing you, Ham.”

Jasmine’s image suddenly popped in his mind, and Sam reached for his coffee, shocked that the notion of a well-stacked knockout no longer appealed. “She is,” he said quietly, “a true beauty on the inside and out, and I’m a very lucky man.” Thinking of Shannon, he smiled, rib cage expanding with pride that she belonged to him. “And you know the best part?” He glanced up with a sincerity he had never shared with the two men before. “She’s the purest woman I have ever met, body and soul.”

Reece almost spit out his drink. “Pure? Dating you? I don’t believe it.”

“Wait …” Zach stared, eyes gaping. “You mean you two don’t—?”

“Nope,” Sam said, quickly cutting him off. “She’s a woman of faith, man, and she’s opened my eyes to it too.” He lifted his cup in a toast. “And to be honest? I’ve never been happier.”

“Wow, man, that’s great.” Reece waved Emily down, wagging his empty glass in the air. “So, what’s this angel’s name? Mother Teresa?”

Sam grinned along with Zach and Reece. “Close. Shannon Terese O’Bryen. And you’re right, Reece—she is an angel.” His smile faded when Reece exchanged a quick glance with Zach. “What?” he asked, the caffeine in his system morphing into overdrive.

“Hey, man, I don’t know how to tell you this, but my wife’s friend knew a Shannon O’Bryen at Georgia State and she was no angel, but it’s probably not the same girl.”

Sam blinked. Shannon went to Georgia State before she transferred to Armstrong State in her senior year. His heart slowed to a hard thud. “Probably not,” he said calmly, forcing a casual demeanor despite the sweat glued to his collar. “What about her?”

Reece’s gaze flicked to Zach and back before a knot ducked in his throat. “It was a big deal, Sam, made the papers and everything, according to my wife.” He hesitated for several seconds before he continued, all humor gone from his eyes. “She was a home-wrecker, man. Had an affair with one of the top professors, busting up his marriage in a messy soap-opera story. The wife was so devastated, she tried to shoot them both when she found them together, right before she drove off a bridge. She survived, apparently, but the marriage sure didn’t.”

Sam couldn’t breathe, the air in his lungs like toxin.

“Yeah, there was a big scene in the quadrangle caught on video, apparently,” Zach said, his eyes as somber as Reece’s, “where the wife was screaming and waving a gun, calling this Shannon a whore and saying she ruined the lives of her and her five children. It’s all you saw on the news for days, especially after this Shannon tried to run, ending up driving off a bridge just like the wife. I’m telling you, man, it was freaky—a veritable reality show that rocked the campus.”

Sam’s voice was a barely a whisper as he stared at Reece like he could see straight through him. “Was she from Atlanta?” he rasped, hoping against hope that she was.

Reece’s gaze never budged from Sam’s as he thumbed the side of his empty glass, not answering right away while he gave it a slow spin. “No, man … Isle of Hope,” he said quietly, expelling a wavering sigh.

Clink. “Here you go, boys.”

Sam almost jumped out of his skin when Emily set the drinks and steaming cappuccino on the table, her brows in a bunch when she noticed the zombie look on his face. “Can I … get you … anything else?” she said softly, as if aware something had just rocked Sam’s world.

“Yeah.” He gave Emily a glazed look while he slumped back in his seat. “A double Chivas,” he muttered, desperate to numb the awful ache in his heart. His body felt sick as he took a heavy swig of his cappuccino, the strong brew burning as much as the angst in his gut. He stared straight ahead while fury surged through his bloodstream along with the caffeine. “And keep ’em coming.”

Chapter Forty-Two

“Okay, Shan, something’s fishy here,” Lacey said with a pursed smile, fishing rod in hand and brow angled high, “and I don’t think it’s that bass you just caught, girlfriend.”