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Sam groaned. “Christ, I never even thought of that.” Hell, he’d be lucky if his mother hadn’t already set a wedding date.
“If I were you,” Reilly said, “I’d get my ass down there before Mom gets carried away.”
“Like that time Vance brought home Shayla Riggs. Remember her?” River asked, punching Vance on the arm. “Mom was ready to break out the horse-drawn carriage and champagne flutes for the two of you.”
Vance stayed silent, but Sam saw the flicker of pain all the same. Sam remembered Shayla. She’d broken his brother’s heart. The others weren’t aware of how serious Vance had been for the girl. But Sam had known, and it still pissed him off to know how easily Shayla had found it to kick Vance to the curb.
“Before we end this meeting,” Sam said, changing the subject for Vance’s sake, “I need to know if we’re all onboard with the remodel.”
They all sent up their agreements. Reilly, River and Brodix high-fived one another. Vance sent Sam a look of thanks before he stood. “I’ll start working on the plans.”
“Good deal. I’ll talk to Mom, and we’ll go from there. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” his brothers said in unison.
When Sam arrived at the hospital, Julie was sitting next to his mom’s bed. They were laughing and carrying on as if they’d known each other their entire lives. He liked seeing his mom happy. He hadn’t seen her laughing much, not since their dad had passed. And it was good that Julie was so at ease around his family, but some part of him wondered if he held any importance in her world. The thought turned his good mood sour.
Sam cleared his throat. Both women glanced over at him. “Am I interrupting?”
“Sammy dear,” his mother said in her usual cheery voice as she held her arms out for a hug. “We were just talking about you.”
“That’s never good,” Sam muttered.
Julie smiled, and unless he was seeing things, Sam thought he saw the hint of a blush filling her cheeks. He wanted to go to her, to pull her out of the chair and give her a proper hello, but he didn’t have that right. She didn’t belong to him. One date, one hot as hell date—that was all they’d shared. When she gave him a puzzled look, Sam frowned, and he wasn’t even sure why.
“Sammy, stop glaring and come over here and give me a hug.”
Sam strode across the room and leaned down to kiss his mother on the cheek. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better now that I’m to be released from this prison.”
“The doctor just came in and gave the okay,” Julie said. “Your timing couldn’t be better.”
“Good,” he said, not taking his eyes off his mom as he lifted away and took the seat at the bottom of the bed. “You do know that this doesn’t mean you’re going right back to your old diet and routine, right? It’s time to start eating healthier. You need to think of you for a change.”
“Yes, yes, so I keep hearing.” She pointed a finger at him. “You and your brothers have turned into a bunch of mother hens.”
Sam winked. “What can I say, we learned from the best.”
Julie stood, and Sam was able to get a better look at her. She wore a pair of tight, dark blue jeans and a white blouse. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, and Sam thought she looked cute as a button. His cock went semi-hard as he remembered how good her pussy had felt in his palm, how sweet she’d tasted. Sam started to get up, then realized what he was doing and stopped. His mom had plans, he reminded himself. The marriage-and-white-picket-fence type. He was sure of it. Sam didn’t even know if Julie still wanted a second date.
Sam watched as Julie took her purse off the back of the chair and flung it over one shoulder. When she leaned down to hug his mother, Sam got a glimpse of Julie’s ass in the denim. Jesus, the woman was built.
“You’re leaving?” he asked.
She nodded. “Unless you wanted me to stay?”
Her gaze darted down his body and when she looked back up at him, Sam saw the way she bit at her lower lip, and her breathing had increased. Unless he was way off, Julie appeared turned on. It wasn’t anything obvious, but after their little make-out session on her back patio, Sam recognized the small telltale signs. He desperately wanted to take her in his arms and press her for a day and time when he could see her again, but as he glanced over at his mom, he saw the twinkle in her eyes. The one that said she’d already decided where they should register for gifts. He stayed firmly planted in the chair.
Sam remembered she’d asked him a question. “There’s no need to hang around, but I appreciate you coming by.”
“Okay,” she said in a quiet voice before quickly turning her attention to his mom. “Hanging with Wanda is always my pleasure.” The two women said their good-byes, and without another glance his way, Julie left.
“Sammy, if you were looking for an opportunity to stake a claim, that was it.”
“What do you mean?”
“The heart attack didn’t affect my mind, dear. I can see the way you two look at each other. And I know you took her out to dinner.”
