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Another tear slipped from her eye. I slid my thumb across her skin and caught it before it could taint anymore of her beautiful features. I bent down and kissed her lips once more. A small peck that left nothing but a beautiful grin behind on her face. I ran my fingers through her hair before I slid my arms around her, wrapping her up and pulling her back into my body.
“You’re never going to lose us,” I said. “I promise.”
After getting her settled into bed and laying with her until she fell asleep, I slipped out the door. I headed for my car and cranked it up, then made my way back to the office. There it was. The root of Sam’s fear regarding all of us. And it made sense. Her parents kicked her back out. Lauren had dropped off the radar to go on her honeymoon. With everything happening around her and everyone stepping back from her, she felt it was only a matter of time before we all did the same.
“Did you talk to her?” Logan asked as I rounded the corner.
“She’s not answering my fucking calls again,” Levi said.
“Mine either,” Luke said. “Though that’s not shocking given what I witnessed.”
“She’s sleeping right now,” I said, “but I have a feeling she’ll be answering calls from now on.”
“What happened?” Levi asked. “Did you talk with her?”
“I did. And it’s as simple as the smile on her face,” I said. “Sam’s scared that we’ll eventually get angry with her choices as well as leave.”
“What?” Luke asked. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Yes, it does. Think about it. Her parents just kicked her out for the second time in her life because she’s pregnant. Lauren’s upset with her for a decision we all made together in Vegas. But in Sam’s mind, that’s everyone backing away. So, she figured we would eventually do the same.”
“Which would’ve left her alone with a baby,” Logan said.
“Is she okay? I mean, when you left. Was she all right?” Levi asked.
“After looking in her eyes and telling her we weren’t going anywhere, yes. I laid down with her until she fell asleep, then I left,” I said.
“Can I just say, ‘fuck her bullshit parents’ really quickly?” Logan asked.
“Yes. Since I’m tired of those assholes anyway, you can,” Levi said.
“Was there anything else she said?” Luke asked.
“No,” I said. “Nothing after I reassured her. She’s standing on rocky ground right now, and you know how our Samantha is. Always trying to put up a fight. But she’s coming around. All we have to do is keep showing her we’re here. That we aren’t upset and that we aren’t abandoning her. Because that’s her biggest fear. That we’ll get upset and leave, too.”
I watched my brothers nod their heads before they whipped out their phones. And I knew what they were doing. Soon, my own phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out. Each of them had sent a text message to Sam in our group chat. Reassuring her that she was taken care of and protected so long as they were around. I knew it would be a great thing for her to wake up to after her nap. Especially after the conversation I’d had with her.
Then, I opened a private conversation between the two of us before my fingers typed along the screen of my phone.
I love you, Samantha. Never forget that.
CHAPTER 25
LUKE
I felt terrible. If I hadn’t stayed the night with Sam the night of the wedding, the fight with Lauren could have been avoided. I’d put my own wants ahead of Sam’s and now she was hurting even worse. And even though I’d come clean to the brothers about the fact that Lauren knew about Vegas, I hadn’t told them exactly how Lauren came to find out.
And I had a feeling that was why Sam still wasn’t answering my calls.
If I hadn’t been there, things wouldn’t have blown up like they had. Sam would’ve been able to broach this topic with her best friend on her own time, and none of this would’ve happened. She wouldn't have kicked me out. Lauren wouldn't be pissed at her friend. And Sam would be answering my phone calls.
I didn’t know what to do or think. I wanted to help Sam any way I could, but I didn’t know how. Every time I did something I thought was right, it ended up backfiring. Badly.
We had been amazing in bed together, but she never told me how she felt about me. And that didn’t sit well with me. Did she love me, too? Did she care about me? Did I even matter to her? Sam was closed up tight with her emotions, and I wanted her to open up. I wanted her to be able to lean on me like she could Liam. I was strong. Silent. A good listener. I was capable of defending her if I needed to. I’d tried to show her that when I stepped in between her and my own sister. I wanted to show her that I had her back.
But she wasn’t answering my calls, and that meant I was still left without answers.
After sitting in my office and crunching numbers until I was sick of them, I decided to take a drive around the city until I could get my wits about me. But my body was on autopilot, and before I even made a conscious choice, I was sitting in front of Sam’s townhouse.
