AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let’sget Sam and Jimmy together. Come on, you two!”
Determined to document everyone at the picnic, Mike’s mom waved her hand, gesturing for Samantha and Jimmy to stand together by the dessert table. They did, wrapping their arms around each other, totally at ease.
“Smile!”
Mike took advantage of the moment to study Samantha. When he’d left her last, she usually wore her dark hair in two braids down her back. Now, it was loose, barely touching her shoulders, which were bare save for the skinny straps of her tank top. She was still on the shorter side but no longer all elbows and knees. She was sure of herself, confident in the way she threw her hand on her hip and cocked it out to the side.
Lucille took a few pictures with the two standing straight, smiling nicely, then Jimmy leaned down and blew a raspberry on Samantha’s neck. She screeched, tilting her head back in laughter, batting him away. And for the first time, maybe ever, Mike felt a small pang of jealousy toward his little brother.
“Mikey, why don’t you get in there?” his mother suggested, poking his shoulder. He was reluctant to move.
“Go ahead,” some woman, who appeared almost as old as Mike’s mom, said. “On the other side of Sam.” The woman smiled encouragingly, although with the way she eyed him up and down, he thought maybe she wanted in on the photo op too.
He couldn’t say no without looking like a jerk, so he made his way over to the pair.
Jimmy raised his arm, beckoning him. “There he is. Get in here, you beautiful thing, you.”
Samantha smiled shyly at Mike when he took his place next to her. “Hi again.”
“Hi.”
“Move over, Mikey,” his mom instructed from behind her lens.
He did, brushing up against Samantha’s arm. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she whispered, eyes on her Vans.
“Come on, Michael,” his mom said, pointing her finger to the left. “At least pretend you’re having fun.”
Jimmy piped up too. “Yeah, Mikey. Come on.”
Mike flipped his brother the bird low, so only they could see, then slung his arm around Samantha’s shoulders, forcing himself to loosen up. She peered up at him, a sweet smile crawling across her features, reaching all the way up to her eyes. He turned his attention back to his mom as he felt an arm reach around his waist a moment before she rested her head against his shoulder.
“Smile, everyone!”
With Samantha leaning against him, Mike grinned.
“Aw!” the woman with roaming eyes cooed, breaking the spell, and his mom put her camera down.
Samantha picked up her head, taking the scent of her shampoo with her, and when he dropped his arm to walk around her, they accidentally bumped into each other. Then came the half-laugh, half-apology thing. It was awkward.
But also kind of nice.
Because, damn, she was cute when she bit into her lip like that.
Lucille stepped forward and offered Samantha, Mike, and Jimmy each a kiss on the cheek before picking up a knife to cut up the rest of the cake with Gavin’s name on it, even though he was nowhere to be found.
Mike snagged a piece and made his way back over to the table where Adam and Lauren sat with their kids, leaving Jimmy to talk with Samantha.
He knew the two had been best friends as kids and still seemed to be. He shouldn’t have cared about how close they stood, how easily she touched his arm as she laughed, and yet he couldn’t stop watching them together. Couldn’t stop trying to figure out why he had a hard time keeping his eyes off her.
Jimmy eventually took a seat next to Mike, and Maggie promptly crawled into his lap, forcing Mike’s attention off Samantha. “Are you gonna eat your cake?”
“Why? You want it?”
Maggie nodded, her toothy grin splitting her face.
“All right. Who can say no to that smile?”
