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“Oh, uh, um, I’m, I’m—” she stammered, her mind full of cotton and static, unable to make a coherent thought.
“She’s seeing her boyfriend. That maintenance fellow who was working here. Isn’t that right, Sam?” Mike offered with a plastic smile on his face as he stared at her.
“Oh, right, yes. Aero. He’s, he’s a security system technician, not a maintenance man. We’re going out, I think,” Sam murmured, reaching down and scooping up her bag. “I should really be going. T-Thank you, Mr. Weaver.”
Not looking at Kelly, Sam high-tailed it out of the room, out of the school, and to her car. She didn’t pause in the lot, instead driving straight home, not recalling a bit of the drive. She only snapped out of the trance-like state when she spied Aero’s truck parked by the curb.
As she got out of the car, he approached her with a bag in one hand. “Hey, Sammy.”
He leaned down to kiss her, but she only offered him her cheek. He kissed her quickly, concern replacing the excitement he’d felt at seeing her little red hatchback appear in the driveway. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing, Aero, I just had a long day.”
He didn’t believe her, but let it drop. Holding up the bag, he said, “I brought dinner. Are you hungry?”
Sam eyed the bag, then nodded, letting him inside her apartment.
“Why don’t you have a seat and relax? I’ll get everything for dinner,” Aero suggested, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her forehead.
Sam was too tired and troubled to argue, so she thanked him and headed for the couch, kicking off her shoes on the way.
She watched him move about the kitchen, taking much less time than before to gather silverware, two glasses of wine, and the roll of paper towels. Sam couldn’t help but smile at him.
Once he was seated beside her on the couch, Aero handed over her wine, a plastic container of sweet and sour chicken with pork fried rice, and a fork. Then, he lifted her stocking-clad feet into his lap and started rubbing her arches with his thumbs.
Sam groaned, almost dropping her wine glass as he worked the pain and fatigue from her feet. “You’re an angel.”
Aero chuckled, rolling each of her toes between his fingers. “Talk to me, Sammy. What’s going on?”
Sam sipped her wine and ate a few bites of her dinner, biding her time, as Aero continued to rub her feet. Eventually, she sighed and asked, “Why do you think spouses cheat?”
Aero stiffened, surprised at the topic of her question. Whatever he’d expected, that wasn’t it. “Well, Sammy, I don’t know. I’ve always thought it was weird that people would rather cheat and hurt their partner than just break it off.”
“Exactly!” Sam said, flopping back on the couch pillows. “I don’t get it. Why can’t people just let go so they can be happy?”
Aero swallowed hard, starting to develop an idea of what Sam was getting at. His heart squeezed painfully as he remembered his late wife, the memories he had of her, and how he often thought of her with fondness and longing. Did Sam know? Was she picking up on that, and was she… jealous? Was this her way of broaching the subject? It was out of the blue, and he didn’t understand why she was making the comparison to cheating, but he surprised himself when he said, “You know, Sammy, I’m not the kind of guy to see more than one woman at a time.”
“Oh, I know,” she said quickly, her brow furrowing. “I didn’t say you were.”
Now it was his turn to frown. “You weren’t talking about me? Or…” he gulped, “Sarah?”
Sam’s eyes widened in shock. “No, of course not,” she insisted, in awe that Aero had said her name aloud. “What’re you talking about?”
Aero let out a long exhale. “I thought you felt like I was cheating on you because I haven’t… I haven’t let her go yet. Not completely.”
“No!” Sam said, so loudly and vehemently that it made Aero jump. “I would never think that. I don’t worry about that, Aero. At all. I don’t want you to let her go.”
“What?” Aero gasped, all the revelations making it hard to keep up.
“You don’t have to let her go. She was your wife. I understand that.” Sam said softly.
Aero nodded, locking eyes with Sam. Her bright hazel eyes mesmerized him, calming him until he could say, “I don’t wanna let her go, but I wanna be with you. It’s not… it’s not cheating, Sam.”
“Of course it isn’t, love.” Sam set aside her glass and food, moving to sit in Aero’s lap. His arms immediately wound around her, holding her close as she tucked her head under his chin. “I was talking about someone else. Another couple I know.”
Aero nodded, rubbing a hand up and down her back. He considered who she might mean, all the couples they knew, but couldn’t imagine any of them cheating. Sure, the couples at the compound had their problems, everyone did, but Aero couldn’t see any of them being unfaithful. It was in their creed, for God’s sake. Loyalty and integrity were the Iron Dragons’ motto, and words Aero lived by. It was part of what drew him to the club in the first place. He wanted to be among men who shared his values, and he’d never seen his brothers stray from them.
Sam sighed, resting against Aero’s chest, feeling his warmth through her sweater. “I don’t wanna talk about it anymore.”
