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“Sammy—”
The wanting that burned inside of her became almost painful. Impossible to satisfy. “Don’t, Colin. It means nothing. I’m leaving tomorrow so you might as well stay.”
“Please don’t go. I just…I never needed to kiss a woman like I needed to kiss you then.”
“Well, that moment's over now and I’m still here with Braydon and you’re still going to be a priest. I need to leave. It’s wrong for me to stay here and lead your brother on. And I couldn’t live with myself if you left your family because of me or if I…” He obviously figured out she’d been listening to his conversation. “…If I caused you any more distraction.”
“Talk to Braydon. He doesn’t have to know about this, but tell him how you feel. I know him. He’ll want you to stay.Iwant you to stay. I know what I am and I know this can be nothing more than what we just shared. It won’t happen again and I’ll leave you alone. Please. My mother and sister and the rest of my family are enjoying your company. Stay. Don’t go home to an empty house. You’re welcome here. If you stay, I’ll stay.”
“And if I go?”
“I’ll leave as well.”
She shut her eyes and sighed. “Fine.”
“Good.”
He took her suitcase and lifted the clothes out of it. He carried it to the closet and seemed to think twice about putting it back on the shelf. Rather, he stowed it on the floor next to Braydon’s shoes, picked up the trophy from the floor, and placed it on his brother’s dresser.
Without looking at her he said, “Dinner’s probably ready.”
He left the room the way he came, this time securely shutting the bathroom door behind him.
The moment she was alone she dropped to the bed and let the severity of what happened consume her. Wrapping her arms protectively around herself, she began to tremble, but she refused to let herself cry over her own stupidity. Her head hurt, where she scraped her shoulder burned, and her eyes stung with the tears trying to break free, but she wouldnotcry.
CHAPTER8
Dinner was delicious, but awkward. Braydon kissed her cheek when she returned to the kitchen then proceeded to ignore her as he regaled the others with stories of the day. Sam kept her nose down and avoided eye contact with all of them.
After Colin left she allowed herself only a few moments of self-pity then told herself to grow up and get over it. He was going to be a priest and she couldn’t mess with that. Even if she could sway him otherwise he’d only end up resenting her in the end. And for what? A few measly kisses. Sam had no business interfering with his plans.
As much as she wanted to leave she wanted to stay. Katherine and Anthony and the kids had come to dinner and after the women were finished tidying up the kitchen, Sam sat on the floor of the den with Frankie and Skylar playingTrouble.
Braydon and his brothers sat out front drinking and telling old stories they each heard a hundred times, but still found as amusing as the first telling. Colin left after dinner. Sam was curious about where he was going, but told herself it was none of her business and she’d be better to stop thinking of him so much.
She needed to talk to Braydon, but could tell by the course the evening was taking that tonight was not the night for a serious conversation. Around nine o’clock Katherine gathered up the kids and said their goodbyes. Italian Mary was already asleep on the recliner, but when Katherine considered out loud about letting her stay rather than waking her, Frank jumped from his seat on the couch and offered to carry her out.
Anthony ended up waking his mother and shuffling a sleepy and much more docile Italian Mary out to the car. Once the kids were gone Maureen and Frank made their excuses and headed up to bed.
Sam stood by the door for a few minutes debating whether or not to tell Braydon she was going to bed. Their drunken merriment echoed off the trees as their words slipped clumsily out of their mouths and slurred together.
They were all piss drunk.
Sam wondered what it was like to be so uninhibited. She doubted she could ever let go that much. Feeling like an interloper, she decided to let the McCullough siblings have their fun and simply head off to bed.
Her mind was restless. The house was quiet aside from the occasional rowdy peal of laughter that reached her window. She’d been lying still, staring at the ceiling for at least an hour when a soft sound jarred her from her thoughts. Sitting up to investigate the sound she wandered to the window. The boys were all exactly where she had left them.
Suddenly there was a clatter and a moan coming from the next room. Without thinking, Samantha followed the sound and entered Colin’s room through the adjoining door. The room was dark, but from the moonlight spilling in she could tell it was utilitarian and precisely the way Colin preferred it.
There was a thud and she quickly searched for a light. Unable to find a switch on the wall she stepped in and tried to see what the sound was.
“Colin?”
The only reply she got was raspy laughter. Following the sound, she found Colin lying on the floor beside his bed in nothing but briefs in a fit of laughter. “Are you drunk?”
“Guilty,” he admitted with a ridiculous smirk.
“What is it with you Irish? I always thought the drinking thing was a stereotype.”
