Page 117 of Mud, Love, and Chemistry

“Afterward, I was even more hung up on you, and I didn’t want to lose the momentum I’d stirred, but the fuck-buddy idea was a spur of the moment thing, I swear. You tried to back out of our Saturday meetings, and I panicked. I never thought you’d go for it, but I’m glad you did.”

“Me too.”

Sam steps to me and takes my hands in his. “Brynn, I never meant for this to escalate the way it did. All I wanted was to be near you, to spend time with you.”

My eyes well with tears as I stare up at him. All the things I thought I knew about this man were wrong, and all the things I convinced myself weren’t real, were. “I’m such an idiot,” I choke out, dipping my head.

“No, you’re not.” He tucks a knuckle under my chin and lifts my head so our gazes meet. “You’re incredible, intelligent, headstrong, passionate, beautiful, to name a few.”

I swallow deeply, a small smile curling on my lips as a tear breaks free and rolls down my cheek. “A few what?”

Sam wipes it away. “A few reasons why I love you.”

I jerk my head back. “You what?”

“I love you, Brynn Erlenmeyer. I fell in love with you in July, and haven’t stopped for one minute since.”

My heart pounds hard and fast as my eyes flick between his. He’s in love with me? He’s been in love with me for six months? How the hell did I not know? I truly am an idiot.

But I won’t be anymore.

Words tickle the tip of my tongue. The same ones that describe the feelings I formed in July. God, how I fought these words with all my might for months. I didn’t want to believe them. Couldn’t fathom how I could be feeling them after such a short time with Sam.

Now, they’re stronger than ever before, and I can’t hold them in any longer. “I love you, too.”

“I know.”

I scoff. “Jerk,” I say, playfully smacking his arm.

He wraps his arms around me, pulling me to him and laying his lips on mine in a tender kiss. This time, we claim each other. It’s not one-sided, it’s mutual.

Sam loves me.

Though, he may be challenging, argumentative, and irritating to no end, I love this man with all my heart. With our muddy history behind us, the trail ahead is much drier as we step forward together.

Epilogue

“You got this,” Sam whispers in my ear.

“I know.” Taking off at a full sprint, I leap mid-step to scramble up the vertical wall. My muddy shoes slip against the surface, but I grab the top and hoist myself up. Once I’m settled, I wave for Sam to follow.

With a huge grin, he runs toward the wall. He barely even has to jump as tall as he is, and within seconds, he joins me at the top. We sit, straddling the wall, facing each other.

“Nice to see you again,” Sam says with a wink before studying our perch. “Isn’t this where it all started?”

“Yep. You were sitting there, and I was here when you held out your hand and said, ‘I’m Sam.’” I use my deepest voice to impersonate him, but it’s still several pitches too high.

“I don’t really sound like that, do I?”

“Thankfully, no. If you did, none of this would have happened.”

A mischievous grin takes over his face. “Think of all the trouble I could’ve saved myself.”

“Shut up,” I say, playfully smacking his chest.

He grabs my hand, holding it to his heart. “Best trouble I ever could’ve asked for.”

I roll my eyes but let them settle on his. “I’m glad you’re here.”

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