Page 76 of Samuel's Heart

I spent so much time watching Lucy and Daniel, and I never once realised that Eric had made it possible for her to move forward, and helped Lucy to rebuild her family after losing Adrian. I should have been there for them, but I was too lost in my own pain. I hadn’t realised we could have helped each other by being close and talking about Adrian and what happened.

The guys are here as well. Since I moved out of the apartment, we don’t see each other every day anymore, but we often organise something at our place—or they just show up of their own accord.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” Rory’s voice fills my body with the awareness of his presence. It still surprises me that his appearance alone can make me hard and ready to go.

“Hey,” I say, pulling him down for a kiss.

He allows me a peck and then pulls away and looks around. If he doesn’t stop, things can get heatedveryquickly between us. I’m not ashamed to say we’re still in our honeymoon phase, even if we aren’t married.

Yet.

“Come on. Give me a proper one,” I tease him, knowing full well it’ll make him blush. Three seconds later, his face is as hot as a burning coal.

“I love you, Ro,” I say, pulling him toward me and whispering the words directly in his ear.

His legs give out and he falls on me, and I accept his weight, wrapping my hands around him. I love every chance I get to hold him close. And I do just that when he tries to stand up.

“Don’t go yet,” I whisper, this time against his neck.

I love how he shivers, and how his hips grind into mine, chasing his pleasure.

When I let him go, he scrambles to his feet, and I follow him. His face is even redder than before, and so appealing that I lean in to steal another kiss. A proper one, so his taste will last until everyone is gone and I can drag him to bed.

“Stop it,” he says, and pulls away.

“Okay,” I say in reply. “But you’re mine later.” I love the way his eyes go darker with lust, making me regret that we need to wait.

I snatch his hand in mine and walk to where the others are sitting at the garden table. Everything is ready, and the only thing I need to do is sit down.

“Look who’s here,” says Lucy with a smile. “Our sleeping beauty.”

“I have to, otherwise Rory is gonna leave me.” I join in when everyone laughs.

“You’re working way too much,” Lucy continues, worry on her face.

“It’s a new job, and I have the night shifts, but I’m happy.” I really am, because right now I have everything I’ve always wanted, but never thought I’d have.

Meeting Rory at the hospital that day brought me the peace I’d long been searching for. Happiness and love, also—not only in my life, but in Rory’s, too.

“How is Aidan as a boss?”

“He’s an a—” But I’m interrupted by Rory’s hand covering my mouth.

“Kids around.”

“Angel. That’s what I was going to say.”

“Yeah, right,” comes from Rory, Keegan, and Lucy.

I laugh, because they’re so right. Aidanisan ass, but he’s a good boss. He never stops telling me how grateful I should be to have him in my life. It pisses me off that he might be right. Without him, I wouldn’t have had the chance to help Rory find John. And Rory wouldn’t have had the chance to help me heal and give me a family.

“Burgers, everyone,” Rory says, just before placing the plates in front of us.

I love the way he’s settled into my life, making my friends his. For someone who wasn’t able to trust others, he’s made great strides. Martin, Mark, and Rory have become inseparable, and have weekly meetings at a coffee shop near Mark’s place. I love those moments when he’s back from meeting them, because he doesn’t stop talking about what they discussed, how cool they are, and how he’s happy to have met them.

On those days, Zane, Keegan, Jason, Travis, and I meet too. I like those guys, even if Zane is much younger than us. With the experiences he’s had in life, he’s older than his years.

The only person I’m keeping an eye on is Jason. While we still talk on the phone daily and meet up, I’m sure something’s bothering him, but I can’t force him to talk to me when I don’t tell him the whole truth about myself. While he knew I felt Adrian’s accident was my fault, he didn’t know that I’d never talked with his family or visited his grave since the accident.

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