Page 29 of A Family Affair: The Plan
If someone had told Sam he’d ever open up enough to care about another woman again, he’d have called them delusional. Then he’d have tossed out expletives along withimpossible, neverhappening, andno thanks.
But it had happened, and he’d never seen it coming. What were the odds that a woman like Hope Newland would land in Magdalena with her sophisticated ways and designer labels, and Sam would fall for her? Okay, not the persona she showed everyone, but the woman beneath the fancy word patterns and the pearls—the real one?
Was he happy about it? Hell no, what guy would want to risk subjecting himself to another soul-gouging? But it didn’t seem to matter, because the woman had begun to invade his brain and many of his waking moments. And what about the nights when she fell into a post-lovemaking slumber, warm, naked, way too tempting? He’d given in to the “temptation” more than once, stroked and kissed her awake until her sighs shifted to moans of pleasure. So much damn pleasure. Yeah, the dreams that followedalwayshad her in them…
It wasn’t just the sex that had him thinking about her like a puppy waiting for his owner to come home. Nope, though it would be easier if it werejust the sex. But with Hope, it was about the talking, and thenottalking…the moments when they sat together on Mimi’s patio with the night air drifting over them, the sounds of animals rustling about, the sky a glittering display of stars. Peace. Comfort. Connection.
Hope.
Had he ever felt this before? With Celeste, it had been a roller coaster of sensation, and he’d never wanted it to end. Of course, that expectation had been unreasonable and impossible to sustain. A person could not always be on a “high” of pleasure or excitement. At some point, they had to land and settle into everyday life. And then what?
Right, and then what?
Well, then you had to decide if you wanted to continue living on the edges of someone else’s idea of the “good life” or if you wanted to follow your own course, one that included purpose and substance. Hope got that. In fact, she agreed and admitted she needed to make changes in her own life. They hadn’t gotten to the point where she offered concrete ideas as to what and how she’d make changes, but they’d get there. He was certain of it. For now, they talked about Sam’s place and the ideas he had to expand it. She loved hearing about the pet sanctuary, the rescue center, the training facility, even the pond he planned to stock with fish. She said children could benefit from spending time at these places, insisted it would be life changing. When she spoke of how these areas could help a child, he didn’t miss the sadness in her eyes or the wistfulness in her voice, as though she wishedshe’dbeen able to benefit from them.
Maybe she could help him. Maybe…
When the possibility of her helping him landed in his brain, he shut it down. The first time it happened, he’d been shocked,the second annoyed, but by the tenth time, he’d simply tried to ignore it.Triedwas an interesting word that people used all the time, usually after the attempt failed. He heard it from pet owners all the time.I really tried to keep Otis from licking his stitches, but... I can’t get Penelope to take her pill and I tried several times… Melvin won’t stop stealing the kid’s socks and we tried to keep them away…
Sam should have known he fit in the “tried and failed” category in regard to Hope, but he fought it for days until the night they headed to O’Reilly’s for wings, beer, and chicken sliders. Hope had visited the place a few times on her own and had developed a friendship with Delilah Borado. No doubt, the two could discuss designer labels and cocktail parties among the Who’s Who, but when Hope shared tidbits of her chats with Nick’s wife, the focus had been on small-town living, finding your authentic self, creating recipes for O’Reilly’s, and future Baby Borado.
He wouldnothave guessed Hope had any interest in babies, but there was a lot he was learning about her, and maybe there was a lot she was learning about herself. Delilah could get anyone to talk, which was no shocker since she’d been a talk show host. Her easy-going manner, curiosity, and a happiness that covered her like a halo, could encourage even the most guarded person to open up. Like now. Sam and Hope were sitting next to each other in a booth at O’Reilly’s, with Delilah across from them and Nick running back and forth between the kitchen and their booth. The Borados had hired one of Pete Finnegan’s cousins, a tall, rangy guy with a ponytail, full beard and Pete’s blue eyes. He’d landed in town a few weeks ago, with a duffel bag and a backstory that changed depending on who did the telling. Pete said that usually meant a guy was running from trouble—a woman, a debt, or both—and he intended to find out.Of course, the mysterious details surrounding the new man’s presence didn’t bother the females in town. Not. At. All.
Nick set a plate of chicken sliders and hummus on the table, pointed to the bar. “Ian Finnegan is bringing in a lot of business.” A laugh and a shrug. “Guess nobody wants to see this old mug anymore. When the women come in, they ask for Ian.”
Delilah patted her husband’s arm. “That’s becausehe’savailable and you’re not. And they finally get the message.”
“Hmm. Maybe so.” The look he gave his wife saidin loveandmeant-to-be.
“Ian can handle himself, and if he needs help, I’m sure the men in this town will be willing to offer all sorts of suggestions.” Delilah raised a brow, reached for a chicken slider. “I’m starving. Hope, please try a wing. Nick made them extra hot just for you.”
Well, well. It looked like Hope had won over the Borados. She had a way of pulling people in, making them feel like they were the only people who mattered. Her actions weren’t fake or contrived, but genuine. Honest. The more time he spent with her, the more she relaxed and let him see the real Hope Newland—the one who wanted to be accepted, understood…loved.Sam raised his beer bottle, took a long pull, caught her staring at him; eyes bright, lips parted, the tiniest smile hovering about those kissable lips.
“Are you ready for the extra hot wings?”
Sam picked up a wing. “Absolutely. You?”
“Of course.” She reached for a wing, tapped it against his. “Enjoy.”
They bit into their wings, eyeing each other as they devoured the first wing, reached for the second. It was then, as they shared a basket of extra-hot wings, and sipped beer, that Sam realized he didn’t want just “for now” with Hope. He wanted more…a lot more…and that scared the hell out of him.
“Wow. You are both impressive.” Delilah eased another slider from the platter. “Nick’s going to be so happy you accepted the challenge.” Pause and a soft, “And so am I.”
There was something in those words and the intensity of her expression that told him she was talking about a lot more than chicken wings. Oh yes, when Delilah Borado mentioned “challenge” she meant what was happening between Sam and Hope, a.k.a. a relationship. Yup, a relationship that involved trust, commitment, all-in. Despite his fear, he was ready to consider diving in with the woman next to him. What would Hope have to say about that? Sam met Delilah’s gaze, nodded. “Good to know. It’s important to have someone in our corner.”
“Exactly.” Her voice turned husky. “You have a lot of people in your corner, in case you haven’t figured that out.” She slid a glance at Hope, her smile spreading. “You do realize that, don’t you?”
Hope paused, a half-eaten wing in her right hand. She darted a glance at Sam, then turned back to Delilah. “I didn’t but thank you for letting us know.”
Sam turned to Hope, lifted his beer bottle. “Guess we should drink to that.”
She lifted her beer glass, held his gaze as she clicked the glass against his bottle. He didn’t miss the spark in those hazel eyes or the emotion in her voice when she spoke. “Here’s to all of the people cheering us on.”
Thatwas the moment he realized Hope cared about him a lot more than just “for now”.
So, what were they going to do about it?
Damn, they were going to have to talk about it, admit the truth…share feelings. A few months ago, he would have sworn that would never happen, but that was before Hope. He’d known her less than thirty days, and yet he felt more connected to her than he ever had with Celeste. Sure, he and Hope needed to havemore “big” conversations like what happens next and how do we see thisrelationshipplaying out?
