Page 24 of Sam
“Okay,” he nods in understanding.
“There’s food in the kitchen. Help yourselves,” Maya tells us before stopping and kissing Johnny like they’ll not see each other for days instead of a few hours.
Sera kisses Liam, then busses Colm’s cheek. “Behave, boys, we’ll see you later,” she orders as she turns and rolls her eyes when she notices Maya and Johnny. “Johnny, let Maya up for air. Weneed to get going, and I’m not waiting for you two to fuck before we leave.”
Laughter rolls over the veranda, and I’m grinning. I fucking love this family.
Spending the rest of the day with them isn’t a hardship. After lunch, we end up going to their shooting range for a few hours. When Adam gets a text, he laughs. “The ladies are at Avy’s pub and, according to Hawk, they are very happy.”
Taking my phone from my pocket, I laugh when I see Ally’s text.
MY BEAUTY - Loorve you Sam. Don’t let me dadio scare you away
“Looks like we need to go and rescue the ladies,” Liam’s laughing too as he puts his phone away. It doesn’t take us long to leave the O’Shea compound. I ride ahead and park behind the pub before walking around and meeting them at the door so we can walk in together.
A drunk Ally is hilarious. “You’re alive!” she shouts gleefully, arms waving. She’s happy and not just because she’s rat-arsed. No, she’s genuinely happy. I kiss her, and it’s like I’m coming home. We only break apart when Adam says something. Letting Ally go, I watch her greet her dad, and I’m glad I went and spoke to him. Mum and the rest of the Old Ladies must have joined up with the O’Shea ladies sometime today. All of Sera’s girls’ squad are here too, and some of their men. The ladies have taken up the entire bar and some of the tables closest to it.
Dad is off to the side, watching with an amused look on his face, and I wonder how long they’ve all been here. When Adam pushes Ally towards me, I find I don’t care about anything else. I lift her back onto the stool next to Jeanie and stand at her back, encircling her protectively with an arm as she laughs and chats.
It’s a good night, filled with laughter and family, and it wouldn’t be the last if I had anything to say about it.
CHAPTER 14
ALLY
My life has changed so much since that night. For a start, I was rarely home anymore, spending most of my nights with Sam.
It felt good. It felt right.
I knew that eventually I’d have to ask what had happened with Bella. I’d got snippets from everyone, but nobody knew the entire story. I was unsure whether or not I should bring it up. Not with how happy we were. But I also knew that burying my head in the sand and not having an answer to a niggling question would haunt me, and I’m not a coward.
It was a hard question, and I’d not yet found the right time. I’d thought to broach it while we were away last weekend at the expo show in Birmingham. But we’d been so busy that we’d fallen into bed exhausted both nights we were there.
Usually, Sam’s mentor would have gone with him, but this time Sam had taken me. I’d done all the paperwork side, which he hated, while he spoke to prospective clients. It had been eye-opening at how popular his creations were. They were works of art, and, as no two were ever the same, whoever owned a piece got it as bespoke. I wasn’t surprised to see how popular he was. It had been both exhausting and exhilarating to watch him in his element.
I’d been shocked when the two ornately carved rocking chairs he’d put up for auction were sold for just under ten thousand pounds. The look of shock on Sam’s face had been priceless. I’d snapped a quick photo and sent it to Abby so she could have a proud mum moment.
But that was last weekend, and this is now.
I’ve been watching him for the last hour, the play of muscles in his forearms as he cuts and measures, the way he holds the pencil that looks tiny in his large hands. Hands that are gentle as they caress my skin. Blinking, I shake myself out of the sexual haze I’ve been imagining myself into. Now is not the time to be getting caught up in all the deliciousness that is my man. And he is. Delicious in every way.
I almost didn’t want to mar this perfect moment with my questions, but I know what’s planned for this evening, and I want to accept with a clear understanding of where my man’s head is at.
“Sam,” I call softly.
Immediately, he looks up. “You okay, beautiful?”
My heart warms at his words. From the beginning, he called me that, “babe,” or “baby,” and it always makes my heart flutter.
“I’m fine,” I answer. “Can we talk for a minute?” I ask, patting the couch seat next to me.
Sam frowns, and concern coats his face as he puts down what he’d been working on. Wiping his hands, he walks over to me and squats down in front of me, his big hands covering my thighs, his eyes searching mine. “What’s wrong?”
Hesitating a moment, I almost don’t ask but then decide that the question has to be asked. “What happened with Bella?”
Sam looks at me for a moment, then stands, and my heart stops, thinking he’s going to walk away; instead, he bends and scoops me up, settling back on the couch with me on his lap, his arms a tight band around my waist.
“I was wondering if you’d ask. I guess we have to have the uncomfortable conversations, huh?”
