Irreparable (Wounded Souls) (16 page)

“I really am sorry Jameson.  I couldn’t deal with the stress, but it never meant that I didn’t love you. I have never stopped.” She smiles and before I know what is going on, she has her lips on mine. 

That’s when I hear it. I rip my lips from Mary-Beth and look up just in time to see Sam walking quickly out of the door of my shop.

I look at Mary-Beth with a look of pure hate on my face. “What the fuck are you doing Mary-Beth?”  I am so livid I could kill her.  I could seriously wrap my hands around her neck and break it or choke her out. 

“I’m miserable without you Jameson. I know I let you go, but if I can’t be with you, I won’t let you be with the one person who has always been my competition.”  She smirks and looks at me.  “And, I’m taking Maggie with me to Ohio, so you’re not getting her either.”  She smiles and walks out the door. 

I am grateful that I have the training I do to keep me from mouthing off, or pulling out my knife and really stabbing that bitch in the back. 

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An hour later, Luke comes storming into the shop.   I have tried to call Sam and I keep getting her voicemail.  This is not looking good for me. When Luke’s veins come popping out of his throat you know you’re in trouble. “Your ass is grass, Carter,” he growls out and punches me right in my eye. Okay, he hit me first.

“It’s not what you think damn it!” I growl out not wanting to punch him but he comes at me again.   I love Luke, but he is not about to beat my ass.  I block his next punch and ram my knee into his stomach.  Guess he forgot I have titanium for legs when he walked in here and wanted to threaten me.

He’s on the ground and trying to catch his breath. “Low blow,” he huffs out and I smirk. 

“Like I told you, it isn’t what it looked like.” I walk over him and lock the door to the shop. I go and sit on my ass beside him and wait until the coloring goes from red to normal in his face.

“What do you mean?  How can it now be what it looked like?  Sam saw you kissing Mary-Beth! I’ll fucking kill you!” he growls and starts to sit up and reach for me again.

“Luke, she did that shit on purpose.  Mary-Beth came to tell me she was leaving, and that she knew Sam was always the one I’d end up with.  She asked if we could be friends, so I said yeah I forgave her.  She hugged me and then next thing I know she has her lips on me and Sam’s walking in the door.”  I let out a strangled sound.  I was so close to getting her back and she just walked out the damn door again. 

“Dude, you’re serious aren’t you?” He looks at me; the question on his face couldn’t be mistaken.  I just put my head in my hands and groan.

“Yeah, now how will I make it right?” I stand up when I hear a knock on the door and notice that it’s Anna. I walk over to the door and unlock it and she runs in and hugs me.

“Jameson, I am so sorry!” She cries softly into my shoulder. “She’s my best friend, but I just can’t talk to her anymore. What she did was wrong.” She pulls away and wipes her eyes.

“I know it’s not your fault Anna, but Sam saw what she did.” She looks at my face and then walks into the back and gets a bottle of water.

“Put that on your eye. I guess Luke got in a good punch?” I smile and she laughs a little. “He really didn’t do it this time, Luke.”  She looks at me apologetically. “I should have known she’d try this.”  She looks down and I can’t help but speak.

“You didn’t know she’d do this though.” I put my hand on her arm and I realize that Anna really is a good person. What made her want to be friends with a girl like Mary-Beth, I will never know.  Anna is kind and soft spoken while Mary-Beth is vindictive and opinionated.  Anna is the yin to Mary-Beth’s yang.

“But I should have seen it coming.  Mary-Beth has always, and I mean always, disliked Sam.  I never understood why because Sam never had a mean bone in her body.  But I get it now.” She looks over at Luke and then at me and twirls a piece of her auburn hair in her fingers.

Luke and I both look at each other confused. “What do you get? I am so lost in this conversation,” Luke says while scratching his dirty blonde hair. 

“Mary-Beth, she has always been jealous of Sam, because of your friendship. It was easy, never pushed.  Remember when you first met Mary-Beth? She was a bitch to you. You never had that relationship with her that you had with Sam.  It’s like Fate made Sam for you.” She looks at me and then at Luke.

“You’re right Anna, Mary-Beth was a bitch, and I went after her because she was what I couldn’t have.  But, I never had those feelings for Sam.  Mary-Beth was the only person I saw, until well… until I came home.” I look down and back up to see Luke texting.

“Sorry about your eye Carter.” He smirks, and I chuckle.  His ass isn’t sorry; he has always tried to land a punch on me since we were kids.

“Sorry about the metal to your gut.” I slap his back and he coughs a little.

“Well dude, at least it wasn’t my nuts. I want kids one day; a day that is very far away.” He smirks and smiles at Anna. “I’m off to meet Skylar.  You two be good and I’ll talk to Sam.  Just let her come to you. She has to calm down.  I should have known you wouldn’t go back to Mary-Beth.”  He puts his hand in a fist and holds it in the air waiting for me to bump mine against it.  I comply and he turns to walk out of the shop.  He walks with a bit of a pep in his step.  I laugh and he turns to look at me. “What?” He looks around confused. “Am I bleeding or something?  Got something on my back?”  I laugh a little harder.

“Nah man, you just got them moves like Jagger.” I laugh again and Anna looks at me and then Luke and starts laughing, too.

“Ha, you’re right Jameson! He does have some moves like Jagger with that walk!” We both laugh and Luke just gets mad.

“Whatever!” He smiles.  “You’re just jealous ‘cause you can’t do it.” He sticks his tongue out and walks out of the store.

“I am sorry about Mary-Beth. I knew she was mean sometimes, but this really is a new low. I’ll talk to Sam if you want.” Anna puts her hand on my shoulder and smiles.

“Thanks Anna, but it’s time for me to be a man. Sam will come around; I’ll make sure of it.”  I smile and start to contemplate ways to make Sam come back to me. 

“With that look you have on your face, I’m going to leave you to your conniving.” She grabs her purse off the floor where she dropped it and smiles. “I know she’s my best friend, but I never thought she was good enough for you. Sam is the one that belongs with you.” She turns and her hazel eyes meet mine. “If you ever, and I do mean ever, repeat that I will cut you.” She smirks and turns to leave.  “Or Blake will.” She shrugs and leaves the store.

Conniving… is that what I am doing? Well, yes. Yes it is. I am going to be sneaky, and conniving, and I am going to win Samantha back.  I am going to start right now.

The bell dings again and in walks Roger. Well, hell. I suppose I will start after I order the man’s piano.

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“Jameson, I wanted to talk to you about something.” He sits down at the counter. I smile and look at him, wondering what my mother has done now.

“Sure thing Mr. Roger, what can I do for you?” I go to sit then stop and look at him. “Would you like a drink? Water, Coke, coffee?” 

“No, come on over here and sit down.” He looks a little nervous. What in the hell is going on?

“Mr. Roger, you can tell me anything. As long as you didn’t kill or hurt my mother.” I smile and he looks up at me and smiles.

“Definitely did not kill your mother, and I would never do anything to intentionally hurt Jennifer.” He rubs his hand on his neck and grimaces a little.  Oh shit, that’s the same kind of nervous I was when I asked John if I could marry Mary-Beth. Is he about to ask me if he can marry my mom?

“Jameson, I know it has only been a little over two months since I met your mother and we started seeing each other, but I love her.” He starts to continue but I hold a hand up to halt him.

“My mother has been through heartache and loss.  She is a strong woman, and she deserves happiness.  She deserves to have what she had with my father again.   He left her too soon, and I have not seen her this happy since before he passed.  So if you’re asking me if you have my permission, of course you do.” I get up and pat him on the back but he pulls me into him and hugs me.

“Thank you, I want to make your mother the happiest person in the world.” He stands and smiles. “Would you like to be there?”

“I think you better do that alone. Do it somewhere romantic; my mother is a rather private person.” I pat his back as he stands to leave.

“You are definitely right about that, son. I think my Will would have loved Jennifer.” He smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“I know he would have loved my mother. I wish he was here to see it. We really could have been brothers.” I smile and walk out the door with Roger to go and win back my woman; but before I go win her back I need to make a pit stop of my own.

I take a deep breath and wait for Sam to come out of work. Leaning against her car door probably isn’t the smartest thing I could do but it prevents her from driving off. I smile when I see her walk out wearing those god awful purple scrubs with the hot pink trim. She looks up and spots me and I can see the instant scowl, but she is determined to not let me bother her.

“Move. Now,” she says between clenched teeth. 

“Not until you listen to what I have to say Samantha.”  I smile knowing I am getting under her skin.  I love this part of Sam and my relationship.  We have been this way since we were kids.  I would do something to piss her off and she would scream and throw a tantrum.  I want the tantrum; I want to evoke some kind of emotion in her, because as long as I have some kind of emotion, it means she still cares. 

“Jameson, Luke and Anna have both talked to me until they are blue in the face. I don’t care. I know what I saw.  It is something I can never unsee.” She looks away and then back at me. “So move.” She starts to walk towards me like she really thinks I am going to move.

“Sam, I am not moving,” I say through gritted teeth. If she wants to be a bitch then I’ll be an ass, and an even bigger ass.  “If you want to know the truth then ask me.  Don’t run like some scared little bitch with her tail between her legs.  I’m surprised you didn’t punch Mary-Beth yourself.”  She laughs a little.

“I wanted to, but then at the time I didn’t think you were worth it.” I exhale like I’ve been punched. Hell a punch may have been a lot better than what I just felt.   “How would you have felt if we were fighting, and you come to see me all over Paul at work?” 

“You’re mine, Sam,” I growland grab her to me, branding her with my lips. I have never had the feelings I have for Samantha for anyone else, and I am not letting what I have, go without a fight.  I give her a cocky grin when we pull apart, her eyes hooded and her lips slightly swollen from my kiss.  She looks, well damn it, she looks pretty fuckable right now. 

“Jameson, I am not! What the hell is this? When did you become Mr. Alpha male? Just so you know, the last time I checked your name wasn’t Christian Grey.”  Wait, what?  Did she really just compare me to a damn crazy man in a book?  Why do I know who he is?

“You’re damn right my name isn’t Christian Grey. Have you seen who that dude was made after?” I chuckle and she slaps my arm.

“We can talk at your house. I’ll meet you there.” She pushes me out of the way and I move this time.  I walk away from her Honda and make my way to my Mustang a few feet from her.  I slide into the seats and the car roars to life as I turn the ignition.  I pull my Ray Ban’s down from my head to my eyes and then put the car into drive. After ten minutes, I am back in my townhome and I look around waiting for Sam. Sure enough, she comes pulling up into her spot right after. I wonder if I should do it tonight or wait until another night.

I watch as Sam gets out of her car and pulls a bag from the backseat. I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face. She knew she would be coming back today.

“Get that shit eatin’ grin off your face, Carter. Just because I have a bag doesn’t mean I’m staying. We still have a lot to talk about.” She pats my chest and starts to walk to the door. She turns to look at me as I walk up to the door and unlock it.

“Hey, did you watch that girl who’s missing both her legs on Dancing with the Stars?” I ask her. I had heard about the girl from mom and I looked her up on YouTube.  That girl was pretty amazing.  She snowboards and can dance like it isn’t hard to do.  She inspires me.

“Actually I did because I have met her.  She does inspirational speeches as well.  She’s been to the office.” She smiles and bites her lip.

“Sam,” I rasp out and she looks at me startled.  Then the light clicks in her eyes and she quickly removes her lip from its captive; but not before she runs her tongue over it. “Sam! UGH!  You’re killing me Smalls!” I huff and walk into the house and turn to look at her when I hear the giggling.

“Wow, you really may be more like Mr. Grey than I thought. Please don’t tell me you’re into that kinky shit. The whips and chains and tying up?” Her nose wrinkles a little at that and I can’t help but laugh.