Carrie furrowed her brow even more.
You’re disappointing me...
“I swear I wasn’t trying to tell you what to do, and I wasn’t mad at you.”
It’s not happening for me, Sam.
Her facial expression must have shown her distaste for his last weak effort because his tone turned truly desperate.
“Damn it all, Carrie, I’m sorry! I’m sorry I didn’t keep my big mouth shut and give you the support you were asking for when you called me. I’m sorry I acted like a jerk.”
Sam rubbed his face with one hand. “As soon as I said it, I knew I shouldn’t have, I knew I’d screwed myself. I tried to apologize to you but you hung up before I got a chance. The fact is I can’t even imagine a future without you in it.”
“Hell, Carrie, when you made that comment about not being the woman for me...” He shook his head and muttered a not so mild oath. “That’s not true. It couldn’t be farther from the truth. You’re exactly the kind of woman I want. You are the
only
woman I want. I can take that side of you, Carrie. I love that side of you; that kick-ass side that’s willing to stand up for your rights and not back down from anyone. I love it, because for so long you didn’t feel it, and now you do. I can’t help but feel proud of that. I’m proud of everything you’ve accomplished. I’m proud of you, and I’m so proud that you even entertained the thought of spending time with me. Even if you never speak another word to me, Baby...I still...I will
always...
love you.”
His proclamation nearly knocked the breath out of her and she fought to keep the somber expression plastered on her face.
Sam narrowed the distance between them and placed both hands on her shoulders. “Can you forgive me? Can you give us another chance?”
The tick, tick, ticking
of
the wall clock counted the passing seconds as they stood facing each other in the otherwise too silent room.
Sam’s gaze searched out the sound and found the clock behind Carrie. He stared at its face, not wanting to see Carrie turn away from him. The clock counted fifteen seconds, then thirty, forty-five. He lost all hope as the second hand neared the one minute mark.
It’s too late.
He was too much of a dumb-ass to learn from twenty years of mistakes...even with a year of loneliness as the harshest lesson. He turned, took three steps toward the door.
“Sam.” She spoke softly.
The word stopped him in his tracks.
He turned in her direction but kept his gaze down. He couldn’t bear to watch her lips form the words he did
not
want to hear. Couldn’t stand to hear her say...it’s over.
“Sometimes I just need to vent. It doesn’t mean I need you to fix things for me. I’m a big girl, and I can do that for myself. Can you understand that?”
Sam nodded, but still didn’t look at her. He was too terrified to see something in her eyes that he wouldn’t be able to handle. When Carrie walked up to within an arm’s reach of him and stopped, he finally lowered his gaze to meet hers. He didn’t find the anger and hardness in her eyes that he’d expected to see. He found a soft vulnerability, tempered with a strength and determination. In that moment, he really
saw
the woman he loved. And she was beautiful.
Her dark green robe accentuated the specks of hazel in her blue green irises. He stared at her eyes, then down at the neckline of her robe where he could see her pulse, imagining what she wore—or didn’t wear—beneath it. She’d washed her hair and wrapped it loosely in a snow white towel. The towel was coming undone, loosening the soft curls along her neckline. He loved the texture, the color of her hair, loved that she wore it down. He just realized how much he also loved it pulled away from her lovely neck and beautiful face. Her face...heart shaped face, with a pronounced ‘widow’s peak’ as his sister’s called it.
Drawn to her, he took a step nearer then placed his hand on her neck to gently pull her close. She went to him and turned her head to lay it softly on his chest as though to hear the beating of his heart. Sam reached up slowly and pulled the towel from her hair, letting it fall to the floor. His hands came up to smooth her curls away from her face. He ran his long fingers through her thick, damp hair, gently detangling and smoothing her silky reddish brown tresses. He put both his large hands on the side of her face and raised it slowly to his. Her eyes had been closed, but she opened them wide now as she gazed up at him.
He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. Her hands clutched the front of his shirt, bunching the material like she was afraid to let go. He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her close as she looped her arms around his neck. He held her tight so that he could feel her, every luscious, womanly curve of her.
His husky whisper broke the silence. “I’m sorry.”
Once again, the clock counted down the seconds as they stood in the center of the room, neither wanting to break the connection.
Her voice was muffled against his chest as she spoke. “How’d you get here, Sam?”
He knew what she wanted but his inner comic genius wouldn’t give it up that easily.
“My truck.”
“Always the smart ass.”
“Oh, once I realized you’d taken the phone off the hook for good, I swallowed my pride, tucked away my manhood, and called your mom.” He could feel her smile through his shirt.
Sam took a deep breath and continued. “After introducing myself to her, I told her that I’d misjudged the situation and screwed things up. I told her I desperately wanted to make amends and asked if she’d please give me the directions to wherever you were so that I could spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
She raised her gaze to meet his. “You did not say all that.”
He grinned down at her. “Oh, but I did, pretty girl.
Desperate times...desperate measures, and all that good stuff.”
Her brow rose and he lowered his head for another kiss. Her words stopped him.
“You realize what you’ve done, don’t you?”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” he said, still running his hands through her hair.
“Christie went over there with the full story. So everyone is at my mom’s talking about this right now. They’re all wondering what’s going on and what we’re doing all by ourselves. You’ll have to come with me to Mom’s.”
Carrie pulled away from him, but stopped when his tug on her belt opened the robe partially. He groaned as he caught a good glimpse of her smooth, pale thigh and bare waistline.
She grabbed the gaping flap and closed it. “Hey!”
“I’ve been
dying
to see what you’re wearing under that robe,” he said as he pulled her to him. “And you always smell so good.” He buried his face into the side of her neck.
She scrunched her shoulders. “It’s jasmine bath crystals.” She slapped at his hands as they grabbed for her belt again. “Stop that...you haven’t kissed nearly enough butt yet.”
He gave her a crooked grin. “If you’d just open up that robe, I’d be glad to take care of that for you right now.” He bent down and brought his hands up under the robe and groaned as he made contact with the skin of her thighs. “God you’re soft.”
Carrie pulled abruptly away. “Any butt-kissing will be done on my terms—not yours. Sit. Over there.” She turned him physically and pushed him in the direction of the sofa. “I’ll be ready as soon as I get dressed and blow-dry my hair.”
Carrie picked out a pair of jeans and a rust colored cowl neck sweater to wear, before locking herself in the bathroom. Ten minutes later, she walked out of the bathroom fully dressed and ready to leave. “Ready to go face the mob?” she asked, reaching for her purse.
He gave her a smug expression. “Do I have a choice?”
Carrie straightened. “Yes, you do. We don’t have to do this today, or ever, for that matter.” She shrugged carelessly as she picked up her jacket.
Sam gave her a low whistle as he sidled up close to her. “Then I
choose
to be wherever you are today.”
She cocked her head to the side and smiled up at him. “I thought you were supposed to have lunch with your family today.”
He grabbed her hand. “Something more important came up at the last minute. And just like at your mom’s
,
I’m sure they’re having a field day talking about us right now.” He lowered his forehead to hers. “Did I screw things up?” he asked. “I mean, you’re still moving to Kenton, right?”
Her look turned sober. “I don’t think I have a choice in moving, but as to whether or not we’ll be seeing each other?
Hmm...
I think I’m going to hold off answering that until I see how you handle my family.”
He dropped his head.
“Aw hell.
What if they hate me?”
Carrie giggled. “Relax, Sam. Compared to my ex, you’re a wade in the lake.”
“
Oooh
, high praise,” he snorted.
Carrie laughed as she took his hand. “You want to follow me over there in your truck?”
“I’ll drive and bring you home whenever you want,” he said, squeezing her hand.
Sam pulled into the last remaining spot in the front of the house five miles south of town. He exited the truck and gazed at the flat countryside, just
a
several miles north of the marshlands that branched off into the Gulf of Mexico. He closed his eyes and listened to the call of the geese as well as the distant sounds of cattle. “Man, I don’t hear any of that living in town. Do the geese have a favorite spot around here?”
Carrie pointed in the pasture across the road running in front of her mom’s house. They heard the single pop of a gun in the distance and within seconds, hundreds of geese lifted in flight, filling the air with the sound of calls.
“Oh my God, that’s beautiful,” Sam breathed. “I hear Speckle Bellies and Blue Geese, for sure.”
Carrie watched the sight reverently. “It’s something, isn’t it?” she murmured. “I’ll miss this living in town.” She gazed up at Sam and smiled. “You ready for your unveiling?”
As soon as they stepped inside Sam’s senses were bombarded. A football game blared on
t.v
., while raucous calls of four men watching from various spots in the small living room joined the cheers of the televised crowd. Breads baking, meats roasting, and the distinctive smell of roux simmering in some kind of gumbo, had his mouth watering.
Carrie’s three brothers-in-law, Tom, Lonnie, and Craig, as well as one brother, Mack, took time out from the game to give Sam hardy handshakes when she introduced them. Sam turned from the last handshake as an older, much shorter version of Carrie entered the room.
