Page 20 of Without You, Scotch and Sammy 2

“Yep. But she’s a fighter, and she knows how to scream until she gets what she wants. We have a pediatrician’s appointment in a couple hours, actually, so it was a good thing you called and woke me.”

“You want her, right? Since this all began, I’ve been working for Shari. I know you said no; you refused to sign her papers. Have you changed your mind?”

I continue to nuzzle my future daughter’s hair, and smile as thoughts of Lily and I replace the memories of Sam and I. “Yeah. I’ve changed my mind. I resisted because I thought I was helping Shari. But obviously that didn’t work out. Lily’s mine now. I’ve been with her every single day since she was born. She’s slept with her skin against mine far too often for me to let her bounce around in the system. I’ll tie up my loose ends, Juliette, because I love her. I won’t lose her.”

“Alright, Sammy. Good luck.”

“Catch you later, Juliette.”

– Scotch –

Housekeeping!

“Happy birrrrrttttthday, to youuuuu.”

I roll my eyes at Alex’s stupid ass singing, and Luc’s obnoxiously loud drumming on the kitchen table, but the smile can’t be wiped from my face as I blow out the candles on the chocolate mud cake my little sister baked for me.

I’m thirty-two today. Thirty-two. Single. And surprisingly, pretty happy with life.

I have a chunky baby nephew, and a brand new – almost – sister in law named Juliette. She might be one of the prettiest women I know, and she’s kind and sassy to boot. Alex is giddy in love, and though it’s fun to tease the usually stoic and serious guy, I’m stoked for him and his happiness.

Alex still walks around stiff and sore from an injury a couple months ago, but he’s alive and well, and there were moments we weren’t sure he would be. Things have changed for me since we got the call that he’d been shot in the line of duty. Things I took for granted suddenly weren’t so inconsequential. Family meant more than it ever did before, and even my mom’s batshit rants about my non-existent love life stopped bothering me.

Angelo’s rant about me moving on came only a day before Alex was hurt, and as though a switch was flipped, my world started to fall back into place.

A teenage girl once took my puzzle. She smashed it up and hid a few pieces. I spent more than a decade searching for those pieces, bitterly sitting at the kitchen table like an old lady as I tried in vain to force what I had left, together. But Alex’s near miss somehow helped me see the new puzzle. It might be smaller, it doesn’t make the same image it used to, it might not even be as vibrant and shiny as before, but it’s okay, because the picture it makes now is nice too.

“Have some cake, baby.”

Nancy runs her fingers through my hair, gently scratching the nape of my neck as she sits on my knee, and she leans forward to accept the paper plate Britt passes.

Britt’s lips are pursed into an obnoxious sneer, and she moves on to slicing the cake up for everyone else without saying a word. She’s in a pissy mood today. She didn’t sing for me, she didn’t say happy birthday, and she refuses to hug me. But not even her bratty behavior can stop my smile today. It’s a good day. I have my whole family in one house, I have a pretty lady on my lap, and I have chocolate cake on its way to my belly.

Jules steps out from under Alex’s arm, and moving toward me, she places her hand on my shoulder and squeezes painfully. My head snaps up and our eyes lock. She’s smiling. Anyone else here would think she’s polite and kind as fuck, but her nails are digging in so deep, I’m positive she’s drawing blood.

I attempt to shrug away from her hand, but she doesn’t let up. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all. Can I see you in the other room? Pretty please, birthday boy.”

I frown at her clenched teeth and ground out words, then I turn to Nancy as she wraps her arm around my shoulder so her nails stop barely an inch from Jules’. Shit. There’ll be no girl fights in this house tonight. One, Jules is savage as hell, and two, Britt will mop up the floor with any girl that even tries. This is Britt’s childhood home, and like King Leonidas commands Sparta, Britt will annihilate any resistance without remorse.

Jules’ hand squeezes me harder, and because she scares the piss out of me, I nod quickly, then turning back to Nancy, I smile. “I’ll be back in a sec.”

Nancy’s eyes flash with worry, and she leans in closer to whisper, “I don’t know these people. You can’t take a girl to meet the family, then ditch twenty minutes in.”

Nancy and I have our faces almost pressed together, but when Jules leans in close so her nose joins ours, I swallow heavily as she smiles cheerfully. “I’m sorry, Nancy. Scotch and I work together sometimes. I just need two seconds of his time to discuss something important. I’ll bring him right back. Promise.”

“I’ll be back in a sec, okay?” I look up to my family, then zeroing in on a now smiling Britt and Kari as Luc chatters to them, I nod in their direction. “Britt’s my baby sister. And Kari too. You’ve met them both. Hang out for a sec, and I’ll be right back.”

Nancy pouts, but she nods and stands from my lap, then before I get a chance to say another word, Jules drags me from the room so fast my feet skid under me from the strength of her hold. “Juliette. Jesus, woman, can you stop?” I fix my shirt as soon as she releases me in the living room, but I step back when her glittering eyes lock onto mine.

She steps up to me like a man might in a bar fight. Her teeth are still clenched, and her finger pokes me painfully in the chest. “You have housekeeping problems.”

I shake my head in confusion, and look around Alex’s living room. “This is your house! You got dirty carpets, that’s on you.”

“No. I’m not talking about dishes and carpets, douchebag. I’m talking about you having facets of your life that you need to tie the hell up, Samuel.”

My head snaps up painfully. I never told her my name. I’ve barely heard that name more than three times in the last decade. “How do you know--”

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