Page 66 of Whispers on the Water

He holds up both hands and looks directly at me. “Now hold on a second, it was either I would get fired or resign. This way, they might not press charges about our relationship.”

“Wait, back up. You told them about us?” I can’t believe what I am hearing. It was exactly the opposite of what we had been talking about the night before.

He shrugs his shoulders up. “I had to Sam. I’m not an actor. They would have figured it out eventually. It was either not see you till this was over or quit. What was I supposed to do?”

“Not quit for fuck’s sake.”

Grabbing my hand, he presses a kiss to a knuckle. “You asked me to stay. This was the only way.”

As I gazed through the kitchen window, my attention was drawn to the vast expanse of the ocean, its mesmerizing dark blue waters captivating my senses. A pang of guilt began to well up in my stomach. Not only was he giving up his job, but he hadn’t even second-guessed his decision for a minute. “I never asked you to quit your job,” I finally say quietly.

He laughs. “Before I even knew who you were, I slept with you. Then when I figured it out, I kept seeing you and lied about it. I was gonna be fired if they found out no matter what. Now I can love you without worrying about my job.”

At the word love, my face grew warm. Hearing him say it after all, that had happened made my chest churn with warmth. There are words that have been begging to spill out since I first saw him in Mexico City. But I hadn’t allowed myself to say it. Fear, distrust, and worry had all been in the way.

But here in my sister’s kitchen, with his confession still in the air around them, I knew it was true and took a deep breath. The man had given up everything for me and didn’t ask for anything in return. In fact, he knew I would probably be going to jail for murder, yet it hadn’t changed his decisions at any junction in their relationship. “Greg?”

He was already looking at me but raised a brow. “Yes?”

“I don’t ever want to be apart from you.”

“Well, yeah, I kinda figured that out when you begged me to stay last night.”

I shake my head, my fingers tightening around his hand with fervent intensity. “Because I love you,” I confess, my voice a whisper barely audible over the gentle waves outside.

His laughter fades into the background as his gaze locks with mine. The world seemed to pause around us, the breeze coming in from the open windows carrying a chill with it. My body began to tremble, not just from the temperature of the air but from the weight of my own words, words that had remained unspoken for eight years, words that held the power to change everything between me and Greg.

Not since Kevin have I even considered the idea of love. Maybe even before. I had thought I loved Kevin, but that connection was a mere flickering candle compared to the roaring bonfire with Greg. The desire to constantly be around him, to smell his hair, to know every piece of him, and to see him smile. Even his stinky morning kisses are welcome.

The moisture is building in his eyes, but a slow smile is spreading across his face. “I love you too, Samantha. More than anything,” he says, his voice thick with emotion. He maneuvers himself closer, leaning between their barstools, and cradled the back of my head in his hand. His lips found mine in a kiss that stops my trembling immediately. I release his hand, only to move them to caress his face. Light stubble scratched at my palms, tickling the skin. My goofy grin is making all the kissing difficult, but I don’t pull away. The moment is too perfect, too beautiful to stop.

When he finally broke it off, his face flushed, but neither of us move away. It was as if he was content to stare into my eyes forever. Breathe the same air and share personal space forever.

But when soft footsteps padded behind us, both Greg and I looked over.

Tilly walked into the room in shorts and a tank top, yawning as she headed straight for the coffee pot.

“Morning, sickos,” she says lazily. It took a few moments for her to find the right cabinet with mugs, but she filled her cup and sipped at the warm liquid.

“Why are we sickos?” I ask, finally releasing Greg.

She gestures to us both and raises a single brow. “Affection? Before coffee? It’s disturbing.” Greg laughs and gets to his feet. I can see that our kiss turned him on, but he discreetly adjusts his pants to hide the evidence. “Can’t argue with that. I guess.” I hurry off my seat and rush around to Tilly’s side. I press a wet kiss on her cheek. “She’s just jealous that I love you both, equally.”

Tilly stiffens at the word ‘love,’ but doesn’t comment. She’s nearly as afraid of commitment as I used to be. I can only hope she finds something to break the spell of misery like I have. Love does have a way of sneaking up on people. Making them vulnerable when they least expect it in the best way.

Maybe I’ve been arrested and thrown everyone’s lives into chaos, but I know now that I have people in my corner. Friends, family, and now a boyfriend who loves me no matter what I’m accused of. That realization gets Tilly another kiss on the cheek before she can argue.

I know we have a lot to do today, but taking a moment to appreciate what I’m blessed with is important to me. Love and family are suddenly all I need, and I have it in excess.

Chapter forty

Greg

The four of us finish getting ready, drop Annie off at school and head straight to the hospital. It’s a flurry of motion as nurses help us get ready to see Penny’s son, Clark. Gowns are draped over our clothes, and our hands are washed enough times to be red and raw.

But still, when I finally saw the tiny baby boy inside the NICU bubble, lying still beneath the blue lights, my heart dropped into the pit of my unsettled stomach.

I’m not the only one either. I see Sam struggling to contain her emotions and keep my hand in hers as long as possible. Clark is beautiful despite his surroundings, even I can see that. The little boy has an obvious yellow hue, and his eyes look sunken, even when they are closed. But Clark looks so much like a tiny version of Sam and Penny. Chubby cheeks, high on his face, and a little button nose. As Penny picks up her son, she smiles and tilts him toward Sam. “Clark, this is Auntie Sam. She’s here to help you.”

---