“I love you, too,” she breathed back.
It might not have been the declaration I wanted to make, but it was enough. It had to be.
33
KENNA
“A new broom sweeps clean, but an old one knows where the dirt is.” ~ Archie “Witty” Whitlock
“You look so beautiful, Amorina!” My mom exclaimed.
“Thanks.” I glanced out the window of the bridal suite room, where Taylor, Ruby, Harper, my mom, and I were all hanging out before the wedding, wondering when Sam was going to show up. And when he did, if he would be alone or with a date.
Before last night, we hadn’t talked in two weeks. And last night, we hadn’t done much talking. So, I had no clue if he was coming with a plus one or not. I would have asked at breakfast, but when I woke up this morning, he was gone. He left me a note saying he had to go to Parrish Creek to get a new phone. It also said he’d let Winnie out and fed her, and there were pancakes, bacon, and coffee waiting for me.
Breakfast was a nice touch, and I appreciated it, but it was something he’d have done before we became intimate, so I had no clue if it meant anything. We should have talked about things last night; the problem was, after we made love for the second time, I’d passed out cold.
My sleep the past couple of weeks had been shit. I’d spent my nights tossing and turning without Sam in my bed. It was strange how a person could go from being totally independent to totally dependent in such a short amount of time. Not strange, unhealthy.
And then for him to just be gone this morning…I didn’t like it. It made me feel…uneasy, like he was already distancing himself from me. We’d promised each other that we’d never let anything come between us again, but that had been in the glow of post-sexy-time bliss.
I’d had a pit in my stomach all day. It’s not like I thought he was lying about getting the replacement phone; it’s just that I knew him well. Too well. He hated mornings-after and avoided them at all costs.
The first two nights we’d hooked up, he stayed. Well, the second time, I was up before him because I hadn’t slept, but still. I hadn’t thought about it much at the time, but waking up and finding him gone had gotten in my head.
Was this the first sign that I was just like the others?
If it was, I would just have to deal with it. After last night, the one thing I knew for sure was that nothing was going to get in the way of our relationship again.
Even if we didn’t have a sexual relationship, he was my person. My lobster. My soulmate. Those things didn’t have to have a romantic element. Those were deeper than the physical.
“You’re absolutely glowing!” My mom reached up and rubbed my entire face with her hands.
She had no personal boundaries.
I shifted back, moving away from her touch.
My retreat didn’t stop her from squinting and staring at my skin from about an inch away. “Did you try a new serum?”
Was sperm a serum? I mean, I guess you could call it that. Not that I’d had any on my face.
“No.” I shook my head.
“Tell me the truth, Amorina.” Her expression grew serious. “Are you seeing someone?”
“What? No. Why would you ask that?”
“A doctor wanted your number, and you say no?” Her hands flew up in the air.
How did she know that?
I glanced over at my cousin, who was in the makeup chair, and she mouthed, “Sorry.”
Right. Taylor must have told my mom last night at the rehearsal dinner after I left to go to the hospital. My parents had gone to the pizza parlor early to ‘save seats’ even though I’d made sure several tables were reserved for us. My dad didn’t like to leave anything to chance.
I looked back at my mom and defended myself. “He dated Taylor.”
“One date.” My mom held up her pointer finger. “And you dated Remi.”