Page 92 of When Love Is Unexpected

He tears through the package like a little kid on Christmas day.

I watch his expression as he pulls out a white T-shirt and stares at the design.

He starts laughing, a loud belly laugh that fills the entire room. He turns the T-shirt over and holds it up so I can see it.

World's Best Kisser is printed on the front.

"You like it?" I ask.

"And where exactly am I supposed to wear this?" he asks through more bouts of laughter.

"Well, you can put it on right now and remind me why I bought it."

He pulls off his shirt, and the first thing I see, well, besides his broad shoulders, strong arms, defined abs, and chiseled pecs, is that small foreign word tattooed on his chest. How I wish I could get a better look at it.

"He hem," I cough into my hand when I realize I'm staring. I try to look away, but all my attempts are futile, so I allow my eyes to drink in his rugged good looks.

He puts on the new T-shirt, and a second later, I'm in his arms, enjoying the reason why he deserves to wear this shirt every single day.

At the rehearsal dinner, everyone is super excited about tomorrow. The groom's family has flown in from out of state and are all in attendance. Sam is sitting next to me, holding my hand and leaning over every so often to whisper sweet words in my ear. "I'm going to kiss every freckle on your face. The birthmark on your shoulder is begging me for a kiss. I'm going to kiss you until I leave you breathless.” I smile every time, understanding now precisely what my sisters experience being married to their husbands. This is love.

When he walks me to my door at midnight, he makes good on all the promises he made during dinner.

The wedding is perfect. Emma looks radiant in her beautiful white dress, and Luke cries as soon as he sees her. Sam looks handsome in his tuxedo. When he walks into the church with Annie by his side, he searches for me. When our eyes meet, I smile at him, and when he smiles and winks at me, my heart melts.

The wedding party and family members are taking pictures, so I'm using this time to call my parents to touch base with them. We spend an hour talking about anything and everything. They're planning their next trip, which won't be until baby Baldwin is born. Loren is experiencing more Braxton-Hicks. Aaron refuses to leave her side. Katherine's baby bump is getting bigger. Holly lost another tooth. Tori can't wait to lose hers so she can get a visit from the tooth fairy. Jon has gotten taller. Adam is running Linder and Morgan by himself, and Dad couldn't be more proud.

When I see Sam walk in the door, I say goodbye to my parents. He takes my breath away. When did this happen? I think I've been growing in love with him since the first day I met him, and now, I'm having a hard time keeping it contained inside my heart.

At the reception, Sam's toast to his sister and her new husband is both funny and heartwarming. When he's done, everyone gives him a round of applause, and Emma gives him a tearful hug. The food is delicious, and the music is a great mix of country, classic rock and roll, and good old 80s music.

"May I have this dance?" Sam asks when people start joining the happy couple on the dance floor. We dance almost every song, stopping a few times to cool off and catch our breath. Sam also dances with his sisters and his mom.

On Sunday, people start heading back to their respective hometowns and states. We say goodbye to Tiffany and Josh, Janice and Pops, Alice and Martin. Sam's parents are also going out of town to spend a few days decompressing after the wedding.

That leaves Sam and me alone in the house. He sleeps in his old bedroom, and I move my stuff into Emma's room. We're essentially next-door neighbors. Every night, he walks me to my door and kisses me goodnight.

Sometimes, I'll step out into the hallway and stand by his door, like right now. I'm lightly touching the doorknob, wanting nothing more than to cross the threshold, tell him I love him, and surrender my heart to him. But then I recall a conversation I once overheard between my sisters. Loren and Justin were only a few weeks away from their wedding, and Justin wanted Loren to spend the night with him in their new house.

I overheard Loren say, "I want to be with him, but I also want to wait. He doesn't think it's a big deal, and what if it isn't?"

Then Katherine said, "Regret is not your friend. Do not make it your lifelong companion."

So, I let go of the knob and go back to my room.

***

When Friday rolls around, we're both excited about the high school reunion picnic at the park. I have my outfit set out. I'm straightening my hair, and Sam is getting ready.

"Who will I be meeting?" I ask as we look for a parking space at Kate Sessions Park.

"There are quite a few friends I still keep in contact with. Mostly from my basketball team. Some childhood friends."

"Why haven't you seen anyone since we've been here?" I ask.

"I haven't seen anyone in seven years. We chose not to ruin the surprise. Plus, with Emma's wedding, I didn't have much time for anything else."

He takes my hand, and we slowly make our way to the designated area. At least a hundred people are already here. Sam starts recognizing people, and of course who could miss him.

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