Page 81 of Securing Samantha

Whiskey sat on the chair in the back of the house and watched the deer. He heard the knock on the door.

“It’s open. I’m in the back,” he called.

Leo mentioned he and Catherine planned to stop by after her OB appointment in Seattle. Concerned for the baby, Kassie called her OB and arranged a Saturday appointment to relieve all their minds.

He propped the wooden heart between his knees and whittled slowly. The piece of wood felt like his heart over the last couple of days. Seeing Samantha in the kitchen and all around the house as she helped him with chores made his heart crack a little each day. Like the wood, a chip fell off at each smile, as she played games with him and their son. She squealed as it turned into a competition and when she won, she did a little dance in the living room.

LJ leaned in and whispered to him, “Do you think she’s a six on the psycho meter?” Whiskey choked and placed a finger to his lips.

“You’re part of the team now. What the team says when we’re in the team building stays there.” He gravely told his son.

LJ solemnly nodded, taking his new position on the team seriously. He made a mental note to warn the team about watching what they said in front of the kids.

Someone cleared their throat behind him. Bryan stood in the doorway. Impeccably dressed in a suit and loafers.

“How’re you doing, Whiskey?” Bryan walked farther into the room and took in the design on the wall. One of the deer came out of the woods and he stopped to admire it.

“Samantha went to Chase and Kassie’s, LJ wanted to say goodbye to the girls. You’ll find them up there.” He continued to whittle away at his heart.

“You built this for her. Does she know?” Bryan asked quietly.

Whiskey turned his head. “It doesn’t matter. She chose you. I won’t interfere as long as you continue to treat her right. I hurt her. If she’s skittish, remember it’s not her. I did it to her. Samantha tends to hold her feelings in and she’s tenderhearted. Make sure you don’t take advantage of it. My son says you’re nice to him and take him to some cool places. I appreciate the kindness.”

Bryan stepped beside Whiskey. “Do you love her?”

Whiskey pressed harder on the heart. “Yeah. I’ll always love her. I won’t stand in your way. Her happiness is all that matters.”

Bryan held out his hand, “Thank you, Whiskey.”

Whiskey shook his hand.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Samantha pulled the truck up next to Bryan’s car. He stood with his legs crossed leaning against it, viewing the house.

Samantha walked up to him. He didn’t reach for her. “I went to Chase’s. He told me he sent you here. I’ll grab my things and we can head back up the mountain for LJ.” She turned to head in. Her eyes glistened with tears as she stared at the house.

Bryan’s hand came out and stopped her. He smiled down at her while she searched his face.

“I want to ask you something,” he quietly told her as he took her hand.

“Can we talk about it when we’re on the flight back to New York? LJ tires easily.” She couldn’t stop staring at the house.

“No. I love you.” He confessed.

Samatha turned to face him. She swallowed, unable to say the words back.

“My problem is, I have a feeling I’m not the only man occupying your heart.” Bryan watched as she turned her head toward the house.

Samantha shook her head. “Why would you say that? Whiskey will always hold a place in my heart, he’s my son’s father.”

Bryan smiled at her. “Whiskey’s willing to give you up to make you happy. I don’t think even if I selfishly took you back to New York, it’ll weaken the bond you share.” She started to deny it. Bryan placed a finger over lips. “You light up when he walks into a room. I saw it at Christmas. When you didn’t think I watched, you saw to his needs. You made sure he didn’t feel crowded. When he started to get overwhelmed, you changed the environment around him. The two of you circle around each other like two planets. He’s your world. He’s the one for you.”

“I’m so sorry, Bryan. I care for you,” she told him. Her heart couldn’t lie. She didn’t try to deny it anymore. Whiskey was her home.

He cupped her face with both hands. “I know you do. When you talked about him in New York, a peace came over you. The way you pay attention when LJ talks about the new team member, it makes you smile. At Christmas, the two of you struggled to keep from gravitating to each other. I’ve known all along.”

“I moved to New York. He didn’t want me.” Tears ran down her cheeks.

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