Page 85 of Tell Me Again
“You belong to me, Sam.” He leaned forward and nipped at her jaw. “Before. Now. Forever.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” It was theforeverthat broke her completely. Her body shattered, the last crumbling pieces of the walls around her heart disintegrated.
She loved this man, and while she wasn’t ready to say the words, she held on to him and hoped he could read in her eyes everything she wasn’t able to put into words. Talk was cheap, her mother had always said, so she trusted their bodies to secure the bond between them.
She’d finally allowed herself to trust a man and was grateful for this second chance. This moment of pure joy that she intended to be the start of so many others.
“Seriously, I can’t believe Kendall convinced me to be a part of this,” Jenny whispered, giving Sam a hard poke to the ribs. “Almost as much as I can’t believe I’m wearing this stupid dress. It’s pink. Redheads don’t wear pink.”
“You look lovely,” Chloe said, leaning around Sam to pat Jenny’s arm. “It’s a perfect shade for your complexion.”
The three of them stood outside the girls’ sleeping cabin, waiting for Kendall to appear. It was a gorgeous spring day, with the bright blue sky meeting the craggy peaks of the mountains. The sun warmed the forest so much that the rich scent of pine wafted through the trees.
Through the branches of the towering firs, she could see the arbor Trevor and his team had constructed in the grassy open space between the main cabin and the lake. This morning she, Chloe, and Jenny had draped vines and flowers over it, making it look like something from a fairy wonderland.
Thirty of Kendall and Ty’s close friends and family members sat in the rows of white folding chairs facing the water and the mountains that framed the lake.
Kendall’s mother and father had asked for a few private minutes with her before the ceremony, which was why the merry trio of bridesmaids was now cooling their heels on the porch.
“Why couldn’t I have been one of the groomsmen with Ty?” Jenny continued as if Chloe hadn’t spoken. “I look good in khaki pants, and I could rock a tie.”
“Chloe’s right,” Sam told her. “You are beautiful. Yes, you grew up with Ty, but Kendall needs her girlfriends at her back today. This is about true love overcoming the odds and two people who never thought they deserved happiness getting to celebrate that they’ve found a soul mate in the huge ocean of the world.”
Jenny snorted. “What has gotten into you? You sound like a greeting card.”
Sam raised a brow. “I do not sound like a greeting card. I sound like a bridesmaid.”
“You sound like a greeting card or, even worse, someone in love.” She shifted so she was facing Sam. “Oh. My. God. You’ve not only knocked boots with Trevor, you’ve fallen in love with him.”
Chloe made a shushing noise. “Inside voice, Jenny,” she commanded.
“We’re not inside.”
“You know what I mean.” Then Chloe turned so she was also facing Sam. “Is it true? Are you in love with Trevor?”
“Both of you can shut it,” Sam snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. “I say one nice thing about Kendall and you jump to all kinds of conclusions.”
“She loves him,” Jenny said with a devious chuckle.
“Uh huh,” Chloe agreed with a huge smile. “That’s wonderful. Put your arms down, honey. You’re going to wrinkle the fabric.”
Sam adjusted the pale pink silk of her strapless bridesmaid’s dress. She, Chloe, and Jenny wore variations on the same shade in different dress styles that flattered each of them. “It’s not wonderful.” It had seemed wonderful the night before when Trevor was buried deep inside her, but this morning it felt terrifying as hell. “I’m going to screw it up. I always screw it up when I really love someone.” She elbowed Jenny. “You know what I’m talking about.”
“Maybe you’re smarter than me,” Jenny allowed then wrinkled her nose. “Doubtful, but maybe.”
Sam groaned, and Chloe took her hand. “You can handle this. You’re a different person than you used to be, and so is Trevor. You’ll be careful with each other because it’s important for Grace that you are.”
There was a rustling behind the door and all three of them turned as Kendall’s mother came out, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a tissue.
“Girls, I’m a blubbering mess,” she said, offering them a watery smile. “But I’m just so dang happy for our girl. She’s marrying a wonderful man and has the best friends in the world to stand by her side on her big day.”
A different kind of longing squeezed Sam’s heart. Kendall’s parents were simple people, content to live their lives in the small Kansas town that Kendall left behind. Yet even though their only daughter was different from who they were, the love and acceptance they gave her shined through. It’s what Sam had craved from both her mother and her twin sister but never received. Might never receive because she was alone in the world.
Her introspection was short-lived as Kendall appeared on her father’s arm. “Mom, you’re going to make me cry before the ceremony even starts.”
Sam gasped. “You’re a vision.”
“Ty is going to lose his mind,” Jenny said and whistled under her breath.
