Page 42 of My Always One

I want to take Jackson Carmichael down, and Lord help us, it's going to happen in her parents' living room.

"Are you with me?" I ask.

"Yes."

I barely hear her.

"Louder."

"What?"

We’re still in my car, and I raise my voice. "Say it louder. Say it like you mean it."

Her lips twitch. It's something we used to say when we were young. "I'm with you."

"One more time."

"I'm with you!"

"Damn straight."

I walk around the car, but my Sami already has the door open. I reach for her hand. "Come on, honey." I lean closer. "I'm going to call you that because your pussy tastes like honey."

Sami's eyes blink closed for a little too long. "Marsh..."

I wink. "Come on, honey. Let's get this done. I have a craving for honey for dessert.”

She shakes her head as we start walking toward her parents' house. But as she does, her lips are turned upward in a grin. It's not just her mouth but her eyes too.

Perfect.

My Sami isn't the broken ex-fiancée walking into this gathering.

However, the asshole inside will be broken when he walks out.

Sami

As soon as we step inside my parents’ house, I look expectantly past the living room through the archway to the kitchen—to where I know my mom will be. I find her, but she's not alone. Jack is with her. They both turn toward the sound of the closing door. Jack’s gaze immediately moves from my face to where Marshal is holding my hand. By his surprised and shocked expression, he hasn’t come clean with my parents. At the same time, my mom looks up from the computer desk screen and smiles. Her smile dims as she too sees our hands.

My dad’s right in front of us in the living room. However, his focus is on the television. He barely notices as Marshal and I walk through. If we hadn’t walked in front of the screen, he might not have seen us.

“Hi, Dad,” I say after bending down and giving him a kiss on the head.

“Sami.” His eyes leave the television long enough to notice Marshal. Either he doesn’t notice our intertwined hands or he doesn’t care. “Marshal, how are you? How’re your folks? It’s been too long since we’ve seen George and Monica.”

“They’re good. I’ll tell them you said hi.”

Dad nods and points to the television. “Can you believe this? They’re going to vote her off the island. I just know it. One challenge and they’re throwing her out. I think Ralph, the guy with the bandana” —he points to the large screen— “should go. He’s a conniving bastard.” Before we can reply, Dad pounds the arm of his chair. “No! No! Don’t do it.”

I pull Marshal’s hand, tugging him toward the kitchen and saving him from my dad’s tirade.

“Samantha. Oh, Marshal,” my mom says, “what a surprise to see you.”

“Yes, what a surprise,” Jack says in a deadpan tone, his gaze flicking back and forth to our still-connected hands.

Taking a breath, I let go of Marshal’s hand and begin speaking, “Mom, Jack, we need to talk about the wedding.”

“We are,” Jack says.

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