Page 37 of Yours To Save

When the party was winding down, he had met a dozen new people, had chatted carefree with most of the guests and could see himself living like this with Logan.

They stayed back helping Stef and Dave clean up. Jackson had been curious about him all day and had reached for Sammy to hold him, while he was showing some of the images on his camera display to Stef. They made the fair exchange – she took his camera, and he took sleepy baby Jackson who laid his head on his shoulder and started twirling strands of his long hair between his chubby little fingers.

“My little gremlin looks good on you.” Stef grinned at him.

“He’s so cute,” Sammy murmured, just instinctively swaying his hips side to side rocking Jackson. The little boy yawned, giving both his mother and Sammy a massive dose of cuteness overload.

Stef asked him casually, “Do you want kids?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t really know. I’ve never thought about it before. I guess I just thought it wasn’t really in the cards for me.”

His eyes searched for Logan. His lover looked up to him and grinned from the other side of the community hall. Sammy returned his smile, thinking there was so much they had to talk about and yet he wasn’t worried about any of it. The truth was he still didn’t know if he wanted kids, but if this was something that was important to Logan, he would really search within himself and consider it. In case Logan didn’t want to have any more children, well, that would be fine too.

Stef followed this tiny exchange with amusement and made anawwface that made him roll his eyes. She giggled and shrugged her shoulders in defense. “I haven’t seen him this happy in a very long time. He’s such a good man.” Suddenly her eyes got watery, and Sammy reached to clasp her shoulder. She wiped a few tears that had caught her off guard and turned away so Logan wouldn’t see her cry.

“Thank you for bringing my friend back. We love him so much, but he needed you and I’ll be forever grateful…” She choked on a quiet sob and Sammy reached for her again, throwing his free arm over her shoulder.

Stef wiped her tears and took a deep breath to calm herself down. “Sophy was my closest friend. I miss her every day. For what it’s worth, I think if she had been alive, and you had met her under different circumstances, she would have loved you very much.”

Sammy swallowed hard, choking on his own feelings. “Shit, now we’re both going to cry.” He chuckled, but one treacherous tear had slipped down already. Stef reached to wipe it away and they both huffed, trying to chase the heavy moment away.

“I really love him, Stef.” Sammy exhaled, glad to have made a connection with Stef. Glad to be able to be honest and open with Logan’s friend.

She nodded and grinned, looking all goofy and mushy. “I’m sorry, but you guys are super adorable, I can’t help it.”

* * *

They stoppedby the small convenience store at the end of the main drag on their way home to grab some dog food for Morpheus and to pick up something for dinner. They were chatting about the party, walking between the isles, holding hands, their fingers laced together.

“Did you have a good time?” Logan asked him and Sammy tugged him in for a kiss.

“The best time,” he murmured against his lips in between kisses.

“Logan?” The shriek startled both of them, and Logan turned around dropping Sammy’s hand abruptly. He hadn’t moved even an inch away, but it still gutted him that Logan didn’t reach for him again. Instead, he stood there frozen, his skin quickly turning ashen, completely speechless, looking at the woman who had yelled his name. There was something faintly familiar about her, but by the time Sammy had figured out who she reminded him of, she had unleashed on both of them.

“You fucking monster! How dare you show yourself with this––” She took a step forward, her small hands balled into fists and her lower lip trembling in anger. “Is this why my Sophy had to die?” She gestured to Sammy with disgust, but he couldn’t find it in him to give a shit. Logan had begun trembling and he was pretty sure his lover had been too stunned to try and defend himself or even simply walk away. She took another step forward. “You ruined her life for nothing! So, you…you…can fuck a man!” She was panting, her face contorted in a terrible grimace, tears streaming down her cheeks. Logan just stood there. His breathing had gone ragged. “You should have been the one to die! You don’t deserve to be standing here, while Sophy and Jordan are rotting in the ground! I hope next time you try and kill yourself, they find you only after the worms crawl out of your––” She choked on a pitiful sob but didn’t make a move to leave them. She stood there wailing.

The commotion was attracting onlookers and people were pausing around them, staring.

Sammy didn’t know what to do, or if he had footing enough to say anything to Sophy’s mother. But he recognized the signs in Logan’s behavior, and he knew he was edging close to a panic attack. He hadn’t had one in a very long time, and there was no telling how much this could affect his mental health.

There was no time to consider propriety, wrong or right, or how much this woman may have been hurting. He took Logan’s hand in his and tried not to feel the pain of how startled he was at his touch, or how slack his hand felt. He tugged him slowly to himself, trying to gently urge him to move.

She may have been very upset, but Beth wasn’t done with them yet, and at the sight of them trying to leave, she lunged forward and slapped Logan hard in the face. She was smaller in stature, but she had put all her viciousness in the strike and his face grew hot. Angry red splotches covered his left side where she had hit him. She lunged again, but this time Sammy was ready and tugged Logan behind him. He clasped Beth firmly, on both sides, holding her arms close to her body.

“Lady, you need to stop,” he implored her, trying to keep his voice low and calm. His throat was dry, and he could feel cold sweat clinging to his clothes. He wasn’t sure what was the right thing to say in an instance like this, but the woman in front of him was falling apart. Although he hated her for what she had done, there was no mistaking the monumental grief she carried for her daughter. She was sobbing uncontrollably. “I know this must be very difficult for you––” She pulled away from him abruptly, then spat in his face and hissed, “Don’t you touch me, you filthy bastard!” She stalked away and out of the store.

This wasn’t the first time Sammy had dealt with something like that and certainly wasn’t the worst. But the abrupt way this moment had cut into their perfect day hurt him deeply. One of the employees from the store approached them and handed him over some tissues. “Are you okay man? That was terrible. I’m so sorry.”

Sammy quickly wiped his face and took a moment to compose himself before he could turn to Logan. His lover was looking at his feet, fat tears running down his cheeks, his whole face was contorted in a painful grimace.

“We’re alright, thank you,” he muttered to the employee without looking at them. He sighed and reached for Logan, tugging him to himself.

“Baby, she’s gone. You’re going to be okay. Come on now, take a deep breath.”

At first it didn’t seem like he could hear him. His body was stiff in his embrace, breaking his heart with every passing second. Logan’s breathing hitched, like he had just woken up from one of his nightmares and his arms flew up and circled around Sammy in an impossibly tight embrace. His sobs were so powerful he shook both of them, but Sammy didn’t care. He held him to himself, kissing his forehead and anywhere he could reach. “Shhh, it’s okay, baby. I’ve got you. We’re okay. Let’s go home.”

Getting in the car and driving back home was a blur. They didn’t talk about what had happened, or about anything for that matter. Logan had cried his eyes out then had let himself be handled by Sammy. His lover took charge, undressing him, and taking him to the shower where he gently washed them both and then helped him put his pajamas on and tucked them in bed.

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