My breath hitched and I pressed closer.
Sam’s arms got even tighter.
And it was then I knew I was wrong.
I wasn’t falling in love with Sam.
I was already there.
Chapter Twenty-One
I Did Not Raise a Stupid Man
Two days later…
“I should have brought flowers,” I mumbled, staring down the wide terminal hall Sam and I were standing at the end of and doing it like a stampede of bulls was heading my way.
“Baby, relax,” Sam whispered, his arm wound around my waist giving me an affectionate squeeze.
Right. Relax. Easy for him to say. He’d known his mother since inception and it was her duty to like him.
“Flowers say welcome,” I informed him. “And they make a good impression.”
Sam curled his body into mine and wrapped his other arm around me, saying softly, “Kia, honey, you got flowers on the kitchen bar. You got flowers on the kitchen island. You got flowers on the dining room table. And you got flowers and chocolates in her bedroom. I think you’ve got the welcome and good impression down, baby.”
This was true. However, I had two plus hours of airport, baggage claim and ride home to navigate before she even saw the flowers and chocolates. And I had to navigate this without doing something that made me seem like a freak, a dork, a slut or a loser. I wasn’t certain I could do that. I was too young when things started up with Cooter even to know I should care that his mother liked me. By the time I learned, I didn’t even care if Cooter liked me. I had no experience with this kind of thing.
Then what Sam said hit me and my panic escalated. So much, I had to share it.
Therefore my hands fisted in his shirt, I got up on my toes and whispered anxiously, “Oh my God, Sam, is that too much?”
“Kia –” he tried (and failed) to break in.
“Four bouquets of flowers and a box of chocolates?”
Sam tried (and failed) again. “Kia, baby –”
“I know!” I cried. “You detain her in the garage; I’ll run upstairs, grab a couple of the bouquets and the chocolate and throw them over your deck.”
His arms squeezed tight, his face dipped close, his smile got so big it had to hurt and he clipped out a trembling with amusement, “Kia, baby, fuckin’ relax. She’s gonna love you.”
I stared at him then totally ignored him and noted, “I shouldn’t have worn high heels.”
He tipped his head back and looked at the ceiling. However, he did this with his body shaking with silent laughter.
I didn’t have the time or energy to deal with Sam (again) thinking an unamusing situation was amusing.
I had to psych myself up.
Unfortunately, this took me through a mental perusal of my outfit. I was thinking I should have gone shorts and tank or maybe a cute little shirt with flip-flops. But no. I decided to wear a dress I bought with Celeste. Navy blue, the bodice going straight across the tops of my breasts with a spaghetti strap that started at my armpits and went around the back of my neck. It fit close down to my waist then flared out in a cute little short skirt. I was wearing my strappy, silver, high-heeled sandals with it. I certainly looked like I belonged on Sampson Cooper’s arm and I knew this by the (many) approving looks we were getting. But Sam wasn’t Sampson Cooper to his mother and I was afraid I’d gone overboard.
Taking my mind off that, it decided to move through yesterday which was good. This was because yesterday was good. In my mission to break through with Sam, yesterday I felt I didn’t do too badly.
The day started with the good news that Sam felt pretty confident that the hit man was on his way to Bora Bora never to return to darken our door again. Tanner Layne’s morning call sharing he received a confirmation e-mail from the hit man that he was standing down helped. I thought this was overkill and might be his way of putting us off the scent. Sam (and Tanner and, after Sam phoned him, Lee) disagreed. They all felt that Sam’s point had been made very clearly as getting a pair of khakis ruined by a bullet was wont to do. They felt the hit man just wanted to make sure that all the players were aware of his intention not to kill me. I saw the wisdom of believing them seeing as I had enough on my plate trying to make Sam open up to me at the same time fall in love with me and making a good impression with his mother. Not to mention, they were experts in this crazy shit and I was not.
After Sam took his run, I talked him into hitting town to buy flowers, chocolates and vases (Sam’s kitchen was kitted out but he was not a man who owned vases, this I discovered during my search while he was running). We picked up what we needed then Sam drove us out of town straight to a Jeep dealership. He did not share that a visit to a Jeep dealership was on our day’s agenda so I was a little surprised.