Hey guys here is the book I promised. I hope you enjoy it I love this story. Please review and let us know what you think.

Sam Evans smiled as he walked into his apartment, seeing Mercedes sitting on his couch brightened his day. She was supposed to be studying but her eyes were closed and she had her head lying against the back of the couch. She was his best friend and giving her his key was the best thing that he could have ever done. After a rough night managing the theater and then waking up and having three midterms, walking into his apartment and seeing her sitting cross legged on his couch touched him. As she lightly snored his heart swelled and he watched her sleep peacefully.

He walked over to her and placed a light kiss on her forehead and she awoke and smiled.

"Snow white and sleeping beauty had it right. This is the best way to wake up. How was your day?"

"Long" he exhaled sitting next to her.

She looked at her watch and then sighed.

"I cannot believe I fell asleep while I was supposed to be studying."

"Well you have been working pretty hard."

"Yeah well thank you for giving me a quiet place to study. I will be out of your hair in a minute."

She stood gathering her things but he stopped her.

"Why don't you stay for a while I can pop in a movie."

"I can't I have class in an hour then I have to pick Alexis up from Cheerleading and then get home in time to cook dinner. I still have so much work to do."

"Why can't your mom help again?"

"Mona doesn't do that kind of stuff."

"You don't stop do you?"

"I can't if I don't then who will."

"Mercedes you work, go to two schools, you take care of Alexis and your mom when is someone going to take care of you?"

"I can take care of myself."

Sam folded his arms. "Is that why you won't give me the time of day?"

"I won't give you the time of day because you are dating my sister."

"We're just hanging out not dating. And you are the one who got us together knowing that I wanted to be with you."

Mercedes grabbed her bag.

"Sam you know I have feelings for you but I have enough on my plate. Alexis likes you a lot I won't interfere with that."

"You are my best friend I love you."

Mercedes looked at him knowing he meant what he said she pulled him to her and hugged him."

"I know you do I love you too."

She pulled away from him put her pulled her close and took her lips into his. As much as she wanted to resist him she couldn't. She allowed his tongue to caress hers as he led her to his room pulling off her pink and white striped shirt. Kissing the nape of her neck he pulled her to him. Mercedes pushed him off of her slightly trying to gather strength to walk away from him.

"Sam stop we can't do this."

"Yes we can." He said as he buried his head in her bosom. She moaned as he teased her nipples through her bra. He kissed his way down her stomach and she tried again to move from him.

"Sam I'm serious. I can't do this."

Sam stopped moving up to her face.

"I want to be with you bad that I feel like I am about to explode."

"Sam I want you too but I told you I can't do that to Alexis."

"What if I broke up with her?"

"What?"

Mercedes sat up looking at him.

"You would hurt her just to sleep with me?"

"I would break up with her to marry you."

Mercedes pushed him off of her and stood looking for her shirt.

"I am going to be late for class."

"We need to talk about this."

"I gotta go." She pulled her shirt back on and ruffled her shoulder length hair. She went to grab her bag and he pulled her back to him.

"Come back up after class, ask Alexis to get a ride from one of her friends and just come back up."

"Sam I-" before she could finished he pulled her to him again. Against her will she melted in his arms. He was everything she ever wanted so why was she so afraid to be with him. She knew why, it was because of her mother and her father. She spent her life protecting her sister and taking care of her mother. Being with Sam felt so right but she didn't want to hurt her sister. Sam ended the kiss still holding her tight.

"I have loved you since the first time we met. I know you always put everyone first but please this time put you first."

"I don't know if I can."

"Do you want to be with me?"

She sighed feeling his breath on her neck. He held her so close and all she wanted was to stay like that forever.

"I do. But it's weird I mean you and Alexis."

"Never did anything more than kiss. I know that is where you are going with this."

"Really?"

"Yes so come back tonight stay with me."

Mercedes sighed.

"Ok but you can't hurt her you have to break it to her gently."

"I won't hurt her. I love you."

Mercedes's smile widened.

"I will be back."

Sam felt on air as she kissed him and walked out of the room. He went to his desk drawer and smiled looking at his great grandmother's ring. Mercedes was it from the moment they first met. He only agreed to go out with Alexis because Mercedes convinced him too and he would do anything for her. He walked to his room preparing for the night.

Sam couldn't stop the doubt that hit the pit of his stomach that she would come but when she opened the door and walked in smiling at him he felt complete. He led her into his room and she gasped seeing the romantic picnic he created for them.

Telling her mother that she was staying over a friend's and telling Alexis to do the same she couldn't even pretend to be unsure if she made the right decision. The moment she looked into Sam's eyes she knew she had. The only thing that put a damper on her mood was knowing that everything was about to be taken away from her. She couldn't tell Sam that they were leaving. She couldn't tell him that the moving trucks would be there tomorrow afternoon.

Every time she got up enough courage she would chicken out but now seeing the love he had for her, feeling the happiest she had ever felt, she had to tell him.

Sam walked into the room smiling as he lay across her. As he wiggled on top of her she laughed pushing him off of her.

"Stop playing you fool."

Sam grabbed her arms in his hands and pulled her close to him. His lips went to hers in a searing kiss. He wanted her to feel all the love he had for her. She felt her core heat up as he licked her lips before taking them as her own. He moved her back onto the bed as he gripped her behind pulling her closer to him. She laughed at the squeeze he gave her and nibbled on his ear. She could feel him rise beneath her, so she pulled away lifting herself up.

"Sam we need to talk."

"Uh huh."

He pulled her down to him again but she pulled away.

"Sam."

He gave her his innocent look "What I can't help it that I love you so much and now that I have you I want to love every single part of you."

He grabbed her honey colored left hand.

"Like your hands."

He kissed it.

"Your adorable nose."

He kissed the tip of her nose. She smiled. He looked into her eyes.

"I love everything about you."

He pulled her lips to his and went to kiss her. As much as she wanted to let him kiss her she couldn't and she pulled away. As she did she felt tears come to her eyes. Sam looked at her.

"Mercedes please don't cry I didn't mean to hurt you." she allowed him to wipe the tears that fell from her eyes.

"It's not you…there is something I have to tell you…I leave in less than twenty four hours."

"Leave for where?"

"Mona is moving us again this time we are heading to Charleston South Carolina."

"No you can't be leaving. I just got you."

"I wanted to tell you but I didn't know how."

"Well ok stay here with me."

"You know I can't. I want to but I have to be there to make sure everything gets done."

"I understand. Well how about we just enjoy what time we have left." She sat up on the bed and threw her legs over the right side. Sam followed suit and sat next to her. He exhaled quietly, not knowing what to say to her. The last few hours were filled with as much passion as either of them could muster. Mercedes sighed.

"I am going to miss you so much. I wish I didn't have to leave. I wish I would have been with you sooner."

He wrapped his arms around her waist and she laid her head on his chest. He rubbed her arm feeling her shake beneath him. "Me too. But I just got you I am not going to lose you now so we are going to write and call all the time and I will come see you when I can."

"It's almost six hours."

"I don't care I have wanted this for so long. I have wanted you for so long."

"Me to." She said into his already soaking wet shirt.

"I want to take you to Ohio for Christmas so I can introduce you to my family."

She pulled away from him and stood walking around his bedroom. She walked over to his dresser picking up the 8by10 photo of Sam and his siblings. She placed it back down and looked at him. "Sam we really need to talk."

"What is there to talk about? We are going to be happy.

"That's what you say."

"What? You don't believe me?"

"What is this Sam?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what are we you and I to each other?"

He stood and pulled her to him. She laid her head on his chest as he rested his chin on her head. "We are two people in love who finally get a chance to be together."

Sam held her wanting to ease all of her worry's away. The moment he met Mercedes he knew she as the woman for him, she was unlike all of the women he met in his life. She was beautiful wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a light blue tank top. With her smooth skin glistening in the sunlight, her shoulder length black tresses in a high ponytail, her beautiful brown eyes hidden behind a pair of small circle rimmed glasses.

She had nice round breast and an ample bottom that screamed to be grabbed. Her thick thighs screamed for him and he needed to answer their call. However it wasn't just her beauty that attracted him to her, she was smart and independent and when he asked her out for the first time she said no. but he wore her down as he knew he would, and she put her foot down stating that she needed a friend not a boyfriend.

He finally got her to feel for him what he had been feeling for her and now he was at risk of losing her.

"Mercedes?"

She looked towards him and his heart ached.

"Do you love me I mean really love me?"

"Do you love me is the question."

"From the moment I first met you. What about you how do you know that you really do love me?"

Mercedes placed her hair behind her ears and sighed.

"It was love at first sight for me but I couldn't see it. I couldn't see that the reason I thought about you all day was because I needed you, I didn't realize that the reason I was so comfortable talking to you about everything was because you were my soul mate."

"That's why I love you. I always wanted to be with you but you were determined to be there for your family but whenever you would use my apartment to study you and you knew I was working I would always come home knowing you were here because dinner would be in the oven."

"I knew if you were working late you would forget to eat and you would make an bowl of cereal."

"And what about shopping for me?"

"I didn't want you to go hungry you are always so busy you would forget."

"And cleaning my apartment."

"I just loaded the dishwasher or picked up around the house. I didn't know if you would have a chance."

"That is why I never gave up. Why I never believed you when you said we were just friends. You treated me as so much more than that."

Sam bent down to meet her eye level. She noticed his eyes glistening in the lamp light. She loved how even though you knew he was an athlete by looking at his broad wide shoulders, strong masculine features which included his strong chiseled chin with full kissable lips. His eyes were a beautiful green that the first time seeing him she could only define as an intense experience. His hair was cut short. His body was that of an athlete with firm tight abs and a butt that she wanted to try and bounce a quarter off of. She almost lost her breath when she first saw him but there was something about him that screamed player.

She couldn't have been further from the truth he was respectful and kind and so very generous. He told her their first date he didn't believe in dating around. He was extremely loyal, tough, charming, protective, and romantic. The one thing she really loved about him was that even though he was an athlete he was the strong silent type and had a big heart, being rough yet strong, sensitive and mysterious. He was in charge of his life and their relationship and she fell in love with him the moment he kissed her.

Sam kissed her neck "I love you so much."

"I love you too. I just hate that we are leaving I hate that I am starting a new school in a few days and with that and all the responsibilities that I have at home I am going to be busy. And you are taking a full course load, Coaching that little league baseball tournament plus you are working full time. I wish we could just shut out the world you know. Stay like this forever."

"I have never lied to you have I?"

"No."

He moved to his side table and opened the drawer. He found what he was looking for and turned to her and grinned. "And never told you I was going to do something I didn't do?"

"Never."

"Mercedes I knew from the moment I met you that I could love you for the rest of my life. You have been more than my friend you have been someone I can't see my life without."

Mercedes suddenly felt butterflies in her stomach at the thought of what he was about to say.

"Sam?"

"I love you so much and nothing would make me happier than making you my wife."

"What?"

She looked down at the box and took it from him, as she opened it, she inhaled at the 2 karat princess cut diamond ring in a platinum setting.

"Sam this must have cost you a fortune."

"It belonged to my great grand-mother."

Sam stood pulling the ring out of the box and grabbed her trembling left hand.

"She left this to me we were very close. She always told me that I would know who to give this to when its time."

As he went to place it on her hands but she pulled it away.

"I can't accept this."

"Why not?" he bent down to her eye level and gazed into her eyes. "You love me don't you?"

"I do I really do."

"So marry me. I love you so much and all I want is to make you my wife."

Mercedes moved backwards and turned from Sam. She walked out of his bedroom and to his living room as Sam ran after her. As she glanced around his modernly decorated living room she looking for her bag, he came behind her. She moved away from his embrace and turned to him.

"Sam no I can't."

"I want to live my life with you. I want to be your husband I want to take care of you like somebody should have a long time ago."

Mercedes frowned shaking her head.

"What about your parents?"

"They want what's best for me and you are what's best." He pulled her closer to him and held her. She wrapped her arms around him.

"What about Alexis?"

"This isn't about her it's about you and me."

"Sam you're the man of my dreams. I never thought I could find someone so wonderful."

"And you are the woman of my dreams. So Marry me."

Mercedes stared into Sam's eyes looking for a reason not to marry him and there wasn't any.

"I still have to be in this school for three months. Once the three months is up I will be here I promise."

"So that's a yes?"

Mercedes held out her finger and smiled.

"That's a yes."

As he placed the ring onto her finger she pulled him to her and allowed his lips to take hers in a searing kiss. "Oh yeah" she thought to herself. "I can spend the rest of my life kissing this man". He wrapped his arms around her and moved her back to his bedroom and to the bed and getting on top of her. She pulled his shirt over his head and allowed him to do the same with hers. She wanted to give him all of her. To show him she truly loved him. So that when she left he would know that no matter what he would always have a piece of her until she returned.