A/N: I tried to answer one of the questions in who's review and then I went completely off script because my characters were in conflict with the book's character. So, the book is now only a bare bones outline and most stuff is coming from my demented mind until we get to Brody, Hunter, and Brittney. Thanks for all your support. And remember that I own nothing but my original ideas and mistakes that are in this chapter.
Triggers of PTSD, miscarriage and stillbirth delivery, domestic terrorism, violent loss of loved ones, and issues concerning fertility endometriosis, fibroids, etc.
Chapter Fourteen
Sunday morning when she woke up, Mercy had to count the costs and see if she was willing to put herself through the spectacle of church. Last Sunday she was stared down and that was before the condom incident. She pushed those thoughts aside and forced herself to get up and get ready to give thanks to God and afterwards go eat at her mother's for supper. She knew she was going to have confront those people at some time, so it was better to just get it over with.
Because she knew every eye was going to be on her, she dressed with extra care and made sure her hair and makeup were impeccable. She would have never thought at her first foray in applying cosmetics that she could get as proficient as she was now with it. According to the weather report, the heat index would be over one hundred degrees, so she had decided to dress as coolly in possible in a nice A-line sundress that flared out at her knees.
When she got to her church, she entered and sat on the row beside her mother and aunt who were sitting in the center of the aisle near the back since they were not singing in the choir this Sunday. "You look really nice, Merce," her mother said as she leaned over and gave her daughter a hug.
"Yes, you look fabulous. How did last night go?" Aunt Jo added and inquired.
"I only got to dance with two different people, but I think that is definitely not the club for me. There was another fight. I am going to have to find somewhere else to go."
"That's a very a good idea. It definitely is not the place for you to go if you are looking for a husband. You could get hurt." Her mother said.
While her mother was speaking, someone came and sat on the pew beside Mercy making her scoot over because the person was taking up a great deal of space. She was shocked that somebody was willing to sit beside her, and when she turned her head to see who was sitting there, she wanted to disappear. It was Sam Evans smiling at her. "Why are you here?" she asked him not wasting time to exchange a proper greeting.
"I am here to attend church." He told her as he looked over to her Aunt Jo and mother and said hello to them with the smile still on his face. The two older ladies exchanged greetings with him and smiled.
Mercy was shocked and dismayed when her mother asked him over for dinner after the service. "How could I turn down such a gracious invitation? If dinner is anything like dessert was last week, I would be an idiot to miss out on a meal cooked by you." Sam told Mrs. Jones laying on all the Southern charm he possessed.
"This is the last time I am going to ask you, why are you here?" She whispered to him. Upset at his presence and realizing that she would have to deal with him later this afternoon when she just didn't know what to do about her feelings for him.
"I am here to help your reputation darling. I don't want them to think that we just do nooners." He leaned over and whispered in ear and enjoyed watching her eyes widen.
I am going to kill Sam Evans, she thought and soon repented remembering she was in church. She didn't care that he was right. That most people would assume that they were in a relationship because he had actually come to church and sat beside her. They would think it was serious especially if they heard his car was parked again outside her mother's house two Sundays in a row.
A couple of hours later, Mercy was a complete wreck. She had tried to pay attention to the sermon after the men's choir sang, but her attention was on the man sitting beside her. He was behaving because he was in church, but she couldn't help but replay what happened last night on the road when she was getting a constant reminder every time she got a whiff of his cologne.
She hadn't paid any attention to who might be looking at her because she was busy sneaking glances at him throughout the sermon. At first she looked at his outfit, even though it was hot outside, he took the time to wear a suit instead of the khakis and polo shirts that most men wore on Sundays. It was a lightweight suit that accentuated his body that was close to perfection. Unlike her, she knew his body was rock hard and cellulite free. His shoes were nice. She had read someone that if man took care of his shoes, then it was reflected in his attitude towards himself and other.
When the sermon was finally over, people stood around talking, hugging and/or shaking hands. Sam stood up at the end of the pew which kept her from hastily exiting the church. Because he had never attended the church before, several people came by to welcome him and ask if he liked the service and invited him to return next week. Some of the men wanted to talk about his work on the police force, some women actually flirted with him, but he would only flirt back with the grandmothers and great grandmothers. After the crowd dispersed, Sam put his arm on Mercy's waist signalling they were a couple, and walked towards the exit.
Mercy wanted to ask him to remove his hand, but she thought better of this. She just had to remind herself that this man didn't want marriage and children. He said he had been married before, and he could have children already for as much as she would know. To ease her curiosity over the issue she asked him did he have children, and the expression on his face immediately looked sad before he told her no. They were almost at the door of the church when the pastor stopped them as he was still at the door shaking hands and chatting with people as they were leaving.
Mercy was surprised that Pastor Pendergrass wanted to talk to talk to Sam about his being police chief. Mercy didn't know how long the conversation lasted because she started to think about how aggravating it must get to Sam to have people stop him and ask the same questions over and over again. By the time, her pastor had finished talking to Sam, he was ready to look at her with a steady glance. Since she had not paid any attention to the sermon, she wondered had it been targeted especially for her. She would ask her mom or Aunt Jo later just to see.
As soon as they were out the door, Sam released her waist and began to take off his jacket. It was already hot as molasses and it wasn't even noon. Sam walked her to her car and told her that he would follow her to her mother's house.
"Mrs. Jones that had to be the best pot roast that I have ever eaten in my life. Thanks for the meal. I didn't think I can ever remember eating a meal as delicious as this in quite a while." Sam said as he allowed Mercy's mom to give him a second helping.
"Why thank you, Sam. Since I have been retired I have enjoyed planting my own garden, and I cook for a hobby because it brings me joy."
"Well, I am sure you were an excellent teacher, but I do believe that you would have excelled as a chef as well. The gravy of this roast is perfection and the meat is so tender. Have you ever thought about combining your talents? I would pay for lessons if you could teach me to cook like this. I probably would gain thirty pounds, but I would enjoy gaining every ounce."
"Are you listening Marcia, first Cooper was telling you to open a restaurant, and now Sam Evans is telling you to open up a cooking school? I think God is trying to tell you something." Aunt Jo said looking at her sister with an 'I told you so' glance.
"This is coming from single men, Joanna. Most men have a woman either wife or mother who cooks for them, so I know how to take the compliment and not let it go to my head."
"I was married several years ago, and I tell you this my wife could not cook anything that comes close to your pot roast ma'am. And Lord knows I love my momma, but she couldn't come close to your culinary skills either and she was a good cook. You really are an exceptional cook."
"I will graciously accept your kind words Sam Evans, and I will not argue with you which would be rude." Marcia Jones said to the police chief before turning to her sister. "You are right, he is a charmer, Joanna."
"I told you that he knows how to sweet talk the ladies. I am just wondering Sam, if you have tried to sweet talk Mercy here? She can cook not as good as her mother only a few can, but she is no slouch in the kitchen, as well. I am the only one who can barely boil an egg."
"Aunt Jo!" "Joanna!" Both mother and daughter yelled simultaneously.
"What, it is not like he is not bold. We all had to listen to that message of the temptations of the flesh, to flee from fornication, it's better to marry than to burn, etc. all because of his part in the great condom disaster."
Mercy didn't have to ask her aunt or her mother now. She knew without doubt that the pastor had geared his sermon to her, and she could safely guess he was looking for her to feel what, guilt or shame? She must have confounded him by her lack of response, and he had probably caught her staring at Sam during the majority of the sermon.
"Joanna, you are going to have the police chief thinking we have no decorum. Last week and just now are not examples of how we usually are at meal times, I assure you Sam."
"I am not going to apologize. If I want to know something, I ask. If he doesn't want to answer, then I don't get offended. Have I offended you, Sam?"
"No ma'am, you are just being refreshingly honest. I can see why Mercy is the way she is. When she is calm, she is all you Mrs. Jones, but when she gets hot under the collar, that is when she is all you Mrs. Nelson. Please, don't stand on ceremony with me. I enjoy all the time that I spend with any of you three."
After saying that Sam cemented himself in her mother's and aunt's good graces, and the conversation around the table continued until the meal was over and Sam volunteered to help Mercy clear the table because Mrs. Jones refused their help in the kitchen. Sam had talked about his home to her mother during the latter part of dinner, and when he turned around to ask Mercy, if she wanted to come and see it, she initially said no.
"Mercy Ann Jones, that was just plain rude of you. Don't act like you weren't just as interested in Sam describing his home as we were. What else have you got to do today? You need to go and see it and remember to come back and describe it to me."
"You are more than welcome to join us Mrs. Jones and you too Mrs. Nelson."
"Thanks for the invitation Sam, but with this heat and after a full meal, I am only good for a Sunday nap during the heat of the day, and Jo takes over the TV in the living room at this time every Sunday. But we would like a rain check."
"Well, anytime that you both want to come by, you just give me a call, and I can make it happen. Thanks again ladies for having me over. You truly make a stranger feel right at home, and I appreciate it."
"You are welcome. Mercy come give me a hug." Her mom said before ushering the two out the house as they also exchanged goodbyes with her and Aunt Jo.
"Sometimes I wonder about that daughter of yours Marcia. She can't see the forest for all the trees. She needs to realize that she has a good man, and although he is pale as all get out, he has seen her inner beauty before she had all of those changes made. If she hooked him plain, then I don't see him ever being willing to get out of their relationship."
"Jo, Mercy is going to have to realize this on her own. You know how she balks at change and doesn't like having her plans derailed. If she and Sam are meant to be, then he better up the ante and give her an offer that she can't refuse."
"I will keep my mouth shut, and just sit back and enjoy watching them both act like a couple of bumbling idiots."
"Whatever Jo," Marcia said knowing it was best not to try to out argue her sister. She went to her room and got a book and began to read it until she fell asleep.
"Whatever my skinny ass, he is inviting her over to his house to do more than look around. I know this without doubt. That boy is sprung and if Mercy is not careful, she is going to be another notch on his bedpost, which is not a bad thing, because if anybody needed to get laid it was definitely Mercy. And if she is anything like me in the sack, that white boy would be begging and praying for mercy, pun intended." Aunt Jo said to herself as she walked into the den and turned on her exercise DVD, she would be forty pounds heavier if she didn't walk the pounds away everyday because she enjoyed eating her sister's cooking.
Mercy tried not to fume as Sam opened the door to her Explorer, and she got in her SUV and backed out after him following behind him without tailgating. It didn't take five minutes to get to his house, and they could have walked if the heat hadn't been so stifling. Sam immediately came around to her car door and opened it for her and eagerly closed the door after she had gotten out of her vehicle.
She had to admit that the house was lovely and looked as if he had put a lot of time and energy in the repairs. She looked at the impeccable yard, the excellent paint, and the roof looked almost new. As she walked beside him climbing the steps, she looked at everything and tried to see how the house fitted the man. She would have expected him to live in a modern condo, and instead he lived in a home that could be used in television advertisements.
"The first thing I did when I purchased the house was to give it a new roof. I didn't want any of the work that was to be done inside to be damaged by leaks from the original roof. After I did the roof, I redid all the ceilings." Sam said as he unlocked and open the door and waited for her to precede him into the house.
'You truly did an excellent job, Sam." Mercy said giving praise where praise was due. She look around at everything he was describing noting the furniture that didn't seem to match Sam's taste. "I love the hardwood floors, they are gorgeous." Mercy said as they left the foyer, and went inside the living room, and lastly the den which seemed to be an older drawing room and morning room combined.
"Yes, I had to have all the furniture that came with the house removed, and I did the flooring as soon as I finished with the ceilings. As you can see I kept the original furniture, but I added the entertainment center and TV set that I bought as soon as I was able to get cable, phone, and Internet. I was glad that earlier renovations had left the original fireplace but installed central heating and air."
Mercy was surprised at how clean the house was. But she figured he was rarely there because he was at work all day and seemingly at clubs all night, so there was no reason for there to even be a mess. "Yes, I doubt if Artie's uncle had a 75 inch television and soundbar that you have in the den."
Next, He led her to the kitchen, and Mercy was surprised to see that he had chosen to have new appliances installed. He had obviously not been teasing her mom about cooking lessons, because only a person who loved to cook would have a setup like he had. She could fit her entire kitchen in his and still have room to spare. Obviously the kitchen had been expanded from it's original design, and Mercy fell in love with it.
Like her mother's home, there was a formal dining room complete with the original chandelier. Her parents home was built in the seventies, so it was way more modern that Sam's Victorian, and she enjoyed the tour he gave as he seem to light up like a little boy on Christmas morning every time she praised his craftsmanship and the beauty of his home.
When he had finished giving Mercy the the three floor tour, she seemed to be in a good mood, so he decided to sit down and have a serious conversation with her. Last night had been hard for him leaving her house after staying outside an additional hour to make sure she was alright hadn't alleviated his anxiety of her living in that neighborhood alone. Plus, she told him that she wasn't interested in him unless marriage and children were a part of a deal. He knew he had to explain his reaction to this, so they could see if there was any future for them.
Mercy was ready to head to the door, but was shocked when Sam asked her to come into the kitchen and have an Arnold Palmer. The iced tea and lemonade drink was one of her favorites because the the tea gave the drink the caffeine it needed so it wasn't such a sugary citrus drink but a perfect combination of the two. She was surprised that Sam had a half empty jug of the drink which he poured into two glasses.
"I was surprised when you ordered this last night. It is one of my favorite drinks as you can probably tell. I thought you would have gotten water last night because you didn't trust me to get you a drink without dosing it. I realized then that I could have a chance with you. But I don't ever want you to order a drink from any man again without being at the bar with him, because even if you know the man, he could still slip something in your drink."
"Since I didn't drink it but instead looked at you looking at the crowds, I think I was still pretty safe."
"Well, you can never be too safe. I guess I need to explain to you why I reacted the way I did when you said you wanted to marry and have babies. I haven't told you about my past because there was no reason to, but it would be remiss of me, if I didn't let you know about me so you can understand where I am coming from." Sam went on to explain about his limited dating experiences and superficiality of the women he knew, and how he felt when he met his ex-wife who was light, bubbly, and caring and was exactly what he needed after working on the SWAT team and seeing all the deaths he had witnessed of innocent people before he was ordered to give kill shots over and over again. Most of his job involved death, so when he was home he enjoyed having a wife that was full of life. When they turned thirty, they decided to try for a family. After a year of trying, a miracle happened and his ex-wife became pregnant. They were excited and had even begun to buy furniture and clothes for the baby. Decorating the nursery took a lot a time because as an artist, Harmony wanted to infuse her art in the baby's room, but she had a late in pregnancy miscarriage that forced her to deliver the baby stillborn.
After telling Mercy about the miscarriage, he told her how his wife's infertility afterwards due to endometriosis and scarring led to a strain on their marriage. "She started getting fibroids and having heavy cycles and the doctors were suggesting a hysterectomy, but she refused to get one. It was like she was possessed with getting pregnant, and the woman that I married was gone. I could understand her desire to be a mother, and I was willing to adopt, but as child of adoption, she talked about how she was picked on and never fully felt like she belonged and she didn't want a child to grow up like she did."
Sam took a break and looked into Mercy's eyes while drinking his drink before continuing. "My wife's obsession with getting pregnant happened at the same time that my SWAT and bomb squad were dealing with terrorist activity that were happening all over the state and not foreign terrorists but homegrown terrorist who were using bombs. Bombs are unpredictable, and being a sniper was stressful enough, but working bombs and seeing so many children and members of our squad lose their lives had a toll on me, and after a good friend died in my arms from a bomb that exploded and caused shrapnel to go everywhere including in both my left and right hands, I developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."
Sam took some deep breaths before taking another drink and he couldn't help but unburden himself as he looked at the compassion that was evident in Mercy's eyes. "To make a long story short, my depression and disturbed sleep caused me to no longer fight for a marriage that was centered on baby making and not love, and I allowed it to deteriorate because my wife couldn't cope with the blackness that seared my soul. It was only until I moved here and begun working on this house did I come back from out of the dark. With time I was taken off the antidepressants, but I still go to group therapy, even though I no longer have the symptoms to be a support to others."
Mercy couldn't stop her heart from reaching out to Sam, his ex-wife, and anybody else whose life was impacted based on series of devastating events that gave him blow after blow and didn't allow him to heal from all the loss. She got out of her chair and couldn't stop herself from going to him and giving him a real hug.
"So, when you said babies, I freaked out. I didn't want to be involved with another woman who was obsessed with getting pregnant. It is still a tender subject for me, but I know what you must have thought, and at the time, you were right. I wasn't thinking about the future future. I was only thinking about the here and now. I want you. And I just don't want your body, I like being around you, and I admit to hoping that you never go to a club again. Because I have found that I am quite protective and possessive over you, and you are not even mine. I just want you to be with you. How wrong is that?"
"It's not wrong at all, Sam. I feel like this is the first conversation that we have ever had without you baiting me, flirting with me, and/or trying to get in my pants. And I like it, and I like you Sam, but I do want children, and who knows if I will have the problems that your ex had. All I know is that you make feel things that I have never felt before making me think I am going to get struck by lightning in church because I am attracted to you even though you have acted like an ass."
"Oh, my sweet Mercy you like to build me up and then break me down." Sam said trying to joke and get the serious expression from her eyes.
"I just d..don't know Sam…"
"I understand your hesitancy; I gave you a lot to think about. But before marriage, surely you were going to be willing to be courted by a guy. Will you let me date you? And if you find someone better suited for your plans, I will try to bow out gracefully." Sam said hoping she heard him say try because he did mean try but he wouldn't try hard more like hardly at all.
"Okay, Sam, I agree to go out with you on dates here in Lima because everybody assumes we are couple, and after the rumor mill hears about you attending church with me, they are going to assume we are in a relationship anyway. I am no longer going to the Yucatan Club. I am going to try Internet dating next."
"Lord have mercy, you are going to be the death of me. Now, I got to teach you about online predators and being catfished." Sam said as he got her to agree to go out with him the following night because he wasn't going to waste anytime in his pursuit of making Mercy Jones his.