Thank you for your continued interest and support. And thank you for your kind concern. I appreciate it more than I could say.
I do not own Glee or the characters, neither do I own Wishing For Us.
Mercedes had been so engrossed in her thoughts, that she jerked when a hand landed on her knee.
"Is everything okay?" Sam asked, sounding concerned. And it was then that she realized, tears were trailing down her cheeks.
"Oh God," she squeaked out as she quickly wiped away the moisture.
"Hang on, honey, let me find somewhere to pull over," he said, as he slowed the truck.
"No, Sam," she rushed out. "Please...I'm fine."
But when he continued to throw uncertain looks her way, she sighed before saying,
"I used to go to the aquarium with Matt. He loved it there, and so, I've kept the membership all these years because it held many good memories for me. I realize that may sound silly to you, but..."
"Why would it?" he interrupted. "Of course you would feel that way about any place you and him frequented together. Heck, I get a stupid grin on my face when I go in McDonald's, because I'll recall something silly that Cassidy did on the playground, when we were there together the last time. There is no right or wrong in how we feel...it just is. That said, if going here is going to be too hard for you, we'll go somewhere else. And it won't be any kind of inconvenience."
He'd continued to hold her leg, but now his fingers were idly caressing the sensitive skin of her inner thigh as well. And she didn't think he was even aware he was doing it...but she certainly was.
She'd gone from sobbing over Matt, to one big mass of quivering awareness at the touch of another man. And if she was ever to move on with her life, then she needed to stop feeling so conflicted and just enjoy Sam's comfort and his touch.
Mercedes dropped her hand over Sam's for the second time that day and squeezed.
"I'd really like to share this with you and Cassidy," she said.
And he surprised her by shifting his hand under hers, until their fingers were entwined.
He kept his eyes on the road, but said softly,
"We'd like that too, sweetheart."
No matter how hard Mercedes tried to tell herself, not to be swept away in all things Sam, her heart still thudded heavily in her chest, when he made no move to pull away.
He continued to surprise her...in mostly good ways...as if it came naturally to him.
It was obvious to anyone with eyes, that he was drop-dead handsome and oh so sexy.
And from her first real interaction with him, after he'd come to her rescue in the parking garage that day, she'd suspected he was a good guy.
Most men would've been terrified to deal with a crying woman, but he'd actually been very sweet and thoughtful.
Some lady was going to be very lucky when he decided to settle down for real. That's what she's told herself, because their marriage had been on borrowed time from the moment they said, "I do."
But if she was already attached after one day, how would she possibly deal with the aftermath of losing something she never really had?
Sam stood watching his daughter and Mercedes, as they lay on their stomachs to pet the stingrays in the aquarium bay.
To say these two had become fast friends was an understatement. Cassidy had practically hung on Mercedes' every word as they moved through each exhibit.
Mercedes had told her fun facts about each fish, in a way that she could understand, and he'd been about as captivated as his daughter, by the time they were nearing the last areas.
Whether she knew it or not, his wife seemed born to be a mother. She was nurturing in a way that Melanie had never been.
Yes, Melanie might love their daughter, but she'd never be the soccer mom who brought cupcakes to the matches, or invited the other kids over for a slumber party.
The only way she would entertain another child, was if it was socially advantageous to do so. She had no qualms about using Cassidy as a stepping-stone, to make connections with well-to-do parents.
Cassidy shrieked in pure delight when her hand touched one of the rays as it passed by.
"Mercy, did you see? I feels its whole back!"
Mercedes threw her arm around her and squeezed her.
"I did! That was awesome! How long are your arms, little miss? I stretched as far as I could and I still missed it!"
Sam's chest felt unusually tight as his daughter beamed up at Mercedes, before turning to look at him.
"It's okay, Mercy. Daddy'll let us wait til you gets one. Right, Daddy?"
"Of course I will, baba," he choked out, feeling strangely moved, by seeing the woman who was technically his wife interact with his child.
How he wished for Cassidy's sake, that she could have a woman this nurturing in her life all the time.
Her mother might love her, but she was as different as night and day from Mercedes.
They ended up staying at the stingray exhibit for another thirty minutes, until Cassidy was ready to move on to the gift shop at the end of the tour.
She jumped up from her position at the bay and skipped passed him, to look at the stuffed animals a few feet away.
Sam walked forward and extended a hand to help a smiling Mercedes to her feet. He noticed water had splashed the white shirt she was wearing, and it was now wet.
He was certain that she had no idea he could vividly see her blue bra and the soft looking brown swells of her breasts.
And just like that, mini Sam started rapidly stirring to attention, at the erotic sight.
"Sam...Sam!"
Sam blinked as Mercedes' voice finally penetrated the sexual fog he'd fallen into.
'Shit! She still hasn't noticed her shirt,' he thought and immediately looked around. 'But all of the men in this area has. Hell, no! They'll have to get their thrills somewhere else!'
"Are you coming?" Mercedes asked, as she turned to follow Cassidy into the store.
'Oh yeah, baby. I'd love to be coming...inside you,' he thought, before shaking his head.
"Um...Mercedes? How about we wait here while you go to the restroom and...freshen up?"
She wrinkled her nose but didn't budge.
And at this point, one of the nearby men had edged closer and was ogling her chest.
And Sam was about two seconds from punching him in the nose...which wouldn't be a great idea with his daughter close by. So he glared at the bastard, before stepping closer and putting his hand on Mercedes' arm.
Then, he leaned down until his lips were at her ear and said,
"Look at your top, baby. If you don't want me kicking the guy's ass to your left, then please go try to dry it out."
Mercedes appeared puzzled for a moment after Sam's request, before she warily inspected her clothing.
A loud gasp escaped her, and at the same time her arms quickly came up to cover her chest.
"I...I'm going...to be right back," she stuttered out shrilly, then hurried away.
At that, the nearby man gave Sam a sheepish look, but wisely turned in the opposite direction and took off.
"Where Mercy going?" Cassidy asked, looking forlorn.
Sam mussed her hair then tweaked her cute little nose.
"She had to go to the restroom, but she'll be right back. How about we go on inside the shop and let you start looking?"
He knew from painful experience, that taking his daughter shopping could be a long, drawn-out affair, where she would change her mind no less than ten times, until she settled on something.
So he figured he was doing Mercedes...and himself a favor...by letting her get started.
While his daughter darted from one thing to another, Sam kept watching for Mercedes. And when he saw her walk into the shop, he raised a hand and drew her attention over to them.
His eyes went straight to her chest when she walked up and he could see by the look in her eyes, that she'd noticed.
The area that had been so transparent a short time ago, now appeared to be completely dry.
"I had to turn it around backward," she confessed as she reached his side. "I tried to use the hand dryer, but it wasn't working very well."
"Uh...you look great. No one will know the difference," he assured her, then realized he was still gawking at her breasts. "Sorry 'bout that," he murmured, feeling strangely bashful in his admiration for her.
"Um...no problem."
She giggled, just as Cassidy ran up and threw herself into her arms.
"Mercy! You back!" Puckering her small mouth, she said, "Should I get the turtle or the stingray?" And before Mercedes could answer, she danced around excitedly and said,
"Me knows! I'll get the pink ray and you get the blue one!"
Then she turned her eyes on her dad, and he was well aware he'd agree to whatever she wanted.
A rainbow pony?
A unicorn?32
Done!
"Daddy, can you buy Mercy a stuffed animal too? I don't know if her got any money or not. But if we buy it for her, then she be our friend forever, right?"
'Damn you, Melanie,' Sam inwardly raged as he stared at his daughter. She was far too young to believe that she needed to buy friends.
No doubt, she had overheard some of her mother's conversations with her cronies. But the fact that his impressionable six-year-old attached a dollar figure to loyalty, made him queasy.
He could tell from the look on Mercedes' face, that she felt the same way, and before he could gather his wits to talk to his daughter, she had already dropped to her knees, to bring the little girl face-to-face with her.
"Thank you so much, sweetheart, for offering to loan me the money for my stuffed animal," Mercedes started. "That is so very generous and thoughtful of you. But I'm truly honored to be your friend, because of how very special you are. A true friend doesn't need gifts, honey...they only need you. And even when you don't see me every day, I'll still be thinking about how very special you are and wishing you all the best."
Cassidy stood silently as if digesting Mercedes' heartfelt words, before she latched on to the last sentence.
"You'll see me at Daddy's, Mercy. I'll ask my mommy if I can come play with you and your ramps."
At that point, Mercedes was blinking away tears, and Sam wasn't far behind.
A child's simple words were sometimes the hardest to bear, and both adults were floundering.
Sam straightened his spine and took control, even though it was tough.
"All right, girls," he said with false enthusiasm. "Let's finish up in here and go have some lunch. I don't know about you two, but I could eat a whole whale myself!"
Mercedes blinked rapidly at the sudden change of conversation, while Cassidy said,
"You know you can't get whale for lunch, silly."
And with a child's short attention span, she rolled with it and ran to grab her pink stingray, while handing the blue one to her new friend.
Mercedes attempted to object, but Sam insisted on paying for both. After all, he knew she'd been amazing with his daughter today, and they both deserved a souvenir to remember their fun.
As they stepped back outside into the bright sunlight, Cassidy took her father's hand first and then Mercedes' as she skipped happily between them.
She giggled as they swung her off her little feet.
"Wheee! Again!" she demanded over and over, until both their arms were tired.
'This is what it feels like to have a family,' Sam mused. The thought struck him suddenly and without forewarning.
He had a great relationship with his parents and his brother, but even though he was a father, he'd never experienced a family moment like this, since he became an adult.
He'd twirled Cassidy and she'd ridden on his shoulders countless times, but never with a happy Melanie alongside them. This type of behavior was known to irritate her beyond reason.
Even at Cassidy's young age, her mother had felt as if she should act like an adult. He, on the other hand, wanted his daughter to enjoy being a child, because these carefree years would be gone before any of them knew it, and they could never get them back again.
One of Cassidy's favorite places was Johnny Rockets. She loved the burgers and milkshakes there, so Sam ran it past Mercedes first, to see if the location worked for her.
It did, so they walked in that direction.
The hostess at the restaurant gave them a big booth, and Cassidy insisted they all be on the same side, so she didn't have to choose who to sit with.
As his daughter used the coloring page and crayons to create another masterpiece for his refrigerator, Sam saw Mercedes looked over her head at him, and sweetly said,
"She's so precious, Sam. After one afternoon, I'm totally in love with her."
A sense of pride filled him as he smoothed his daughter's wavy hair.
"Regardless of everything with her mother, she's the very air that I breathe," he replied quietly.
Nodding her head in agreement, Mercedes said,
"I understand why you were willing to do anything to keep from losing her."
At that, they both decided to keep an eye on Cassidy, to make sure she wasn't paying attention to their conversation.
But she appeared to be engrossed in her artwork, with the rest of the world tuned out.
"You were amazing with her today," Sam said truthfully. "She's always been a little wary around strangers...which I normally encourage for safety reasons...but she connected with you almost immediately."
Mercedes appeared touched by his words.
"Thanks. I'm an only child, so I've never really been around children much. Matt did have a nephew that we saw on holidays, but that's pretty much the extent of my experience with children. I've always loved them, though, and today was a real treat for me. Seeing a place you've been dozens of times before, through the eyes of a child, is unbelievable."
They continued to talk throughout the meal whenever they could get in a word around Cassidy's chatter. And by the time they left the restaurant and walked back to the truck, it was nearly time to drop her at home.
Cassidy begged Mercedes to sit in the back with her on the drive, and Sam noticed them cuddled up together through the rearview mirror.
If he'd been looking for the perfect stepmother for his daughter, he'd found her. They were two peas in a pod.
But sadly, all good things had to end. And that time had officially come, as he pulled into Melanie's driveway and parked behind her BMW.
The house Melanie and Cassidy lived in was a modern-style craftsman, that Melanie complained about constantly.
But it was in a great neighborhood and a premiere school district, so Sam ignored her.
It also had an amazing fenced backyard, where he knew that his daughter would be safe.
He knew Melanie would rather live in a trendy condominium, but he'd put his foot down. If he was picking up the tab, then his daughter was going to have the type of house he'd grown up in.
As he opened his door and came around to Cassidy's, he stood awkwardly for a moment.
"Mercedes..."
"Sam, you don't have to say it. I'm going to move to the front seat and wait for you in the truck. It wouldn't be right for me to barge in there, until you've talked to her about me."
Feeling the tension leave his body, Sam gave her an appreciative wink.
"Thanks for understanding, sweetheart. You've been so great today. I don't want to subject you to any more ugliness."
Mercedes nodded and gave his hand a gentle squeeze, showing she was in complete agreement with him, and that she appreciated his thoughtfulness.
Sam took his dozing daughter into his arms and heard Mercedes close the door behind them, as he moved carefully down the walkway with his precious cargo.
It appeared to be his lucky night, because Melanie was on the phone when she answered the door and made no move to end the conversation, as she took Cassidy's hand, when he set her on her feet.
He gave his daughter a hug and kiss, then walked out.
He was always sad when he left her behind, but somehow, knowing Mercedes was waiting for him, made it more bearable.
She'd been with him for one full day, and already, he was eager to be with her.
He hadn't been able to stop thinking of her as his wife today and the need to make that into something other than a title, was fast becoming an urge he was having trouble denying.
Hey, I wasn't exactly feeling this update, so please excuse anything that doesn't make sense. I lost a nice lady friend from my district. The news hit me hard when I heard this morning.
Sleep In Peace dear Deborah.
Stay safe!