Melt Your Heart

Thank you all so much for the comments on the previous chapter - I appreciate you still sticking with this and coming along for the ride with me! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and the next one, well...

I did notice as I was editing it, that Cassie & Sam actually don't have a single interaction in this chapter...but I think I might have wrangled Abigail back to being slightly more in character. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one and you're all staying safe & well. Xxx

Chapter 14: The Bachelor Next Door

Cassie stayed outside to watch the three of them play for a while, before retreating indoors to catch up on some household chores. She had been so exhausted the night before that she hadn't felt like cleaning up after the dinner. There also seemed to be an extraordinary amount of jam smeared around the kitchen, and she wasn't quite sure if the twins or Sam were responsible for that.

She ran a bowl full of hot soapy water at the sink, but stopped to watch the three of them from the window. She had sensed that Sam had been a little crestfallen when she had headed back inside, but he hadn't let it show to the kids.

It was important to Sam that Cassie knew he understood her responsibilities, and that he wanted to form a relationship with her children as well as a romantic connection with her. So he had switched his focus back to the twins, and actually enjoyed being outnumbered by children for the first time in a very long time.

Smiling fondly, Cassie started to wash the leftover pans and serving platters from the previous night's dinner. She was usually pretty good at sensing the emotions of others, Jake had always said that empathy was her superpower, but she wasn't sure she could quite put her finger on what she was feeling right now.

It felt a lot like contentment.

Every now and then, Sam would look up and catch a glimpse of her at the kitchen window. Even in a casual shirt with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, he thought she looked beautiful. It was a sight he could get used to. He hadn't thought he'd ever feel that way again, but then he also never expected to meet someone like Cassie who would make him want to open his heart all over again.

Looking back at the kids, who were attentively waiting for his next instructions (even Catherine), Sam realised that he could get used to this. A few weeks ago, that thought would have sent him running for the hills. But now?

Now he couldn't think of a single reason to walk away.

"Sooo, how did it go?" Abigail asked later that afternoon, pulling her boots off with a sigh of relief after a long day at her flower shop.

Cassie looked up from the couch, setting the novel she had been intermittently reading down next to her.

"How did what go?"

Abigail made no attempt to hide her rolling eyes.

"Oh, please. Sam came over to play with the twins today, and don't you dare try and tell me it didn't melt your heart a little."

Cassie couldn't help but laugh at her cousin's vehemence.

"It was pretty cute," she admitted. "James is finding it a bit strange having another man around who isn't his dad though."

Abigail perched on the arm of the couch.

"Yeah, I can see why that wouldn't be easy for him," she was thinking about her own father now and had to shake it off before she was dragged unceremoniously down memory lane. "How about Catherine?"

It was Cassie's turn to roll her eyes, though a little less dramatically than her cousin had done.

"Catherine has been enjoying the attention. Sam's original offer was to teach James how to throw and catch properly, but she just couldn't be left out."

"That's my girl," Abigail grinned with impish fondness. "Speaking of the twins, where are they?" Her eyes widened. "They're not still with Sam, are they?"

Cassie chuckled. "No, but he did wear them both out. I didn't even have to persuade them to have a nap." She reached for Abigail's hand before her cousin could get up. "Are you sure you're okay to keep an eye on them on Monday evening?"

"Of course," she replied automatically, not wanting her cousin to have even a second of doubt or try to weasel out of her plans. "I've got it all under control."

Cassie wasn't quite sure if that filled her with confidence or not, but she let go of Abigail's hand and watched as the younger woman stood up and started to make her way to the kitchen.

"I've already got a DVD for us to watch, and I'll put them to bed," she called over her shoulder. "…so Sam will have plenty of time to wear you out as well."

Cassie flushed, belatedly thinking that if Abigail hadn't already sauntered into the kitchen she would pitched the book she had been reading straight at her cousin's retreating back. It was lucky for Abigail that Cassie hadn't stuck around for too long that morning - she might just have picked up some skills from Sam on how to throw more accurately.

But, underneath her embarrassment, she thought that actually this was nice. Both of them had grown up as only children, at least until Cassie went into the foster system.

It was the closest either of them had ever been to having a sister.

Sam was scheduled to work on Sunday, and for that he was grateful. It gave him something to focus on other than Cassie. He had enjoyed spending Saturday morning playing with her twins, but he'd hoped to see more of her. It probably wasn't often she got a chance to get on with things without having to worry about what the twins were doing.

He appreciated that she trusted him with them.

Sam cared about Catherine a lot, she amused him and he had a feeling she might be a bit of handful once she hit puberty. But it was James Russell who was slowly and completely melting his heart. He was already determined that, whatever did or didn't happen between him and Cassie, he would do everything he could to be a constant in the little boy's life.

Sam thought he'd missed his chance to have a family, but he was more than happy to be the father-figure James needed.

As long as that was alright with his mother, of course.

Ah, there he was, thinking about her again.

As much as he had enjoyed the domesticity of Saturday morning, he was looking forward to finally getting some time alone with her.

Just the two of them.

As Sam drove away from the hospital just after lunchtime on Monday, a sense of anticipation and apprehension gathered in his belly. He had been looking forward to this evening ever since he and Cassie had made plans, but now that it was nearly here, he was a little nervous. He wanted to impress her; to show her how strong his feelings for her already were but he also didn't want to push too hard and too fast.

Dating after his divorce hadn't been easy for Sam. To begin with it had been hard not to at least allude to Linda in conversations with his dates, and he was sure it had put off more than a few potential romantic prospects that way. It would be different for Cassie though. She still loved Jake.

She would always love him.

Sam didn't quite know how to handle that. But he was getting way ahead of himself. He knew, both personally and professionally, that you had to take life one day at a time. So, for now, he would focus on what he could control - one simple date.

He drove straight to the grocery store, finding a parking spot just outside and selecting the cart with the least squeaky wheels. He usually just grabbed what he wanted and carried it to the counter, but today he was actually buying ingredients rather than frozen meals-for-one or boxes of cereal.

Navigating the supermarket aisles was absorbing all of Sam's concentration, having left his shopping list (carefully curated by one Stephanie Borden) on the kitchen table at home, so he didn't recognise his neighbour until it was too late to switch lanes.

"Hey Sam," Ryan Elliott greeted him, pleasantly enough. "Feeding an army?"

As another confessed bachelor, although against his will unlike Sam, Ryan was surprised to see the other man filling his cart with what appeared to be fresh vegetables and prime cuts of meat.

"Hi Ryan," he replied in the friendliest tone he could manage. He had nothing against the realtor, he just preferred not to have to interact with him unless he really had to. "How are you?"

Sam tried to turn the cart sideways so that Ryan couldn't assess and judge every item he had selected, but then he realised that was stupid. A man should be able to buy whatever he damn well pleased at the supermarket without judgement from his fellow shoppers.

He wasn't sure if he was overacting because he was a little out of his depths here, or because he had the memory of Cassie and Ryan's cosy brunch burned into his mind.

Sam Radford didn't do the green-eyed monster routine, but the mental image still kind of made him want to punch the annoying smile from Ryan's face.

Get it together, Radford.

"I'm fine," he replied distractedly, a little smirk starting to pull on his lips. It looked more like a sneer from Sam's vantage point. "So, what time shall I tell the fire department to be on standby for?"

Sam really wanted to be good-natured about this, but he could already feel his jaw clenching. Ryan wasn't a bad guy, but his insecurities could make him act like such a jerk sometimes. It didn't escape Sam that he had made the same joke to Cassie, he just didn't like the way the other man was looking at him.

"Well, hopefully it won't get that far. But I appreciate the thought."

Beyond exasperated with the conversation, Sam sketched a wave in Ryan's direction and moved off with his cart. He realised a moment too late that he was going back the way he'd come.

Blasted man.

"I hope she's worth all the trouble you're going to!"

Sam gritted his teeth, pretending he hadn't heard Ryan's closing remark and headed off down the next aisle.

He noted with relief and amusement that it was the wine and spirits section of the store.

The day seemed to fly by all too quickly for Cassie's liking. It wasn't that she didn't want to spend the evening with Sam, she just wished she'd had more time to prepare. All too soon she was settling the twins at the kitchen table with their dinner, and Abigail was shooing her upstairs to get ready.

For the first time in a very long time Cassie found herself having no idea what to wear on a date.

It was just dinner at his, so she could go fairly casual, right? Not as casual as she had on Saturday, but smart jeans and a nice top, maybe?

She opened the closet door and started to look at her options, wincing a little as the hangers screeched against the metal rail. She knew she could ask Abigail to help, but she would probably be more of a hindrance.

She'd already asked Cassie if she'd laundered her best underwear.

She had brought home a lovely, simple floral arrangement for Cassie to take over to Sam's with her though. It might not be coming in a form she was completely comfortable with, but she appreciated having Abigail's support, especially as she and Sam had formed a friendship long before Cassie had arrived in Middleton.

Sighing, Cassie finally settled on a white silk shirt and her smartest pair of black skinny fit jeans. She was sure she had some high-heeled ankle boots in the back of the closet too. She had only been able to bring so much with her when she moved to Middleton, and eventually she'd have to organise getting the rest of their things shipped here from their storage container. She wasn't sure was ready to face that yet. It would mean digging through too many memories of her and Jake, and then of the four of them.

She was still too raw to contemplate it.

That stopped her in her tracks. If she still felt that way, should she even be trying to date? She wasn't trying to date though, was she? It wasn't like she was swiping through Tinder or carousing the local singles bars, she was simply getting to know the charming, intelligent, and attractive bachelor next door.

Cassie stripped off her longline sweater and leggings, pausing before she put on the outfit she had selected. Abigail's voice came back to haunt her and, shaking her head, she rummaged through her underwear drawer until she found one of the only matching sets you could even really call lingerie that she had brought with her to Middleton. She had never worn it, the tags still attached to labels in the bra and panties.

She had no intention of having sex with Sam that night, no plan in mind for him seeing the white lace bra and thong she was slipping on, but somehow the very act of wearing it made her feel calmer and more confident. It was as if she was reclaiming her femininity somehow.

Damn that Abigail, she was right again.

When Cassie came back downstairs, a black leather jacket draped over one arm and her boots in the other hand, Abigail was making tea in the kitchen.

"I'll just go in and say goodbye to the twins." Cassie told her, setting her boots and jacket by the door.

"It's okay," Abigail replied, pouring water into the teapot. "I told them where you were going to be and that we were having a special sleepover tonight."

Cassie couldn't help but smile. It didn't seem to be just Sam's heart that the twins were melting.

"I still should probably..."

"Go," Abigail practically hissed. "And don't forget the flowers."

"Yes, ma'am," Cassie replied, collecting everything she needed. Why was she hesitating? "If you need me for anything at all, I'll just be next door and I have my cell with me."

"Just go," Abigail was following her to the door now, and Cassie felt that if she slowed her pace even slightly, her cousin would physically drag her to Sam's front door. The absurdity of the thought made her laugh. "Have a wonderful night!"

Cassie pulled on her boots and jacket Even though she was only going next door, the autumn evenings had started getting chillier. She waved to Abigail before stepping out into the cold air.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

It was the last thing Cassie heard before the door closed.

Well, she thought as she made her way to Sam's front door, the porch light glowing like a welcoming beacon, that certainly gave her plenty of options.