A Country Thing
Sam Evans was a big name on the Country music scene, after leaving school he'd done a few things Modelling, Teaching, Films, Fishing and finally settled with his music, the one constant in his life. His parents had been killed in a house fire along with his older brother, they'd thrown him out to neighbours who stood helplessly watching the place burn, he was only 3 years old at the time and remembered nothing just listened to the gossip around town. They were allegedly good people and, on the back of that, Sam never had a shortage of places to stay, he was brought up by his Grandparents but, coping with a rebellious teenager became onerous and the village became his parents.
At the age of 19 he'd finally met up with Noah Puckerman a guitarist who played sometimes with a well-known group Sam followed and became less interested in fishing and more interested in this guitar thing, he'd inherited the guitar from his Father, although technically, his Father had left it at his Grandparents house because he was fed up with it. So in his quest for stardom Sam had dabbled with alcohol, drugs and even slept with a loose woman or two to get his Country on.
When his Grandmother passed he went back to fishing almost full time spending most his waking hours with his Granddad, who constantly shouted at him for frightening the fish off with his guitar playing at the riverside. Sadly 10 months after the loss of his Grandmother his Grandfather fell asleep and never woke up the next morning, Sam was ready for it but not ready, he went into meltdown and sat with his guitar in their room for days playing green sleeves for his grandparents.
One the rare days while he was cleaning the kitchen he heard a song by Noah and got so excited he called him to say congratulations "Come down and jam with us" Noah invited him
"I will I've got some stuff to do here but as soon as I'm done I'll call you and we can hook up" Sam replied ending the call not long after
So three weeks after that call Sam was on his way back to Nashville having sold the big house, inherited everything from his grandparents and made some solid investments according to his Grandparents lawyer
Five years later and Sam was making it in the business himself, he'd got a flare for writing songs and the first 6 he wrote were taken up by record labels and made it big for some high profile singers, he done some vocal training and was confident his voice could help him get to where he might feel comfortable being. If he was honest with himself, not having any family in the world made him crave for genuine people to be close to him, like his Granddad, Noah had understood this as he himself didn't suffer fools
Sam had his share of heartbreak too, along the way he'd been seen with various girls some popular and some not so, those that didn't leave him for a more popular guy left him for fame, fortune or bigger dick. After losing Meraid the love of his life he went low, they'd been together for 18 months and he really thought this was it, then she announced she didn't love him and was fed up with the lifestyle and left for Brett, his supporting act lead singer. A few nights he'd actually paid for sex not wanting the feelings, complications or communication to be honest but after the third time he knocked it on the head and decided that wasn't his thing.
As he walked up the aisle to claim his Entertainer of the Year award at the annual CMA he couldn't help but feel sad for his family not being there; all the friends he had made, and there were some great friends, didn't measure up to the feel of his Granddad patting him on the back with his well done
"Thank you everyone who voted for me" he said smiling as he held up the award "thank you to the producers, band, fans, God and everyone" he said getting emotional "I have to thank Noah Puckerman for getting me exposure and he's no longer with us but my Grandfather for giving me my Dad's guitar back then" he said looking up to the sky "Mom, Dad, Mark, Grandma, Granddad this is for you" he said holding the award up in the air before he left the stage
"Sam" a celebrity shouted him from the row across from his as he arrived back at his seat "Phone me" she said making the action with her hand, Sam smiled and nodded thinking 'No fucking way'. At the end of the night Sam went back to his bachelor pad and went to sleep, the next day he'd be travelling because he was playing at a gig in Florida and he needed to be alert for it
He was woken up the next morning by Noah's call "Dude I'm sorry but I can't do this one, She's pregnant and we've got to go tell the parents and stuff, your flying solo sorry" he said clipping the phone down before Sam could say anything
Rolling his eyes as he threw the covers off him he got up with a force, this was going to be his first lone gig, he always performed alone but Noah was always around and if he wasn't, there was some girl but this time he had neither "Ok Evans this is what Grandad was on about he's here" he said remembering him saying he'd be the little 'go on' on his shoulder. He got up washed, dressed and had breakfast before leaving for Florida thinking he'd get some spare time before the show
One hotel room was much the same as any other and he could have been anywhere in the world when he finally shut the door to his apartment "My life is shit" he sat saying "Where are all these girls that those guys sing about" he said to himself as he finished his hot drink and went to bed, no time for fooling around anyway he had his gig tomorrow night.
The next day he decided to go see a bit of the tourist sites in the afternoon save sitting alone and anyway someone might recognise him and he could get laid "Whhoo Pizza" he said as the smell wafted past his nose as he walked, he doubled back and went into the shop to buy one
"Hold up a minute" the voice said as they disappeared to the back of the shop, leaving Sam thinking how rude as the person came back out without their overall "Sorry Sir I've just finished but my colleague is on the way out and will serve you shortly" the Asian looking guy said as he walked past Sam pleasant enough making Sam nod in acknowledgement as he watched the guy leave
"Sir can I help you?" he heard making his head spin back round to pay attention to the Jewish looking assistant
"Eight slice Meat Feast Pizza please with extra Meat, stuffed crusts and BBQ base" he ordered
"Mercy can you come and do this it's a meat and I'm not touching that stuff" she shouted behind her as two pairs of eyes looked through the door
"Coming" someone shouted
Sam felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up and stood wondering if he should forget the pizza and run or if he was intrigued, his legs decided he was staying. A Chinese looking girl came out from behind the door as Sam looked at her and his heart sank, he didn't understand the feeling but just knew he expected something more "She's broken a nail" the Chinese girl said to the Jewish looking one, as Sam stood smiling at the shoddy service.
"Is someone going to get my order?" he asked smiling
"Ok ok" someone came out the back room saying stopping in her tracks as she saw the man standing at the counter "What" she said staring without words at this handsome, green eyed, big lipped, smirking fine specimen of a man, drooling "Sorry" she said when she caught herself "What was your order?" she finally asked when she composed herself
At the same time Sam was stuck in a zone unable to take his eyes off this thick bodied, big haired, lush lipped, beautiful woman that had just walked into his life. It must have been sometime after she spoke he realised that she had spoken because when he came to all three girls stood looking at him "Sorry" he said looking at this wonder woman
"What was your order?" she repeated
"Eight slice Meat Feast Pizza please with extra Meat, stuffed crusts and BBQ base" he repeated
"My favourite" she said smiling as she went off to get it done
Sam followed her to the other side of the counter without realising it "Do you want to share it with me?" he asked before he could stop himself
"I'd love to but I'm working"
"How, I mean when, do you get off"
"Thirty minutes" she said looking at her mobile with a smile on her face
"Hold on the order and do it later we can eat together I'll wait"
"Oh we can, can we?"
"Sorry will you eat with me?"
"Yes" she said after a long cheeky stare making him smile
Mercy went to the back room to discuss the proposal with her colleagues "He wants me to eat food with him, here" she announced
"That's cool we can chaperone" Rachel replied "He's cute too" she smiled
"Have your break now then" Tina suggested
"Can I?" she asked as Tina and Rachel nodded in agreement
"I'll do that order now my colleagues have agreed to me having an early break save you being hungry" she smiled as she went back and done his order, waited for it and brought it over to his table and put it down
"Please sit" he said showing her the vacant seat "My name's Sam, Sam Evans" he said holding his hand out
"Mercedes Evans I mean Jones, Mercedes Jones" she said as she grabbed hold of his hand "My friends call me Mercy"
"Can I be your friend Mercedes Evans I mean Jones?" he asked through his laugh
"We'll see" she said smiling
"You have a beautiful smile"
"And you can definitely be a friend" she giggled
"So you work here how often?" he asked smiling back at her infectious giggle
"Today's my last day I'm off to University next week"
"Oh yeah what are you studying?"
"Business and The Arts I want to sing" she said proudly
"I'm sure you'll do everything you put your mind to and be good at it too"
"Thank you" she said lifting a slice of Pizza from the table as he followed and did the same
They sat for a full 50 minutes getting to know each other and generally getting relaxed into friendship, food, attraction and thoughts oblivious to the outside world until Tina came to the table "Mercy breaks over"
"Oh sorry T I was just getting engrossed in conversation" she said
"Sorry for keeping you" Sam butted in smiling "Ok not sorry" he said as his top lip curled up and his green eyes sparkled literally making Mercy's heart skip a beat as he smiled
"I'm not sorry either" she smiled back getting up "Do you want the rest to go?" she asked looking at the left over pizza
"Well if you're not going to be here tomorrow yes" he replied getting up to meet her "And can I be cheeky and ask for a kiss as regretfully we're never going to see each other again"
Uncharacteristically Mercy dropped everything and grabbed for him kissing him full on right there in front of God and everyone in the place for the longest time, as she pulled away he grabbed her back and went deeper "Wow" she said as she let his lips go
"That was definitely a first kiss" he said pulling her back in for another "We need a lot more of that don't you think?" he asked once he let her go
"We do but I've got so much planned for my life and a boyfriend just doesn't figure right now" she stressed
"I know what you mean I've been hurt so many times trust is not in my vocabulary right now" he whispered in her ear
"Hey let's leave it to fate" she said
"Yeah I'm alright with that, I think, so we know names and where we are and if we meet again, wherever we meet again, we agree to see where this thing takes us yeah, we definitely connected?" he said
"Yeah, I agree and I'm up for that, I like you Sam your kind" she said kissing him again
"Your kind, cooking me food, giving me kisses we're like an old married couple" he laughed as he hugged her in "Bye Mercy" he said kissing her forehead
"Bye Sam and thanks for dinner"
"Next ones on you" he said waving as he left the shop
"You're on me Sam Evans" she whispered as Rachel called her back to work
Sam went straight to the gig and got caught up in sound testing and other things for the rest of the afternoon as he was sitting in his dressing room, the first opportunity he'd had to think about his lunchtime conversation, which was about 20 minutes before he was due on stage, he realised he'd forgotten to take Mercy's number "Shit" he said looking at his phone, it was 7.10 p.m. and no way was he going to make it back to the shop and be on time for his gig "Pete will you go to a Pizza shop on 2nd & 5th and ask for Mercy and tell her Sam wants her number like now please, or give her mine" he said to his stylist
"I got to be here for the show boss" he said
"You won't be here for anything else if you don't do as I've asked" Sam spat as Pete moved towards the door
"Mercy you say?" he asked
"Yeah and tell her to listen to me on the radio" he added slapping himself for not telling her about him being an accomplished musician or even about his gig. "Truth" he said to himself in the mirror you loved it that someone was into you for you and not for Sam Evans the star, awarding winning and no family having dork, she might just be the real deal Evans "Yep" he said slapping his hands on the dresser as he got up making his way to the stage entrance, waiting for his introduction before walking out on stage to cheers
"Good evening everyone a funny thing happened to me on the way to this gig and I just got to share. I actually met the woman who, if I play my cards right, could be my future wife how about that?" he said as some in the crowd whistled and some booed "You got to follow your heart you all know that" he said waving his finger at the crowd "This one's going out to her wherever she may be in the hope that our paths cross again because she humbled me" he said as he started playing the tune to "Humble and Kind" by Tim McGraw and sung his version
"Thank you Mr McGraw for that beautiful song" he said when he finished before going on to do his night of song and laughter for the crowd for the next 4 hours finally flopping in his chair in the dressing room at nearly midnight. "Pete did you find her?" he asked his eyes closed mainly because he was tired but also praying that he heard the answer he wanted
"No Sam she'd already left, for good apparently, and the boss wouldn't give me her address but a guy called Mike said she was leaving for LA tonight so at this time I think she's already gone"
"So she's in LA and I'm in Nashville" he said content with his lot "I'll find her" he assured Pete
Sam went on for several tours dedicating his version of Mr McGraw's song to the girl he hoped to marry sometimes he'd mention a name, event, food or something trying to get the attention of her again but after nearly 3 months of touring, in hope, Puck finally talked him into giving up and going for Mrs Right Now, or at least he let him believe he'd talked him into that.
6 months later
Luckily Sam had got himself a gig in Belfast and it had run over by 6 nights so Pete had given him a week off, he'd got back to Nashville attended his end of tour thing Puck had set up for him and the flesh had won and he was sitting in his pad with Mel, a nice enough girl but not for him, doing his breakfast.
"What are we doing today" she asked as she pottered about in his kitchen
'We ain't doing nothing, your leaving' he thought already fed up with having to pretend he was interested enough to care about what she wanted "I got nothing planned" he shouted
"I thought we could go chill at the Cave, listen to some random vibes and maybe do a bit of shopping later this afternoon" Mel suggested
"I'm not even into going out right now Mel I've been on tour for 3 months I just want to sit an vegetate but, you go ahead if you need to really, I just need some alone time"
"I'll call Steph see if she's up for it and maybe make a day of it" she decided as she came out of the kitchen with eggs on a plate
'Is that fucking it, twenty minutes in the kitchen you come out with eggs?' he thought "Thanks" he said grabbing the plate and putting it on the table as he sat looking at the less than half done eggs wobbling on the plate "I should have said I'm more a brunch person it's a bit early for me"
'We could go back to bed if it's all too early for you" Mel suggested
"You're not even good at that, what you could do is get the fuck out of my house, life, off my radar' he thought "I think I might…." He got out before his phone rang, and he was grateful for it, he saw Puck's name on his screen and answered "Puck" he said getting up off the couch as Mel sat down "Why what's happened?" he asked "I'm on my way" he said flicking his phone off and grabbing his coat "Well I was going to take you up on that offer" he lied "but plans have changed you need to go" he said as he walked around the flat getting his wallet, pager, guitar and keys. Minutes later they were in the car park Sam kissed her lightly and they parted company. He made his way to the hospital to support Puck as his wife brought their first child into the world a beautiful baby girl, Puck cried several times throughout the process, while Mimi cried the whole time Sam being the only sane person in the party all the way through.
As he watched Puck with his family he wondered how his parents would have felt having him, it wasn't a thought he's had before, he'd never seen a new born baby before and the joy it brought but he knew suddenly he wanted that for himself and suddenly there she was again, in his head, Miss Mercy Jones whom he'd had every conceivable dream about over the past nearly 9 months
"Dude" Puck said once they'd got over the initial shock of being parents "My gig in Mexico, I'm going to have to cancel it unless you can go sing some of my songs and generally just keep them happy, it's just one night take Nell with you"
"One night?" Sam confirmed as Puck nodded "Ok I'll cover" he smiled "If I can do a song at the Christening" he bargained
"Who else that's not even a deal it's a given" Puck laughed
"Who's Nell?" Sam asked
"That girl you're seeing yeah?"
"Oh Mel" Sam corrected laughing "Yeah she's that significant to me too" shaking his head before adding "I don't think, when's the gig?"
"Mrs Right Now remember" Puck said narrowing his eyes "It's tomorrow night at the Gull remember that place?"
"Yep" Sam said raising his eyes at the memory of that random threesome he had "Ok Puck, Mimi I'm out of here" he said kissing Mimi on the cheek, Man hugging Puck and touching the baby's hand gently "Lovely family" he said as he walked out
Puck couldn't help but feel a ping of guilt for flaunting his family in Sam's face knowing he had nobody in the world except them to call that and with all the will in the world this really was a time for just him and his family "I know" Mimi said at the expression on Puck's face "He'll be alright"
By the time he'd left the hospital Sam had already decided to get rid of Mel, she'd been alright at first when all he needed was a distraction but, the conversation was boring, sex was predictable and to be honest she was neither use nor ornament in any area of his life, he could do without her. He made a call on his way back home asking her to meet him there and when he got home he packed himself something for the overnight stay, told her things had come to an end and left for Mexico
The gig didn't go particularly well but he met a random that sort of tagged herself on and came back to Nashville with him, sex was good so he played the game.
2 Years Later
Two years later and Sanja was still sitting in his flat and he really didn't mind having her around. He'd stopped singing his lost her songs and his gigs were more upbeat talking about falling for women and building a life and stuff, and suddenly he'd committed to this girl and dare he say he loved her. They were together everywhere, she was in his music videos, on stage with him, attending events and they were the talk of the Country music world, he was comfortable
They were at the CANNES festival doing a gig, sitting on the grass in the VIP area listening to artists, drinking and having fun, with Puck and the family, when the compare announced Mercedes Jones the new R&B singer was debuting at the festival and was destined to be the next big thing since Fantasia. Sam carried on as if everything was normal after hearing her name but inside he just wanted to run to the stage and grab her off 'what the hell is wrong with me I'm sitting here with Sanja I love her, don't I' he thought 'your infatuated with something you don't even know, you know Sanja deal with this shit' he said forcing himself to stay seated. Then he heard her singing and even Puck stopped for a second and commented on her voice "Her lips are pretty nice too" Sam said out loud before he could stop himself
"Her what?" Sanja asked
"Her accent when she sings you know her lips" he repeated as Puck looked at him suspiciously
"Yeah lips, let's go look" Puck said jumping up and indicating to Sam with his head they were travelling, Sam got up and followed him
"Back in a bit" he quickly said making Sanja know he was leaving her there
"What's going on Dude?" Puck asked as they got out of earshot
"Mercedes Jones you know the girl that's her singing" Sam said his face going red "And Dude I'd forgotten her but I hear her name, her voice and I'm right back there in that Pizza shop and we made a promise to each other and now Sanja's here and shit I don't know"
"Closure, that's what you need"
"I hope so" Sam said as they neared the stage standing there listening to Mercedes singing
"She's a fucking angel" Puck said as he stood listening and looking at her, Sam could only smile because he was so perfectly right as they both stood open mouthed listening to her rendition of 'Speaking in Tongues' by Toni Braxton as he remembered their meeting and all they said with that first kiss "Tongues indeed" he said smiling wider. She went on to sing two more songs ad left the stage as Puck and Sam found their way over to her
"Sam" she said when he appeared in front of her "We meet again, what are you doing here" she said looking around "Looking for me to buy you lunch?" she laughed grabbing his head and kissing him so deep he melted into it grabbing her to him and going in deep "Still connecting" she said when he finally let her up
"Definitely" he said
"Definitely" Puck said as Sam remembered he was standing there with them
"Sorry" he said pulling away from Mercedes "Mercedes this is Puck he's like a brother to me, Puck, Mercedes" he finished as Mercedes shook Pucks hand and said hello
"So I'm buying then?" she asked as Sam stood unable to properly function still in his moment and, not wanting to say what he'd inevitably have to say
"Sorry our families are just over the back" Puck rescued him with, he wanted to shout not family just a girlfriend but thought that sounded even worse
"Families?" she questioned "Sam I'm really sorry for doing that" she said embarrassed "maybe next time we meet I'll have a family and we can lunch or something" she said shaking Pucks hand looking at Sam with sad eyes and walking away.
"Dude why did you tell her I had a family?" Sam asked Puck
"Closure" he replied
"Surely that was my call?" he asked
"You're whipped no way was you going to get closure on that, even I could see that" he laughed nervously
"Well I don't fucking appreciate you tel….."
"What's up?" Sanja asked as she came into earshot of their conversation
"Nothing" Sam said rather sharp before walking away from the two of them
"He'll be alright he's just finding it hard to handle a truth" Puck said laughing it off
Sam found Mercedes doing some sort of interview with a camera crew and stood on the side lines at the back of the crowd not wanting to share the lime light or alert anyone to the fact that they may be connected. About fifteen minutes later she was scooted off by a Blond guy he followed as quickly as he could but they were in the car and gone before he could say hello, she was at the front of his mind again and that kiss reminded him that Sanja was a poor substitute for his reality.
Things became strained between Sanja and him over the next few months and he eventually blamed it on him not wanting the commitment instead of telling the truth which was that he was in love with the possibility of what might never be and they split up. Puck of course called him all sorts of idiot and, if he'd have cared he might have responded but he knew what his heart wanted and, even if it was going to kill him, he was going to try and get it
2 years later
Now he knew Mercy was venturing into the world of pop it was a lot easier for him to keep track of her and he did, he followed her on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and every now and again looked at her Facebook status, had alerts on her shows and had Tony catching up on anything that didn't reach the media. One day he opened his Twitter account to find a follow request from Mercy Jones' Private account, he was elated and accepted immediately sending a message
'I'm not attached have no family Puck was pranking' and felt relief at getting that out she sent back a smiley face with 'ok' attached. Mercy had 3 other people in her private account her parents and what might have been a boyfriend but his name suggested it was her brother and they all said welcome to him via message
'See you've met the family' she wrote with a laughing face 'cry' he sent back 'I have a family' smiling to himself 'I'll send you private account details so you can stop messaging' he wrote 'Ok' she wrote. So soon they had a private conversation going on that her parents were privy to
'I'm on tour until July' she wrote once she set up her private group 'only me and you in this group' she sent with a Sapp request for him to join which he did. They had many conversations via their various secret accounts, over the next year and Puck was still moaning at Sam to find Mrs Right Now which he ignored constantly
Mercy had become a follower of Country music to her friends surprise as Rachel asked her one day why "I'm opening up to new genre" was all she offered. At the last concert they all attended she actually dedicated her version of 'I Wanna be' By Toni Braxton to a special Country man, they assumed it was some random, Mercy hadn't talked about anyone in her life for the past 4 years, since her kiss with some random in the Pizza shop. Sure they watched her closely but nothing, they admitted defeat and eventually took her at her word that she was just becoming interested in Country music.
'Sorry not meeting in Memphis as agreed got gig in Toronto for three nights instead gig fell through' Mercy wrote with a sad face. They had finally found somewhere they were both going to be after over a year of social media talking and now here she was, actually quite upset, that everything had been foiled 'I so wanted to see you' she wrote when nothing came back assuming he was on stage or something 'I feel like your girlfriend standing you up' she wrote and thought for about a second before she pressed send, then panicked but it had gone and she'd have to deal with the aftermath
Sam was following R&B hard specifically the 90s stuff which was Mercy's style it was infectious she'd changed it over the year she'd taken to re-vamping old tunes and more recently he'd heard her mixing in some old Toni Braxton stuff and he was impressed, he sat scanning through some old songs himself excited that this was another form of secret communication they'd found and he was going to use it. So one night on stage he randomly announced his version of 'I met a girl' by William Michael Morgan knowing full well everyone expected hard core, ready to die country but he was singing to his girl
He got off stage and noticed his phone flashing "Message" Puck asked
"Oh I'm following a few artists" he casually said
"What was that last song about?" Puck asked
"Some fun" he laughed walking off to his changing room "Shit" he said when he read her first message "I wanted to see you too" he smiled as he read the second message "Wow girlfriend, yes" he told the phone before doing an air fist punch then sitting down to answer her sapp
About two days later Pete told Sam his gig had been cancelled in Memphis and he was free to do what he wanted for 3 days once they got back, going back to Nashville seemed pointless, he had nothing to go back to right now and he knew Mercy was in Toronto but, what was he going to say to get away? "What am I doing I'm a grown man" he said out loud as Pete and Puck looked at him "I'm going to Toronto" he announced before walking away from the two men looking at him.
He didn't tell Mercy about his days off he wanted to surprise her, he brought a ticket for the first nights gig and booked his hotel, so the following night he took a flight and 5 hours later he was standing in Toronto booking in and getting ready to go see his girl perform on her second night. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up at the thought of meeting back up with Mercy after all this time and the fact that they were both available made anything possible, he was humming as he got ready.
He made his way to the venue brought a drink and took his seat, it felt odd behaving like a fan for a change he actually liked it. He sat through the not so funny compare, supporting artists times three and was almost yarning 2 hours later when they announced a break before the big show, he went to the bathroom before getting himself another drink and got back to his spot just as the curtains opened. He was shocked to see Mercy standing there no introduction just standing there as the room went totally quiet first and then the music started and the crowd went wild, he sat smiling just taking it all in and maybe that was what made her zone in on him, being the only person sitting but she did and she smiled brightly at him as she started singing 'Yesterday' by Trey Songz & Toni Braxton making Sam frown because he thought she was singing to him but, she smiled at him some way through and he smiled back. He didn't know if he was comfortable with the guys slow dancing around her and this random that was singing the song with her but, he knew it was one of her best crowd pleasers so she had to work it. Her show was nearly three hours long with a 15 minute break and in the second half, near the end of her show, she gave him a callout, to which he waved and blew her a kiss.
"Sam" she said when he finally got to her changing room, running to him and hugging him before landing a kiss on him so deep he had to hold onto something to stop himself falling into it, the only thing he found to hold onto was her and yep he fell. "What are you doing here" she said when she let him go
"Gig got cancelled didn't it?" he asked as she nodded "Three days free" he said raising his hands for her to fall back into "Big time getting to know each other coming up don't you think?" he asked
"Very big" she said laughing "I've ordered food" she finally got out before she attached herself again
So they settled in her hotel room and as she said dinner or midnight feast was brought up not long after they arrived as they sat at the table eating, talking and drinking almost like their food date nearly five years ago. "So" Mercy said picking up the last of her pizza slice "We've played at this for nearly what 2 years what do you feel about us going public?" she asked
"Public?" Sam asked nearly chocking on his Pizza
"Is that not where you wanted this to go?" she asked
"Well yeah it is but …"
"But what?" she asked smiling
"Well I was just building up to the mood to have that conversation" he laughed
"I'm still waiting for an answer" she reminded him
"Yeah I've got no problem with that, public as soon as" he replied
"Tomorrow night on my show?" she asked
"I'm going to have to speak to Pete before we do that but yeah"
"Ok I'm going to freshen up" she said leaving the room as Sam sat wondering where he could safely take this "Sam" Mercy shook him out of his thoughts saying "Our kisses are great and I don't know where you are in this but I've been thinking way past a kiss for some time now, I'm not really sure what I'm trying to say here but I know I've gone past the like stage" she informed him
"I think it's safe to say I'm past that too" he smiled "But I'm not playing at this, whatever it is, it's the real deal for me"
"Real deal?" she asked as he got up to meet her pulled her in and they enjoyed the longest deepest kiss before pulling away to get breath as they stared into each other's eyes for a seductive while before grabbing each other's lips again as Sam dropped back into the couch bringing Mercy with him
"Are you sure about this, Is this what you want?" he asked holding her face with his one hand, pushing her a short distance away from him to see her face, as her hands wondered over his body, telling him she wanted more
"What I want is for you not to ask me that questions again" she said grabbing his mouth again
Sam's mind was like an animal let loose but his movement was slow an attentive he was being tender and taking in her movements, sounds, and likes wondering to himself what was happening for him right now. He'd had sex with so many random girls he was sure he'd done everything there was to do, now here he was feeling different like someone else's happiness mattered more than his, like it didn't matter if his body didn't get release he was being totally unselfish. He started to think maybe he couldn't perform but Mercy was touching his body and he was responding to every touch he felt free, powerful, loved even "Are you ok?" he asked as he kissed down her body making it clear where he was going as he got there and eased off her PJ bottoms and underwear undone the buttons on her top and helped her out of it so now she was naked on the couch. She sat up and pulled his top over his head kissing him as his head became free and holding onto his lips and she freed him of his other garments before laying back down. Sam went back to where he'd intended before she removed his clothes smiling when he heard her voice hitch at the contact "Sweet" he said looking at her for a split second before going back down to bring her to peak
Mercy wasted only seconds before she flipped things over and was on top of Sam giving him pleasure as he made his noises, movements and likes Sam looked at her at one point and knew she was watching him intently making him smile at the similarities between them "I'm gonna cum Mercy" he said making her look at him but she didn't stop her actions as he grabbed her head and thrust it down as far as he could as he exploded making her smile.
"I've got to go to the bathroom" she said as Sam followed her to get cleaned up
"Are you ok?" he asked as they cleaned up
"Yeah I'm fine" she answered
Sam thought something was wrong and hoped once they were back on the couch she'd talk about it "Was that what you expected it to be?" he asked
"God yes" she said falling into him on the couch "I need more" she said smiling "Do you think I'm too forward?" she asked
"No I like that you know what you want" he said kissing her forehead as they started kissing again for the longest time as Sam went down on her again almost peaking her before he sat up and put her to straggle him "Are you ready for this?" he asked
"Yes" she said weakly
"We can stop any time" he said
"No I'm fine" she said as he pulled her on top of him, she didn't go down straight away making him look at her
"Sam I'm…."
"Mercy you're a virgin" he said pulling her off him "Why didn't you say?" he asked
"I don't know I thought you'd see me as untouchable I suppose" she laughed nervously
"Are you sure you want to do this, with me I mean?" he asked
"Sam I love you I have for a while now and yes I want my first time to be with you" she said
Sam brought her to her bedroom, grabbed her mouth and again touched her body, sucked her body, played with her body and got her to almost peak before he climbed on top of her and took her virginity as she cried underneath him hugging him and returning his kisses, as he told her she was alright. Afterwards she lay in his arms for a while before he got up and ran her a bath and sat with her while she soaked for a while before going back to bed and falling asleep. Mercy woke him up the following morning, apparently she'd become an overnight addict and he had become her dealer.
"I'm never letting you go" he said as they flopped on the bed for the third time that morning
"Please don't" she laughed "I heard you singing one of those crazy love tunes on your show it was only a clip on the TV saying you'd gone over is that true?" she asked still laughing
"I've gone over you" he laughed "I sang Country, I can't believe they took that love song seriously I was actually singing to you" he stated
"I know the clue was in the, I met a girl" she laughed
"You laughing at me" he said grabbing her and tickling her "You wanna be what, my girlfriend?" he laughed tickling her still
"Yes, Yes" she said begging him to stop
"And you what?" he asked
"Ok ok I love you" she said rolling around trying to get way"
"I love you too babe" he said stopping and pulling her in for a kiss "I really do" he said as she kissed him back "Food" he said when she let him up and she agreed as they got dressed, Sam called Pete and then they ventured out as a new couple. Mercy actually introduced him to her audience as her Boyfriend and kissed him on stage before Sam took a seat while she sung to him he hugged her for it and then eventually left the stage to stand at the side and wait for her.
As he stood he reflected on the events of the night before, on the many conversations they'd had, on the feelings he had last night and the fact that he'd told her he loved her and hours later he was still standing there thinking he really did love her and where the hell did that come from. He moved further back away from the stage and called Puck "Dude, where are you?" Puck asked
"Told you I'm in Toronto" he replied
"Sorry I forgot, what the fuck are you doing there?"
"Falling in love"
"With?"
"Mercedes Jones" he said Puck could hear the grin
"Sam" he said almost disappointed
"Listen I needed to ask a question" he quickly said not wanting to hear Puck's negative vibes "Last night I well you know but it felt different, unrushed, tender and Dude I felt every touch and it was all about her you know no self-gratification stuff and well I wondered if you knew, well you know, what's that about" he said almost shyly down the phone "And Dude I used the word, and I mean it"
"I do believe you've found Mrs Forever" Puck laughed
"I was hoping you'd say that" Sam laughed "It just feels so different I knew it had to be the real thing Bro I got to go I'll call soon, how's my family?
"Good everyone is good" Puck said as they had a bit more conversation before closing the call down
"I have a week off after tomorrow night" Mercy announced
"You gonna come to my space? He asked
"Is it safe?" she laughed
"Very" he said not impressed
They spent the next morning together in Toronto and went to Nashville in the afternoon where she met Sam's makeshift family, Mercy remembered Puck and met his daughter Angel who clung to Mercy from the first meeting "You're good people" Mimi said as she watched Angel with Mercy
They took Angle fishing the following day, but Sam done most of that as Mercy and her played at the lakeside and made him put the one fish he caught back in the lake saying he was cruel, they took her to get a burger that was bigger than her face, which she didn't eat and then to the park. After 6 hours Sam claimed to be tired and they headed back to Angel's home where Sam carried a very worn out Angel to bed and got praise from her parents, Mercy laughed as he lapped up the praise that should be hers
"I'll make that up to you" he whispered in her ear as he went to the kitchen to get them drinks
"You will" she laughed
They'd spent most of the next Morning alone, with Sam making that up to Mercy, when Puck called Sam wondering where he was again and invited them for drinks and BBQ
"We're off to Ashland later tonight you want to come?" Puck asked Sam as they sat eating BBQ "You missed 4th July so you should do something with your family" he added before Sam could answer
"It'll be fun taking Angel to the fair" he smiled "Yeah we'll go" he nodded at Mercy. In the early evening they went to the Summerfest listened to some of the live music, went around the park on the amusements, brought some crafts and ate some food before sitting on the grassed area to watch the fireworks
"Let's do an old song Sam" Puck said jumping up Sam hesitated but got up anyway dragging Mercy with him, they got to the stage and Puck produced a Guitar that Sam quickly grabbed announced his song to his girl and they started singing their version of 'Don't Ya' by Brett Eldredge as Mercy and Mimi laughed while Angel clapped and swayed along with a smile on her face as Sam and Puck sung to them all.
"I like it here people let you live" Mercy said as Sam came off stage to kiss her
"We need to go tell your parents and show them my face in the flesh" he replied when he finished the kiss
"Random" Mercy said looking at him for a short while before nodding a yes
"You mean business?" she asked
"We do" he laughed
"We're off to Florida in the morning guys going to meet my new family" Sam announced picking up Angel to carry her she'd been sitting in the stroller for a while
"Good luck with that Mercy Sam gets verbal diarrhoea when he meets new people" Mimi smiled
"Oh he's been talking to them on social network for over two years now their used to him" Mercy stated
"Two years Dude?" Puck asked as Sam smiled at him "So new relationship not so new?"
"Face to face is new, this relationship's been bubbling for nearly 5 years now" Mercy replied kissing Sam at her last word
"Let's get Angel home she's beat" Sam said, smiling at Puck
So they got back to Puck's picked up Sam's car and went home, booked their flights, packed a bag and they were in Florida Keys 4 hours later and 20 minutes after that standing at Mercy's parents front door a lovely green and cream two floor property on Key West very near the Pizza shop he met her in, they said hello to her parents and ordered breakfast before Mercy took him upstairs to her bedroom for them to unpack "There are only three bedrooms so we'll be together" she said all casual like as they mounted the stairs
"What in your parent's house?" Sam asked
"Yeah" she replied not phased as they walked into her room beautifully laid out with a balcony overlooking the pool and extending over the bay "Our bathroom is through there" she said pointing to the door to the left "And that's the closet" she said pointing to the one next to it with a smile on her face
"That is not happening I can tell you that now" he replied smiling back at her "Let's go back down before they suspect" he said grabbing her hand and heading downstairs
"So Sam it's nice to finally meet the man behind the writing" her Dad said as they joined them for breakfast
"It's so nice to finally meet the parents and you home is beautiful" he said looking around the room
"We try and we worked at it, thank you for noticing all our hard work" her Mom replied smiling
"I'm guessing you're here for some serious conversation" her Dad came at him with
"Well I can tell you I love your daughter, I have the best intentions when we feel ready and I'll always treat her with the utmost respect. I hope that does it for now because we haven't really had a conversation beyond knowing we want to make things between us official and, that it's real" he said looking at her smiling "I'm ready for commitment and for how long Mercy's waited for me I'm sort of hoping she's there too" he finished as he kissed her hand he'd been holding all the time
"I like it, I like you Sam and I know Mercy does" her Dad got up saying offering his hand out for Sam to shake
Sam and Mercy went for a long stroll looking around the area went to the lake nearby watching as the fishermen caught and cooked, tasting some of their wares, listened to some roadside music and even had a bit of a dance. Before getting back for a late dinner and some real cool melon for afters, with great conversation before saying goodnight
After that speech went down so well Mercy didn't get her way that night Sam wanted nothing to tarnish his cred with her parents "We'll be in our own bed tomorrow night" he told her when she kept trying to get him started
"I can't believe you're so scared, what can they do anyway?" she whispered
"Kill me, throw me out, hate me, do I need to carry on?"
"Ok I'll let you off this time but, next time gloves off" Mercy laughed
The next morning as they said their goodbyes Sam got a call "It's Pete sorry I have to take this" he said walking away as Mercy explained to her parents who Pete was "Babe I've got a gig this weekend, will you be able to come with me?" he asked
"Depends where is it?"
"Just South Carolina"
"I'd have to be back by Sunday for work" she stated
"It's Friday and Saturday"
"Ok" she said as he kissed her forgetting her parents were standing there
"Thanks babe" he said looking to the side as he remembered "Sorry" he told them as they shook their heads indicating they weren't offended
They got to South Carolina that afternoon spent some time together before meeting Pete and heading to the venue "You ready for your country boy?" Sam asked Mercy
"I'm ready" she smiled
Sam started off his performance with a lively song he dedicated to Mercy, obvious his recent visit to her parents had influenced it as he sung out 'It Feels Good' by Drake White making her laugh in parts. At half time Mercy went back stage for her man "You know things are going to get real serious yeah?" he warned her as she tried to get him to give in again "I only get 10 minutes I can't do you justice in that time" he laughed grabbing her hand to get back to the stage, leaving her at the side to go back on. He played some more songs as people clapped, danced and sang along with him, Mercy watched the crowd feeling proud of him and smiled when he caught her attention.
"This last one is going to be for the love of my life, my girlfriend Mercy Jones" he said holding his hand out towards her for her to go to him as Pete brought her a stool and Sam sat singing his version of 'Are you with Me' by Easton Corbin
"I am" Mercy said pouncing off the stool into his arms, giving him just enough time to move his guitar, as the crowd clapped and cheered.
"I can promise an incredible journey filled with as much love as you can handle" kissing her
"Is this a country thing?" she asked
"What?"
"Kissing girls on stage" she smiled
"It's my thing" he said going back in as the crowd clapped on
THE END