***Thanks for the reviews and thanks for telling me that the wrong story was posted for the last chapter...Fanfic Be Trippn! lol anyway...here's the road trip chapter. Let me know what you think...***

The morning of the trip, Mercedes found herself in her kitchen preparing tuna sandwiches and snacks for their small road trip. Unique had invited herself over to help with packing the night before, which she didn't realize she was going to need till they actually started planning out her outfits. It was shocking to Mercedes that she was so excited about taking this trip with Sam to Tennessee. She had to constantly remind herself that it was not a vacation, which she really needed, but another way for to see another side of Sam. Seeing firsthand why Sam felt so much pressure from his mother was definitely something she needed to see herself.

She gave herself a once over in her full length mirror, admiring how silky smooth her hair was. She decided to flat iron it and allow it to hang loosely over her shoulders instead of rocking her normal bun. Her mauve cashmere sweater dress and black leggings was perfect for the chilly spring weather topping it off with a pair of black ankle high boots that added the right amount of height to complete the look. She finished the look with a couple accessories just as she heard her phone rang.

"Hey Mercedes…it's Sam…" he announced. She walked over to her window and pulled back the curtains and saw him sitting outside her driveway and sighed out loud when she noticed it was pouring like crazy. "I'm sorry, were you expecting someone else?" he asked after hearing her sigh.

"No Sam…I have caller ID and saw it was you…I just didn't know it was raining like this and I wasted time doing my hair." She replied as she walked over to her closet and pulled out a crochet beret and placed it on her head and then grabbing her umbrella and coat.

"Oh…well I am outside! Do you need any help?" he asked. She sighed as she made her way down the stairs thinking about how they went back in forth on her decision of giving him her address. She wanted to just meet up at his place but he insisted that he picked her up because it would be pointless since Mercedes lived near the highway.

"Nope I am on my way out right now!" she stated as she grabbed the cooler she had their snacks packed in and placed it on top of the luggage she was traveling with and then struggled with the umbrella. She opened the door in shock to see Sam standing at the door with a smile on his face. He looked so relaxed in his teal colored Henley and jeans as he held his umbrella in one hand.

"Wow…you look…your hair is…" he stated going for her luggage and moving aside so that she could step out and open her umbrella.

"Yeah…wait till it poofs out! I should have just placed it in a bun like I usually do!" she complained as she locked her door and followed him to the car. He opened the door for her and tried not to ogle her butt as she hopped in. He shook his head and took a deep breath as he lifted her luggage and the cooler into the backseat before going around and hopping in the driver's seat.

"Alright…here we go!" he stated smiling over at her. "Before I hit this road I just want to tell you how much this means to me! You're going to make my mother a very happy woman in a few hours." He smiled widely as he cut the engine on and began to back out of the driveway. Mercedes looked over at him and rolled her eyes before reaching back for the cooler.

"I still think this is a bad idea but let's go ahead and hit the road." She replied forcing a smile over at him as she slid open the cooler. "I made some snacks for the road. I haven't eaten all day getting ready for this trip, so I hope you don't mind me pigging out next to you." Sam looked over as she pulled out a sandwich and some snacks.

"Anything in there for me?" he asked stealing glances as he drove. "I haven't eaten either!"

"Yup…you aren't allergic to anything are you?" she asked looking over at him as he shook his head. She pulled out another sandwich and drink before closing the cooler and placing it in the back. "Cool than tuna it is!"

"Tuna?" Sam asked scrunching his nose and frowning. "So I'm guessing you don't plan on kissing me in front of my mother to seal the deal?" he asked and chuckled as she glared at him. "What?"

"Remember the rules!" she reminded him as she placed the sandwich on his lap and then took a bite out of hers.

"You said no bumping uglies! Last I checked you were beautiful and I am not that bad in the face myself! If we kiss that would not be bumping uglies!"

"Sam!" she couldn't hide the blush that flushed her face when he said she was beautiful but she was not going to make matters worse by kissing her patient.

"I'm just saying!" he laughed and tried to drive with one hand and open the sandwich bag without killing them both. Mercedes sighed and grabbed the sandwich from him and opened it before bringing it towards his mouth for him to bite. "Thanks!" he smiled before taking a big bite and almost biting her hand in the process. "Mmmm this is good!"

"Watch it, greedy!" she swatted him playfully as he moved out of her reach and looked at her smiling hard. "So what's our story? What are you going to tell your mother if she has questions about how we meet? If we're going to do this we will need to plan this out right!" she asked taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"Uhhhh…I didn't really think about that honestly." He replied after swallowing and continuing to drive as the rain began to trickle down.

"Well let's think about it now!" she stated reaching over and allowing him to take another bite of the sandwich. This time in order to avoid being bitten she moved her hand a bit too quick and a bit of the tuna spilled onto her fingers. Sam without thinking licked her finger. Mercedes paused as she felt his warm tongue lick up the tuna excess off her finger. Sam had to shift in his seat as he felt another urge coming over him. "Umm…well…how about we try to think of how we met." She stated as she pulled her hand back and wiped it with a napkin.

"Yeah…we can say we met at a park or something and that we have been only seeing each other a couple of weeks."

"Cool…that will work just fine…tell me about your family. What should I expect?" she asked turning herself to face him as she sipped on a Capri sun. She handed him one after she placed the straw in it for him and waited on him to reply.

"Well…my mom I guess…is sweet and funny. She may pull you in for a hug when she meets you…don't be alarmed that's just how she is with everyone." He stated smiling as he spoke of his mother. Mercedes could see how happy he got whenever he spoke of her. "My dad is pretty chill and has often tried to seem younger than he is by trying to be hip." He looked over at Mercedes again and smiled. "It's really funny."

"What about your siblings?"

"Stevie is I guess the black sheep…he was always getting in trouble back when he was younger. Stacy is daddy's girl and has always been well behaved. My mom is pretty laid back with them, she puts most of the pressure on me because she still babies them and feels since I am the oldest I should have my life set already."

"How does that make you feel?" she asked. He looked over at Mercedes and noticed her taking notes and frowned.

"Really?"

"What? I told you that I would be observing you and your family during the trip." She replied jotting down a couple notes anyway. "So…how does that make you feel?"

"Well, you can already see what I am doing just to keep her happy. I don't know what else to say." He said staring straight at the road. Mercedes noticed his smile had long since faded away. She shook her head and placed the notepad back in her purse.

"Well since you don't wanna talk about it, I will just watch and learn." She pulled one leg over the other and then placed her hands in between her legs before laying her down on the headrest. "Wake me when we get there!" she stated closing her eyes. Sam looked over at her, noticing how her hands were tucked nice and snug between her legs. He kept looking at the road and then over at her thighs wishing it was his hands that were tucked there instead. He needed to pull over at the next rest stop to take some of the medication she prescribed to help with his urges. Sensing they were pulling over she woke up and stretched in her seat looking out the window and then back at him. "Good idea…I need to use the ladies room." She smiled jumping out. He took a deep breath as he watched her walk away, her hips swaying with each step she took she made her way inside the rest stop. He turned off the ignition before getting out and joining her as well.

"I really hope these pills work."