Pulling up beside Gus's diner, her heart pounded when she caught a glimpse of his dark hair through the window. Sweat poured off her hands, and she wiped them on a clean napkin in the cup holder. Her chest tightening, she watched him as he sat in 'their' booth, his shoulders slumped, his dark hair hanging in his eyes, as his hand swirled his coffee cup while his head hung down.

He looked sad and his body language gave her courage.

Putting the car in park, she shut off the engine, took a deep breath and threw the door open, slamming it behind her. All those years ago came flying back as she rushed toward the diner, only to freeze in her tracks, like a deer in the headlights, as he glanced up to do a double take, clear shock on his face as he stared at her, like he'd imagined her or seen a ghost.

Finding his surprised eyes, she experienced the sweet rush, the instant free fall of her stomach, the tingle of her skin, the being alive feeling only Sam gave her. She shrugged and held her hands palm up to him as she rushed and her tears hit, and she covered her mouth with her hand to hold back the sobs.

But the dam broke and the tears came, along with the shakes as she looked at him.

He fumbled and almost dropped his coffee cup. Recovering, he slammed the cup down and jumped up and ran out the door sweeping her into his strong arms and pressing her against his broad chest, hugging her tight. "Shh . . . don't cry, Jennie. Please don't cry. What happened? Don't tell me that bastard left you at the altar? I'll teach him some manners."

"No, you idiot." He smelled spicy, like home cooking, only yummier, as she pulled back to frame his scruffy face with her hands, her thumbs rubbing across his firm jaw and his soft scruff tickled. "Sam, listen, I left him. I gave him his ring back. I'm not marrying him."

"You did what?" His voice broke and he swallowed hard. "Why? But he's perfect for you. Smart, driven, has old money and is going places. I thought you loved him. You deserve that kind of life."

"No, I don't. Dylan fit my perfect picture of a husband I had in my mind. You know the Prince Charming one? But I figured out instead I have to know."

"Know what? You're not making any sense."

"No, this makes perfect sense." She pulled his head down and went up on her toes and found his lips, kissing him.

He hesitated in the beginning even pulled back, but she crushed herself against him and pulled him back down and his mouth opened, unleashing a hunger she'd never experienced in a man. Following his lead, she opened her mouth as their tongues battled and their teeth clashed, while her hands released his face, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Her stomach bottomed out, everything tingled, her toes curled and the rush, God, the sweet rush. She leaned back, her arms still wrapped around his neck when he pulled back, his eyes wild, both of them breathing hard. She grinned. "Now that's what I'm talking about. You're like kissing lightening. You make me feel alive. I want to feel alive. Understand?"

"I am? No, I don't understand at all. But that's okay." He swallowed hard and wrapped his arms around her waist, his eyes eating her up. "Wow, Jennie, you . . . you kissed me?"

"Yeah, I did and you taste like whiskey. It's early afternoon. When did you start drinking whiskey in the afternoon?"

His sky blue eyes crinkled, and lightning leapt between them as he took her hand and squeezed softly. "Today."

Her chest hurt. "Why?"

He hesitated, breaking eye contact. Ducking his head, he released her and took a step back.

"Oh, no you don't. Tell me, Sam. We've wasted a lot of time dancing around each other all these years. Tell me. Be honest for once."

"This will chance everything. You know that don't you. There'll be no going back if I tell you."

"Sam, I see fireworks when you kiss me. It's too late to turn back now. I never want to go back. Now tell me why you're drinking whiskey."

"Because you were getting married, damn it, and I couldn't keep thinking about giving you up."

She tipped his head up and looked deep in his eyes, and the rush overpowered her, and she relished the feeling.

"Is that why you left my wedding?"

His glaze intensified. "I couldn't watch you marry him. If I stayed I think I would have asked you to choose. I would have ruined your wedding."

"Well, no worries, that was my job. Why didn't you tell me how you felt?"

"Jennie, it's your wedding day. Telling you could have messed everything up. Your wedding, our friendship. I could have lost you completely."

"Never."

"You're wrong, what if I'd found you and you didn't want to hear I'm a damn fool who's waited too long to tell you I how much care about you? What if you didn't care that I am dying inside because you didn't want to marry me?"

"Sam."

"No, you chose him over me. You didn't even talk to me at your wedding shower."

"That's not true." He glared at her. "Okay it is. But I waved at you."

"Thanks for the bone. But how was I to know you wanted me to ruin your perfect wedding from a nod? All I could think was what happens to us if I ruin everything and you didn't want me to? What happens when you're married and I have nothing, not even your friendship?"

"But then you wrapped your present in tie die? Talk about a blinking neon sign. You remembered."

"A guy not likely to forget a tie die shirt with his name on it, worn by the women he's crushed on his entire life. You wouldn't believe how many times I've thought about you, dreamed of you in that sexy shirt. But how did you know? I didn't put my name on it."

Her heart flipped over in her chest and her chest hurt. "Who else would wrap my present in tie die? I was standing on the baloney. I watched you put your present on the table, then you looked at our picture, right before you left my wedding." She poked him in the chest with her index finger.

He looked down at his shoes then found her eyes and grinned that grin of his. "I told why I couldn't stay."

Oh, yeah, she embraced the flash of passion, of living life, of the rush at it arrived and bottomed out her stomach and eased the pain in her chest. She lay her hand on his beating heart. "Well, maybe, you should have told me years ago instead of running. Maybe, I've waited a lifetime to hear you say those words. What do you think of that?"

"I don't know. All I know is I want you to be happy, and Dylan seemed to make you happy."

"But I don't love Dylan."

"You don't?"

"No, because I love you, Sam. Do you hear me? I love you. And not like a sister either."

His eyes wide, he looked very serious now and disbelieving. "You mean that?"

"Sam, I exploded my own perfect wedding. I left my groom at the altar while everyone recorded it with their phones. I embarrassed and upset a lot of people when I gave him back his ring right after refusing to say my vows, which by the way is probably already on YouTube." Now she was doing the air quote thing. "And then I had to borrow a car to chase after you. I'd say I seriously mean that. You're the one, Sam. Get it. Own it. Because you're never going to know what hit you. And I'm not going away."

He grinned and the butterflies made extra trips around her stomach, and she loved him for it.

"Hey, you still wanna get married? Not to him." His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. "To me, crap, now I'm the one not making any sense."

She nodded, her throat full as tears threatened again. "Only if you ask me."

"Do you want the down on one knee thing? I'm willing if you want me to."

A small sob escaped. "No, I've been there, done that. I want the 'you thing.' Give me your best shot."

He wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "Jennie, my sweet Jennie, I've loved you my entire life. I watched you drag your stuffed animals down the stairs and play wedding for years." His hands tucked her frizzy hair behind her ears, smoothing her cheeks.

"Go on." Her tears kept coming.

"I'm an idiot who barely survived Jim Taylor breaking up our almost kiss all those years ago, and I convinced myself you only wanted to be friends."

"Yeah, the 'friend zone.' I hate the 'friend zone.'" She sobbed.

"It'd help me here if you'd stop crying."

"I can't. They're happy tears."

"They don't look happy to me."

"I'm happy. Go on."

"Today, I realized I couldn't watch you marry another man." He swallowed several times and his hands encircled her neck. "Damn it, I love you, Jennie, and I wanted to tell you, to tell everyone. I wanted to tell you during the wedding shower. I wanted to jerk you out of his arms. I needed to get it off my chest. I wanted you to marry me." He released her to poked himself in the chest. "Me, Jennie, I want you to marry me."

"YES! I thought you'd never ask." She smiled through her tears.

"Thank God." His hands framed her face, and slowly, warily he found her mouth. At his first touch, she found he was what she'd been missing from her life as her emotions punched hard.

Her heart sped up, her stomach dropped. Free falling, she rushed and from the way he kissed her, the way he plastered her against him, he rushed too.

Cars and trucks pulled into the parking lot. Gravel crunched and doors slammed but his kiss occupied her mind, and she didn't care who watched.

She'd found her Sam.

People poured out into the parking lot, and she tried to break off the kiss, but he kept kissing her as people hooted and hollered and clapped their hands.

She came up for air to find the growing crowd snapping pictures and taking video and rooting them on.

And Sam grinned at them. "Mine," he growled like a caveman and kissed her senseless in front of them again.

People clapped, yelled and came over to congratulate them both and her tears dried. Friends from school wished them well. She shook hands with people from the grocery store and the superstore. People she'd never met stopped by and wished them well. Her chest filled with a bubble of happiness as people patted them on the back, hugged them and whispered advice about couples taking time for each other, happy endings, and joked about babies coming soon as each them wished them well.

Finally, Sam grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the crowd waving. "We'll see ya'll later. Thanks." He opened the door to his older pickup truck and she climbed in. He closed her door behind her and she shivered.

Climbing in the truck, he noticed. "You're cold."

"Maybe a little."

"You're shivering. Here." He shrugged off his black jacket and placed it over her shoulders, engulfing her with his scent and his warmth.

"Better?" He cranked the truck. "We'll have heat in a few minutes."

She took his hand. "I've known all day something was missing."

"Did you figure it out?" He grinned at her.

"Yeah, Sam. It's you in my life."

He looked out the windshield, his face grim. "Hey, I know this is crazy but you're in the dress, I'm in this stupid suit, so do you wanna get married?"

"Today? Now?"

"Yeah." His knuckles turned white on the steering wheel.

"But the dress? It's . . ."

"It's perfect. You're a knockout in it." He grinned and she almost melted as he tilted his head. "I can't wait to take it off you." He wagged his eyebrows at her and she blushed.

"Wait, we can't get married. We don't have rings."

His knuckles traced her cheek to her lips and she sighed.

"Babe, we'll buy them tomorrow, along with the license. I only need you, Jennie. I only need to know that you choose me." He rubbed his fingertips across her lips.

"Awe, Sam. You know I do." She laced her fingers with his other hand and like that one time in the diner, their hands fit perfectly.

"Then the rest will come." He winked at her and her girl parts woke up. "So you wanna get married?"

"Yeah, I do." She nodded.

Her Sam grinned then released her hand to lay on the horn. Rolling down the window, he waved his hands. "We're getting married. Ya'll, come on!"

More hooting and hollering from the crowd, and he turned and looked into her eyes and her world stabilized. And, oh, yeah, she knew their lives would have its ups and downs but life would be a good ride, the very best.

Now she just needed to finish getting through today.