June 12, 2023 (continued)
After a late lunch, Sam drove the six of them to a local photography studio. Though he hadn't accounted for his brother and sister's arrival, he was glad to have them included in his second surprise for Mercedes—a family photo shoot. For over an hour, a variety of group photos were taken an almost every one of them included Dante and Ariesa. Sam and Mercedes took a few couples' photos, as well as photos of them with their kids, but the rest of the photos included everyone.
When they finished, all of them made a brief stop to Sam and Mercedes' condo. While Stevie and Stacy watched their niece and nephew in the living room, Mercedes told Sam that the second surprise she had for them required he pack an overnight bag. He listened and set his packed bag on the bed beside him while tying the boots to his Doc Martens. The entire day, he had been wearing a nice pair of denim pants and a fitted white v-neck; he added a black leather jacket, picked up his bag and got up to wait in the living room with his children and siblings, but stopped when he heard the bathroom door open.
His gaze locked on Mercedes and her new outfit—black skinny jeans and a white corset top that was only slightly covered by a black leather jacket with ruched three quarter-length sleeves. He watched Mercedes walk across the sea of rose petals with that confident strut that made him lick his lips while he looked her up and down. For a second, Sam channeled Scooby Doo and muttered, "Ruh-oh!"
Mercedes laughed and playfully pushed at his chest, "I'm glad you like it." After a quick peck on his lips, she added, "You don't look so bad yourself."
"Shucks, Baby. You're gonna turn me all sorts 'a red."
She giggled softly at him again and then grabbed her bag and purse. Together, she and Sam headed back out with their siblings and children.
"Do I get to guess where we're going this time?" asked a hopeful Sam.
"Definitely not," Mercedes replied without a moment's hesitation. Once again, he didn't have to wait very long to find out, because they were soon pulling up to the Beverly Hills Hotel. Stacy and Mercedes took the babies out of the car while Sam and Stevie took care of all the bags and the twins' pack 'n play. The valet drove their car to the hotel's lot and as soon as it pulled away, the six were momentarily stopped by the paparazzi.
"Mercedes! Sam! Can we have a moment?"
"Happy Anniversary you two?"
"Spending your anniversary with your family? That's sweet!"
"What are your plans for the evening?"
"Who's this with you?"
"These are your brother and sister, right Sam?"
They fired one question after another and initially none of them gave an answer, but the incessant flashing of lights startled Ariesa to tears. Mercedes held her protectively in her arms while an agitated Sam told the group of photographers, "Come on, guys—lay off."
"Just answer us this—what have you two done for your first anniversary?"
"What are your names, kids?" one asked, moving in on Stevie and Stacy. Stevie took a guarded stance in front of his sister and nephew while Sam angrily ushered them all towards the lobby doors.
"Back off!" he barked, losing his patience quickly.
"Whoa, Hot Head Evans! Come on, give us a family photo op!"
"Not likely," spat Mercedes.
Finally, the six reached the hotel entrance, thankful that the paparazzi weren't allowed inside. Mercedes let out a sigh while both of her children wailed from the assault. She tried to calm Ariesa down but her eyes glanced up at Sam and she frowned. In a matter of seconds, his excitement from the day had been wiped clean off his face and replaced with a deeply aggravated expression.
Mercedes stood in front of him and reached up to cup his cheek, "Hey." She could feel the tense lock on his jaw against her fingertips.
Sam turned his head and looked down at her with an intense gaze. "Are you alright."
"I'm fine. Are you alright?"
He gave one sharp nod and muttered, "I just hate how inconsiderate they are, and it's so hard not to bust their jaws for it—teach them a lesson."
"Well as much as I agree with you, I'm glad you didn't." Ariesa and Dante were still fussing, but Mercedes could hear Stevie and Stacy working together to calm down Dante. Thinking quickly, Mercedes asked Sam, "Can you hold her while I get us all checked in?"
Sam nodded again, still looking irate; he set their bags down at his feet and reached for his daughter. Mercedes handed her over, knowing how irresistible the twins were to him. She checked them all in at the front desk—having made reservations well in advance—and took the room keys with her back to her family. Her lips curled up, seeing Sam smile again; when she got close enough, she heard him spouting threats to the paparazzi in the friendliest tone he possessed. While his words were nonsensical to Ariesa, she was smiling and occasionally giggling at him.
Mercedes shook her head, "You're ridiculous."
"And you love me anyway," replied Sam with a smirk. Mercedes picked up the bags but was soon relieved by a bellhop. The six were escorted to the elevator, up several floors and to a room. Mercedes used one of the four keys she was handed and opened the door. It was a decent-sized room and after getting the twins' pack 'n play set up, Mercedes began to give Stevie and Stacy an uninterrupted rundown on their sleeping habits, as well as need-to-know information. She finished by saying, "Order whatever you guys want and if you need anything, we'll have our phones but you know where we'll be at."
She winked and Stacy grinned widely; Stevie smirked at his niece in his arms, but told Mercedes, "Well…at least this will give me practice with baby care."
"Yeah since the last time we saw you hold a baby, you looked scared out of your mind," teased Stacy.
"Well," countered Stevie, "Not all of us practiced parenting with dolls until we were thirteen, Twerp."
Stacy's eyes widened—her cheeks growing red. She huffed and stalked off to check on Dante. All the while, Sam was staring at Mercedes with a confused expression.
"I don't get it…aren't we staying here?"
Mercedes looked at him, "Something like that." Her gaze then went to her siblings-in-law, "See you guys tomorrow."
After scooping up hers and Sam's bags with a knowing smile, she sauntered out of the room. Sam followed.
They got back on the elevator until they were at the top floor—made up entirely of larger suites. She swiped the key and let them inside. The room had a gold theme, from ceiling-to-floor; a brass cart stood in the center of the main room with something on the top that Sam couldn't see from the front door. He started to wander towards it but Mercedes stopped him with a hand on his chest.
"Why don't you put our things in the bedroom? I just need to do one thing and then everything will be ready. But stay out of my bag!"
Sam's brows rose curiously but her obeyed while she fiddled with her cell phone. She found the playlist she had assembled, set it to 'shuffle' and set the phone down over on the brass tray.
It was just in time for Sam's return because the sound of Heatwave's "Always & Forever" started playing softly in the common room space. Sam smiled at his wife's open arms and he neared her until he could pull her close for a slow dance. For a moment, his eyes looked to the cart and he finally saw its content: a plate of white chocolate-dipped strawberries and a chilled bottle of chardonnay. A small card from the hotel simply read, "Happy Anniversary Mr. & Mrs. Evans."
Sam kissed the top of Mercedes' head and listened to her softly hum along to the sweet love song. The entire playlist consisted of ballads from their wedding day, and then some.
While the playlist progressed and played Luther Vandross' "Here and Now", Mercedes looked up to tell Sam, "I love you, Sam Evans."
"I love you too, Benz Evans." He grinned softly and added, "Until the end."
Her rich chocolate hues were still looking up in his jade pair, "There was something else I wanted to give you for our anniversary."
"Oh?" He fought a smirk and lost, "It's not in your bag, is it?"
"No," she replied through soft giggles. "The stuff in my bag's the alternative gift for tonight."
"Ah, well in that case, let me thank you now."
"You don't want to know what the other gift was gonna be?"
"Of course I do," he mumbled while kissing her neck now.
"A house."
She felt Sam's grazing lips halt, and then his head rose again. "A house?"
Mercedes smiled sheepishly, "Well...yeah. A ranch house." She watched the confused creases on Sam's forehead deepen, and she went on to explain. "It's just that…well we know we can't raise the kids in the condo—they can't share a room for forever, and I don't want you to have to give up your office. But I don't like us not having room for our family and friends when they come to visit. But my biggest reason for wanting this for you and our family is…"
She bit her lip while Sam patiently waited for her to continue. One of her hands slipped from around his torso so she could press her fingertips to the side of his face, "I watch and listen to you tell Ariesa and Dante about your childhood, growing up in Tennessee with the animals and the open space…you always get this smile on your face when you talk about it and it always makes me want that for them."
Sam's features smoothed out; his cheeks turned a faint pink and he asked, "So you want to move to a ranch?"
"Well not tomorrow." She got a soft chuckle from him with that, "But…someday, yes."
"When the time's right," Sam thought aloud. He glanced down at met Mercedes' contagious smile with one of his own. "You know, there aren't a lot of properties like that in LA."
"Well…I love California, and being down here's convenient for our jobs and all, but who says we have to stay in LA?"
Leave me love please! I'm very grateful for reviews. Only 1 more chapter after this before I bring "Flash Forward" to a conclusion. I hope you all have been enjoying this jump to Sam & Mercedes' future together. :)