DISCLAIMER: On First Chapter.
In the next chapter, shit's gonna go DOWN. LOL. You guys might recognize a scene in this chapter. Happy reading! :D
May 20, 2011 (Saturday)
Jones Estate—Entrance Hall
Lima, Ohio
12: 42PM
Since everyone had gone to sleep so late last night—none of them had even stirred until after eleven this morning. Mercedes' mom had prepared a huge meal for them all—and Delia had clearly recognized that her guy friends could eat because she cooked enough for a literal feast.
The sad thing—it was all gone about thirty minutes after they'd sat down at the table; like gone.
There wasn't a food item left on the table once they were finished eating.
The good thing—her mother was crowned top chef of the Glee parents. She'd gotten so many compliments that Mercedes was sure that she'd be glowing from pride for the next year.
It was hilarious. She'd clearly remembered that Rachel was a vegan—Mercedes had told her many times as a reminder. And she'd made a whole meal for her friend—Rachel had been taken aback but grateful. She'd even said, "Thank you."
That was certainly a first. Shocked expressions had spread around the table, and Rachel blushed in response. They'd quickly gone back to eating once Puck stole a biscuit off Finn's plate. Pandemonium had ensued. Nobody took Finn's food.
But now—everyone had cleaned up and brushed their teeth and helped clean up the kitchen; and they were all leaving. Mercedes gave everyone warm hugs, promising them that they'd hang out again soon. The only one she didn't hug was Kurt—she wasn't ready to deal with that right now. She gave him a half-hearted wave though and he left without a word.
Blaine hugged her though—something that surprised her, but she awkwardly hugged him back. He left after telling her goodbye. Quinn was the last one to head out—she was catching a ride home with Santana and Brittany. The blonde left after embracing Mercedes tightly and giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Mercedes closed the door after Santana's tail lights vanished from the end of her driveway and made her way back into the kitchen where her mother and Sam were.
"—don't need to do that, Sam." Her mother was saying as Mercedes walked into the kitchen.
Her boyfriend was carrying a stack of dishes to the sink and getting ready to wash them. "I know, Mrs. Jon—I mean Delia, but I was taught manners and it's rude to eat and then not offer to help clean up."
Mercedes saw her mom began to say something, but Mercedes interrupted. "Give up, mama," she said—drawing their attention to her, "He won't budge on this chivalry thing."
Her mother harrumphed, but she relented.
Mercedes watched in amusement as her mother eyed Sam dubiously and said, "If you can run some hot water and put all the dishes in the sink—you'll have helped enough. I just soak them for a bit and then put them in the dish washer."
Sam still looked hesitant. "Are you sure?" he asked and Delia nodded. Sam quickly did as she asked. He received a hug and a kiss on the forehead from her mother once he finished.
"You're such a sweet boy," Delia told him, "Thank you for your help."
"Anytime," he replied—the smile he shot her mother made Mercedes melt on the inside. Sam was such a charmer.
Sam walked towards Mercedes and offered her a hand.
"Can we go outside and talk for a bit?" he asked softly and she nodded. It seemed that she wasn't getting out of this discussion, after all.
Their fingers entwined and Mercedes led him out of the kitchen and wound her way through the house until they came to the door that opened out to the backyard. Once they moved through it, Sam shut the door with his free hand and they started walking.
May 20, 2011 (Saturday)
Jones Estate-Garden
Lima, Ohio
12: 56PM
Sam stared at Mercedes—and she stared back.
"Will you tell me what happened?" he asked and Mercedes groaned inwardly. She really didn't want to talk about this, but Sam was right—they were in a relationship and it wasn't fair of her to act like she couldn't talk about her issues.
She leaned back against the big evergreen tree and sighed. "Kurt asked me when I was going to tell him about you and me dating."
"How'd he find out?" Sam asked his brow furrowed.
He was sitting in front of her in the grass; his legs spread out in a V as he leaned back on his hands. Mercedes had each of her legs thrown over each of his and they were sitting close enough that Sam's feet were by her hips.
She wasn't quite sure how they'd gotten in this position, but she could stare at Sam in his thin but fitted navy sweater and his light blue jeans. He had on a red baseball cap and Mercedes found it a little bit too attractive for her own good.
"I don't know," she replied, "I didn't even think to ask—I just kind of went straight to anger. I asked him about why he ditched me for Rachel and he told me that that wasn't true."
Just thinking about that made Mercedes roll her eyes in annoyance.
It took awhile for Mercedes to explain the entire argument in detail—Sam kept asking her questions to clarify things and she'd basically recounted word for word what had been said.
When she was done, Sam was quiet. His green eyes studied her intently and Mercedes felt like squirming under his gaze. Sam silently looked at her for about a minute, before he leaned forward and placed his warm hands on her lower leg.
The heat from his palms had Mercedes blushing; especially when he started stroking her shin through the fabric of her gray sweatpants.
"You're gonna get mad at me in a few seconds," Sam told her—making her pay attention to the conversation again instead of the feeling of his hands on her legs and worrying about the fact that she wanted his hands on her bare skin.
She blinked at him in surprise and bit her lip when he gave her a serious look.
"Cede, Kurt was wrong to ignore you like he did," Sam said, "And he was wrong to come up to you and demand information without apologizing."
Mercedes nodded—she knew that already.
"But you were wrong too."
"Excuse me?" she asked in shock—Sam gave her a look and she glared back. "How was I wrong? He's the one who left me in the dust like I meant nothing."
"Let me finish," Sam replied and Mercedes crossed her arms and raised an expectant eyebrow.
"You were wrong because you didn't say anything either," Sam continued, "He can't read minds—and a friendship is like a relationship—just without all the nice kisses and cuddling."
Mercedes didn't want to be amused by that, but it was such a Sam thing to say that she couldn't help it. She was still mad even though he had a good point.
"You can't expect Kurt to know what's wrong if you don't tell him. And to be fair, we were spending a lot of time together too. So it's a bit hypocritical of you to try and accuse Blaine of stealing him away."
"But—"
"Cede," Sam said firmly—the authoritative tone in his voice both aroused her and annoyed her.
She hated that he could be sexy and tell her off at the same time. She hadn't encountered this side of him very often—and when she had; it was only for a minute or two.
"Kurt and Blaine care a lot for each other," he told her, "I can understand why you'd be upset about him not being there as often, but I know I act the same way about you—I've had to force myself to stop thinking about you because I'm spending time with others. I'd love to spend all day, every day with you—but I don't because you might kill me if I tried and also because I know how to control the addiction to a new relationship."
Hearing that Sam thought about her all the time and wanted to be with her that much—it put a swarm of butterflies in her stomach, but they were dampened by the fact that she was just as guilty as Kurt was about wanting to spend so much time with her boyfriend.
The difference was that she and Sam were in a secret relationship and couldn't do that as much but if they were public—she might've become just as engrossed in their relationship as Kurt was in his.
"And it's not the same either—because Quinn has a lot of serious stuff going on in her life and you wouldn't ignore that for anything," Sam said, "I also know that you're not the kind of girl to ditch her friends to hang out with me."
He started caressing her legs again and Mercedes took in a deep breath.
"I don't agree with the fact that you brought Blaine into the conversation, but the Rachel thing—hell yeah, I'd be pissed off about that too."
Mercedes was surprised about his declaration. It must've shown on her face because he chuckled.
"What? Did you think I wouldn't agree with any of it?"
"Well—I—uh, no?"
Sam laughed and said, "I get that part, Cede. His sudden friendship with Rachel came out of absolutely nowhere and you had every right to be upset that he seemed to forget about you and then picked her up as a replacement. That kind of kills his argument about not having as much time with him dating Blaine."
Mercedes still felt thoroughly chastised, but she smiled at him. "I don't know what to do from here, Sam," she admitted. "He was my best friend for a whole year—someone I could count on and someone I could trust, but he comes back and he's a whole new person."
"Have you ever considered that maybe Kurt's not meant to be your best friend anymore?" Sam asked softly. The thought brought tears to her eyes.
She had met Kurt at the beginning of her change from invisible to lead singer. He had been the first guy she'd ever become such good friends with. He was the first person to tell her that she was beautiful. To think that she might have to give up that friendship—it was painful to say the least.
"Sweetheart," Sam said, "I'm not saying it to be mean, but people do change and sometimes you grow out of a friendship—that doesn't mean you won't be friends anymore, but you just won't be best friends."
"I understand what you're saying, Sam," Mercedes replied—her emotions making her voice shaky. "But I don't think that's happened yet."
"I think miscommunication might be the root of this problem," Sam answered, "And the only thing you can do is talk to him. Talk it out—admit the mistakes that you both made, and forgive each other."
Mercedes' heart was still hurting over the idea that Kurt and she could have grown apart so soon. And Sam noticed it.
"Come here," Sam said—patting her legs. Mercedes maneuvered herself around until she could crawl to him. She sat down in front of him—her back to his chest as he bent his knees on both sides of her body.
Mercedes let her head fall onto Sam's left shoulder as she placed her hands on his lower thighs. Sam took the liberty of lacing their fingers together before kissing the side of her head.
"It'll all work out for the best, Nala," he told her and she looked back at him—allowing him to place a sweet kiss on her mouth.
"I know," she responded before relaxing into his embrace once more. "I just—I feel like everyone's stepping stone. I'm exactly what they need for a short period of time, before they climb over me and reach the next best thing."
The confession hurt—it physically caused her heart to ache. It had been true for such a long time.
"My sophomore year—I had Kurt, Quinn and Puck," Mercedes told him—the memories of those happier times flashing through her mind. "Kurt was my first best friend. I thought we had such a bond, but then everything went downhill after he came out. Quinn was my soul-sister. I helped her all year and even welcomed her into my family after she'd treated me like shit all freshman year and at the beginning of sophomore year. And Puck—he was my first boyfriend, even if it was just a deal. We were friends, but he ditched me too."
It was quite the track record, really. "Do you have any idea how much it hurts to build what you think is a solid relationship with someone and then have them disappear without explanation?" She didn't want to cry again—she wasn't a crybaby and she would never let tears defeat her.
But having Sam hold her close—she felt safe and secure and so very human in his embrace that she couldn't quite control all of the emotions roiling inside her. When he squeezed her and placed another kiss on the side of her head, Mercedes had to blink back tears.
"I was a loner most of middle school and high school," Sam admitted—Mercedes looked back at him and he gave her a sad smile. "Music was my outlet and comics were my best friends. It got better when I transferred to an all boys school, but I didn't know friendship until I moved here."
"You spent a lot of time with your grandfather," Mercedes said softly and Sam's green eyes filled with tears. It broke her heart to think that he was still so pained by his grandfather's death.
"Definitely," Sam said as he pulled one hand away to turn his baseball cap backwards. He wrapped his arm around her waist again. "He was the one who introduced me to comics and he was also the one who taught me the importance of honor. I'm pretty sure that I grew up with the best father figures in the world."
"They were the reason I wasn't depressed in school—I knew that I'd always have someone to count on and play with when I went home," Sam told her, "But I had a few friends in school—I knew all about relationships, but what I wanted from a friendship was apparently very different from what others expected. So I didn't fit in too well."
Mercedes smiled at him as he blushed. "What I'm trying to say is—I know what you mean, but even with an explanation—it's never easy to accept. I understood that my grandfather was old and he'd told me many times before that all life ends, but I hated that he was gone. I understand that my dad had other things on his mind for the last couple of years—I understand even more now that I know what was really happening, but that doesn't make the disconnect that existed between us any less painful."
"It's been getting better though," Mercedes said and Sam nodded.
"Yeah," Sam replied, "He's just got this divorce thing with my mother hanging over his head and it's taking its toll—I know he's just pretending like everything is okay."
Mercedes wished there was something she could do to make the Evans family happy again—if she could kick Elizabeth out of existence; well, that would be nice too.
"I don't want to think about that right now," Sam told her and she nodded. It wouldn't help to discuss it anyway—there was nothing either of them could do.
"Who's your best friend right now?" she asked and Sam raised an eyebrow.
"Are you fishing for me to say you? Or was that a legitimate question?" he teased and Mercedes laughed.
"That was a legit question," she replied and he smirked in amusement.
"Well, besides you," Sam said making her grin, "I'd have to say Mike."
She could see that.
"Going from my old school to McKinley—it was a struggle. And I lost myself in my quest for popularity," Sam continued, "It was draining to go from having no friends to being popular, then to becoming a nobody again. But along the way—I made some of the best friends I could've ever asked for. I had to learn to love myself and that's still a work in progress, but I'm doing something right."
Sam leaned forward and kissed her softly. "I've got you, after all."
Mercedes smiled against his mouth and kissed him again.
"Do you think we should tell everyone else about us?" Sam asked once Mercedes pulled away. "Kurt and Quinn already know."
Mercedes thought about it for a moment, but it still didn't seem like the right time. There was still potential for drama to crop up and she wanted to deal with one issue at a time.
"Let's wait until this Kurt thing is dealt with," she replied, "I don't think I could take anymore drama in my life—not with Quinn's stuff going on too."
"I understand," Sam said, "I don't like it, but I understand."
"You're not okay with keeping it a secret anymore are you?" she asked and Sam sighed.
"I want to kiss you whenever I want to," Sam admitted, "It's getting harder and harder to control myself. I don't like feeling guilty about wanting to hold your hand."
"It's going to happen soon, Sammy," she told him before placing a kiss on his mouth. "I promise."
He smiled down at her, before they fell into another kiss—and then another—and quite a few more. Their lips were meshed together and their tongues twined around each other sensually. It wasn't the instant fire from the locker room, but a new and addicting type of slow burn.
The affection she could feel from Sam's soft touches to her waist and cheeks and arms turned her on almost as much as his lips did. Mercedes actually felt like she knew what she was doing for once—and she liked having that kind of confidence.
The arousal she felt was still surprising, but it was more familiar and no longer terrifying.
Mercedes and Sam lost track of time as they got lost in kisses and caresses. It slowed to a stop though when Mercedes found herself so wound up that she'd need some alone time once Sam left. She broke away from his lips with a gasp.
"Okay," she said—breathless and overly warm. Sam's lips kissed their way down her neck and towards her shoulder. It was only when she felt him nip on this one spot that Mercedes let out a loud moan.
Sam froze in surprise for a moment, but she felt him grin into her skin. He started suckling that one super-sensitive spot on her neck—a place Mercedes hadn't even known existed and she didn't want him to stop, and man did it feel good—too good.
Blushing, Mercedes clenched her thighs together when Sam nipped at her skin.
"I think we should sto—oh!" Mercedes tried to say stop, but Sam moved his hand and it brushed the side of her breast.
"Shit," Sam said as he jerked his hand back. He stared at her aghast and Mercedes couldn't even be mad at him—she knew he hadn't done it on purpose. "I'm so sorry," he told her. Sam's face was bright red and he looked horrified.
"I-It's okay," she replied—still trying to recover from the sensations that had jolted through her. "But we should probably stop."
Sam nodded and Mercedes slumped back against his chest. They both took a moment to breathe and calm themselves down. "How about you help me put my pictures back up?"
"Pictures?" Sam asked as she crawled away from his embrace. Mercedes stood up quickly and stretched her back lightly. "What pictures?"
"I finally got the pictures from New York printed," she said as she stretched out her hands to Sam. Once his fingers gripped hers, Mercedes tugged until he was off the ground. He stood up and freed one hand to brush off the seat of his pants.
Their fingers entwined together as they started walking back towards the house. "I have a duplicate set for you," she told him. "I had my set framed and put on the walls, but I had to take them down because everyone was going to see my room."
"Did the pictures come out well?" he asked and Mercedes nodded.
"They look great!" she replied.
Mercedes told him about all of her favorite ones that she'd framed and put up while they walked through her house and up to her bedroom. Sam's smile was practically glowing when he finally saw them in her box. It took them about ten minutes to re-hang all of the photos, and Mercedes gave him the container with his copies.
Seeing that it was nearing three o'clock in the afternoon, Sam had to get back home. They walked downstairs together, Sam holding his duffel bag in one hand and the other was grasping Mercedes' hand.
She carried his picture box under her other arm. Sam said goodbye to her mother and father as they passed the living room. Mercedes escorted Sam all the way to his truck and helped him put his things into the vehicle.
Sam opened the driver side door, before turning to Mercedes.
She hated to see him go, but he did have a life outside of their relationship. With a smile, Sam leaned towards her and she rose up to meet him.
Kissing him was never going to get old.
"See you later, Nala," he told her with one last kiss to her lips.
"See you, Txe'lan," she replied as he climbed into the truck. The bright smile he shot her in return made her heart flutter. She waved as he drove off, before going back inside the house.
She needed to clean up her room again, and then take care of a problem caused by her boyfriend.
Good thing that she had nowhere to be for the rest of the night!
May 20, 2011 (Saturday)
Lynn's House—Living Room
Lima, Ohio
3: 07PM
Sam walked inside the house and tossed his keys into the bowl next to the door. Duffel bag on one shoulder and box of pictures tucked under his other arm, Sam made his way towards the stairs, but he stopped when he noticed Lynn sitting in the middle of the living room floor.
Curious, he walked over towards her and when he spotted the tenseness of her form—he figured that something was wrong.
"Lynn?" he asked.
She jumped and her head snapped towards him. He was taken aback when he saw the redness of her eyes and the puffiness of her face. It was obvious that she'd been crying.
"Sam," she said—even her voice sounded thick, "Hi, darlin'. Sorry! I didn't hear you come inside. How was the sleepover?"
"It was great," Sam replied as he dropped his duffel bag onto the couch and placed the box on top of it. Lynn looked a mess—stressed and tired and it seemed like she was going to start crying again. He couldn't just leave her like this. "But are you okay?"
Lynn laughed softly; blinking back tears. "That depends on if you want the honest answer or the comforting one."
"I tend to prefer honest," Sam told her and Lynn smiled. She sucked in a deep breath and wiped at her watering eyes.
"I'm okay," she said, "I'm just stressing over all that I have to do before the restaurant opening." She stared helplessly at all of the papers spread out on the floor around her. "There's so much! And no matter how many things I cross off my list—it's like they come back multiplied by three. I've got interviews, applications, decorating, making the menu—and I still haven't figured out who I'm going to have perform that night. I have to finish this website by next week so it can get some sort of publicity, but I know nothing about HTML or web design and I—"
Lynn stopped herself abruptly and shot Sam an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for complaining. This is the last thing you need to be hearing."
"Stop," Sam said as he slid down to the ground beside her. "You and Mercy are so much alike." He muttered under his breath.
"Look, Lynn—you're family. You've been family since you took us in, and family helps each other out. Sometimes you just need to rant and rave about the crap that's going on in your life to make things doable. You shouldn't ever feel upset about that."
"But—"
"Wasn't it you who told me that asking for help makes you stronger?"
Lynn's mouth snapped shut and she stared at him, before letting out a huff of laughter. "Using my own words against me," she said, "I'm impressed."
Sam grinned and she combed her fingers through her hair. "Thanks darlin'," she told him and Sam nodded.
"If you need someone to help you with web design," Sam started, "I can design it, but I also know two people who can write the code. I mean, if you want the help."
"Would you really?" Lynn asked and Sam had to smile at the hopeful tone in her voice.
"Of course," Sam replied.
"That would be wonderful! And I'll pay," Lynn said and Sam nodded.
"I'm heading over to Mike's around 4:30 so I'll ask him and Artie then," Sam replied and she beamed. The turnaround was fantastic and even though he could tell that she was still really stressed—he could see that she felt much better now.
"Thank you so much, darlin'," she said as she pulled Sam into a sideways hug. He laughed but he hugged her back.
"I also got the New York pictures from—"
"Ooh! Can I see?" Lynn blurted. Her hazel eyes were dancing and Sam cracked up at her excitement. "Samuel!"
"Sorry," Sam said, "Your face was priceless." He laughed again when she playfully smacked him across the back of the head. "Hold on one second."
With a smile, Sam crawled over to his duffel bag and grabbed the box off the top.
He handed it to an eager Lynn and laughed when she waited impatiently for him to sit back down beside her. The two of them went through all of the pictures—laughing over some of them. Lynn's cooing when she saw some of the pictures had Sam blushing. It didn't help that she saw pictures of him and Mercedes kissing.
"I have frames in the garage if you'd like to hang these in your room," Lynn said when they finally reached the end of the pile.
"You have enough for all of these?"
"Of course not, sweetheart! But I do have about ten frames. The rest we can put in a photo album."
"What time is it?" Sam asked, "I have to leave at 4:15."
Lynn glanced at the watch on her wrist. "It's a quarter until four. That should be enough time if I help you."
Sam smirked in her direction. "You just want to avoid the cluster-fuck that's your restaurant planning."
"Language," Lynn scolded as she poked Sam on the arm. "But I won't deny that it's true."
"You are never allowed to scold me about procrastination anymore," Sam teased as they stood up from the floor.
"I'm the adult!" Lynn said, "I can procrastinate—you can't."
"That's not fair!"
"Life ain't fair," Lynn retorted. The two of them joked and laughed all the way to the garage—where Lynn showed Sam how to correctly frame a picture and then she taught him how to hang them when they went up to his room.
Sam left a couple of minutes late—he and Lynn had quickly put the rest of his photos in an empty album. He gave her a hug goodbye and he'd run out of the door after she told him to be home in time for dinner.
May 20, 2011 (Saturday)
Lynn's House—Living Room
Lima, Ohio
6: 01PM
"Oh, Jeffrey!" Lynn sang as she practically danced down the hallway towards his bedroom. She felt much better after her emotional breakdown earlier today. Not to mention having help with her website project took a load off her shoulders.
Jeff had come home about a half-hour ago and went straight up to his room to shower. She felt that thirty minutes was enough time for him to get cleaned up before she went to finally talk to him about all of her ideas for the summer.
It helped that she'd gotten a lot accomplished within the last hour and a half. Her notebook and folder of brochures tucked under her arm, Lynn knocked on Jeff's door.
"Come in!" His voice was muffled, but he sounded fine. She opened the door with a smile on her face and poked her head inside. Her eyes roved around his room—eyeing the slight mussing of his bed sheets and the half full basket of clothes against the wall.
Lynn finally spotted Jeff sitting on the couch that was against the far wall of his room. He had a bunch of blueprints spread across the coffee table in front of him and there was a stack of books next to his feet.
He shot her a crooked grin that made Lynn's heart flutter. She forced down the butterflies that swarmed in her stomach and tried her best to avoid blushing. He was just a friend; a really hot friend that she wanted to get naked with but shit—okay.
Lynn shook her head lightly, before walking into the room and shutting the door behind her.
"Hey Lynn," Jeff greeted as she walked inside. "You need something?"
"Yeah, actually," Lynn replied as she made her way over to him. She plopped down on the couch next to him, and turned to face him—sitting crossed-legged on the couch in her jeans and socks.
"I've wanted to talk to you about your summer plans for the kids for awhile now and I figured now was a good time."
Jeff looked a bit surprised, but he shrugged. "Well, I don't really have anything spectacular planned for them," he admitted, "I know Stacey might want to do some theater after her recital or something, but I haven't thought much about it."
"Well," Lynn said slowly, and Jeff gave her a look of fond exasperation.
"What have you done now, crazy woman?" he asked—his voice slightly teasing, but Lynn could tell he wanted to know. She bit her lip and handed him her folder. Jeff took it with a bewildered expression.
"I've been talking with the kids about their favorite things," Lynn said as Jeff rifled through the brochures—the look of confusion and surprise growing on his features. "And I know that they really want to do some stuff this summer. So, I took the liberty of looking around and finding some things that were affordable and that they could do."
She could tell that he wasn't exactly happy about it all by the tightening of his mouth. Her heart beating faster, Lynn started explaining her ideas—not even paying attention to the nervous wringing of her hands. "I know that Stevie hasn't done any sports before, and I figured that joining a club swim team would be good for him. It's hard work, but I think he'd be good at it. And Stacey—she loves dancing and singing and acting; and there's this wonderful theater camp for kids down at the community theatre this summer. Dance classes are very-well priced and I couldn't find a softball team for kids, but there's a club soccer team that she could play—"
"Lynn, stop," Jeff said—his tone was displeased and firm. It made Lynn wince when she heard it. The last thing she wanted was for him to be angry.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I can't afford all this," Jeff told her—the shame in his voice making her heart hurt. "You know that I can't pay for all of this!"
"You don't have to," Lynn replied, "I can pay for—"
"No!" Jeff snapped and Lynn was taken aback by the anger in his tone.
"Why not?" she questioned—her defensiveness making itself known.
"You're not my pimp," Jeff said, "I don't want you to pay for everything. I'm not okay with you paying for everything. I don't pay rent. I don't pay for food. You pay me as your employee. I just feel like a kept man and I don't want to feel that way."
Brows furrowed and indignant, Lynn shot Jeff a glare. "Are you telling me that it's okay for a man to take care of a woman, but a woman can't take care of a man?" She knew she sounded angry, and Jeff seemed to see that he'd offended her.
"No—I'm not being sexist, I just don't want you to pay for my whole life."
"Tell me now, Jeffrey—if the roles were reversed; would you care?"
"Lynnette, that's not fair!"
"No," Lynn protested, "What's not fair is that you think it's wrong for me to try and take care of you and your kids. It's not fair that it's wrong for me to want to make them happy."
"It's not wrong for you to make them happy," Jeff refuted, "I just don't want you to spend all your money on trivial things that the kids don't need, because that's not how I want to raise them! They've learned a lot about the true value of things and I don't want that to go away."
"I'm not giving them everything they want," Lynn replied—her anger dimmed. She could understand what he meant. "I just want them to have a good summer after the year they've had."
Jeff sighed heavily and slumped back into the couch cushions.
"And if you were the one with the money—you would be doing the same; because you love them." Lynn said, meeting his blue eyes. "I love them too, you know. And they deserve a great summer."
"You love them?" Jeff asked—a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Lynn blushed, but she nodded.
"Of course I do," she replied, "They're amazing children."
Jeff was quiet for a moment as they just stared at each other—hazel and blue communicating without words. Lynn loved how much Jeff adored his kids. They were his entire world and seeing that first hand made her that much more attracted to him. She was sure that he could read her feelings in her eyes, but she didn't know how to hide this—she couldn't even define what this was.
It drove her crazy in the best way possible.
"Okay," Jeff said and Lynn beamed at him. "I'll agree to it—if and only if you let me pay for half of it. We're a family and I want us to act like one."
Lynn pouted, but it was fair. She smiled when he opened his arms to her, though. "And families give each other hugs after fights." With a laugh, she got up on her knees to hug him—and squealed when he pulled her completely into his embrace.
Laughing as he buried his face in her neck, Lynn ran her fingers through his hair and held on tight. He smelled so good and he was so amazing and who was she kidding? Lynn was in love with this man. It made her tear up momentarily to think that he'd probably never feel the same way about her.
The longing for his lips on hers was overwhelming, and she wished that she could toss all of her principles out of the window and just lay one on him, but Jeff was too honorable and Lynn knew what it was like to be cheated on—she would never be the other woman.
Slightly heartbroken, Lynn allowed Jeff to pull her onto his lap as they browsed through her folder—discussing different options and potential costs for these summer programs.
His arms felt amazing around her waist—the muscles, the warmth, the security she felt; it was something she'd never experienced before and it was magical for her. She never wanted to leave his embrace, but dinner needed to be cooked and they had to talk to the kids about the summer.
Life was going to be wonderful living with Jeffrey Evans, but Lynn would have to worry about the heartbreak later.
She just wanted to enjoy these moments with him. And as she chased him out of his bedroom after he'd cracked a joke about her eating one too many whole wheat buns—Lynn laughed and loved and thanked God for a second chance.
May 20, 2011 (Saturday)
Lynn's House—Living Room
Lima, Ohio
8: 11PM
Fifteen minutes after dinner, Sam wasn't expecting to be sitting on the floor of the living room with his brother and sister—let alone sitting across from his dad and Lynn, who were both wearing serious expressions.
The last time they'd had a family discussion, he found out that his mother was a cheating scumbag and he hadn't recovered from that one, yet. He really didn't want any more surprises.
"What's going on?" Stevie blurted and Sam glanced at him. The twins seemed to feel the same way he did; judging by the nervous expressions on their faces.
"We wanted to talk to you guys about this summer," Lynn said, "And what you wanted to do."
Sam blinked at them in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked and his dad grinned.
"Well, we've found some summer programs that you might be interested in doing," he replied as Lynn handed each kid a stack of colored brochures. Sam glanced down at his pile after hearing Stacey squeal in excitement.
"I can do a theater camp?" she asked—her voice high-pitched in joy. Lynn looked like she was about to die of happiness at the exclamation and Sam smirked when he saw her nudge his dad in the side.
Jeff gave her an amused look. And Sam shook his head before actually looking at his brochures. They were for a basketball, baseball, and soccer camp—each one lasted two weeks and they had tournaments, workshops, and holy crap—he could win a trophy?
Sam flipped through his eagerly—his excitement growing, but then he realized that there was no way he'd be able to do them. He worked during the times they were set and there was no way he could just quit his job.
Disappointed, Sam sighed softly and looked over at Stevie and Stacey. Both of them were chattering about everything and Sam listened as Stevie agreed to do guitar lessons, swimming and soccer. Stacey decided to do theater, dance, and soccer, but no swimming.
Seeing them so happy made him feel both better and worse—he was glad they would have a great summer this year. They deserved it after everything they'd been through.
"I'm gonna go get some water," Sam said before placing the brochures on the ground next to his hip and standing up. He pretended like he didn't see the concerned looks his dad and Lynn shot him as he walked away.
He got a glass and filled it with ice and then water from the Brita filter as he listened to the conversation going on in the other room. Sam lingered in the kitchen until he heard Stevie and Stacey give goodnight hugs and kisses to his dad and Lynn.
"Night Sunshine," he said as Stacey ran into the kitchen and threw herself into his open arms.
He hugged her tight and she pulled away to smile at him. Her blue eyes glittered with happiness and the smile on her face made his heart lighten. "This is going to be the best summer ever!" she said and Sam nodded.
"You bet it will," he told her, before she gave him a kiss.
"Night Sammy!" she said, "Love you."
"Love you too."
Stevie's goodnight wasn't as excitable, but he was still really happy. Sam got a hug and a kiss from his little brother.
"Will you help me with soccer?" Stevie whispered—the nervous expression in his brother's eyes made him sad.
Stevie wasn't the most athletic person ever, but then again, he hadn't really tried before. Sam was sure that he'd be great.
"Do you even have to ask?" Sam joked and Stevie gave him that crooked grin that Sam was so known for.
Looked like that was an inherited trait as well—his father did the same thing all the time.
Stevie scampered off to bed and Sam huffed out a breath. He'd be working numerous hours at the pizzeria instead of having fun playing basketball. Sam probably wouldn't complain so much if he actually liked his job, but who said that he would ever be that lucky?
His thoughts were interrupted when his dad walked into the kitchen—Lynn following right behind him.
"Alright, kiddo," Jeff said as he clapped Sam on the back. "Let's talk, huh?"
Sam wanted to give an excuse as to why he couldn't but his dad was in complete father mode and there was no denying him when he was like that.
"Why don't you want to do the summer camps?"
"It's not that I don't want to," Sam admitted—fiddling with the glass of ice in his hand. "It's that I don't have time to."
"What do you mean?"
"With all the hours I'm working at the pizzeria—I just won't have time to do any of them," Sam replied, "Between that and the restaurant, I can't do it."
"How many hours are you working?" Lynn asked—her hazel eyes alight with concern.
"Almost forty a week—if not more," Sam answered and he saw his dad's eyes close. "It's not that bad, dad. Honestly—"
"No, Sam," Jeff responded, "You shouldn't have to work that much as a kid."
"And you definitely don't need to anymore," Lynn added. Jeff nodded in agreement.
"We'll work this out, but first thing Monday morning—I want you to decrease your hours to twenty at the most, but I'd prefer ten."
"Ten?" Sam questioned. "How can I help pay for anything with only ten hours a week?"
"You're getting paid for the website design now," Lynn said, "And your hours at the restaurant will be paid from now on."
Sam didn't know what to say. He glanced between the two of them—not really able to respond.
The relief he felt was invigorating.
"Are you sure, dad?" Sam asked, hesitantly. He wanted this to happen, sure, but he hadn't expected it to actually happen. "I can keep working—I don't mind."
"Son," Jeff replied, "you've done more than I could have or should have ever asked for. And you've done so with a maturity that's beyond your years. I hate that we've been in the position where you had to grow up so quickly, but I'm glad that we're at a place that we can finally let you be eighteen again."
The sound of his dad's voice was gruff and he knew that his father was emotional. Lynn apparently felt the same too, because her eyes were watering and she rubbed a hand across his dad's arm.
Sam stared at them for a long moment—gratitude and happiness sweeping through him. He'd never appreciated just how wonderful being a kid was until he'd had to be an adult and take care of his family. He wouldn't take it back for anything, but it had been really hard.
He hated that he could feel himself tearing up. The last thing he wanted to do was cry in front of his father.
Jeff stared at Sam and he could feel his heart shattering in his chest as he watched his eldest son struggle with the relief he was feeling. It broke him to realize that his son had been holding back all this fear and stress. He wished that Sam had never had to go through this, but they could both rejoice now that it was slowly but surely coming to an end.
Sam's green eyes flittered between him and Lynn. They were filled with disbelief, relief, and happiness. And the sheen of tears that was steadily gathering had a lump forming in Jeff's throat.
"I would really like to do the sports camps, Dad," Sam said and Jeff smiled at him. "But only if it's completely okay with the lesser income. I don't mind working."
"Sam," Jeff told his son firmly, "I want you to be my kid again. I only have you for the next year or so—and I'd rather you not go through senior year with this kind of burden on your shoulders. I'm proud of what you've done. I'm proud of what we've all done, but now is the time for you to live your life. I want you to be happy, muffin-head."
Sam blinked furiously and bit his lip. His cheeks were bright red and Jeff could tell that his son was on the verge of crying.
"I do miss being a teenager," Sam admitted—his voice cracking halfway through and Jeff heard Lynn let out a whimper beside him. He glanced over in her direction and had to laugh slightly when he saw that she was already crying buckets.
She hit him in the chest. "Don't—make fun," she said through her tears. Jeff chuckled and kissed her forehead before slinging an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side.
"Come here kid," Jeff said—stretching an arm out to Sam. Blushing, Sam walked into the three way hug and Jeff could feel it when Sam started crying.
He hugged his kid hard and he saw Lynn's small hand rub the back of Sam's shoulders.
They stood there for a long time—just comforting each other. Jeff felt more at home than he'd ever felt in his life. And it was the best feeling in the world.
REVIEW! I'd love to hear your thoughts! :D And yes, some serious shit is going to happen in the next chapter. I can't wait to write it and post it and just see the reactions. LOL. I hope you enjoyed my correction of Sam's return scene from Season 3. ;P
