Here is another chapter for you. I really hope you enjoy it. Husband For Hire is Also live with two new Chapters, so check it out!
Sam checked his watch while waiting for Kitty; he was ready for the cookout, wearing a pair of khaki shorts, a blue, white, and green button-down with a white undershirt. Kitty had already changed her outfit twelve times, which he didn't understand.
"Kitty, I am sure you look beautiful! Come on."
"Sam, I am attending a cookout at your baby momma's house. I need to look perfect." Kitty yelled back at him. He rechecked his watch as his phone rang.
Seeing it was his mom, he exhaled as he answered. "Hey, mom."
"Hello, my son, whom I haven't spoken to in two long weeks!"
Sam sighed. "I called; you weren't there. I did leave you a message."
"Yeah yeah, anyways, how are you?"
"Well, I am…I don't really know, but I can't talk right now, Mom."
"What's wrong, Sammy? You know you can tell me anything."
"Ummm, well, something is, but I wanna tell you in person; I was thinking of coming down next week."
"You wanna drive for an hour just to tell me something?"
"Yeah, it's kinda a big deal."
"Sam, why do you wanna tell me in person? What kind of trouble are you in? Just tell me now, Samuel."
Sam sighed. "It's an in-person conversation, Mom, but I'm not in trouble, well, not really."
"Will you just spill it out already?!"
"Fine! But don't say I didn't warn you." He hesitated for a moment. "You are going to be a grandmother."
"Oh God, is Kitty pregnant?" She said frantically.
"No. But someone is carrying my child. Or rather children."
"You cheated on her? Sam, I know you guys are not a love match made in heaven but cheating?"
"No, Mom…you…you remember when I froze my sperm at that clinic?"
"Yeah? Sam, did they use your sperm?!"
"Yes, but that's not all."
"Sam, I don't know how much more I can take!" Mary said in a high pitch squeak.
"Mom, I went to the doctor with the mother; we found out that she is pregnant with triplets."
"TRIPLETS!"
"Mom, calm down. It's okay."
"I want to meet her."
"What? No. That can't happen."
"Samuel," Mary said sternly. "This woman is carrying Triplets. I carried twin Evans babies. I know how to deal with it. So bring her to the house when you come."
"Mom, I haven't even brought Kitty to the house; you refuse to invite her."
"She isn't carrying my grandchildren. Now. I will see you two here tonight."
"Tonight isn't going to work for me, Mom! I have to ask her if she's okay with going, she will have to find a sitter, plus we are busy."
"A sitter? Does she have more children? Oh, Lord."
"Stop! She is raising her Godson after he lost his parents."
"Oh…and here I was just judging her."
"Now you know why I don't want to bring her to you."
"Okay, it's settled. Your father and I will come to you. I will call you when we get there tomorrow." She hung up, not giving Sam a chance to say anything.
"Well, dammit, all to hell then." He said, frustrated. "
Kitty walked down the stairs wearing hot pink short shorts with a white crop top that said glam. Sam looked at her and frowned.
"Kitty, there will be kids there; you should put more clothes on."
She looked down at her clothes. "Sam, this is hot. I am not changing."
He shrugged. "Then you can stay here. You can't show your stomach at a cookout! This is my first impression of them, and I want to make a good one."
She sighed, returning upstairs a few moments later in a tee shirt knotted at the hip.
"That's better. Come on ." Sam said, grabbing his things.
"Walmart? Since when do you shop at Walmart?" Kitty asked, looking at him.
"Since Mercedes was craving these Krimpet things. Besides, its not a bad store. I used to shop there all the time when I was a kid."
Kitty frowned. "Are you sure you want me to come?"
Sam offered her a smile. "I know things are weird between us, and I know we have things to work on or talk about. But you were invited, and in truth, I want you there. If nothing else, as a friend."
Kitty laughed, shaking her head. "I swear…you don't even see it do you?"
"See what?"
She grabbed her purse. "You want me to be your wingman."
Sam frowned. "That's not the case!"
"Yeah, okay, whatever you say, Sam."
He sighed, "If that's how you feel, why are you even coming?"
"Because this is going to be entertaining. You want her, and I am going to be there. I can't wait!"
Mercedes smoothed down the floral print sundress, sighing as she stared at her stomach. She could already see she was showing; she wasn't even four months yet.
She wanted to wear this cute little shorts set, but the jeans were uncomfortable, so she was stuck wearing a dress she had packed on a whim. There was a small knock on the door, and she smiled.
"Come on in, Cody."
The young boy rushed in and jumped on her bed. "You look pretty momma."
"Aww, thank you, baby. You look handsome and ready to go." She said, seeing him in his Spiderman short set with a hood. "Can I see the mask?"
He happily put it on, and she clapped. "Yes! My very own superhero."
Moving over to her, he climbed into her lap. "Mommom said everyone is here."
"Well, we should go greet them!" She said, picking him up and ruffling his sandy blonde and brown hair as she carried him down the stairs.
"Well, here she is now." She heard and froze, seeing Sam at the bottom of the stairs.
Moving down the stairs and to the hall, she put Cody down and smiled. "Sam, glad you could make it; where is your girlfriend?"
"Outside, she got a call right as we arrived. She will be in shortly." Sam looked down and beamed, he may not have known much about Mercedes, but the moment he saw her with Cody, ninety percent of his questions were answered. That little boy lit up around her.
Cody eyed him as he moved closer to Mercedes, holding her legs. As Sam bent down, Mercedes nodded toward Cody, letting him know it was okay.
"This is Mr. Sam. Sam, this is Cody."
Sam offered the little boy his hand. "Hi, Spiderman; I am a friend of your mom's."
Cody gave Sam a curious look. "I'm not spiderman."
"You sure about that? Because I saw a movie called Around the Spiderverse, you look kinda like Miles…." Sam teased.
Cody smiled widely, "That's my favorite movie!" He said giving Sam his hand to shake. "You have a firm grip," Sam said, shaking his hand as Cody let go. "Mercedes, you might actually have a superhero on your hands."
Cody giggled as Mercedes smiled. She turned to her parents. "Mom and Dad, this is Sam Evans. Sam, these are my parents, Percy and Amelia Jones."
As Sam shook their hands, Kitty walked into the house with Santana on her heel, and PJ walked in with Zack behind him. Mercedes caught Sam's eyes before Kitty linked her hands with his.
Zack moved towards her as Mercedes finally looked at Kitty. "Kitty?"
"Mercedes?"
Sam looked between the two women and frowned. "How…how do you know each other?"
"I met Mercedes when I was out with the girls. She gave me some excellent advice about taking courses…"
"And Kitty y helped me with my morning sickness…"
"I get it now." Kitty said.
"Get what?" Sam said looking at her.
"Why you speak so highly of her."
Pj moved in front of Mercedes. "So you the guy, huh?"
"PJ…" Mercedes warned.
"What? Just cause you didn't bump Uglies doesn't mean I don't get to intimidate him. He is still the father!"
Zack cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Hi, I am Zack, a friend of the family."
Sam watched him put his hand on the small of Mercedes's back and felt jealousy fuel him.
"And I am Santana, a starving bitch, so can we please get some food. For all you newbies, you ain't have barbecue until you've tasted Poppa Jones' special bbq sauce."
Sam nodded. "That sounds delicious, but uh, can I talk to Mercedes for a moment, everyone? Please?"
All eyes fell on Mercedes who hesitated for a moment before nodding and one by one everyone filed out of the room.
Zack leaned in and kissed Mercedes on her forehead, before he smiled, bending down. "Hey Cody, wanna help me make your momma a plate?"
Cody nodded. "Yes! I know just what she likes!" He added excitedly.
"Can I join you, gentlemen?" Kitty asked, moving towards them. "I could sure use someone like you telling me all the good stuff." She said to Cody.
As everyone left, Sam smiled, looking at her and holding up a bag.
"I bought you…Krimpets."
Mercedes's eyes widened as she opened the bag and grabbed a box of Tastykake butterscotch krimpets. "Yasssss! I have been craving these…" She reached out and hugged him closely.
"I am glad I could make you happy." Sam said, holding her close. "How do you always smell so good?" he asked softly.
"I could ask you the same thing." She said as they pulled apart. She stared at him with a soft smile.
"How are you feeling? You know, you and the babies?" He asked, moving his hands to her stomach.
"I'm okay," she replied, inhaling at his touch. "We are okay."
Sam smiled, looking back up to her. "That's good." He said softly. "And you look beautiful."
Mercedes blushed. "Stop." She said smiling.
"Stop what?" He moved closer to her. "I am just complimenting the mother of my children." He said, hand brushing her hair out of her eyes.
Mercedes stepped away from him. "Yeah, I am gonna move. Sam, you gotta stop."
"I can't help it; when I get around you, I just…but you are right. I did want to talk to you, though."
Mercedes opened a krimpet and moaned as she took a bite. "Mmmmm…" She looked over at him. "Oh? What's up?" She mumbled with a mouth full of food.
Sam wiped a crumb from her lip. "Okay, so I told my mother we were having triplets, and she wants to meet you."
Her eyes widened. "You want me to meet your mother? No, I'm good."
Sam laughed. "I don't want you to meet my mom; she wants to meet you. And I respect your choice not to want to but hear me out. My mother is crazy. She will find your address and come to you; it's always better to see her on your terms."
Mercedes stared at him and smiled softly. "You aren't trying just to get me to go home with you and lock me in your basement until I give birth?"
Sam laughed, "I promise. I am not trying to kidnap you. But I wanted to let you decide if you want to meet her."
Mercedes worried her bottom lip between her teeth, looking away from him. Even though he met her family, she was still nervous about meeting his.
Standing closer, Sam lifted her face to his, running his finger over her bottom lip.
"Sam…why do you keep doing this…" She asked, staring at him.
"Mercedes, I just want to get to know you, and I appreciate you letting me into your world. My mom will be here tomorrow for a few days, and if you are up for it, you can meet her; if not, I will tell her that she has to wait.
Everything in her head was screaming no, that he was crazy, but something about him pulled her to him. "It's only fair, right? You are here with my family; of course, I will go to meet yours."
"Famous last words." Sam laughed.
"Come on, and let's grab some food before my brothers eat all ribs." Mercedes teased as she led him to the backyard.
Aiden approached Mercedes and eyed Sam before reaching for one of her Krimpets.
Mercedes slapped his hand away. "Mine!"
"Ow, Merce! That hurt!" Aiden said, reaching again.
"They are mine! I will fight you, Aiden!" Mercedes warned.
"Y'all see the way she treats me! Moma, tell her to share!" Aiden said, moving over to his mom, who shook her head laughing.
"Sam, please ignore my brother; he has no house training!" Mercedes rolled her eyes as she hid the Krimpets under her chair.
Cody ran over to Mercedes. "Can I play football with the cousins?"
Before Mercedes could answer, Zack walked over to her and handed her a plate.
"Your dad asked me to bring this to you."
Mercedes took the plate with a smile. "Thank you. And yes, Cody, as long as you are careful."
"Don't worry; I'll make sure he doesn't get hurt," Zack said with a smile.
"I'd love to play," Sam said. "I was All-state back in high school." Sam said.
Aiden smiled. "Oh? So was Zack! You both should join the game."
Kitty sat next to Mercedes and Santana as Quinn walked over to her.
"This has got to be killing you Merce." Quinn sighed. "Last year, you scored on your brothers four times and made Micah cry."
"She didn't make me cry; I got grass in my eyes," Micah said, walking over and kissing Mercedes on the forehead. "How are you feeling?"
Mercedes smiled, taking a bite of the ribs. "So much better now. These are even better than I remember."
Micah looked at Sam and Kitty. "So you must be the baby daddy and his girlfriend. I am Micah Jones."
Sam shook his hand. "Sam Evans and my girlfriend, Kitty Wilde."
Kitty extended her hand as PJ brought plates over for Santana and Kitty.
"Football is about to start, but we will let the womenfolk eat while we work up an appetite." PJ said.
"PJ, can you get me some more ribs ooh and mac and cheese," Mercedes asked as Sebastian walked over to her.
"Alright, come on, Sam, I am not about to be the only newbie getting my butt kicked by these little monsters." He said, bending down and picking up Cody. "Cody has already threatened my life, Mercedes."
"I didn't." Cody defended, laughing as Sebastian tickled him.
"Uh huh, he did. He said I was going down!"
Mercedes laughed, shaking her head as the guys left, running down the field. Quinn sat back and sighed.
"Oh dear Lord, Mike took off his shirt."
"And there goes Blaine's shirt. Are they just gonna all get naked?" Santana laughed.
"I hope so." Mercedes and Kitty said simultaneously, then laughed, staring at each other.
Zack and Sam both removed their shirts as if on cue, and Mercedes had a hard time focusing, considering she didn't know who she wanted to stare at more.
"How are you two just so cool right now?" Came a voice from behind them.
Mercedes turned to see Joy, Aiden's soon-to-be wife. She and Mercedes really didn't get along, but since she was engaged to Aiden, Mercedes tried to be nice.
"What do you mean?"
Joy laughed. "I mean, you are pregnant with triplets by, Kitty, is it?" She asked before continuing, "Kitty's boyfriend. And you are trying to get with Zack. But it's clear there is some chemistry between you and Sam. I don't get how you two aren't giving each other the cold shoulder."
"Because we're adults?" Mercedes said with a shrug. "I like Kitty; she is smart, beautiful, and kind. I see why Sam is dating her."
"And I like Mercedes," Kitty added. "To do it alone, the baby thing, it takes someone strong and dedicated. Not to mention you are drop-dead gorgeous."
"What you seem to forget, Joy, is that Mercedes is a grown-ass woman. She and Kitty know this situation could be drama filled, but it won't be." Quinn said with a smirk.
Kitty smiled. "Very well said."
Amelia looked at them. "Santana, you are surprisingly silent right now."
All the women looked over to the Latina, who had a mouth full of ribs, and laughed. "Wha?"
"I guess the way to keep her from snapping is Papa's ribs." Mercedes said as the women laughed.
Sam looked at the women sitting and laughing as Blaine tossed the ball to him. "It's nice to see Kitty fitting in with Mercedes and her friends, especially if you end up together."
"Yeah, I guess," Sam said.
"You guess? That's the plan, right? Not worried about finding love, just about making your life easier."
Sam ran his hand through his hair. "I am glad Kitty is getting along with them, but she thinks I am falling hard for Mercedes."
"Well, its not a secret. You care about her. More than you want to admit. And I see the way you look at her."
"Mom wants to meet her, and she agreed. I am not sure how to make that happen without feeling completely out of control; I mean, she didn't even want to meet Kitty."
Blaine nodded. "Well, first off, Kitty isn't carrying your child."
"And second?" Sam asked, looking over to the women again.
"You need to be careful because Zack wants Mercedes too."
As if on cue, Zack walked over to them. "Okay, so I say we snap to Cody and let him run it in for a touchdown?"
Sam raised an eyebrow as Cody ran up to them with Caleb, who he learned was PJ's 13-year-old son.
"I still can't believe I am meeting Sam Evans!" Caleb gushed. "Doom Metal Four is my favorite Game."
Zach raised an eyebrow. "You make video games?"
"I own a tech company that gave them the start-up funds to create Doom Metal, and so they let me help out with it from time to time."
"That's impressive. No wonder you landed someone like Kitty Wilde; I have seen that woman's spreads. You are a lucky man." Zack praised.
Sam laughed. "I was about to say the same for you. Mercedes is an incredible woman."
"I am hoping to be that lucky, we are talking, but she's holding me at a distance."
"Are we gonna play or gab like girlfriends?" PJ said, tossing the ball to them.
Sam grabbed the ball, tossing it towards Caleb as Zack stayed with PJ.
"What's up with him and your sister?"
PJ sighed. "No. Look, you are my best friend, but I am not getting in between you and my sister. I may be okay with you dating her, but I am damn sure not okay with being put in the middle. Just ask her; she won't lie."
As Mercedes stood from her seat and walked towards the house, Zack excused himself and followed her inside.
"Merce?"
Mercedes turned away from the bathroom and towards Zack. "Hey! You having fun?"
"Uh Yeah. I don't want to beat around the bush, so I will just ask."
Mercedes leaned against the wall. "You think your question can wait until I use the bathroom? Three kids on the bladder, it's not fun."
"Yeah, I just wanted to know what's happening with you and Sam."
