A/N: We are almost at the end of the road, and I am still debating on including the Barbara drama. We will see how the rest of today goes. I own nothing but the mistakes that were made in trying to tie all this up as succinctly as possible.
Nineteen
Sam
"Why is there a minister here?" I ask Mike. "He keeps looking at me." I pull on my tie. "And why did you tell me to wear a tie?"
Mike puts one of his huge hands on my shoulder. "Stop your whining, my twins are better behaved at two months than you," he says.
"All they do is eat, poop, and sleep. I have been a father longer than you, and my daughter is two."
The front door opens and Roz comes rushing in. She takes a deep breath when she sees me, but I don't understand why she's so frazzled.
"Let's go in my office and have a drink until the ladies come down," Mike says. "Jake, Tony, come on. You too, Matthew."
"You're inviting Tony0 to have a drink with you?" Roz lets out a loud laugh. "Don't bother. It will be like having a drink with little Johnny over there. That's the best way to describe his age emotionally."
Mercedes's father purses his lips and bristles at his ex-wife.
"Jealous you weren't invited? You're certainly looking like a man these days with that short haircut" he says with a laugh. "Also, you should have used the electric razor I got you last Christmas." He runs his hand over his chin and makes a buzzing sound.
"Are you trying to embarrass me Tony? I was trying to be classy in front of Mercedes's husband and friends, but the real reason why I compared you to little Johnny is the size of your teeny tiny baby dick."
Jake's eyes nearly fall out of his head, but Mike recovers first. "Um, the ladies are upstairs. Please, go on up." Mike gestures to the staircase. Roz thanks him and sticks her middle finger in Tony's face as she walks away.
Happy to leave the minister's prying eyes and Roz, I follow Mike to his office.
"Are they like that all the time?" Jake asks me.
"Worse. They're behaving today," I say. "Roz threw a plate at his head at last week's family dinner. There was food on the plate by the way. He dodged at the last second. She was mad because she didn't want to let him inside, but dinner was at my place, and Mercedes had invited him."
"Thank God for my mother-in-law," is all Jake says.
"Mine too," Mike says.
"You're just lucky you weren't there three Christmases ago." Junior cringes at the memory. "Let's just say, someone grabbed a knife. Mercedes got upset and ran to her room crying, and I had to step in and handle it like always."
"That's not going to be allowed at our house. I can't have people upsetting my wife," I announce.
Mike and Jake look at each other and smirk. Instead of popping a bottle of champagne, he grabs a bottle with brown liquid. He pours three shots and gives me bottled water.
"To Sam and Mercedes," Mike says. "I'm proud of you. By the way, I don't like when people upset my wife either. What about you, Jake?"
"The only person allowed to upset my wife is me," he says.
By the time we leave the office, the house is packed with people. Most are from the team, including Ryder who is standing in the corner with his grandfather. I look at Mike so I can ask why they're here, but he's across the room.
This is supposed to be a small bridal shower and dinner, but there are close to seventy-five people here, including the team owner and his wife. I manage to walk through the throng of people, grab Mike's elbow, and drag him to the side of the room.
"Why are all these people here?" I whisper. "And why is everyone so dressed up?"
"Marley and Tina planned it. I have no idea who they invited." He shrugs, but something tells me there's more to the story than he's saying.
"Whatever," I say. "I have a problem that I need to talk to you about." He arches an eyebrow and waits for me to say more. "So, remember my plan?"
"The one where you do all the dumb crap for your wife that I do for mine?" He puts dumb crap in air quotes.
"Yeah."
"Don't tell me it's not working. That plan was foolproof." This time, it's me who arches an eyebrow at him. He almost sounds sarcastic.
"What I didn't expect was that she would do things for me, too."
"Plot twist," he says. "Like what?"
"Like, she'll just bring me a bowl of fruit at night because I think she knows I like it. When I come home from a workout, she'll turn the shower on for me, and when I get out of the shower, I'll find a change of clothes on the bed waiting for me. Get this." I lower my voice and say, "She's doing all the administrative stuff I used to do for my dad. She makes sure the bills are paid and reorders his prescriptions. She even talks to him for long periods of time most nights, so I don't have to. She says she's going to throw me a birthday party," I whisper. I grin at that part. I've never had a birthday party in my life. Not even when my father was halfway functional. There are a few pictures of me, April, and him and a grocery store cake, but that's it.
"Uh-huh. I can see how that can be a problem."
"Anyway," I say, ignoring his sarcasm, "my big plan hasn't come to fruition yet."
"The one where she falls in love with you?"
"Yeah. That's the entire point. That's why I started doing all that stuff to begin with. What else do you do for Tina? Maybe I'm missing something." Then I have a thought. "Should I put two babies in her at once?"
I never thought of having more kids. Hell, I was horrified at the idea of the one I have, but Mercedes's changed my mindset. We're a family. The kind that I've always wanted. The kind I would watch on television, and those families always had more than one kid, and I do like being a father.
"Well, I would hold off on putting two babies in her at once until you talk to her about it first, but I'd rather talk about how you feel about the things she does for you?"
"Oh, man. I love it. I was uncomfortable about it at first because no one has ever done anything for me before, but Mike, it's nice," I whisper. "She'll do something just because she knows I like it. Without me asking, not that I'd ever ask." He widens his eyes as if that's incredible. "And Jessica called her Mama out of the blue before your babies were born, and she started crying. It was nice to comfort her. Now, she's Jessica's Mama. She's good to my dad. Do you think I ever thought anyone would put up with his level of crazy?"
"Will you stop talking about Dwight like that?" Mike says. I feel contrite because now I finally understand why he's that way, but I don't tell Mike that. That's my dad's story, and he should be the one to tell it, not me. I won't betray his trust that way.
"You're right. He's doing better. He had a breakthrough."
"So, you have a family. You have a wife and daughter, and what sounds like a very functional and reciprocal marriage. What's the issue?" he asks, but from the way he grins, I know he's laughing at me.
"She hasn't said those three little words," I whisper. "Aren't you paying attention?"
"Well, why don't you say them first?" he asks as if that's the most natural thing in the world.
"The plan was for her to fall in love with me, not the other way around. Talking to you is like talking to a wall sometimes." I toss my hands in the air in defeat. "It's like you don't listen anymore, Mike."
"I heard you. Have you listened to yourself?" he asks.
"That sounds like some therapy self-talk. You of all people should know how much I hate that stuff."
"Tell your wife you love her, Sam. It's not rocket science. You have been in love with her from the beginning. You just didn't know what love was. Now you know, and fortunately for you she is already married to you."
"I wish this was rocket science. I'm sure that's easier than relationships."
"What the hell did you know about being a father? You're so great at that that Tina and I didn't hesitate to ask you to be Kayla's godfather. What did you know about being a responsible adult? You're doing it every day. What did you know about—"
"Yeah, I'm awesome, but loving someone—" I interrupted him so he could understand my problem.
"Love will sneak up on you whether you're ready for it or not. Whether you want it or not. The good news is, Sam, you made a good choice in falling in love with Mercedes, and that's something I never thought I'd say. You saw something in her, and she probably saw the same thing in you."
"But what if she doesn't feel the same way? What if it's just an arrangement for her still?" The questions fly out of my mouth before I can think them through. I never thought I'd want to risk my heart for someone to break it, but the idea of having it all with Mercedes does something to me. Why can't I? I've had enough misery in my life, and one thing I've learned is that, if I want something, I have to go out and get it myself. No one is going to give it to me.
"Remember when you came over for dinner last week to celebrate our babies turning two months old?" he asks, and I nod. He pulls out his phone. "Tina sent me these."
I take his phone and look at several pictures. In them, Mercedes is close to me, and she's looking at me in a way no one has ever looked at me before. There's something in her eyes I can't decipher. There are a few when she leans over and kisses my cheek while I am holding both babies. I remember that moment. She just did it for no reason. There's one of me in the middle and she and Jessica both kiss my cheeks.
"You don't think—" I begin, totally bewildered.
"I do," he says. "It's been the worst kept secret ever. Ever since Marley's adoption of Zander was finalized you have been acting like someone who has a crush on her. I just worried that she could never love you in return. But, now I know she does, and maybe she's scared to tell you for the same reasons you have been scared to tell her, but everybody knows you two are in love."
"What? What do you mean scared? I ain't scared." I stand taller, but I can feel my heart beating against my chest harder than ever before.
A text comes through from Tina on his phone.
Tina: It's time. Get in position.
She ends the text with a string of kiss and heart emojis. He snatches it from me, takes my elbow and nearly drags me back to the living room. I try to pull away, but his grip is inescapable.
"You must do some serious weightlifting," I say as I try to get away from him again.
He steers me to the living room, and that's when I notice we're under an arch of flowers. There are white chairs and everyone is now seated.
"What is happening? I thought this was a reception?"
"Just stand here and shut up." At the end of the aisle is a camera, and when Jake steps away, my dad's on the screen, also dressed in a suit. It's the same one I got for him for Jessica's christening. He waves at the camera like an excited little boy.
"Hey, Son," he says, much too loud. I only wave at him, unsure of what the hell is going on.
The same minister who baptized Jessica has now donned his robes and is standing next to me smiling much too wide. Jake jogs up the aisle and stands on the other side of me.
"Have you told him yet?" he asks Mike.
"I thought I'd let you do the honors," Mike says.
"What the hell are you two talking about?"
The minister clears his throat, and I look away.
"Welcome to your wedding," Jake says.
"My what?"
"Welcome to the love and marriage life, my friend. We're happy to have you," Mike says.
Everything happens at once. Music starts to play and Jessica and Tina walk down the aisle together. They're wearing identical dresses in Mercedes's favorite color, but my wife looks better in purple than anyone on earth. The dresses are long with a loose skirt.
Marley comes next, holding the hands of both her sons. They're in black suits and purple ties. Marley is in the same dress as Tina and Jessica.
My heart stops when I see what comes next. It's Mercedes, in a long dress that hugs her body just right. The gown displays her curves in all of their glory and has what I think is called a mermaid bottom. Her hair is brushed to the side, and it reminds me of the hairstyle she had when she came to Jessica's baptism.
She's between both parents and for once, they appear to have put their differences aside for the sake of their daughter. The wedding march starts, and they walk Mercedes down the aisle.
I don't look away from her for a second. Even when Jessica takes my hand and pulls on it, I don't look away from my wife. She smiles shyly at me, and I smile back. For a split second, my world turns upside down, but I clear my head, so I can continue to watch her.
The trip down the aisle is much too short, and in no time, she's in front of me. I take her hand in mine, and I kiss the back of it. She giggles and her nose scrunches.
Our vows are a blur. Since there was no rehearsal we keep to the traditional vow, but the entire time, I never break eye contact, and I don't ever remember seeing anyone as beautiful as the woman standing in front of me today.
Once we say our vows, and I'm told to kiss my bride, I pull her into my arms and cup her perfect face. She smiles shyly at me, and I stroke her soft skin. I want to live in this moment as much as I want to kiss her soft lips. In the end, kissing wins, and I finally get to taste my bride. I start slowly and just enjoy the feel of her lips. Then I realize that I've missed her in the short time she was upstairs, and I deepen the kiss. She opens her mouth for me, and I forget we're in a room full of people until I hear the loud cheers.
I still don't stop. I keep the kiss going, never intending to stop, until I feel a firm yanking of both my pant legs. She finally breaks the kiss, and I look down at Jessica and Johnny. They both raise their hands up to me, and I pick up Jessica and hand her over to her 'pwetty mama', and I pick up Johnny who leans over and kisses Mercedes's cheek, and the room goes wild.
Mercedes
Sam hasn't stopped touching me since the ceremony. Even now as we're sipping champagne and mingling with guests, he has my hand in his.
"Did you know about this?" he whispers in my ear.
"No! I asked Tina when she had the time because she just gave birth two months ago. She told me not to worry about it and to enjoy myself." My eyes fill with tears, and if I had a free hand, I'd fan my face with it.
"You look so beautiful," my mom says.
Roz nods but she's too busy crying to say a word.
"You really do," my dad says.
"Shut up, Tony. No one asked you," my mom says, but her words lack their usual bite. "And I haven't had to cut your dick off yet, Sam, so you're doing a good job."
"Mom!" I look around the room, and sure enough, Reverend Pendergrass is watching. He stares at us in disbelief.
"Do you do exorcisms?" my dad asks the minister. "Can you cast the devil out of them," he says while pointing at my mom and Roz.
"I'll pray for you all," the reverend says before walking away.
Junior cackles, but instead of saying something smart, he offers Sam his hand. After they shake, he pulls me into a hug that turns into him putting me in a headlock like he did when I was little. He rubs his knuckles over my hair until Sam pulls me away. He puts his arm across my shoulders.
It takes another hour for everyone to come out and congratulate us, including the owner of the team, Cooter Jenkins, his wife, and his grandson, Ryder.
"She's a beautiful bride, Sam," he says after kissing the back of my hand. I find myself blushing at the compliment. "Remember what I told you. Keep your willy in your pants, and I better not hear about any more shenanigans."
"Yes, sir," Sam says.
"Ryder set an alarm on my phone. Every time you're mentioned, I know. I better not get any alerts that will cause a scandal. You got that?"
"Thanks, Ryder," Sam says with a hint of sarcasm. All Ryder does is grin as he continues to stare at me. He stares for so long, I start to feel self-conscious.
"Anytime," Ryder says. Then he takes my hand in his and kisses the back of it. "I'm Ryder Jenkins Lynn." The entire time he never looks away. Sam finally reaches over and pulls my hand from his. "Thanks for stopping by," Sam says to him and his grandparents.
Sam looks at Ryder and tilts his head to the other side of the room, but Ryder is either oblivious or thoughtless because his eyes won't leave my face. He pulls something out of his blazer pocket and hands me his card.
As I'm about to say something to him, Jessica taps Mr. Jenkins's leg, and Johnny does the same. He starts to chase them, and they run out laughing and screaming. His wife thinks this is simply adorable and takes picture of her husband.
"Feel free to contact me," Ryder says to me.
Sam takes the card from me and slides it into his pocket. Finally, Ryder takes the hint and walks away.
"Damn asshole," Sam whispers, before he snakes an arm around my waist. While more people congratulate us, I look across the room and lock eyes with Tina. She smiles at me and holds up her champagne flute. I do the same. She tilts her head towards Sam and mouths, 'Tell him.'
The conversation I had with her flashes through my mind.
Earlier today:
While Marley and my mom fuss over Jessica and change her into the dress they bought for her, I'm alone with Tina for the first time in a long time.
"I can't believe you did all of this. You just had twins!" I exclaim as if she could possibly forget she just birthed two babies.
"I have an assistant, and Marley did most of it. In case you forgot, I'm rich now." She bumps her shoulder with mine, and tears pool in my eyes before sliding down my cheeks. "Oh, don't you dare ruin your makeup." She grabs a tissue and dabs my eyes. "Suck it up until after the ceremony."
Once I get myself together, I say, "I remember you cried like a baby the entire week leading up to your wedding." I cross my arms and look at her.
She just shrugs. "Be honest with me, tell me how everything is really going. You guys are—"
"We're good," I say. "We're great. Sam's not the manwhore I thought he was. Well, he was, but there's more to him than his past. And I'm not going to make excuses for how he was, but I understand him so much more now. He has a bit of a tragic story, but that's his story to tell," I say quickly.
"I know some," she says. "And you're right. Underneath all that whoring, he was just a lonely kid, but you three seem to be happy. I was worried when you first married, but you're making it work."
"We are," I say, relieved that she gets it.
"You care about him." She gestures for me to follow her into the closet where she pulls out my wedding dress. I gasp. I knew it would be beautiful, but this is the exact one I gushed over when we went shopping for her dress. I remember begging her to try it on and was disappointed when she said it wasn't right for her. I even tried it on and had Tina take a picture of me and I sent it to my mom and Granny.
"I do," I admit. I more than care. She stares at me and waits for me to say more.
"Say it," she says. "It's okay. It's just us here."
"I think I've fallen in love with my husband, Tina. I don't know how that happened because it was an arrangement, but after living with him all this time, and getting to know the real Samuel Evans, I—"
"Continue," she says.
"Once I got to know the real him, I couldn't help myself. He's such a good dad. I mean amazing. And it's all because he did not want his child to go through what he went through. It would have been so easy for him to repeat old patterns, you know. I don't mean the agoraphobia but the neglect. He didn't do that though. He stepped up and not only did he break old patterns, he shattered them. And he did it at such a young age. It's amazing that he recognized that his childhood wasn't right and didn't want his child to go through that. It's so selfless."
"Yes, that's great. He stepped up even though he couldn't dress my godbaby, and had her looking homeless." We laugh at that.
"Well, I am definitely in charge of her wardrobe now. Since she is two she enjoys wearing jeans and dresses and not all those tutus. Be warned that he will be giving those to you and Mike, for Kayla, just throw them away."
"You don't have to worry about that. What I want to know is how he treats you and please don't mention his dick please and thank you."
"It's… just kidding. He's wonderful to me. I think he models Mike and Jake because he doesn't know how relationships work, but he's a great husband even when he's just being his goofy self."
"So, why don't you tell him you love him?"
"Love was not one of our conditions. This was for Jessica and my Granny. I am afraid it will make things weird, especially since he doesn't feel the same way."
Tina puts the dress over my head, careful that it doesn't touch my face. Once it's on, she goes behind me and zips it. It's a perfect fit, and never did I imagine I would actually wear a dress like this to get married, especially after our courthouse nuptials.
"Are you sure he doesn't feel the same way?" she asks gently.
My head snaps up and our eyes lock through the mirror. Sure, the sex is incredible, and he always holds me at night. He's gentle. He gets me flowers and has given me access to everything in his life, including his deepest secrets. He also trusts me with his money. He's talked about his childhood and upbringing. He takes care of me and goes with me sometimes when I visit Granny. It's his treatment of me when I need comforting and his support that stands out the most to me.
"He doesn't," I say.
She takes her phone and hands it to me. "Look through those pictures."
I take the phone from her. There are several photos, and in most of them, Sam is looking at me. Even when I'm not next to him, he's looking at me from across the room. These pictures are from years ago until this month. In one of the pictures, he's talking to Mike and I'm talking to Marley, but we're holding hands. There's one of me holding Jessica, and I can see how emotional he is as he watches us.
"Those looks say otherwise. Tell him."
Sam
I hand Mercedes my phone so she can talk to my dad. I've had enough of him congratulating me and crying, but he says these are tears of joy today after he apologized for not being able to be here. He assured me he was working on it, and his next milestone would be coming to visit me in the big city.
Normally, I would have rolled my eyes and said I'm used to him not being there for me, but not today. I'm too happy today. Instead, I told him that I would be here waiting for him. That we would be here. He was satisfied with that and seemed to sigh in relief.
Once Mercedes's done talking, I take her to the corner of the room. The things Mike said to me stick out in my mind. Could he be right? Am I on the cusp of having it all?
"Do you know when dinner is?" she whispers. "I'm hungry, and all I've seen so far has been appetizers." Just as the words leave her mouth, a server walks by, and I take a plate off his tray. It's a fruit plate, and I feed Mercedes a strawberry.
"So," I say, after nervously clearing my throat, "Mike showed me some pictures on his phone. In all of them, you are looking at me like you want to have me for dessert. You looked like you wanted to gobble me up like this fruit."
Her eyes widen at my words then she starts to cough on her fruit. I whack her on the back until she regains control of herself. She stands and grins.
"Huh," she says. "That's funny because Tina showed me some pictures and in all of them you looked like you have it bad for me."
I offer her another piece of fruit. A honeydew melon this time. When she inches closer to get it, I move it out of her reach. "Not so fast," I throw in. "I think you have something you want to say to me. Say it, and you can have this."
"Excuse me, but I think it's you who has something to say to me." She points at herself and reaches for the melon again, but I take a step away. She moves closer.
"Just say them. Three little words. Three syllables, and you can have this and we can go. Jessica's staying with the Puckermans, and I get to do you every which way at the Plaza."
"The only thing you'll be doing tonight is yourself. Come on Samuel Evans. Confess."
"You first."
"Say it," she taunts.
"You say it," I say back.
"Nope."
I let her go, and she takes an involuntary step back. "Fine," I concede. Rock, paper, scissors."
On the count of three we do it and both choose rock. The next time we both choose paper. The third time I win when I choose paper again and cover her rock. "I win."
She stands tall and squares her shoulders. "Fine. A deal's a deal, even though I let you win. So," she says after taking a deep breath, "here goes. You have surprised me. I went from hating you to tolerating you to liking you."
"Lord, three little words, woman! Enough with the blabbering. I don't need a speech."
"I'm gonna take as long as I need to take, so shut your trap and listen for once." She takes a deep breath before she continues. "You're a wonderful loving dad. The most loyal and caring son. I guess it was inevitable that I would get here. So, Sam Evans, I have fallen in love with you."
I take her hands in mine and kiss the back of them.
"God, you talk too damn much. That's always been your problem. All you had to say was this. I love you. See how that works." She bites her lip and tears spring into her eyes. They fall down her cheeks until I wipe them away.
"You love me?" she chokes out.
"How could I not?" I ask. "Even without Jessica in the picture, I knew I was into you. I just didn't know it was love. Remember when you told me we would tell everyone who asks us why we were together, it's human nature. Well the words of that song express how I have been feeling about you for a very long time."
She lets out a loud wail and flies into my arms. I wrap them around her and kiss the top of her head. "She really loves me!" I announce, and the crowd on the other side of the door cheers. I lift her off her feet and spin her around. She throws her head back and laughs. I then throw her over my shoulder and walk inside with her.
"Put her down, Sam," Tina says. "It's time for your reception at the hotel." It's fitting because that's the place I laid eyes on her for the first time and couldn't keep her out of mind.