A/N: I didn't think I would finish this chapter today, but I finally did...So, you get two updates from me. Please read Chapter 13 before this. I was going to space it out so the updates wouldn't cause confusion, but I am about to take a much needed break from this story. As always I own only my mistakes.

Fourteen

Mercedes

I walk away from everyone in the living room, and I begin to remove the dishes to set four place settings on the table before pulling the two highchairs to the formal dining room table.

As soon as we got back from visiting my grandmother, Marley and Jake had brought Jessica back with their little one. Marley and I had been catching up on my marriage to Sam and I invited the Puckermans to dinner in appreciation of them taking care of Jessica for us, while Sam talked to Jake and the kids continued to play with each other. I had cooked lasagna so it was enough for several people to eat.

"Did you tell Marley the reason you're with me is transactional?" Sam asks. His voice sounds almost hurt like he had overheard something I said to Marley that was derogatory towards him. He couldn't be more wrong.

"No, I didn't," I say. "The reason why we married is our business. I told her that we're together, and you've been good to me." I don't tell him that I told Marley that he has been good and faithful to me so far even though it was on the tip of my tongue.

"Why did she think I wouldn't be a good husband to you?" He still sounds hurt. "I don't get why she is saying negative stuff about me since she's always going on and on about how people shouldn't judge one another and people should just let people live. She is usually the nicest person in the room."

"She didn't say anything negative about you or our marriage. Of course she had questions because we used to fight like cats and dogs whenever we were together. You can't tell me that Jake didn't ask you the same questions. They are our friends and they care. But it doesn't matter what they say. And if someone asks us why again we'll just tell them it's human nature." Once I have the table set, I put my hands on his chest. "This is our marriage. And the only two people's opinion that matters are yours and mine. I don't care what anyone else thinks or says. That's why I haven't been reading what your Sammyfans have been posting about me on social media. According to my mom, Roz has been butchering them and even threatening to sue The Shade Room, but I don't waste energy worrying about what people say or think about me."

I have a strong sense of self and confidence due to growing up in a social media world where strangers think it's their right to criticize others just because they can do it safely behind a computer. At first my skin was thin, and I cried all the time, but then my grandmother and mother helped me to rise above it. They made sure I knew I was loved and valuable, and that the people who were making most of the negative comments were probably damaged themselves and felt better by making other people feel bad as they did.

I am grateful that I always had people who poured into me. Because of his past, Sam didn't have that. So, I can see why he would have an inferiority complex. I regret all of the untrue things I said and thought about him now. But in the past, he acted like he was Teflon and nothing stuck, but now I see that his playful attitude masks the heaviness that surrounds him at times, and I understand now that his strong reactions to my criticisms and others is because he still has insecurities.

I kiss him on the nose and smile at him to try to telepathically tell him that everything is fine.

"If you keep smiling at me like that, I'm going to kick everyone out and have my way with you on the dining room table."

I pretend to be shocked and swat at his chest, but all that does is make him smile wider. He surprises me when he hugs me tight to him and then leans down and kisses me. It's not a passionate kiss, but a kiss that lovers who are comfortable with each other share. He bends down and growls against the side of my neck. I giggle at the sound and he gently bites my neck.

"Oh," I say. "Maybe you should kick everyone out and eat me out on the table." But there's another knock on the door, and I go to answer it before he can reply.

Sam

Mike comes in with his arm across Tina's shoulders while she has her hands filled with shopping bags. I pull out a chair for her, and he helps her sit. We were not expecting them for dinner, but Mercedes goes and sets up extra places for them to join us. They had been shopping and Tina had found some cute outfits for Jessica, and they decided to drop them off.

"You guys aren't going to believe what I found out about Sam from his father." Mercedes blurts out to our friends, and I get suspicious as she walks away and goes to her purse. Jessica and Johnny come running into the dining room, and she goes straight for Mike while Johnny tries to climb on Tina. I lift him and put him on her lap. He becomes mesmerized by her round belly and puts his head on it.

"Baby?" he asks while touching it.

"Two of them," Tina says.

"One for me?" He asks.

"No, both are for me." Mike exchanges Jessica for Johnny..

"I want Tee," Johnny says to Mike before he reaches for Tina again. Marley gets him and explains that the babies are still inside growing, and he can't play with them just yet.

Mercedes comes in with an envelope that I didn't know she had just as I was getting Tina a bottle of water to drink.

"You guys won't believe this," she says, and I prepare myself for everyone's reaction. I know what's in there. "Sam Evans," she says, pointing at me. "That idiot over there who does nothing but gyrate on the field after every home run." She says while waving the envelope around and doing a better body roll than me or my fans have ever done. "Has never gotten anything other than an A in math."

"You have got to be lying," Tina says.

"I'm offended," I say to her jokingly.

"I have the proof right here." She hands Marley the envelope. She opens it, and Jake looks over her head to see if what I am saying is true.

"I'm not surprised. I saw his college transcript when we were recruiting him," Mike says. "I always knew he was a mathematical savant."

"I'm pretty but I ain't dumb. I am actually brilliant on and off the field."

"Let me see those," Tina says. When Mercedes hands her one of my report cards, she says. "These look fake."

"Because they're copies," Mercedes admits. "His dad wouldn't let me take the originals, so I had to make copies of the original ones. Next time, I'll have to bring some of his school pictures. He was pretty." She grins at me.

While everyone looks over my old report cards, I'm reminded that there are no school pictures after the fourth grade, and the only high school picture I have is from my yearbook. I saved enough money from my summer job to pay the senior dues that year and the yearbook was included. This just reminds me of the fact that unlike everybody in this room, there was no one to cheer for me when I graduated or throw me any graduation parties afterwards. I was the first person in my family to ever go to college and no one cared. My father only cared because I was leaving him behind.

I don't want to think about that ever again. Whenever I do, I consider treating my father the way he treated me.

"Can we eat dinner now?" I ask. They shrug and everyone is seated.. I serve the kids, Mike serves his wife, and everyone else serves themselves.

While everyone is seated at the table, I notice Mike watching me as I let Mercedes eat off of my plate. He shakes his head at me and turns back to his food.

"Mike and I are throwing Sam and Mercedes a wedding reception. I'll let you know when and where." Tina announces as we are finishing eating our meals.

"Let's give Mercedes a bridal shower, too," Marley says. "I'll plan that."

Mercedes stands up and gives both of her friends hugs. She is probably thinking that her friends now accept our marriage and won't give her any more heat from marrying me.

"We can have it at the hotel so you can see our old colleagues," Tina suggests. "Marley, let's figure out a date, and I'll reserve a room."

I should have known they would do this. They are the same people who threw me a baby shower after I had Jessica. When she came to live with me full-time, they helped me with a nursery, took me shopping, and promised to be there for me whenever I needed. And they have been.

I never had close friends before them. I kept everyone at a distance. Even when I joined the league, I still kept everyone at a distance. In hindsight I wished I kept my fans at a distance. Even though Mercedes doesn't read their comments, my agent does and the words they have been saying about her have made me regret ever sleeping with any of them or encouraging them with my antics. They are toxic. And I am finished with all that Sammyfans nonsense for good now.

"Are you guys sure?" I ask. "You've done so much for me already."

"We're sure," they say in unison.

"My wife wants everyone to be as happy in their marriage as she is in ours. Let her do this," Jake says.

Mercedes

I can't remember the last time I took a vacation, all I know is that it's never been like my stay in Hawaii.

"Look," Jessica says, pointing to the sea creatures that we can see swimming in the coral reefs. We had been watching Moana and The Little Mermaid on the long flight to the island, and Jessica is enjoying seeing the real life sea creatures that she has only seen on the screen.

With her in my arms, I walk until the water reaches my knees then I lower her into it. She laughs and kicks her feet under the water.

"More," she says when I lift her out. So, I give her more. I hold her in my arms as we enjoy the waves crashing on and around us. She's fearless as long as I hold her. The waves become stronger, so we walk back to land before a huge wave can get to us.

The sun has changed her complexion to a nice shade of golden brown, and I apply more sunscreen to protect her. The entire time, she smiles at me, and I realize just how much I love this little girl who is now my daughter.. Once I'm done, we try to make a sand castle that ends up being a mound that we jump up and down on.

An hour later, it became a battle to get Jessica to leave the beach. Once I did and got her inside the bathtub, she could barely keep her eyes open while I bathed her. By the time I pulled her out of the tub and drained it, there was a thick layer of sand at the bottom. She surprised me by managing to stay awake long enough to eat her lunch, and she was asleep before I put her down in the crib.

Now, she's dressed and happily playing in the corner. We attended a class on hula dancing yesterday, and I bought items that the lovely native women who taught the class sold. Several of the items, Jessica thinks are toys, and she is enjoying playing with them as she sings and dances. I am recording her with my phone when it buzzes with a notification from Sam saying he's on his way to the villa.

I finish my video of Jessica and reply with a heart and for some crazy I run to the closest mirror to make sure that I look all right. I go into the powder room, and freshen up my gloss and admire the goddess braids I had gotten especially for this trip.

When he gets there, I am in the kitchen mixing a fresh batch of pineapple margaritas. My heart skips a beat when I see him. He's in nothing but a pair of shorts that reach his knees and a plain white polo shirt, but it's the way it sits on his body. I never noticed that, despite how lean he is, how broad his shoulders are, or how nice his clothes always fit him. Jessica darts across the room on wobbly legs to get to her father. He picks her up and swings her up in the air.

"Weeee," she yells. "Mo," she commands, and he does it again and again. I laugh along with them. He finally stops, puts her on his shoulder, and walks to me.

I hand him a bottle of water because I know that he doesn't like to drink alcohol. He takes it, puts it down, and snakes his free arm around my waist. He pulls me to him, leans down, and gives me a soft lingering kiss on the lips.

"Mmhmm," I hear him moan. He puts his hand on my ass and squeezes. "I missed this booty," he says.

I pull away and hit his hand and he begins to drink the water.

"How was your commercial?" I ask. "Or did you flub your lines and they are only using your face and body while there is a voiceover?"

"You got jokes today," he says as takes my hand and kisses the back of it. "It was actually a Jamba Juice ad with their native player Kolten Wong. All we had to do was throw the ball around and drink the juice afterwards and say some lines about how refreshingly good Jamba Juice Hawaii is," he says. "But we get this place for a few more days, do you want to do anything while here?"

I tell him, and I am delightfully surprised that he wants to accompany Jessica and me to all the eco-friendly tourist activities that the islands offer as well as donating funds to organizations that help the native people of Hawaii sustain their way of life despite the islands being destroyed by the tourism industry. We also planned on going to Maui to donate things to the families that were devastated by the fire last year.

Jessica is playing quietly in the living room while I sit outside with Sam after our traditional Hawaii feat called a luau. We had a full roasted pig and enjoyed dancing and singing along with the natives. Jessica was having as much fun as we were, and I couldn't imagine not having her on the trip with us.

We turn our chairs around so we can watch her as she dances with her "hula toys" from earlier. She's clean, happy, and content now in dressed in her nighty that has a tutu around it.

I suddenly remember something in the fridge, so I run in, grab it, and return. I set out two berry bowls and spoons for us. Sam grabs his bowl and immediately starts eating.

"Why do you always put her in a tutu?" I ask as I watch Jessica stand, put her hands over her head, and spin.

"Because little girls like tutus," is his reply.

"And how many little girls do you know that you have asked and they have told you this?"

"I watched television, and I know that every little girl wants to be a ballerina or some kind of dancer."

"Sure, Sam," I say sarcastically.

"Are you telling me that you never wanted to be a dancer when you were little?"

"Sure, but" He interrupts before I can finish.

"I rest my case." I don't waste my breath and tell him that doesn't mean I wanted to wear tutus everyday of my life.

He finishes his dessert and looks longingly at mine, so I hand it to him.

"Can I ask you something else?"

"Why are you asking permission? Your nosey little behind has been in my business since the day you wiped your hands on your dress after I shook it when Tina introduced us after you sang "I Will Always Love You". Your voice was so amazing that I actually wanted to meet you. And I quickly found out how rude you are."

I grin at the memory, and I don't bother apologizing. He showed up at the hotel when I was working. Instead of the guests tipping me and listening to me singing, they were all trying to take pictures of him and get his attention. That is when I performed a song that I knew would guarantee that they would listen. When Tina introduced him to me during my break, I shook his hand and wiped mine off immediately after.

"What do you want to know that I haven't already told you?," he asks.

"What happened to Jessica's mother?"

The spoon stops halfway to his mouth. He blinks twice and looks at me, then he shoves the spoon in his mouth. After about another minute he sighs. "She died." He doesn't say anything else..

"I know that. How did she die? She was young and most young people don't just drop dead."

"I honestly don't know. "I got a call from her sister letting me know that she had died and to keep Barbara away from Jessica," he says.."

"Who is Barbara?" I ask.

"Jessica's maternal grandmother. She's a pain in the ass and demanded that I let her raise my kid, and when I told her no, she called me all kinds of names. I thought it was grief and that after some time, I would call her so she could at least see Jessica. She came over once and said she was there to take her home. She started calling her Bree, which was Jessica's mother's name. I asked her to leave. I got a text from Brandi reminding me that I shouldn't let her mom near Jessica. I took her advice and that was that."

I don't know what else to say about that, so I drop it. I extend my hand to him and he takes it.

"You're a good father," is all I say. He sits up and looks at me without letting my hand go. "You are."

He gets serious, leans back in his seat, and says, "Yeah, you're right." He nods and I roll my eyes. "It's a complicated scientific formula that I use."

"Oh, really? I didn't think there was a formula for parenting."

"There is. You're not smart enough to figure it out though." When I laugh he says, "If you doubt me, refer back to my report cards. Anyway, the formula is this. I'll simplify it for you and your average brain. I ask myself, what would my father do, and I do the opposite of that. It works every single time. Go figure." I look at him and we both burst into laughter. I don't have it in me to offer any words in defense of Dwight today.

"That's probably a good strategy," is all I can think to say between giggles. He tugs on my arm and gestures for me to come to him. I do, and he pulls me onto his lap.

"You're pretty," he whispers, and I blush. I've been told that before, but it's usually from a family member. "And you're sweet too, even though you can be a real bully with a big mouth most of the time," he says. He pulls my dress to the side and kisses my shoulder. "And you're really good with Jessica."

"Jessica's a doll," is all I can think to say. He kisses and gently bites my shoulder. I can feel myself start to moisten at the feel of him. He swells underneath me, and all I can do is hope Jessica falls asleep soon so I can have my way with him.

"And you take this dick like a champion."

I gasp at his crassness. He throws his head back and laughs like it's the funniest thing.

"You're so disgusting," I say as I try to get up, but he tightens his hold around me.

He stands with me still in his arms, and once I'm on my feet he pins me against the railing of the balcony, pressing his body into mine. He puts his hands on my shoulders and slowly slides them down my arms until he gets to my hands, and we intertwine our fingers. I look up into his eyes, and he looks down at me.

I marvel at how good-looking he is and how vibrant his eyes are. I look down, but he lets go of one of my hands and puts a finger under my chin. He tilts my face back up, and I make eye contact with him again. This man has seen me naked. He's had his head between my legs. He's had me bent over but this moment here is the most intimate of my life. This moment, where we're outside, fully dressed with his child only a few feet away. This moment with his body pressed against mine and our hands meshed together. I can feel the beat of his heart against my body. I can smell him and boy does he smell good. He lets go of my hands, and I rein in my disappointment, but then he wraps both his arms around me and holds me firm against his body. I press my face to his chest and give in to the hug. There's music down below, and we both start to sway.

I look up, and he smiles down at me, and I do the same to him. The entire time, we never stop swaying. Not until Jessica starts to hit the sliding glass door. Sam breaks the hug, but he takes one of my hands before he opens the door, and Jessica comes out. She wraps herself around one of her daddy's legs, and he lets go of my hand to pick her up.

"Someone needs a diaper change." He tries to hand her to me, but I run away.

"I'll let you handle that one," I say as I run to the master bedroom to shower and change.

Sam-Smut Alert

After giving Jessica a second bath due to a diaper explosion, I give her warm milk and rock her to sleep. I finally tiptoe out of the room and return to the master bedroom. Mercedes's in bed, wearing a big pair of glasses and looking at something on her iPad. I peel off my shirt and take the fastest hot shower of my life. I dry off with a towel, but I don't bother with pajamas.

She's in the middle of the bed when I return.

"Do you think Queen Mercedes can move from the middle of the bed so I can get in?" She turns my way, and I'm sure she has a flippant response ready for me, but no words come out of her open mouth. All she does is stare at my naked body. Her eyes travel from my chest to my semi-hard dick. I wrap my hand around it and give it a good tug. She gasps as if she's a virginal prude and looks away, but she slides over so that I can get in bed with her.

She's in a pair of ugly Hawaiian print shorts and shirt but I keep my mouth shut about how ugly the print is on them. Once I get comfortable in the bed, I pull the glasses off her face and put them on mine.

"I thought these were reading glasses, are you legally blind," I ask when she snatches them off my face. "And what are you looking at?" I gesture to the iPad.

She shows me the videos that she has of Jessica from today that she sent to our friends and family, and she was answering their comments with her own replies. When I don't give her iPad back she climbs on top of me to retrieve it and I instantly harden with the contact from her soft and lush body above me. It is like a dream come true.

"What has gotten you so hard?" She asks, looking down at me with astonishment in her eyes.

"It all started when I say you wearing these ugly pajamas and those nerdy glasses. Then when you climbed up on me like that I start imagining all the naughty things I could do to you in this position with your soft curves so conveniently next to me."

I pull the offensive shirt over her head before I pull off her shorts. "You aren't wearing panties," I say. "I like that."

I expect her to put up a fake fight, but she doesn't. She pulls off those glasses and crashes her lips on mine. I open my mouth to her and give her what she wants. I'm learning a lot about my wife, and one of those things is that she likes to kiss. The deeper and wetter the better. She also likes it when I get a little rough with her.

I grab and squeeze her ass so tight she moans into my mouth with pleasure.

"You animal," she yells when I flip us over and end up on top. She returns to my mouth, and we lose ourselves to the kiss.

She grabs my dick and gives it a good squeeze.

"Who's the animal now?" I growl against her mouth. Liking how she reacts when I'm rough with her, I flip us over again, putting her back on top. She leaves my mouth and starts to kiss down, but she comes back up and kisses me again. Deeper this time.

"I want to try something," she says. She leaves my mouth again, throws the cover to the floor, which is no small feat because it's a heavy down comforter, and slides all the way down.

I can feel beads of pre-cum on the tip of my dick. She grabs it and flicks her finger across the top.

"Aah," I sigh. "Lord, do you have to be so rough with it?" I moan. She grabs it again. When she licks the top, I almost fall off the bed. "Oh, so that's what you're after, huh? You walk around all prudish while fantasizing about putting this dick in your mouth. I bet you have been wet all day," I taunt.

"Shut up," is all she says before she takes me to the back of her throat.

"Oh," I mutter. "Yeah. Take it." And she does. She sucks and jerks it simultaneously. She occasionally lets it pop out of her mouth so she can swirl her hot tongue around the tip. She does this over and over again, bringing me to the brink. Just as I'm about to explode down her throat, she stops and looks up at me. Her mouth is slick with saliva as she gives me a smug look. "Take it in your mouth. You know you want to, you dirty little thing."

She doesn't put it back in her mouth. Instead, she straddles me and puts both her hands on my chest. I grab her hips and squeeze them so tight, I know she'll have bruises in the morning.

"I want to ride you," she says as she looks down at me. The bravado from earlier is gone and replaced with some shyness. I've never had anyone ride me. I usually took them from behind, or I'd be on top. I'd ram into them as fast as possible, only concerned with my pleasure.

But that was a million lifetimes ago. I reposition myself on the bed, and I give her hips another squeeze, signaling for her to continue. She lifts herself, and I help position her on top of me. She's wet and slick, but it still takes her a few tries to slide down my dick. I'm not only long, but I'm thick too, but she manages to take it all.

Once I'm fully in, I close my eyes and exhale a few times to get my body under control. I slap her ass hard, and she jolts, but she bites her bottom lip and throws her head back. I thrust up, and she lets out a carnal moan.

"You're so greedy for this dick," I taunt her.

"You're the greedy one," she says back. "Greedy for me. I bet you've been thinking about it since you met me."

I grin at that, loving this side of her. Loving that she's not inhibited by this feeling.

"You wish," I say. "I couldn't stand you."

"Liar," she challenges. It's like she's trying to prove her point when she picks up the pace. I hold on to her hips and she grinds on top of me, each time she takes me deeper. Her internal muscles have a death grip on my dick as she drives me to waves of pleasure I didn't know existed.

"You are so sexy, like this" I say.

"Yeah? And I'm about to make you come like this is your first time." She pushes down on my chest and throws her head back. If not for the nice view of her tits, I'd close my eyes and lose myself in the feel of her, and the soft moans she makes each time I slide deep inside of her.

She goes faster. Her body is now covered with sweat. I'm on the cusp, but there's no way I can come first. If I do, it's over. I'm going to soften up and slide out of her. It's that good, but I have to make her scream first.

Just as I'm about to flip us over and get on top so I can have some control, she screams out my name so loud, I'm afraid she'll wake Jessica up. But that doesn't happen. It's when she calls my name for the second time that I finally let go.

I'd call out her name too, but I'm way too far gone to talk. I close my eyes and let my body convulse. I have no more control over it, and my orgasm seems to be never-ending.

"Wow," she says when she drops herself on top of me. Her head hits my nose on her way down, but I don't care. I feel too good to care about a little bit of pain right now.

I wrap my arms around her and run my hands down her sweaty spine. Her skin is so smooth. Some of her hair gets in my face, and I push it away. She has her legs on either side of me and her wetness oozes onto my abdomen.

I cup her ass tight. She looks up and I tilt my chin at her. She knows what I want. She bends down and kisses me.