I know you have been asking for it, and here it is! I am very happy that you love this story, and I got you! So enjoy and tell me what you think.


"I could love you if you let me. Let me show you how." Aiden said as he pulled back, caressing her face.

Mercedes stared at him, and at that moment, everything became clear. His kiss had given her the answer to all her questions and doubts.

"Will you let me love you? Let me make love to you, Mercedes?"

"No." Mercedes breathed as she shook her head and stepped away, creating space between them.

Aiden blinked, staring at her, clearly taken aback. "No?"

She nodded firmly. "No. What I need, you can't give me."

Aiden's face twisted in confusion, frustration evident in his voice. "How do you know that? If you won't let me try, how can you know I can't give you what you need?"

Mercedes took a deep breath, her heart pounding as years of pain and anger bubbled to the surface. "Because you left me, Aiden." She felt her power coming back as she continued to speak. "You abandoned me when I needed you the most. I was young and pregnant with your child, and you just disappeared. You refused to support me, actually told me to get rid of that beautiful boy… and I had to deal with this alone."

Aiden's expression softened, his eyes dropping to the floor. "I know… I know I hurt you. And I've regretted it every day since. I was young and stupid, Mercedes. I was scared."

"Young? Scared?" Mercedes shook her head, the bitterness in her voice evident. "You don't get to use fear or being young as an excuse. I was scared, too, but I stayed. I raised Cam on my own. I built a life without you. I grew up, Aiden. I'm not the same girl you left behind."

Aiden looked up at her, his face pleading. "I've changed too. I'm not that kid anymore, Mercedes. I can be the man you need now. Please, just let me show you."

"No," Mercedes said, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside. "What I needed back then was a partner who wouldn't run when things got hard. And now? Now I don't need you at all. I've grown stronger, I did this, without you."

His face fell, realization dawning as her words sank in. "You've moved on…" His voice trailed off before his eyes flickered with a new emotion—jealousy. "Is it because of him?"

"Him? Who?" Mercedes asked, confused.

"Sam? That man who seems set on being a father to my son."

Mercedes swallowed hard, her chest tightening. She hadn't expected him to bring up Sam, but she knew she had to be honest. "Yes. It's about Sam. And for the record, Sam isn't trying to replace you as Cam's father. You would have to be his father to have someone take your place."

Aiden's eyes darkened, and he took a step closer, his voice tinged with frustration. "That was below the belt." He growled. "Do you love him?"

Mercedes held his gaze, unflinching. "Yes, Aiden, I'm in love with Sam and have been stupid, even entertaining you."

Aiden's jaw clenched, his eyes flashing with disbelief. "You don't even know him like you know me!"

Mercedes exhaled slowly, shaking her head. "Oh, I know you, Aiden, I know that you were supposed to love me, and instead, you left me. But Sam, he's a good man, and I love him. And I'm going to fight to be with him, in the way you should have fought to be with me."

Aiden looked like he'd been punched, his mouth opening slightly, but no words came out. He was grasping at the last shreds of hope, but it was slipping away from him. "So… that's it?" Aiden asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Aiden, it was over the day you left me to fend for myself," Mercedes replied, her voice steady but soft. "I've moved on, Aiden. You need to accept that."

Aiden took a deep breath, trying to process her words. His hands fell to his sides in defeat. "So what now?"

"Now, you have a choice to make; you need to decide if Cam is worth staying for, knowing that I don't want a relationship with you." Mercedes took his hand in hers. "Cam deserves to know his father; I won't take that away from him. But I promise, you can not keep popping in and out of his life. If you are gonna be in his life, stay in his life. If you aren't, then just leave."

Aiden's shoulders slumped, and he nodded slowly. "I want to make things right with him. I'll be there for him. I won't lose him like I lost you."

"I hope you will because that boy is so smart, sweet, and he's important. He deserves the world." Mercedes said gently. "But you need to understand—we're done."

Aiden stood there for a long moment, an uneasy quiet settled between them. Finally, he nodded his face tight with emotion. "I guess I deserve that. I have to go home for a bit, but I will be back, and I will call him."

Without another word, Aiden turned and walked out the door, leaving Mercedes standing there, resolute in her decision. She took a deep breath, a wave of relief washing over her.

She said everything that she needed to say, and in the end, it was up to Aiden to decide what his relationship with Cam would be. As for her, she was done with the past. Now, it was time to move forward. And she knew exactly where she needed to be—by Sam's side.


This was a bad idea; after tossing and turning all night, going back and forth all day, she finally decided to go see Sam, but she knew it the moment the rain started, she was in trouble. But she was determined to get the man she loved back.

She knew Sam was at the Ranch, and he and Stevie had Cam and his friends for the weekend. Though she could have waited until Sam brought Cam home, she didn't want to. She needed to see Sam, and she needed to see him now.

The wind howled mercilessly, whipping in sheets of rain against her windshield. And as it was harder and harder to see, each gust seemed to shake her car.

"Okay, I can't see, and I'm stuck…Lord, please…"

She hit the gas and groaned as the tires spun helplessly in the thick mud. Mercedes gritted her teeth, her heart pounding with a mix of frustration and fear.

Taking a deep breath, she glanced at the clock on the dashboard: 8:30 PM. She had been trying to get out of this mess for almost an hour, but the storm showed no sign of letting up.

Looking out the window, Mercedes chewed her bottom lip; she couldn't see anything and didn't know how far she was from the Farm.

"Is this a sign? Am I not supposed to go see him?"

In truth, it was vital for her to explain everything to him; she needed to tell him that Aiden's kiss meant nothing and that her heart belonged to him. The memory of Aiden's sudden reappearance in her life and his attempt to win her back just to leave when she turned him down still stung.

She was once again unsure if he was going to be in his son's life.

Mercedes also couldn't understand why she had ever thought he could be the one for her. Now, all she could think about was Sam, the man who had become her anchor in the turbulent sea of her life.

As the rain pounded harder, Mercedes let out a frustrated cry. She was stuck—there was no other way to describe it. Every attempt to move the car resulted in nothing but more spinning wheels and annoyance at the situation.

Just when she thought she was done for, she saw a set of headlights cutting through the darkness and the rain.

Relief washed over her, but it was quickly replaced by fear and anxiety as the truck came to a halt beside her. She had no idea who the driver was, and her eyes closed, saying a small prayer that whoever it was wasn't out to hurt her.

The door opened, and a tall, rugged figure emerged, silhouetted against the bright lights. As the man came closer, reality hit her that it was Sam.

Mercedes opened her door, not caring that water poured in as she did. "Sam!" she shouted over the roar of the storm.

He was already on his way to her, his face set in a mixture of worry and anger. "What the hell are you doing out here, Mercedes? You are so lucky that I saw you through all this rain!" he bellowed, his voice barely audible above the howling wind. He reached her just as she struggled to open her car door.

"I'm sorry! I had to see you," she yelled back, her voice breaking with emotion. "I needed to see you."

"You could've gotten yourself killed!" Sam's voice was sharp, but beneath the anger, there was concern. He reached out, helping her out of the car and pulling her towards his truck. "Get in. We gotta get out of this rain, I'll let you call Aiden from my phone, I am sure he's worried."

Mercedes hesitated for a moment, her gaze searching his face. "Sam…please." She said, staring at him. "Sam, I don't want Aiden. I came here for you. I am out here in this rain for you!"

Sam's face softened, but his eyes were still clouded with confusion and frustration. "You don't know what you're saying," he said, shaking his head. "It's pouring rain, and you're out here, risking your life. We need to get you somewhere safe."

"I am not leaving until you hear me!" Mercedes cried. "I realized it when Aiden kissed me—everything I thought I wanted was just a lie. The only thing that matters is you. I need you to understand that."

Sam's expression was conflicted. His eyes searched hers, and the anger seemed to melt away for a moment, replaced by something softer. But his hesitation was evident. "I'm not the guy for you, Mercedes. I've never done relationships. I'm... I'm just not built for this."

Mercedes felt a pang of hurt but refused to let it show. She stepped closer to him, the rain drenching them both. "You're wrong, Sam. You are exactly who I need. I know I've made mistakes, but I'm trying to fix them. I'm trying to fight for what I want. And that's you, it's only you, Sam."

Sam looked away, his jaw clenched. The storm raged around them, and the rain had soaked them to the bone. He was visibly torn, caught between his fear of commitment and his undeniable feelings for Mercedes.

Sam had always kept his distance from women, never allowing himself to get too close. But with Mercedes, things were different; she forced her way into his heart and his life, and he had a choice to make.

"You don't understand," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "I've never... Mercedes, you know I don't know how to do this. You know my history; you know that I've always been a ladies' man, never wanting anything serious."

Mercedes reached out, placing a hand gently on his cheek. "I know, Sam. I know it's hard, but nothing worth having is gonna be easy. Sam, you know how you feel about me, so why hide it? Why not be honest with me. Tell me the truth; tell me that you love me." The wind blew around them as she closed her eyes. "Sam, you don't have to be perfect; I never wanted you to change who you were, I just wanted you to love me. Be honest, Sam, just be honest with yourself. Do you love me?"

For a moment, Sam's resolve seemed to waver. He looked down at Mercedes, seeing her vulnerability and her sincerity. The storm seemed to quiet briefly as if the world was holding its breath.

"I'm scared," Sam admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm scared of getting hurt, of failing. Failing both you and Cam. I don't know if I can do this."

Mercedes's heart ached for him as she eyes locked her eyes with his. "You don't have to do it alone. I'm here with you. We can face it together. Please, Sam."

The storm seemed to intensify, the wind howling louder as if urging them to make a decision. Sam's eyes searched hers, and he saw the truth of her feelings at that moment. He saw the strength in her eyes and the love she was offering him. It was a love he had never known, but one he desperately needed.

He reached out and cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away the rain that clung to her cheeks. "I don't know what the future holds," he said softly. "But I know that I love you, Mercedes. I want to be with you."

Tears mingled with the rain on Mercedes's face, and she smiled through them as she pulled him close kissing him desperately.

Sam kissed her deeply, his resolve solidifying. He pulled her up against him, pressing her against his truck door, neither caring about the rain as their tongues danced together.

Sam pulled away from her reluctantly as he held her close. "I need to get you inside…now."

Mercedes nodded, feeling a surge of relief and happiness. The storm was fierce, raging, and not letting up, but as Sam helped her inside the truck, she hurried to open his door. Both were drenched from the rain, but neither cared.

Hands tangled together, Sam started the engine, the headlights cutting through the darkness, and Mercedes felt renewed hope. The storm would pass, and so would their fears. Together, they would face whatever came next, their hearts united against the world.

Sam looked over to Mercedes as he drove carefully back to the Farm.

"Is Cam…was he okay when you left?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, the boys and Stevie were in an intense battle before I left. Cam was kicking his but in this Naruto fighting game."

Mercedes nodded. "Good. I am glad to know he is good…"

"He asked me…if I was going to be his dad," Sam said not looking at her.

"And what did you say?" She asked, looking over at him.

"I said that I didn't want to take his father's place, but I got him."

Mercedes nodded with a smile as Sam pulled into the parking lot of the Farm.

"I am going to drop this pizza off to the boys, and then you and I are going to talk more," Sam said. "Because we both know that if you go in there, we won't get a chance to talk."

She nodded. "Okay…"


Sam kissed her softly before he grabbed the pizzas and walked into the living room of the main house on the Farm. Stevie looked up and grinned. "Food! Yes! We are starving! And look who came in from the storm?"

Sam glanced at Finn, surprised he was there. "Well, hey, Sheriff."

"Hey, Sam! That rain was coming down, and I knew I was always welcome here. Glad you made it back!"

The four boys ran over to Sam, grabbed the six pizza boxes, and took them to the table.

Sam pulled Stevie closer to him. "Hey, so I need you and, well, Finn to handle the fort. I got some, uh, business to attend to."

Stevie raised an eyebrow, "Sam? Seriously? You are dipping for some ass?" he hissed.

Sam shrugged. "I mean, this particular ass is worth dipping out."

Stevie shook his head, "No. Sam, I can't let you do this! Sleeping around isn't gonna solve your issues; you are still gonna be in love with her."

"That is probably going to be true, but I am willing to try."

"Just tell me what piece of..A..S..S is worth maybe losing Mercedes over?"

Sam smiled. "Trust me, this particular piece, as you call her, will only bring me closer to Mercedes."

Stevie cocked his head to the side as he looked at his brother. Before he spoke, Cam ran over to him.

"Sam, can we call my mom? She doesn't like storms."

Sam nodded. "I can assure you, your mom is fine and will be here in the morning to show you how fine she is."

"Okay, good," Cam said, running back to his friends, and Stevie stared at Sam with his jaw dropped.

"Can I take that look as a yes, you got this?"

Stevie nodded. Yes. Go get your woman."

Sam smiled, patting his brother on the back and walking out. Pulling out his phone, he shot Stacey a quick text.

Stevie: Hey, lil one. I just wanted to check to see if you are good in this storm. And tell you, Sam and Mercedes Kissing in a Tree. KISSING

Putting his phone into his pocket, he turned toward the kids. "Pizza and movies! Let's go!"