Here is another chapter for you amazing people! And true to my word, I have uploaded three brand new stories: Twist of Fate, My Best Friend's Boyfriend, and Forgotten. I will upload three more new stories before the New Year! So review and enjoy! Also, if you haven't done so already, check out Kesh and I's joint account on here. We have our 25 Days of Christmas going, and nine chapters have already been uploaded!

Mercedes raised an eyebrow as Quinn lingered in the doorway. "Quinn, what are you doing here?" she asked, folding her arms.

Quinn's smile was sugary sweet. "I always spend holidays with you, remember?" She eyed Mercedes, hoping she would play along.

Mercedes blinked, then laughed lightly. "No, you don't. You spend them with your family."

"Well," Quinn replied, her voice taking on an edge, "I'm here now. Are you going to invite me in?"

Mercedes gestured toward Sam. "It's up to him. This is his dinner—I'm just hosting."

Quinn's smile faltered, but she quickly recovered, shifting her gaze to Sam. She stepped closer to him, trailing her perfectly manicured fingers down his chest. "What do you say, Sam? Won't you let me stay?"

Sam's lips curled into a smirk as his green eyes flicked briefly to Mercedes, who arched an eyebrow at the scene. "Sure, Quinn. Why not?"

Just as Quinn began to beam, the sound of footsteps and chatter in the hallway drew their attention.

"Mom! Dad! Silas! Stevie! Stacey!" Sam exclaimed, stepping out of the apartment to greet his family. His face lit up as he pulled each of them into a hug.

Mercedes watched from the doorway, smiling at the way his family greeted him with warmth and affection.

"You're finally here!" Sam said. "I was starting to think traffic had swallowed you whole."

His mom, a petite woman with striking silver hair, chuckled. "We hit a bit of traffic, but we made it. I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Sam turned back toward the apartment, gesturing for them to follow. "So, here's the thing—I wanted to show you around my place, but it's, uh... airing out right now. My neighbor—who also happens to be my manager—was kind enough to host us."

He motioned toward Mercedes, his smile broadening. "Everyone, this is Mercedes Jones. Mercedes, this is my mom and dad, Dwight and Mary Evans, my older brother Silas, my younger brother Stevie, and my baby sister Stacey."

Mercedes stepped forward with a warm smile. "It's so nice to meet you all. Sam has said wonderful things about you. Welcome!"

Mary's sharp eyes softened as she reached out to shake Mercedes's hand. "Thank you, dear. It's lovely to meet you, too."

Silas smirked her way. "Are you and Sammy here together? Because Darlin', you are absolutely breathtaking."

Sam growled, watching his brother.

Before anyone else could speak, Quinn interjected, sidling up to Sam. "Oh no, they aren't together. I'm Quinn, by the way." she announced, her arm sliding through Sam's. Her smile was radiant, but the possessiveness in her tone was hard to miss.

Sam's jaw tightened, and Mercedes caught the briefest flicker of annoyance in his expression before he forced a polite smile.

Mercedes cleared her throat, breaking the awkward tension. "Dinner's ready if everyone's hungry. We've got turkey, mac and cheese, baked beans with maple sausage, deviled eggs, candied yams, and rolls. For dessert, there's apple pie and sweet potato pie."

Mary's eyes widened as she scanned the table. "Sam, did you cater all of this?"

Sam chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "No, ma'am. I cooked it—with a little help from Mercedes."

"A little?" Mercedes teased.

"Okay, maybe a lot of help." Sam said grinning.

Dwight let out an impressed whistle. "You've been holding out on us, son. When did you learn to cook like this?"

Sam shrugged, his smile modest. "Been practicing. But honestly, this dinner wouldn't have happened if Mercedes didn't take pity on me."

"There was no pity involved, I promise," Mercedes assured them.

Stacey leaned toward Mercedes with wide eyes. "You helped him cook all this? That's so cool. Do you cook a lot?"

Mercedes grinned. "I do. I love it—especially for big gatherings like this."

Silas stepped closer, his eyes fixed on Mercedes with obvious interest. "Well, everything smells incredible. If it tastes half as good as it looks, we're in for a treat."

Mercedes chuckled, brushing off the compliment as she moved to set out plates and utensils.

"Everyone grab a seat," she said. "There's plenty to go around."

As they began to settle in, Quinn hovered near Sam, her hand lingering on his arm. "I have to say, Sam, I didn't know you were such a domestic god. You're full of surprises."

Sam pulled his arm free gently, his tone calm. "I just wanted to make sure my family had a good meal. Holidays are important."

"Oh, I agree."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

"Of course, I can not wait to settle down and be a mom. I know I am not as domestic as you, but I am willing to learn."

Sam pulled out Quinn's seat for her. "I didn't know that."

"Seems we have a lot in common, it's like we were made for each other."

"Are we?" Sam questioned.

Mercedes smirked to herself as she caught the subtle deflection. It was clear that Quinn wanted Sam, but she wasn't sure he wanted her.

As she took her seat, she found herself sitting across from Sam, but next to Silas.

The family dug into the food, and the conversation quickly became lively.

"How is College going, Stevie?" Mercedes asked happily.

"College life is wild, but I'm managing."

"How's baseball going?" Sam asked, leaning forward.

Stevie's face lit up. "It's going great! A few teams are starting to look at me."

"Really?" Mercedes said, genuinely impressed. "That's amazing, Stevie!"

"Thanks," Stevie replied, his smile broad. "I wouldn't be here without my dad, Sam, and Silas. They taught me how to love the game."

"I think your talent got them looking your way," Sam added proudly.

"That's awesome," Mercedes said. "I like baseball, but basketball is my favorite sport to watch."

"You're a basketball fan?" Stacey asked, perking up.

"Big time," Mercedes said with a nod. Thanks to my brother, I grew up playing basketball and cheering for the Lakers."

"That's cool," Stacey said. "I'm more of a cheerleader than a player, though."

Mercedes smiled. "What's your major?"

Stacey beamed. "I'm a dance major! I've got a competition right before Christmas."

Sam smiled warmly, pride evident in his expression. "And she's talented too, makes it easy to be a proud big brother."

"Thanks, Sam," Stacey said. "But we're all proud of you, too! Your book will be a best seller—I just know it."

Mercedes chimed in with a confident smile. "It absolutely will be. I guarantee it."

Silas leaned back in his chair, his gaze flicking between Sam and Mercedes. "So, Mercedes, do you like being part of a management team?"

Sam answered before she could. "She's not just part of the team, so is over the team—she's also a book editor. And she's got her master's degree in Business and English."

Mercedes offered him a small smile. "What Sam is saying is that I know my stuff."

Quinn, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly spoke up. "Yes, Mercedes has the brains. But let's not forget—my father owns the company and I am the one who submitted Sam's story to her."

Silas frowned slightly, turning his attention to Quinn. "So... you were hired because your dad owns the place?"

Quinn's cheeks reddened, and she stammered for a moment.

Mercedes stepped in smoothly. "Quinn also has her bachelor's degree. She's great at public relations; her father may have opened the door, but Quinn walked through it."

Quinn offered Mercedes a tight smile of gratitude.

"Well," Dwight said, raising his glass, "Here's to hard work, good food, and family."

Everyone lifted their glasses, and the tension melted as laughter and conversation resumed.

"Mercedes," Mary said during a lull in the conversation, "How long do you think it will be before Sam starts his book tour?"

"Well, his book doesn't need much of a rewrite; his book cover is done. I can have him at his first interview with a push in the first week of December. And then I want to release his book around March, maybe earlier.

Sam's eyes widened as Mary beamed. "That soon?"

"Of course, I am good at what I do, and as long as an Author can commit to the work, it can be done. Besides, Sam is hardworking and passionate about what he does."

"Passionate is one word for him," Quinn interjected with a laugh. "A word I'd like to explore in other activities."

Mercedes raised an eyebrow, but Sam spoke before she could respond. "What even-"

Silas chuckled, "Seems like love is in the air, baby bro?"

Sam looked at him and then caught a look he couldn't describe on Mercedes's face.

As dinner wound down, Mercedes excused herself to grab dessert from the kitchen. Silas followed, offering to help carry the pies.

"So," he said as they walked, his tone casual, "How is it working with my brother? He can be a handful sometimes."

Mercedes laughed softly. "He's great. I know we are just getting started, but I already can tell he will definitely be keeping me on my toes. I wouldn't have it any other way. How can you push others to their greatness if you are afraid to be pushed to yours?"

Silas leaned against the counter, his gaze steady. "Nicely put...And what about outside of work? You two seem close."

Mercedes paused, glancing at him before turning back to the pies. "We work well together. That's all there is to it."

"Ah, so it's Quinn that has him doing all this for because the brother I know would have given up once his place caught on fire."

Mercedes chewed her bottom lip and shook off the feelings of sadness at the thought of Sam and Quinn. "I don't know, but Quinn is a wonderful person, so they'd be lucky to find each other."

Silas nodded, stepping closer to him.

"So you aren't seeing anyone then?"

"Nope."

"Good to know Darlin'"

Mercedes smiled. "Oh, you and that accent are trouble, boy. Come on, and let's feed your family their pie."

Silas smirked, watching her walk away before following her back into the dining area.

As they returned to the table, Sam stood to help serve dessert, his hand brushing Mercedes's as he took a plate from her.

Their eyes met briefly, and she felt a warmth in her chest that she wasn't ready to examine too closely.

"Oh look dessert time!" Quinn announced, breaking the moment.

As everyone dug into the pies, the atmosphere grew even more relaxed, laughter and chatter filling the room.

Quinn, however, remained unusually quiet, her eyes flicking between Sam and Mercedes with barely concealed irritation.

Dwight groaned. "These pies are amazing Mercedes."

"Thank you."

"I am serious! I want the recipe so my wife can make this apple pie," Dwight teased.

"And just for context, the only other pie he has talked about like this is mom's."

"Right, I am getting kinda jealous." Mary teased.

"This pie is worth being jealous over." Sam laughed.

Quinn cleared her throat. "You have got to teach me too, Mercedes, so I can make it for Sam since he loves it so much."

Mary eyed Quinn before putting her fork down. "Okay, I need to know what is going on with you and my son? You keep alluding to the fact that you and he are more than just colleagues."

Quinn sat up tall, and before Sam could speak, she smiled. "Well, Sam and I have this unspoken connection."

"We do?" Sam asked, confused.

"We do, " she said, nodding at him. "Keep up." Turning back to Mary, Quinn smiled. So I hope this is one of many more holidays we can spend together. I really think he can be the one, and with that said..." Quinn stood. Sam, I'd really like to take you out, show you around town, grab some food, and get to know each other."

Sam stared at her, momentarily confused, before looking over to Mercedes.

Quinn pulled Sam up to her, keeping his attention on her as Mercedes's phone rang.

"You know what, by all means, please keep this riveting conversation going, that's gotta be my brother, so I am gonna take it in my room."

As she left, Sam watched after her and Silas cleared his throat. "Sam, I believe you owe this blond bombshell an answer.