“No. The lawyer didn’t hand them over until almost four o’clock yesterday.”
“Then let me take them to Sam.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“The fuck you don’t. What the hell is everyone’s problem anyway? Someone has to go after her.”
“Samantha’s not that kind of girl.”
“She’s not a fucking girl, Liam. She’s a woman. And if we’re going to clean this fucking mess up and get shit back on track, she needs those papers sooner rather than later.”
I watched my brother fall silent as he leaned back in his chair.
“What did you do anyway?” I asked.
“You’re going to have to be more specific,” Liam said.
“You can’t convince me that in less than twenty-four hours you turned those damn papers around. It’s been three weeks since Vegas. You’ve had them for a while, haven’t you?”
Liam pursed his lips, and I shook my head.
“You’ve been lying to us the whole damn time, haven’t you? You’ve had these damn divorce papers how long?”
“A week,” Liam said.
“Seven fucking days! This shit could’ve been resolved that long ago, Liam? Why the fuck did you lie to us?”
“Because I’m not so sure divorce is the right option, okay?” he asked.
He fell silent, and I ripped the papers off his damn desk.
“Don’t open those,” he said.
“I’m not fucking opening them because it’s none of my damn business. If Sam doesn’t care to know, then it’s not my damn business to know. I’ve had weeks to think about this shit. She needs to do what she needs to do to make herself feel better. Fuck any of us and what we might want,” I said as I tucked the envelope into my jacket pocket.
I stormed out of Liam’s office and headed straight for my car. My ass was going to Los Angeles today. I slammed the envelope down onto the passenger’s seat and revved the engine, speeding out of the parking space. This is what Sam wanted, and I had to respect that. We all did.
I knew what this would bring. I knew what my brothers were afraid of. They were scared that if she signed these papers, she’d be done with us for good. She wouldn’t trust us anymore, despite what went on between us. I was petrified of losing Sam. She was the only girl I’d had eyes on for years. Logan could fucking throw my sex life in my face all he wanted, but it was all because of her.
I didn’t want anyone else but Sam. But more than that, I wanted her to be happy. Even if that meant giving her up.
I drove from Bakersfield to Los Angeles at eighty miles an hour, not once letting up. I pulled out my phone and called Sam, leaving her a message to meet me at a local hotel. I checked myself into a room and sent her a message with the room number, then I set the envelope on the desk in the corner and waited. For all I knew, she was deleting shit the second she got it. Not listening to a damn thing we had to say on her voicemail.
So I was surprised when she showed up.
“Sam.”
“I’m here,” she said.
“Come on in.”
I ushered her into the room and closed the door behind her.
“What’s so important?” Sam asked.
“First, I want to start by apologizing,” I said.
“For what?”