Chapter Twenty-Six
Samantha was in her happy place, locked in a bedroom with Roman. Except they had their ears pressed to the wall, trying to hear what was being said in the next room. Naomi and Lucy now occupied her sitting area. Anthony was with them, but he’d been advised to keep his mouth shut. This clash of the titans required no male interference or arbitration.
At first, Naomi and Lucy’s voices were loud enough for anyone to hear. Lucy opened with a suitable apology. She was heartsick for making a bride cry on her wedding day. Her intention wasn’t to split up a happy couple. Naomi replied hotly that she found Lucy’s statements hard to believe.
‘My sister married when she was pregnant with Ted,’ Lucy explained. ‘A miserable marriage, which she regretted until the day she died, but that was a different time.’
‘Not so different,’ Naomi said. ‘Children still need parents.’
‘Parents don’t need to be trapped in a loveless marriage.’
Anthony interfered at this point. ‘Enough!’ he bellowed. ‘Naomi is not Aunt Paulina and our kid is not going to turn out like Ted.’
A static-filled silence spread throughout the bungalow. When the conversation resumed, it was in muted tones. Samantha gave up. She flopped onto her bed, taking Roman with her.
‘How much is this due to plain old bad luck?’ she asked. ‘Everybody knows the groom is not supposed to see the bride on the wedding day.’
Roman propped himself up on an elbow. ‘Can’t your crystals clear the air?’
She considered this. ‘I should have lit sage.’
‘Whatever works,’ he said.
She listened for their voices. ‘At least they’re not shouting anymore.’
‘I need them to work this out,’ Roman said. ‘I’ll be damned if I have to spend my last night with you talking Anthony off a ledge.’
Samantha grinned. ‘We’re salt of the earth people, aren’t we?’
‘Hey,’ he said. ‘We turned this whole shit show around.’
‘True.’
‘And we make one hell of a team.’
She slid a hand under his T-shirt and stroked his warm skin. ‘We do work well together.’
He nuzzled her neck. ‘Could we monetize this, d’you think?’
She drew him closer and breathed him in. ‘You Wall Street boys … Is money always on your mind?’
Roman caught the lobe of her ear between his teeth and tugged. In her rush this morning, she’d forgotten to wear earrings. She would have forgotten underwear if he hadn’t reminded her. The entire morning had been one great panicky mess. She couldn’t wait until things slowed down later.
‘I’ll need a wedding date next year for Jasmine and Jason’s wedding,’ she said. ‘Who knows what drama might unfold there? They might need our services. Maybe we could work out a fee schedule.’
Roman pulled away and ran a slow hand through her hair. ‘Are you asking me to be your date?’
‘In a roundabout sort of way.’ They might make it if they had something to look forward to. ‘Would you come?’
‘Sam,’ he whispered. ‘When will you understand? I’ll go anywhere for you.’
Unable to contain her joy, she pushed him onto his back and pinned him down with a kiss. A sloppy one, but sincere. She could never put it into words; her heart and mind were too much of a mess. He made her feel seen and understood, cared for and desired. Nothing made her giddier than the flash of his smile. She would go anywhere in the world if he were waiting.
The bedroom door suddenly flew open, startling Samantha. She gasped and pulled herself upright, her palms planted on Roman’s chest and her thighs straddling his waist. Anthony filled the doorway, a smirk twisting his handsome features.
‘What the hell, man?’ Roman protested. ‘Ever heard of knocking?’
Samantha’s heart was slamming in her chest. She tried to move off Roman, but he held her in place with a hand on her bottom – which only made the optics worse.