“Samantha,” I growl, only making her laugh harder.
“Come on, player. It’s time to meet my family.” She climbs out of my SUV, and I scramble to pull the keys from the ignition to follow after her.
Much like my sister’s house yesterday, she walks inside and calls out, letting them know we’re here.
“In the kitchen, sweetheart,” a feminine voice calls back.
My Sam smiles up at me and my heart flips in my chest. Now I’m nervous. I know how much she loves her parents, and if they don’t approve of me, of us…. Fuck me. Here we go. I follow her into the kitchen, her hand tightly locked in mine.
“Hey,” she says, and I can hear the happiness in her voice. “Mom, Dad, this is Jase. Jase, these are my parents, Timothy and Elizabeth.”
“It’s so nice to meet you.” Elizabeth steps around the island and pulls me into a hug. My shoulders relax in her embrace. One down, one to go.
“Jase.” Timothy offers me his hand. “It’s good to finally meet you.”
“You too, sir.” I keep eye contact and give his hand a firm shake.
“What are we having?” Sam asks her mom.
“Meatloaf and all the fixings,” she says, her Tennessee accent strong. “You three grab yourselves something to drink. Everything is on the table but the rolls. I’ll be right there.”
“Sweetheart, you want sweet tea?” Timothy asks his wife.
“That would be great. Thank you.”
Within minutes, we’re all sitting around the table talking and laughing, and I feel right at home. Both of her parents are engaging and I’m not getting any bad vibes. My girl’s smile is wide, and that in turn puts me at ease. I love seeing her happy. We move to the living room to chat, and I hope like hell that I have the chance to pull her father aside tonight. If not, I’ll have to come back when she’s not with me. I know without a doubt she’s going to want to know we have their blessing before we take our next adventure together.Chapter 10Samantha“Hey, boss, got a minute?” I ask, standing in the doorway of Royce’s office.
“Sure, what’s up?” he asks, giving me his full attention.
“I was hoping I could leave a little early today?” I ask, hopeful.
“Samantha, you don’t have to ask. You know that. Just let me know so I’m not looking for you when you’re not here,” he says. “You and Andrews got big plans for tonight?” he asks.
I nod. “We’re going to dinner.” Today is Valentine’s Day, our first together, and while I’m excited about it, I’m also worried. That worry comes from something that doesn’t even have to do with Valentine’s Day. I’m late. As in, my period is five days late. It’s only five days, but I’m never late.
Never.
“You all right?” Royce asks.
“Yes.” I offer him a smile. “Just excited for tonight.”
“Is my best friend treating you right?” he asks.
“You know he is,” I tell him with a pointed look.
He holds his hands in the air. “Just making sure. You’re good for him,” he admits.
“Wait, let me get my phone. I’m going to need you to say that again.”
He chuckles. “Smartass. I thought you were leaving?”
“It’s only one. I was thinking maybe three or so?” That should give me plenty of time to buy a test or ten, take them, and freak out if I need to. Something deep in my gut tells me I’m going to need the time to freak out and get myself together. I just have this feeling.
“Go now. You never leave early. Enjoy your night with Andrews.” He waves me off.
“Thank you. I’ll send everyone an email letting them know I’ll be gone.”
“Sounds good,” he says, already returning his focus to whatever it is he’s working on.
Making my way to my desk, I type up a quick email to Owen, Grant, Conrad, and Marshall, letting them know I’ll be out of the office and that the elevator will be locked. None of them are expecting a guest, at least none that are scheduled, I already checked. Grabbing my purse and phone, I leave early for the day. First stop, the pharmacy.* * *Forty-five minutes later, I’m sitting on my bed, staring at ten unopened boxes of pregnancy tests. I grabbed one of every kind and spent a small fortune, but I know me, and one test won’t be enough. I’ll need further assurance of the results. Reaching for my phone, I dial my best friend.
“Hey, you,” she answers.
“Carrie.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I say, barely containing the freak-out mode that wants to take over my body.
“Sam, are you okay? Where’s that man of yours?”
“He’s at his place, I think.”
“Where are you? Samantha, you’re scaring me.”
“I’m fine, I promise. I just… I’m late.”
“Late for what?” she asks, confused.
“No, Carrie. I’m late,” I say again.
“Oh,” she says, as understanding of what I’m trying to say settles in. “Have you taken a test?”