“It would be really interesting to be sitting next to you while you write a sex scene.”
I laugh at myself, shaking my head. “I have a funny story about that, actually. I wrote a Christmas novella to put in my newsletter as a holiday treat for my fans. It was supposed to be short, so I went to a local coffee house in my neighborhood. Well, it’s pretty much impossible for me to write anything short or without sex in it. I was there for hours, and when I got to my sex scene, I was in full obsessive-writer mode and wasn’t aware that I was whispering what I was writing out loud and, well, in that scene my vampire bit the main character on the thigh and was licking blood off her you-know-what.”
“Damn, I need to read these books.”
“You do, and who knows, maybe we can act something out?”
Sam cocks an eyebrow. “You brought copies, didn’t you?”
“I did, and I’ll leave them at your apartment when I go back to LA. I have more copies at home. I have a confession, actually.”
“You do?”
I bob my head up and down. “People ask all the time who inspired Marcus, and I give a vague answer every time, but it was you.”
“Me?” Sam echoes, as if he can’t believe it.
“Yes,” I reply and feel my cheeks redden, suddenly flashing back to teenage Chloe, sitting in the woods, dreaming of an alternate life full of adventure. I’ve had a longing in my heart for something else, something bigger than anything around me. Something that would give my life meaning, would put me in the middle of some sort of epic story. I felt like I was born in the wrong life, and I should have been someone brave, someone important, someone unlikely, of course, to battle evil and save the world. “I didn’t mean to, at first,” I go on. “I made up this whole ulterior persona for myself where I was cool and badass, and I had an obsession with vampires. I made up the perfect vampire in my head, and when I started writing him on paper, I just saw you. With fangs.”
I glance at Sam, feeling embarrassed again.
“Sorry if that’s weird.”
“It’s not. I didn’t write a series about you, but whenever someone told me I should settle down and get married, my mind would go to you. You were always the one for me.”
I get an instant tug on my heart and I blink back tears. “Things worked out.”
Sam turns, looking out the window. “Yeah.”
“Coming back to Silver Ridge really did help inspire me to write again, but seeing you helped more. And now that we’re together...” I trail off, stealing a glance at him again. “It’s been the best inspiration yet. No pressure or anything,” I add with a laugh.
“Right. No pressure or anything.” Sam inhales deeply and rests his hand on my thigh again. “There’s a rest stop about fifteen minutes ahead. Pull over and I’ll drive the rest of the way. You can keep having conversations with yourself but not with yourself since they are with characters.”
“Sounds good,” I say with a smile, stealing another look at him. My heart flutters in my chest and I’m glad I ended up bringing my computer, because I’m definitely feeling very inspired tonight.11SamI grip the steering wheel tightly, taking my eyes off the road for a second to look at Chloe. We’re nearing her dad’s house in Silver Ridge, and she’s asleep with her head turned to the side. I gave her my jacket to use as a blanket, and she looks peaceful despite being asleep sitting up.
Her latest words echo over and over in my head, causing my heart to speed up and a cold sweat to break out along my brow. Telling her my ex is pregnant won’t just break Chloe’s heart, but it will kill her inspiration for her book. I’ve always been a logical person. I take comfort in the rational approach to everything. It makes me a good doctor, and more times than not, I forget not everyone looks at things the way I do. I can see both sides to a problem rather quickly, and can play Devil’s Advocate, trying to understand the reasoning to why someone might do something I don’t agree with.
So why the fuck is a small voice in the back of my head telling me not to tell Chloe what’s going on until I know for sure this child is mine? If there’s a chance it’s not, I want to take it. Once Stacey gets an ultrasound and we see that she’s—hopefully—only carrying one baby, then I can get the paternity test done. I have no idea how long it takes to get the results back, but fuck, I’ll pay extra to have that shit rushed.