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It doesn’t take long before I’ve found everything I need to lightly season two chicken breasts. She even has the same stock Matt likes to buy, so I know what I’m doing. Her oven takes longer than expected to heat up, but that’s the only quirk I’ve found so far. Everything feels natural moving around in her kitchen.
It feels right.
Not Sam sitting on her couch, curled in a ball with a hot water bottle. But cooking for us. Maisy always rolled her eyes when I wanted to stay in and cook, not that I’m great at it, but anything she saw as “domestic” in her mind was a waste of time.
I’m not expecting Sam to have zero faults, that would be completely unrealistic and unreasonable. But all of her hesitations so far revolve around not wanting to be a burden and not wanting to ask something of anyone else.
That thought settles in and reassures me that I’m not: A) putting Sam on some pedestal that no human could ever live up to; B) “finally” having a rebound; or C) desperate to show Maisy I’ve moved on before she comes back to Greenstone.
This is the first time I’ve thought about being with someone whenever Maisy returns to Greenstone. Until now, I’ve assumed that I’d still be single because trusting someone seemed like too much and I’d just ignore her. She’d find someone new to fixate on soon enough. I’ve had plenty of time to truly know how wrong Maisy was for me and the more time I spend with Sam, the more I’m certain that she is nothing like my ex.
As I put the chicken in the oven, I realize that my heart didn’t squeeze and my gut didn’t drop thinking of my ex. I let out a breath of grateful disbelief because Maisy’s hold on me hasn’t been about me still harboring feelings for her in a long-ass time. But the damage of knowing how long she felt it was okay to keep me around and how long it took for me to recognize what should have been glaringly obvious was far worse.
This shouldn’t be some major revelation on my part, but holy shit I feel like a weight has lifted from my chest and I do what I should have done months ago: block Maisy’s number.
There isn’t anything I need to know. God, I’m not sure the last time I even opened a message from her. Probably four months, at least. It’s time she doesn’t have access to any of my time or my thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, I lose myself in the little things I’m doing like wiping down the counters and putting things away that I won’t need later. When I go to join Sam on the couch, I take in the scene in front of me and say the first thought that pops into my head.
“What did you do?”
Chapter 21: Sam
The look Tommy gives me is downright comical. I’m still uncomfortable, but the edge has been taken off so I can think straight. I even added the meds to my shopping list so this doesn’t happen again. But he doesn’t know that. All he sees is that I’m now in a sweatshirt, which I was attempting to hide by staying under the blankets. However, I needed to pause the show I was watching so I could greet him and low-and-behold…a very non-robe-wearing-arm came right into view.
“You had one job,” he says with mock sternness.
“Actually, two jobs, and I did one of them,” I counter.
“You didn’t stay put. How did I miss that?”
“The meds kicked in about five minutes ago and I had to go to the bathroom. You were in the zone, so while I was gone, I changed for our date. You know, ‘slip into something more comfortable’ as the saying goes.”
He blushes.
“No, truly something comfortable!” I pull the blanket back and show him the oversized sweatshirt and my lightweight navy leggings that feel like I’m wearing nothing so there’s no added pressure on my abdomen. His gaze lingers a moment before he clears his throat.
“Alright then. You do look more comfortable. Not just clothes-wise,” he says. “Should we start the movie you picked out?”
I smile and nod as Tommy closes the curtain so we don’t have any glare. Then he settles in behind me on the couch.
This man.
“Is this okay?” he asks, resting a hand on my hip.
I nod against his chest, breathe him in, and snuggle close. Part of me wonders if I should be wary of how comfortable I am around Tommy, that his motives aren’t what they seem. But he’s never done anything that puts me on alert, the man has zero red flags, and I’ve never heard anyone in this town even hint at something negative about him. If anything, his consistency, openness, and kindness pull me in and wrap me up.
Twice during the movie, Tommy refills the hot water bottle and he kisses the top of my head when he returns to his spot behind me, pulling me close against him. He’s got a little layer of softness to him that feels incredible and if it wasn’t so early in the evening, I could totally fall asleep right here without a problem. I’m less and less aware of the rom-com I picked out and more and more aware of every place we’re making contact. These ridiculous cramps always hit several days before my cycle starts and I have a tendency to feel a little…more and Tommy’s presence is amplifying that.
His thumb makes lazy circles on my hip and when he settled in this last time, I might have let my sweatshirt ride up just a little. Which means those circles are tracing patterns directly on my skin, increasing my heartbeat as I try to hold perfectly still and pretend like I’m not ready to flip over to see what he’s really capable of.
The credits roll and he gives me a little squeeze. “Stay here and I’m going to put the rice in and dinner will be ready in just about ten minutes.”
He dips down to kiss me before giving me a lovely view of his cute butt in those not-too-tight jeans.
Tommy moves things around and calls out, “How are you feeling now?”
“If I’m curled up a little I feel good, actually.” I test stretching my legs out so I’m almost flat and immediately regret it. “Yep, if I stay like this I’m okay.”
