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“Come here, baby,” she cooed, taking my hand. “Come here, let me take care of you.”
“You don’t have to—”
“Shh…”
She pulled me toward the couch and had me sit down. Sam straddled my lap and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me in for a hug. She was warm and soft and all things nice, a stark contrast to the boiling hot, dusty hellscape of my nightmares. I circled her waist with my arms and pressed my face into the crook of her neck, breathing her in with slow, measured breaths.
“There,” she encouraged softly. “Just like that, baby. It was just a dream.”
I swallowed hard. The nagging voice in the back of my head that demanded a drink was still there, but it was infinitely quieter now that she was here.
“You should go back to bed,” I muttered against her skin. “Not that you need the beauty sleep.”
“Adam… You don’t have to do that.”
“Do what?”
“Hide behind your humor.” She kissed my forehead, the tip of my nose, and then finally placed her lips on mine. “I’m here,” she promised. “I’ll take care of you.”
I kissed her again, sweet and tender. My heart was so full I thought it would burst. Sam made me feel seen, like I didn’t have to hide. It was in that moment I knew I’d protect her forever and always.
23
Sam
Kris, Charlie, and Adam were gathered around the kitchen island by the time I got showered and dressed for the day. Breakfast had been brought up for us ? a gorgeous assortment of fresh tropical fruits, buttery croissants, a pitcher of icy cold milk, and a stack of chocolate chip pancakes. The boys had already downed their protein shakes and were now exchanging the day’s notes. Charlie pulled out my chair for me when he spotted me, kissing me tenderly on the lips once I was seated.
“Good morning,” he greeted warmly.
“Good morning, everyone—” I paused, frowning. “Where’s Liam?”
Adam looked more worried than usual. He circled around the island and cupped my face, giving me a quick peck. “He’s, uh… He’s at the gym downstairs.”
“Blowing off some steam,” Kris elaborated.
Charlie grimaced. “He was in kind of a bad mood this morning.”
“That explains why my favorite furnace wasn’t in bed when I woke up,” I mumbled. “Don’t we have to leave soon? The duchess has one last in person meeting before the gala.”
“There’s been a change of plans,” Kris explained. “We’ve convinced her clients to meet her downstairs again, so we won’t be needing the full team.”
“Which meansyouget a day off,” Adam said, throwing a cheeky wink in my direction.
“We’ll be back in a few hours,” Charlie said, giving me a good old-fashioned kiss on the back of the hand.The gesture made my heart flutter.
“Take it easy today,” Kris said quietly, coming over to kiss me on the forehead. “Maybe call Max? It should be about dinnertime for him. Tell him I said hi?”
I smiled. “I’ll do just that.”
After they left, I pulled out my phone and gave Nana a call. It took her five dial tones before she finally picked up, breathless and a little sweaty.
“Nana? Is everything alright? You look flustered.”
“Oh, everything’s fine. Max was being a little fussy earlier.”
“Whatever for?”
“I was trying to get him to eat his vegetables, but he outright refused.”
