Guarding Hearts (Living Again #3) (37 page)

Sammi laughed. “Our men sure are intense, aren’t they?”

“You got that right,” Rachel agreed. “But we wouldn’t want them any other way. Devin sure misses Ellis though. He won’t admit it, but I think he was more excited than me to see you guys today.”

A pang of guilt went through Sammi at what Rachel said. If she wouldn’t have had to live in Nashville, they could be here with everyone.

“Don’t you even give me that look,” Rachel teased. “You’re feeling guilty that you took Ellis away, right? Well don’t. When I see him or talk to him now, I can’t even believe he’s the same guy. I always thought he was a player and that was why he was so against relationships. Of course now, it makes me sad that he lived so long being so miserable. But ever since he fell in love with you, there’s a constant smile on his face. And Mason? Wow. Could that kid look any more like his dad? It’s amazing. How’s it going with him?”

“It’s actually great,” Sam said, applying lipstick as she talked. “I thought he may have a hard time identifying with me, respecting me, but that hasn’t been the case at all. I mean, nothing is perfect. He’s had a few bumps with wanting to have more freedom than we will allow, but once we explained that like it or not, he was now associated with me and had to be protected also, he kind of backed down. He’s very protective of me, which is sweet.”

“Do you know when I knew that Ellis was in love with you?”

Sam smiled. She loved hearing about things like this through his friends. “When?”

“So my babies were born the day he left to go on tour with you,” Rachel explained. “He came to the hospital to see us before he left. He told us that he had looked you up online the night before, because he had never heard of you. I’ll never forget the look in his eyes as he was telling us how talented you were. When he left, Devin and I looked at each other and both said, ‘Wow’. We’d never seen Ellis talk about anyone that way. The next day, he called Devin just to check on us and when Devin asked him how it was going with you, he got really quiet. He said you were amazing and even more beautiful in person than he expected. When Devin hung up, he turned to me and said that Ellis had just met his girl.”

Sam sniffed, trying hard not to cry. “I love hearing those things from your perspective,” she said. “It’s so hard because so many people don’t believe in being in love with someone so fast, but for us, it happened so quickly. Even when circumstances kept us from being together, we were always thinking of each other. The night I met Ellis changed my life as well. Did you and Devin have that kind of connection?”

Rachel looked away for a moment. “Devin and I were head-over-heels in love so early on in our relationship, but you know we weren’t together for five years because of a stupid miscommunication. But the second he came back into my life, we both knew that we were put on this Earth for each other.”

“That’s exactly how I feel,” Sammi said. “Even though I haven’t even known him a full year yet, I just can’t ever imagine feeling this way about anyone else.”

“When you know, you know,” Rachel said, looking at the door as Kayley walked in, holding their newest bundle of joy, a little boy that had just been born a week ago.

“Kayley!” Sammi walked over to hug her as well. “I’m so glad you guys could come. You look amazing! How are you feeling?”

Kayley looked down at her newborn son, sleeping peacefully in her arms. “I’m tired, but that’s to be expected. I’m so happy. Having four children 8 and under is challenging, but worth every second. Alexis is my second mommy, not only helping me with the baby but with the other two. Sometimes I have to tell her to stop, that she has to enjoy being eight. Benji loves having a boy in the house, and Cierra is still adjusting. She liked being the baby. She especially doesn’t like when Alexis is doting on him.”

“Can I hold him? Ellis said you named him Dalen?”

“Of course. Yes, his name is Dalen after my dad, Dale. Dalen John Nichols.” Kayley settled Dalen in Sam’s arms, and she looked down at his peaceful face. A pang of sadness overtook her for a moment, but she forced it away. It would be her time again, and it would be sooner rather than later she hoped.

“I love his name, it’s so unique,” Sam said. “He’s so cute, Kayley.”

“Thanks. Maybe before long you will have one of these, too.”

“Maybe so,” Sam said. They still didn’t know what she had been through, and she knew she had to tell them sometime soon. They were her friends.

“What were you girls talking about in here before I came in and distracted you with the new Mr. Nichols?”

“Soul mates, knowing that you love someone quickly, you know, the girly mushy stuff,” Rachel laughed.

“I know that you and Ben have a fantastic love story, too,” Sammi said.

Kayley smiled. “When I met Ben, I didn’t think I would ever love anyone again. You know I lost my first husband in a car accident when I was pregnant with my daughter. When I met Ben, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Desire. Attraction. An undeniable spark. But I spent a long time denying it, thinking I couldn’t allow myself to even think about someone else. When it finally got to the point that I couldn’t turn him down any more, I stopped fighting my feelings. If I hadn’t listened to my intuition, who knows where I’d be right now. Certainly not with the love of my life and our four kids.”

Sam looked at these two women, such great examples of fabulous love stories come true, and she knew that she was extremely lucky to have found Ellis. Despite all of the craziness that had ensued since they got together, she knew that they had to endure all of that to get where they were now.

“I was sent to come get you,” Kayley laughed. “See what happened? We got all caught up in romance. Let’s go. Ellis has outdone himself for you, my friend.”

They walked out of the bedroom and Sammi followed the two women out of the house and to the sand. When she saw what Ellis had done, she stopped and gasped. The beach was transformed. There was a white tent with white lights all around it. Tables and chairs were set up inside with what looked like a buffet and bar at one side. There was a small dance floor and a band was playing music softly. There were signs hanging from the tent that said “Happy Birthday, Sammi”. And best of all, Ellis was standing at the front of the tent, a large smile on his face as he looked at her reaction. He had changed into a pair of dark black jeans and a white collared shirt that was open at the neck. He wasn’t wearing any shoes.

“Wow,” she whispered as she made her way to him. He took her hand and led her in to the tent, where all of their friends shouted “Happy Birthday!”

“May I have this dance?” Ellis led her to the dance floor, and all of their friends surrounded them as the music began. Andrew and several of his SWAT buddies had also come, some of them with girlfriends or wives, but many there by themselves. She wondered if Lacey could find herself a love interest tonight. It was a popular pop song, and they all sang along as they moved around the dance floor together, laughing at their silly antics.

“That was great,” Emily said, plopping down in a seat next to her. “Happy Birthday. Thanks for having us.”

Sammi hugged Emily briefly. “I’m so thankful for all of your friendship. I know it isn’t easy, being friends with me, since I never have time to do anything, but I do value every single one of you.”

“Oh, stop,” Rachel joked, sitting down on the other side. “We’re just your friends for the concert tickets.”

“Yeah, and the fabulous parties,” Kayley piped in, sitting next to Emily holding a sleeping Dalen. They all laughed.

“What am I missing?” Lacey said.

“Us talking about how we use her for her cool stuff,” Rachel quipped.

“Mommy? I’m thirsty.” Sammi watched little Alexis, the familiar tug in her heart very apparent. While Alexis was a few years older than her daughter, it still made her think about what could’ve been.

“Be right back,” Kayley said. The rest of them watched all the kids on the dance floor, Kayley’s Benji and Cierra were out there, as well as Emily’s two. They were all running Mason ragged as he entertained them and loved every second of it.

The music stopped abruptly, and Sam saw Ellis step up to the microphone. What in the world was he doing?

“Hey everyone. Thanks so much for coming to celebrate my girl’s birthday. Sammi, I hope you’re enjoying yourself. You’re always so busy, doing everything for your fans and for me and Mason, I wanted you to feel extra special tonight. Come on up here, baby.”

She walked towards him, her knees feeling like Jell-O. How come she could stand in front of thousands and thousands of people, yet walking in front of their friends was making her nervous. What was he up to?

He took hold of her hand as she reached him. “I wanted to show you something,” he said. She swallowed, still feeling her knees quiver. “We met here in Sunset Beach. It’s been an important place for us. So, I wanted us to have a piece of the beach to come to whenever we have time to. Sammi, this house that we’re in this week is ours. I bought it for us. Now we have a home to come to whenever we come here.” With that, he dropped a key into her hand. Everyone cheered. Her mouth dropped open.

“You did what? This house is
ours
?”

He nodded, indicating the beautiful house behind them. “Yes. It’s our other new home.”

“Wow. Ellis. Thank you so much! Mason, where are you?”

Mason raised his hand, and she waved for him to come. He stood next to his dad and her. “This is our house,” she told him, and the three of them hugged.

The night flew by, and before she knew it she was saying her goodbyes to their friends again. At least now she knew that she could see them more often. They were still going to be there a few more days, but she wouldn’t see everyone together again.

“Sam,” Devin said, hugging her. “Thank you.”

She furrowed her brow. “For what?”

“For that,” he indicated Ellis, who was rough housing with Mason, both of them laughing. “He’s a different person. He was a great guy before, but now he’s not just pretending. Now he feels different. I can never thank you enough for sticking with him, even when he pushed you to give up.”

Tears glossed over her eyes. Here was this big, buff SWAT guy talking to her about his friend’s feelings. “Thank you, Devin. I’m glad that he had you before me and will continue to have you as a support. I truly think that you were the first person he had identified with in a long time. We’re very thankful for you and Rachel’s friendship.”

“I have a present for you, too,” Sammi said. They were in their room, having said goodbye to the last guest about an hour before. Mason had gone to his room, and now it was just them.

“You do? What for?”

“It’s your birthday next, silly!”

Ellis sat next to her on the edge of the bed. “So, is this a present that I can only have in private?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her, and she laughed.

“Well, you’ll just have to wait and see,” she said, getting up and walking to the closet. She walked back out with a box and handed it to him. “Here’s the first one.”

Ellis tore open the wrapping like a kid on Christmas morning, and she realized he had probably not had many gifts in his life. She made a mental note to give him more ‘just because’ gifts. He opened the box, revealing the beautiful Tag Heuer watch she had gotten him.

“Wow,” he said. “This is amazing. Thank you so much. That’s way more than you need to get me.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Really? Says the man that flew us here, including my best friend, and did a whole huge party on the beach?”

He laughed, holding up his hands. “Okay, okay.”

“Turn it over,” she instructed.

He turned the face of the watch over. “‘Through it all, I love you’. Sammi, through it all I love you, no matter what. I love the song you wrote for me, and this is a constant reminder that we can get through it all. I love you.”

He leaned over and kissed her, but she broke it before they could get too carried away, because she wasn’t done yet. “I’ve got more. That was the present you can show everyone that I got you for your thirtieth birthday.”

“I like the sound of this already,” Ellis said, putting the watch to the side.

Sammi smiled. “Okay, you have to close your eyes to get this present.” He obliged, and she got to work. She took the supplies out of the closet, looking to make sure his eyes were still shut.

“You’re killing me,” he whispered. “Tell me this is something I’m going to get to see really soon.”

“Patience,” she said, shimmying out of her dress and getting the surprise on. She pulled her hair up into a high ponytail so it didn’t cover anything, then slipped her heels on. She was ready. “Keep your eyes closed,” she whispered, walking over to him. Sliding a blindfold over his eyes, she heard him suck in a breath.

“What are you doing?”

“No looking. Only touching,” she said, making sure he couldn’t see out of the edges.

“You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?”

She didn’t answer, just took his hands and led them to her body. He immediately started moving his hands over the corset she had bought just for him at a specialty shop on the beach. He didn’t know it yet, but it was a red corset top, tied down the front, with black lace panties, garters, and stockings. She also had on the highest high heels she had ever worn, but he wouldn’t see any of it right now.