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  “I’ve got to go,” I whispered.

  “Don’t,” Samuel finally spoke in a hushed voice. “Don’t leave me.”

  My heart clenched harshly when I heard his pained plea. Another car horn made me flinch, and Samuel cursed under his breath.

  “You need to move your car,” I warned.

  “I don’t care about the car,” Samuel bit out. “I need to tell you...”

  “What?” I asked, hearing the hope in my voice. “What do you need to tell me?”

  “Hey! No parking!” someone shouted.

  “Give us a minute!” Samuel growled back. I bit my lip and tried to get him to meet my eyes.

  “Samuel?” I encouraged him.

  “When one of us gets separated from the group, the other two stick together. No matter what,” Samuel whispered. Pain lashed through me at the memory.

  “This isn’t the county fair,” I choked out. “You aren’t obligated...”

  “I can’t say goodbye to you both,” he interrupted with a sudden exhale. “Please, Emelia...Don’t. Don’t make me say goodbye to you both. I can’t. I can’t...” Samuel dropped his head, and his shoulders hunched forward. I understood his pain and anxiety then. With a sigh, I reached up and pushed my fingers through the back of his hair.

  “We don’t have to say goodbye,” I told him. “I’ll be home for the holidays. And...we can stay in touch. But, Samuel?” He looked up, and I saw the uncertainty in his eyes. “I’m sorry. If you are looking for a way to hang on to your brother...I...can’t keep him here for you. I’m sorry. I just can’t.” I dropped my hand heavily and moved toward the airport doors, ready to leave.

  “Keep you here for me,” Samuel said strongly. My feet stopped beneath me, and I turned to face him. He ignored the building traffic behind him and moved closer to where I stood. “Keep you here for me,” Samuel repeated. “I love you, Emelia. I always have. I’ve just learned recently...that I’m doing it differently now. I love you.”

  A sob caught in my throat, and my carry-on landed loudly on the ground by my feet when I ran the few steps necessary to bridge the gap between us. Samuel threw his arms around my waist and lifted me against his chest, spinning us both and kissing me soundly. Tears ran unchecked down my cheeks, and his thumbs brushed them away when he finally placed me back on my feet.

  “Come with me, back to the car,” he said. I grinned, silly and breathless and overflowing with the re-found faith that had somehow been lost along the way. But my feet hesitated while he retrieved my suitcase and pulled me back toward the curb.

  “I can’t...” I shook my head. My head was spinning with the new revelation that Samuel loved me and wanted me with him. “I promised my grandparents. I need to get on this flight.”

  “Just come with me so I can park the car,” Samuel insisted. “I’m going with you.”

  “What?” I felt dizzy from the rapid turn of events. Samuel chuckled as he returned my suitcase to the trunk. Confused, I jumped into the seat beside him. Samuel checked behind us and pulled away from the curb with a grin on his face. I watched, surprised, as he turned toward the parking garage across the street designated for long-term travelers.

  “I’m going with you,” Samuel stated.

  After he found a parking space, I watched as he pulled another suitcase from his trunk, along with mine. He turned then and grabbed my hand before he started walking quickly back toward the terminal.

  “You...packed?” I asked breathlessly. Samuel chuckled.

  “I told you I had some things to take care of,” he said with a smile. “I got a ticket on your flight. And yes, I already packed.”

  “But how did you know?” I stubbornly stopped and turned to look at him.

  “I didn’t,” Samuel confessed. “But a very smart person I know once told me that the key to living for the next adventure is not letting opportunities pass you by. I wasn’t sure you loved me, Emelia. I hoped, but I wasn’t sure. I just knew I would follow you if I had to. I would follow you anywhere, until I could convince you we should be together.”

  I reached up a hand to him and touched his cheek. “I love you,” I said simply. It felt good to finally be able to say it out loud. Samuel smiled widely and pressed his lips to mine for another quick kiss.

  I wasn’t sure where the future might lead us. We needed time to grieve. We needed time to grow. I had another year of college to look forward to in Florida, and Samuel would be studying for the bar exam in Washington state. You couldn’t plan the next adventure. You just had to be willing to grab it and go for it when you saw it. At least now I had faith that Samuel and I would be doing that together.

  The salty sea air and crashing surf relaxed me as it always did. I wished it were a little warmer, so we could stay longer. The sinking sun indicated that the best part of the afternoon warmth was already behind us. Still, I sat, reluctant to stop the quiet strum of the guitar beside me.

  My eyes looked fondly at the faded initials “A.D.” that were burned into the neck of the guitar. Andy’s thin fingers brushed up and down the strings, finding the chords he sought for the song he was teaching himself to play.

  When his hands hesitated, I looked up. His gaze was fixed on Samuel’s tall figure, closer to the water. Samuel stood and drew lines in the wet sand with a stick. His pants were rolled up to his calves, while the icy water brushed his heels. The wind pulled at his hair, and inwardly, I considered how beautiful he was.

  “You can go with him if you want to,” Andy told me. “I won’t be mad.” I grinned and shook my head.

  “I’d rather listen to you play,” I said. He nodded and smiled before tipping his chin down and resuming his quiet strumming. Soon enough, Samuel tossed his stick into the ocean and trudged up the beach to join us. He sat heavily on the blanket at Andy’s opposite side. I smiled when Samuel picked up the tune Andy was playing and sang along with his accompaniment.

  “We should go soon,” Samuel said when the song finished. “It’s getting late.” I bit my lip and nodded. It was always hard to see the end of such a great day.

  “Do I have time for one more, Dad?” Andy turned his brown eyes up to look at his father. Samuel smiled over to where I sat.

  “Ask your mom,” Samuel said. He already knew what my answer would be.

  “One more?” Andy asked. I reached to ruffle his wayward hair.

  “Yeah. One more,” I sighed. “But then we really do need to go. Our new neighbors moved in today, and I want to stop by to say hello.”

  “I wonder if they have any kids?” Andy asked. I glanced once more at Samuel, who sat with a wide smile on his face.

  “You should be so lucky,” Samuel told him. His hand inched toward mine, and we twisted our fingers together on the blanket behind Andy while he played one more song.

  The End

  Kat Tammen lives with her husband and son in a small town in Illinois, just across the river from St. Louis, Missouri. A true blue Cancerian, she enjoys writing stories which take readers on an emotional roller-coaster ride. From laughing to crying, and everything in between, she writes authentic and relatable characters readers care about.

  A firm believer that life is too short to not have fun, she tries not to take herself too seriously. She’s been known to break into song mid-sentence, and frequently recites random movie quotes. She wishes sarcasm had its own font and thinks wine should be considered its own food group. She’s also very proud of the fact that she can solve a Rubik’s Cube. Most of all- she truly believes all you need is love.

  Connect with Kat

  Facebook: @KatTammenWrites

  Twitter: @KatTammenWrites

  Goodreads: Kat Tammen

  www.kat.tammen.com

 

 

 
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