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“The dinner was wonderful as always, Ma.”
Sam leaned back in his chair, reaching out to lace his fingers through Charlotte’s. The other hand hung over the edge of his chair, lazily stroking one of Rocky’s silky ears. They sat on Dan and Alice’s back porch, soaking up the last rays of the day’s sun.
“Thank you.” Alice grinned, running her hand through Sam’s hair once before lowering herself into a chair across from them. Even sitting, she looked ready to spring into action. “I do need one of you boys to help your father move the gazebo before you run out of here today.”
“Really?” Dan groaned, “What is wrong with where it is now?”
“The sun isn’t coming through the window the way I’d like. I want to sit there in the evenings with my book and enjoy the sunset. Is that all right, Daniel?” Alice raised a blond brow and stared at her husband until his shoulders slumped.
“Fine,” Dan grumbled.
“You better let me help you, Dad.” Sawyer raised his beer to his lips, casting his brother a sideways look, his lips twitching. “That thing is heavy.”
Alice reached over and smacked the flat of her hand against the back of Sawyer’s head. Not hard enough to hurt, but he grimaced anyway.
“Listen to the ego on this one.” Alice shook her head as if the occasion were the first time she had noticed her son’s penchant for cockiness.
Sawyer shrugged his broad shoulders. “I’m not conceited, Ma. It’s a fact. I do physical labor, and Sam doesn’t.”
“So, lifting a two-hundred-pound man for his sponge bath doesn’t count as physical labor, now?” Charlotte said, jumping to Sam’s defense.
“Chuck,” Sam hissed, prodding her with his elbow, “Is that really the best example you could come up with? Just no... please.”
Alice moved behind her eldest son and patted his shoulder. “Strength comes in all forms, honey. And anyway—” She bent and added in a faux whisper, “You’ve got the bigger penis.”
Besides Sawyer, Carmen performed an actual spit take, drenching her flabbergasted husband with lemonade. Sawyer gaped at his mother, and Sam made a noise that came out as a mixture between a groan and a sob. Looking at him, Charlotte wondered if a person’s head could fill so entirely with blood that they passed out. Sam would probably know the answer but now didn’t seem the time to ask.
“Christ, Alice. Why?” Dan threw his hands up, his thick brows nearly obscuring his dark eyes. “You need to learn not to say whatever comes to mind.”
Alice batted her eyes in her husband’s direction. “Come on, I birthed them, changed their diapers for years. I know their penises nearly as well as I know yours.”
Dan rubbed a hand over his face. “Will you never shut up, woman?” he groaned into his palms.
“I haven’t after fifty-eight years, so it isn’t looking good.” Alice caught Charlotte’s eyes and grinned. Dan groaned into his hands again.
“Fine! I’m sorry, honey.” Alice held her hands up, eyeing Dan until he relaxed and lifted his beer to his lips, taking a healthy swig before she added, “Sam’s hung more like you.”
It was a good thirty seconds, accented by the pounding of Sawyer’s palm against his back before Dan could breathe again. Carmen laughed so hard Charlotte worried the baby may end up oxygen-deprived. Tears rolled off her chin, and she shook in near-silent guffaws, arms wrapped around her slightly protruding middle. Just looking at her made Charlotte laugh harder. Sawyer was rigid in his chair. His face twisted in horror as he swivelled his gaze from his brother to his father, then down to his lap. Finally, he leaned over to Carmen. “You’re like... happy with it? Right?” he whispered. Only Charlotte was close enough to hear.
“Oh, God, I can’t.” Carmen wheezed, stumbling to her feet, with both hands clutching her belly. “I’m going to pee my pants.” She rushed toward the house, leaving the rest of the family gasping for breath.
Charlotte wiped her eyes and glanced at Sam, who had sunk as far as possible into the corner of the couch, a frilly, lace-edged cushion held tight over his face.
“Sam?” Charlotte poked him in the thigh.
“Don’t interrupt me,” he growled from beneath the fabric. “I’m attempting to suffocate myself.”
“Please don’t do that. I’m in too deep with you.” When he didn’t answer, Charlotte poked him again. “Sam?”
“Yes, Charlotte?” Sam said, lowering one edge off the pillow to peek at her.
“I want to have babies with you.”
She watched the grin spread up from behind the cushion and gather in the corners of his eyes. “Yeah?” he whispered.
“Yeah,” Charlotte said around the lump in her throat.
The pillow tumbled to the floor as Sam pulled her into his arms.
***
“Oh, my God!” Charlotte dropped Rocky’s leash onto the floor and smacked her hands over her mouth at the sight of Sam.
“It’s dinner and flowers and candles.” Sam’s mouth curved, pushing the single dimple into appearance.
Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “You know what I mean,” she said. “You’re wearing it!” She let out a joyous bubble of laughter and walked around Sam, looking him up and down. He wore the leather and tunic she’d discovered all those months ago in the closest. And he looked damn good in the outfit, too. “Look at your ass,” she said, running a hand over the body part in question. “Why did guys stop wearing these?”
Sam grinned, and her heart bumped accordingly. “Well, I made a promise once. I thought since you held up your end of the bargain, it was high time I did the same.” The deep-green tunic complemented his height and blond hair, and the tan pants hugged him in all the right places. Charlotte could hardly pull her eyes away.
“I’m extremely happy about it.” She went to him, stopping a foot away and reaching out her hands. “What’s this song?”
“Ed Sheeran, ‘Tenerife Sea.’ What, do you live in a hole, Baker?”
“Ugh, I know that.” Charlotte laughed. “But why are you playing it?”
“Well, someone once told me she thought it was the most romantic song she’d heard.”
Charlotte took a step closer to Sam. “Did she?”
Sam nodded. “At Carmen and Sawyer’s wedding. I almost kissed you on the dance floor.”
“I remember.”
“You took Rocky for a long walk. I’ve had this song on repeat for forty minutes.”
Charlotte laughed. “That’s a while. Ed has other great songs too, you know.”
“It had to be this one,” Sam said. “I wanted to see that look in your eyes again.”
“It’s you who gives me that look, Sam, not the song.”
“I know.” Sam fiddled with Rocky’s ears for a moment, running the silky flaps through his fingers, then took a deep breath and looked her square in the eyes. “Charlotte, I love you.”
“I love you too.” She reached to touch his cheek, but Sam caught her hand and pressed his lips against her palm instead.
“I’ve something to say to you,” he said, his tone gruff.
“Yes, sir,” she replied, biting her lip to contain her smile.
Sam’s breath shuddered, and one of his knees popped as he lowered himself to one knee on the ground in front of her.
“Charlotte, I told you once it’s always been you. It’s you who sees my faults and loves me not despite them but because of them.” He scrunched his nose, fighting to keep his voice steady. “There’s no one I want to spend the rest of my life with more than the person who knows me best in this world. My best friend.”
Charlotte was vaguely aware of the tears dripping off her chin, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Sam.
Sam drew in a deep, shaking breath. “Chuck, Charlotte, will you marry me?”
Charlotte stared at him for a drawn-out moment, drinking in the sight of him. Then she dropped to her knees with an incoherent noise and threw her arms around his neck. Sam fell sideways, collapsing them both into a pile. Rocky jumped up, pushing his cold nose into their faces as his tail thumped against the couch.
“Yes,” Charlotte managed to say around her joy, Sam’s lips, and Rocky’s unhelpful snout. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Sam.”
“Thank goodness.” Sam laughed. “I would have really regretted putting this outfit on for you if you’d said no.”