“Do you think it would be rude if I went home now also?” she asked Brock and Slater.
“No. I’ll go talk to my parents. They organized this part of the night. Go with Slater, and I’ll help with anything that needs to be done.”
After what Brock had just said she wasn’t leaving him. “No. I’ll stay. I’m the bridesmaid.”
Brock pulled her to him and kissed her. His lips traced hers, and his tongue sought entry. Sammy opened and let him and held him to her. Right now she didn’t care what anyone thought or said. Brock pulled away and passed her to Slater.
“Get what she needs to go home. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes. Let me just talk to my parents.”
Sammy tried to get out of Slater’s hold to go with Brock, but she had no luck.
“Let him go and do this.”
Sammy said her goodbyes. All the time she held Slater’s hand, and as she grabbed her purse Brock came back.
“We can go. Mother organized a cleaning crew, and the wedding planner will get anything that they miss. So we can leave. Come on. I’m beat.”
Sammy smiled at Brock and linked her arm around his. “Sounds good. Let’s go.” She walked out of the reception holding Slater’s hand and her arm linked with Brock’s, and Sammy felt good, relaxed, and just plain old happy.
Slater and Brock made her feel good, whether it was just talking and listening to a soothing voice or dancing and having fun with Slater.
Chapter Five
Friday afternoon Slater drove to Sammy’s house to pick her up for his family dinner. He was feeling better about where he stood with her. Sandy’s wedding had been a success, and a lot of family and friends knew he and Brock had a mate. Slater was happy his mother and father had introduced themselves and organized a dinner tonight. Sammy seemed to really like his mother even if his mother was over the top and bossy.
The biggest surprise this week had been that Sammy had liked self-defense. She and her friend Jane had a ball. Slater really enjoyed watching Sammy laugh and smile. Slater smiled as he remembered Sammy giggling on the way home at the way the women had acted around him and Brock.
“Are women always throwing themselves at you two and I’ve just missed it?”
“I don’t get as much attention as Brock, as he has the badge bunnies to contend with as well, but being part of the Bear family still gets me a lot of female attention.” Slater sighed. “When I was younger I admit to taking advantage of that and having a new woman almost every week, but I’ve had enough of that. I’m ready to settle down, maybe even start a family.”
“I’m in total agreement with Slater. I’m ready to have the whole thing, someone to come home to every night, a house with a woman I love, and children.” Brock had been confident.
Sammy hadn’t responded to their words that they were ready. But he and Brock could both see she was thinking about what they’d said. Sammy must have been happy with their response because the next day Slater got a visit at work from Sammy asking if he would help her find some easy part-time work to help ease her back into the work force. Slater offered her a couple of jobs and was happy that she took one from him in the end. She would be a cleaning waitress. She would wipe down the tables and get the dirty dishes and so on. She’d asked to start with lunches as he wasn’t so busy then.
Slater was happy Sammy felt safe and comfortable enough to ask him about jobs and was willing to work with him. She was going to do three days a week to start with and then see how she went from there.
Parking out the front of Sammy’s house Slater couldn’t get rid of his nerves and wished that Brock was here now and not meeting him later at his parents’ house. Slater told himself there was no reason for him to be nervous since Sammy had already met his mother and father, but it didn’t work. This was different from the meeting at Sandy’s wedding though, more intimate, and she would see the house he grew up in and meet his brothers.
Slater got out of the car and made sure his clothes sat right before he walked to the front door and knocked.
“It’s open,” Sammy yelled.
Opening the door he walked in and towards the peaches and honey scent. “Why the hell don’t you have your door locked? That’s so dangerous.”
Sammy turned from the mirror in her bedroom where she was putting lipstick on and glared at him. “You don’t have to speak like that. I had the door unlocked because I knew you would be here any minute and I wasn’t ready.”
“Oh.” Slater deflated and looked at Sammy. She was in black fitted pants and a cream colored top that sat low showing just the right amount of cleavage.