I tilt my head and smile against his chest. “I think I prefer this to a phone call.”
He laughs softly, pressing a kiss to my hair. “Me too, darlin’.” His sigh is long, heavy with things unsaid. “Phern meant well, but it came from a place of hurt. Her own hurt.”
“What do you mean?”
“We lost our mom when she was just a baby. And when Dad died, she didn’t know how to handle it. Got close with a guy in college. Really believed he was the one. Turned out he only wanted access to me. Publicity. A few backstage passes.” His voice hardens. “Broke her heart when she found out.”
I draw lazy circles on his chest. “Then I get it. Why she panicked when Kurt showed up.”
His grip tightens like a reflex. “That the prick who used to date you?”
I nod, rolling my eyes. “Yeah. And both he and my boss got fired after I reported what they did. HR took it seriously.”
Sam hums. “Good.”
We drift for a moment, the silence sweet and full.
“What else did I miss?” he asks.
I lift my head, watching his face. “Started a new job. Tried to survive without you.” I pause, my voice soft. “And… found out I’m pregnant.”
His entire body goes still. Then, slowly, he pushes up onto his elbow, staring down at me.
“Charlie?”
I sit up too, reaching for his hand and guiding it to rest gently over my belly. “Looks like the baby making barn worked its magic.”
For a beat, he just stares. Then a startled laugh breaks out of him. He cups my stomach like it’s the most sacredthing he’s ever touched, his thumb brushing over the soft skin there.
“You’re serious?” he whispers, his voice wrecked.
I nod, tears filling my eyes. “You’re going to be a dad, Sam.”
His laugh breaks open into something wild and beautiful. Tears streak down his cheeks as he pulls me into him, pressing kisses to my face like he’s afraid I’ll vanish again.
“Holy shit,” he breathes. “Holy shit. I love you, Charlie. I love you so damn much.”
“I love you too, Sam.”
He cups my face, hands trembling slightly as his thumbs brush over my cheeks.
“Marry me,” he whispers. “Marry me and never leave my side. Not again. Never.”
My heart stutters in my chest, and for one suspended beat, the world holds still.
“Yes,” I whisper, the word bursting from my lips like oxygen. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
A smile breaks across his face, like I just handed him the rest of his life. He pulls me into him, lifting me off the ground as we spin once, laughter tangled with tears.
“God, you’ve made me the happiest man alive.”
I press my forehead to his, breathless and beaming. “We’re going to make one hell of a team, cowboy.”
We hold each other like we’ve been underwater, like we’re finally surfacing after drowning, like the air between us is brand new and too precious to waste. And this time, we’re not letting go.
The next morning, we step off the bus into the soft haze of an L.A. sunrise. The city hums to life around us, but all I feel is Sam’s hand wrapped around mine. During the night, the bus moved, now parked in front of a sleek hotel just off Sunset.
Sam doesn’t let go of me for a second as we walk through the quiet lobby and into the elevator. The suite he leads me to is on the top floor. It’s luxurious but understated, with warm golden light pouring in through massive windows. The door clicks shut behind us, and neither of us says a word. Instead, Sam steps behind me, pressing a soft kiss to the curve of my neck.
