A few feet away, Isaiah was preparing his own inflatable mattress. “Man, you two aren’t going to start doing it or anything. Right? There’s nowhere for me to go!”
Kendrick was happy to hear Samantha laugh at the remark. He’d feared she was in shock, and she might have very well been, but now she seemed to be coming back around.
“You can always go outside,” Kendrick told Isaiah.
The other waved it off. “Of course. There’s only like three feet of snow out there. Drifts maybe at six feet. No big deal.”
“Sit in the snowplow,” Kendrick suggested with a grin.
“Speaking of that, where did you get that thing?” Samantha asked.
“We have our ways,” Kendrick replied with a wink. “And part of those ways include being bankrolled by rich movie stars who have connections. They were able to secure it from a local rental shop.”
“So how did you get to these parts to even rent it?” she pressed.
Kendrick kicked his boots off and spread out on the mattress, offering her a cocky grin as he propped his head up on his fist. “Oh, we caught a special ride. When this snow stops and we’re able to clear some space, you’ll see. Hopefully tomorrow.”
He left it at that, wanting to see the look on her face when all was revealed.
“Hey, don’t forget to get some of that hot chocolate we brought in the thermos,” he told her. “And grab plenty to eat.” His eyes darted to the wrapped sandwiches and granola bars he’d brought along. “Then come right here, cuddle up to me, and get warm. We need to get some good sleep so we can get out of here tomorrow.”
When she didn’t move straight for the food, he watched her. Finally, she began sniffling as tears streamed down her face.
“I’m sorry, guys. For everything.” She sobbed for a full three minutes before she’d regained her composure enough to explain.
During that time, he simply went to her and held her.
“Everyone in my life… left. Either died or just left. And I was… destitute. So, when I came to LA I had this idea to… I dunno… be someone else. Something else. A person who never let anyone close. I figured if they didn’t want to get to know me then I couldn’t be heartbroken when they left me. Right?” She shrugged and sobbed some more. “I never meant to be mean and hurt anyone.”
Kendrick held her closely. “I’m sorry you went through all that. But honey, you are still responsible for your actions. You might not have meant to, but, well…like you said, some of your actions have hurt people.”
She looked up, wiped her tears, and nodded. “I know. I want to apologize to Iris and the girls. I don’t blame them for notwanting me in their lives. But I need to at least tell them I’m sorry.”
“Not wanting you in their lives?” Kendrick said.
“I can speak for my Cami when I say she’s worried sick about you!” Isaiah chimed in.
Samantha’s mouth opened in shock. “But I’ve been so… awful! Just horrible. And I lied to all of you.” She sobbed some more.
It broke Kendrick’s heart, but he knew this was part of the process. She needed to come to grips with what she’d done. It was a step along the healing journey.
He wouldn’t be a very good Daddy if he didn’t let it happen.
After a moment, he caressed her face, looked deeply into her eyes, and said, “I know it might sound strange. We haven’t known each other long. But I love you. The Tonya stuff doesn’t change that.” He grinned. “It makes sense as to why I felt the need to spank Tonya’s bottom, because deep down I recognized that she was my Little girl, but that’s all in the past now.” He kissed her. “Honey, when people love each other, they forgive each other. And that’s what this season is all about. Forgiveness.”
He nearly melted when Samantha said, “Oh, Daddy. I love you, too!”
They were still kissing when Kendrick heard the inflatable mattress groan and creak under Isaiah’s weight as he shifted on it, probably turning around to face the wall.
“Like I said, don’t do it tonight. I’m begging you.”
Kendrick kept kissing Samantha and didn’t make any promises to his best friend.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The next morning, Samantha cooed softly as she began to stir from her sleep.
She was so warm and cozy. And being pressed against Daddy’s hard body… It was absolutely perfect.
