“Hey, let’s stop right there,” Sam cuts in, narrowing his eyes at his father.
I laugh, feigning innocence. “Nope. I think Bas and I need to talk.”
I make a move to stand, but Sam’s quicker. His hands find my waist, and before I can take my next breath, he’s pulling me down onto his lap.
“Nice try.” His breath is warm against my ear and sends a shiver down my spine. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“Sam.” My warning slips out more breath than threat.
His fingers skim my sides, and I jerk involuntarily, squealing. “Oh my God, stop—stop. I’m ticklish.”
That’s all the invitation he needs. He laughs, delighted, as I wriggle helplessly in his grip. “Then you shouldn’t have told me that.” His deep chuckle rumbles against my back.
“Bas, help.” My laughter is more cry than anything else.
Alec comes to my rescue, swooping in with a roguish grin. “I’ve got this.” He darts forward and tickles Sam’s sides.
Sam yelps in surprise, jerking and laughing. “Arrête.” He throws up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I give up.”
Our laughter fills the air, spilling out into the open like something alive.
Bas clings to the railing, still chuckling, deep lines of mirth etching his features. But beneath the joy, there’s something else. A shadow, faint but unmistakable, threading through his eyes and settling in the downturn of his smile.
My chest tightens. I can almost feel the weight of his thoughts—the quiet sadness of knowing moments like this are numbered. Of watching life continue and realizing that, someday soon, you might not be there to see it.
Bas straightens, his expression softening but tone resolute. “Garde cette femme.”
It takes me a second to register the words. My French isn’t perfect, but I’m pretty sure it meanskeep this woman.
Sam straightens, the laughter fading from his face. The two of them lock eyes, a whole conversation passing between them without a single word spoken. Then Sam nods once, slow and deliberate. A promise.
When his gaze shifts to me, it’s softer, more open. A small smile curves his lips, but there’s something deeper behind it, something that makes my stomach flutter and my heart twist all at once.
“Samson hated his name.” Bas’s tone drifts as if speaking half to us and half to memory.
I tilt my head to one side, not quite understanding. “He did?”
A faint smile ghosts over Bas’s features. “When he was a teenager, he insisted everyone call him Sam. Wouldn’t answer to his given name. A formidable, noble name, Samson. Alec respected his wishes, but I refused.”
Sam chuckles, a quiet, self-conscious sound. His eyes stay fixed on Bas, filled with affection and something like awe.
“What happened?” I ask, unable to help myself. I want to knoweverythingabout him—his past, his hurts, the small details that made him the man sitting beside me.
“After a year of it, I’d had enough. He was sulky and difficult. Stubborn.” His eyes glint toward Sam, amused. “So I sat him down and told him his name was something to be proud of. Tocherish.To live up to.”
Bas’s tone softens. “It was his grand-mère’s maiden name. His dear, poor mother’s family name.”
He pauses. The words seem to pull something from deep within him, leaving the air around us heavy and still.
“She gave him that name,”—his voice drops, more reverent, intense—“because she wanted him to have a piece of her. A reminder of where he came from. Proof that he was loved—fully, fiercely. That even if she couldn’t stay, he’d always carry her with him.”
A silence falls, long and reverent. The only sound is the faint rustle of leaves in the summer breeze.
Across from me, Alec’s expression is pensive, his hand resting lightly on Bas’s back. He doesn’t speak, but his eyes say enough—understanding, pride, sorrow.
Bas and Sam hold each other’s gaze, their connection so intense it feels like we’re intruding. Their eyes speak in a language I can’t translate, something old and sacred, bound bylove and history. I wish I could understand it. I wish I had the key to whatever’s passing between them.
The moment stretches until Bas finally pats the railing. “Enough of this heavy talk, we need food for dinner.”
