“What’s my s’prise, Daddy?” Yeah, he was minutes away from falling asleep. We definitely
needed to hurry.
“You’ll have to be a good boy if you want to find out,” I reminded him. I helped him stand and
hugged him tightly. “But I know you’re going to like it.”
“I trust you.” Fuck. Those three words were the most powerful in the world.
* * *
Sam was tense as we drove to The Lodge. He’d offered to sit in the back seat with his mom so his
dad could stretch out in the front seat, so I reached back, slipping my fingers under the cuff of his
jeans. At a red light, I glanced back, blowing him a kiss.
“He’s a keeper, Sam.” I was sure his mom hadn’t meant for me to hear her praise, but it made me
smile. It felt like a seal of approval I was determined to hold onto.
“I know,” Sam agreed. Our eyes met in the rear-view mirror. “I still can’t believe he still wanted
me after the way I acted when we first met.”
“You do tend to be a bit prickly. Anyone worth having in your life will understand why you are
that way.”
Thank you!I didn’t say it out loud, but I was happy to know she agreed.
I pulled into the employee lot behind The Lodge. This was definitely one of the perks of dating
Sam because I always hated having to find public parking and hike back to the bar on busy weekends.
And from the looks of things, tonight was hopping.
“You ready?” I asked as I opened Sam’s door and helped him to the ground.
“No, but with you by me, it’ll be okay.” He stood on his tiptoes and kissed me.
“Yes, it will be,” I agreed.
As we crossed the parking lot, Sam explained how the club operated to his parents. I watched
them carefully to see if they had any negative reactions. If anything, they seemed excited to see inside.
If Sam was scarred after tonight, I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be for the reasons he’d built up in
his mind.
Sam keyed us in through the back entrance. Almost immediately, we felt the heavy bass thumping
down the halls. Sam tensed and I squeezed his hand. He smiled up at me. I led Sam and his family
directly to the bar. Tonight, was one that called for some liquid fortification.
“Sam, this place isn’t at all like I imagined it would be,” his mom admitted.
