He grinned a little. "I didn't know if you'd mind if Sam came. I know there was some kind of connection with you two when we were filming, and I didn't want you to be uncomfortable."
"Why would I?" I said, shaking my head at the thought of him refusing Sam.
"Good," he said, smiling.
"What? Is he here?" I asked, trying to stifle a smile. I stared at him, feeling like I might die if I didn't know the answer to that for certainty.
"Yes," Alex said, causing a wave of excitement to hit me. "I hope it's okay," Alex said with a tone of regret. "I'm sorry, I didn't think to run it past you first."
"You don't have to run anything past me," I said, pretending to be much cooler than I felt. "Sam and I are cool. I would love Sam to be here."
"Okay, because he was asking about you, and I didn't know if there was anything… I didn't want you to feel awkward if you didn't… anyway, I thought I should give you a heads up that he's here."
"Thanks," I said, trying to pretend my heart wasn't leaping out of my chest at the idea of Sam asking about me. I did my best to be cool. "We're getting the gang back together. I'm looking forward to catching up with everybody."
"Yeah, Ash is here. And Josie's got her sister and little niece. Cameron and Judd, obviously, they flew in with Sam."
"Aw, this is going to be fun. Where did you guys put your luggage?"
"We're at a hotel in Missoula. Josie's sister lives there, and we're hanging out with her and her little niece. There are just more options in Missoula, anyway. We got here two days ago. Cameron, Judd, and Sam flew in today."
"I was planning on staying the night here on the ranch," I said. "I didn't know you guys were in Missoula."
"Yeah, I knew you were staying here. I thought you wanted to be with your parents and sister. Maybe you can come toMissoula and hang out with us tomorrow. We're doing brunch, I think."
I nodded. "My dad rented a car. I can use it to go over there. Are Cameron and them staying two nights?"
"Yeah, they are, and that sounds good, we'll figure it out."
Alex spoke in a rushed tone because my mother and Jen Sutter had caught on that I arrived, and they were both making their way to me. Everyone was here to see my sister, and it seemed like I was the next best thing since she wasn't there yet. I knew most of the people in the house, save a few of Henry's family who I hadn't met before.
I noticed Sam the instant I walked into the main room. He had on a dark blue sweater, and I could see without even going over there that the color looked amazing on him. I knew how blue looked with his eyes. I was aware of his presence from the moment I came into the room. He was more handsome than I remembered. I felt nervous and short of breath at the thought of encountering him and talking to him.
I had family waiting that I hadn't seen in a while, aunts and grandparents, and they were all anxious to greet me. It took me a minute, but I finally made my way over to the group where Sam was standing. I was so thankful I powdered my face and applied more deodorant in Salt Lake City because I hadn't done it since then. I wished I had stared in a mirror before coming inside, but there was nothing I could do about it now.
I gave out hugs to everyone standing around the area where Sam was. I hugged Ash, and then Cameron, Judd… I came to Sam, and I smiled as I reached out to hug him. I said, "What are you doing here, movie star?"
Oh, my goodness. His body. He was here in the flesh. I was holding Samuel Allison in my arms, and it was too much. He was even bigger and firmer than I remembered, and my insides filled with all sorts of fluttering feelings. I let him go, trying my bestto behave like a normal person. I wanted to latch onto this man tightly with my arms and my legs and not let him go. I didn't realize how much I had missed him. It was surreal that I just had a long conversation about Sam in the car, and now here he was.
And he was so here. I stared at the knit pattern of his sweater, trying not to notice the shape of his arms and chest underneath it.
Chapter 16
Sam
Samuel Allison had come to this wedding for one reason only, and it was to see Trinity Banks. He loved Henry and Amelia, and it would be easy for people to believe he wanted to be there for the wedding and for no other reason, but that simply wasn't the truth. He had been unable to get this woman out of his mind, and he had to see her again.
He had been hearing Judd and the others talking about going back to Montana for this, and he knew she would be here. He casually invited himself, and the idea was welcomed by his friends, so he came. And he had no regrets whatsoever. As of a minute ago, when Ty arrived, he was extremely happy that he had come.
He knew her appearance had changed. She had cut and lightened her hair. She posted recent videos, and he knew what changes to expect in her appearance. He did not expect, however, to be this mesmerized. He was captivated by her before, when they were out here working together, but he hadn't remembered how much. Or maybe he had blocked it in an effort to self-preserve. Either way, he was entranced by Ty from the moment she came into the room. He saw her hands and her body and her face, and the way she moved, and he was donefor. She had on jeans and a pink sweatshirt, and she was the sweetest, most precious thing he had ever seen.
Sam had seen the edits Alex did and the final version of the egg scene, and he was reminded of the connection they had—the electricity. He still felt it. He wished Ty did. She hugged him when she came to stand with them, and he didn't want to let her go. Her smell was intoxicating. Being near her was intoxicating.
She had called him a movie star when she hugged him, and it triggered Cameron to say something about his Tom Hardy movie, Echos, which would premiere in a month. The studio was pushing it.
Cameron mentioned one of the ads specifically. "I didn't even recognize Tom Hardy in that lighthouse scene," Cameron said, shaking her head. "He's good. I like him."
"I know," Ty agreed. "And he looks completely different in the lighthouse scene than he does in the scene that shows him in the woods. I mean, even the transformation within the movie is crazy."
