33. Kenna

33

KENNA

"A new broom sweeps clean, but an old one knows where the dirt is." ~ Archie "Witty" Whitlock

"You look so beautiful, Amorina!" My mom exclaimed.

"Thanks." I glanced out the window of the bridal suite room, where Taylor, Ruby, Harper, my mom, and I were all hanging out before the wedding, wondering when Sam was going to show up. And when he did, if he would be alone or with a date.

Before last night, we hadn't talked in two weeks. And last night, we hadn't done much talking. So, I had no clue if he was coming with a plus one or not. I would have asked at breakfast, but when I woke up this morning, he was gone. He left me a note saying he had to go to Parrish Creek to get a new phone. It also said he'd let Winnie out and fed her, and there were pancakes, bacon, and coffee waiting for me.

Breakfast was a nice touch, and I appreciated it, but it was something he'd have done before we became intimate, so I had no clue if it meant anything. We should have talked about things last night; the problem was, after we made love for the second time, I'd passed out cold.

My sleep the past couple of weeks had been shit. I'd spent my nights tossing and turning without Sam in my bed. It was strange how a person could go from being totally independent to totally dependent in such a short amount of time. Not strange, unhealthy.

And then for him to just be gone this morning…I didn't like it. It made me feel…uneasy, like he was already distancing himself from me. We'd promised each other that we'd never let anything come between us again, but that had been in the glow of post-sexy-time bliss.

I'd had a pit in my stomach all day. It's not like I thought he was lying about getting the replacement phone; it's just that I knew him well. Too well. He hated mornings-after and avoided them at all costs.

The first two nights we'd hooked up, he stayed. Well, the second time, I was up before him because I hadn't slept, but still. I hadn't thought about it much at the time, but waking up and finding him gone had gotten in my head.

Was this the first sign that I was just like the others?

If it was, I would just have to deal with it. After last night, the one thing I knew for sure was that nothing was going to get in the way of our relationship again.

Even if we didn't have a sexual relationship, he was my person. My lobster. My soulmate. Those things didn't have to have a romantic element. Those were deeper than the physical.

"You're absolutely glowing!" My mom reached up and rubbed my entire face with her hands.

She had no personal boundaries.

I shifted back, moving away from her touch.

My retreat didn't stop her from squinting and staring at my skin from about an inch away. "Did you try a new serum?"

Was sperm a serum? I mean, I guess you could call it that. Not that I'd had any on my face.

"No." I shook my head.

"Tell me the truth, Amorina." Her expression grew serious. "Are you seeing someone?"

"What? No. Why would you ask that?"

"A doctor wanted your number, and you say no?" Her hands flew up in the air.

How did she know that?

I glanced over at my cousin, who was in the makeup chair, and she mouthed, "Sorry."

Right. Taylor must have told my mom last night at the rehearsal dinner after I left to go to the hospital. My parents had gone to the pizza parlor early to ‘save seats' even though I'd made sure several tables were reserved for us. My dad didn't like to leave anything to chance.

I looked back at my mom and defended myself. "He dated Taylor."

"One date." My mom held up her pointer finger. "And you dated Remi."

"In high school, and it wasn't?—"

"No!" She lifted her finger and wagged it in my face. "Not just high school; you went to Kane and Ruby's wedding together."

I'd only done that to make Sam jealous. Which was the same reason we'd dated in high school. It hadn't worked either time. Plus, Taylor was the one who told me to ask Remi to go with me because she was in denial of her feelings for him.

"As friends," I explained. "We were just friends."

"I don't see why, just because your cousin goes out once with a man, a doctor , he's off limits. That's crazy! And what happened with Jonah?! So handsome! So successful! What? Why is he just a friend?"

Of course she knew about the status of my relationship with Jonah, even though I'd never told her. This was Wishing Well. Everyone knew everything. I knew she wasn't going to drop this. Ever. If I didn't handle this situation right, she would take matters into her own hands. Men might start showing up at my door.

It was time to come clean.

After glancing around and seeing that the other women were all occupied getting their hair and makeup done, I moved closer to my mom and quietly confessed, "I love Sam."

She had zero reaction; she just stared at me blankly.

Thinking she must not have heard me or didn't understand the magnitude of what I'd just said, I softly clarified, "I'm i n love with Sam."

"Yes. And?" she replied matter-of-factly, not at all seeming surprised at what I'd just admitted.

"What do you mean, yes, and?"

"I mean, yes, and what else is new?"

"Wait? You knew that I was in love with him?" Everyone in town had asked me about Sam and mine's relationship at one time or another, even my father, but my mother never had. I always assumed that if she had suspected anything, she would have confronted me about it since she didn't really keep her opinions, thoughts, or feelings on any subject matter to herself.

"Of course I knew! Everyone knows!"

Her voice rose, and I glanced over at Ruby and Taylor. From the look on their faces, they'd overheard our conversation.

"We knew," Taylor backed up my mom, confirming my hunch. Ruby nodded in agreement.

My head spun back toward my mom. "Why didn't you ever say anything to me? Ask me about it?"

"Why? So you can lie to my face?" She shook her head and made a tsking sound. "No, no, no. This is true love. I knew that you'd tell me when you were ready." Tears filled her eyes as she cupped my face again. "So this is it, Amorina, you are ready?"

"It doesn't matter if I am or not. Sam doesn?—"

"Shh, shh, shh. Don't speak nonsense. That boy, he loves you. He might not know what to do about it, but you'll help him. That's your job. To help him. You'll figure it out together."

My mom pulled me into one of her famous bear hugs. Usually, I found them suffocating, but right now, right now it was exactly what I needed. It was warm and comforting, and everything I was feeling was exposed after admitting my love for Sam even if everyone already knew.

I was still in my mom's oppressive but appreciated embrace when the door opened and the wedding planner came in and walked over to Taylor. The two were discussing an issue with the seating that I couldn't quite hear.

"What do you know about her?" my mom whispered conspiratorially.

"Willow?" I clarified.

"No. Your cousin." My mom's hands flew in the air expressively. "Of course, Willow."

"Not a lot. She's from Seattle. She worked at a corporate job but hated it. She came here so she could start her own business and because the cost of living is better."

My mom waved her hand dismissively. "I don't care about that."

"You asked what I knew about her."

"Yes, I did. Is she single ?" my mom emphasized, indicating I was a total idiot not to have read between the lines of her questioning.

"Oh, I don't know. Why?"

"Your brother is in town until Friday. Maybe she needs someone to show her around."

Wow, that was quick. My mom went from matchmaking me to my brother Mason, and I wondered why Milo had gotten a pass.

Willow gave us a five-minute warning, and then the photographer came in to take a few candid shots before the walk down the aisle. I glanced out the window one final time, and when I did, I saw Sam, and he wasn't alone. He had a date. His grandpa, Witty.

My face split in a smile—that was my green light. Today, after the wedding, I was going to tell Sam everything. And we would be okay because our bond was stronger than anything, even romantic love.