| April 28th | Sunday Afternoon|

~ Megan's POV ~

As I finish up organizing myself for this coming school week, Charlie seems to sense it and lifts her head in excitement. I close my laptop and check the time, seeing that Sam should be finishing up with the brunch shift at Crossroads and heading home any minute now. Shawn and Casey are coming over for dinner and I find myself looking forward to the company, excited that tomorrow is an off day for the students and a half-day for teachers.

I feel my phone vibrate in my lap.

Sam: On my way home!

Megan: See you soon. I love you.

Sam: I love you too <3

Now that Sam is heading home, I decide to start preparing lunch. Shawn and Casey would be here in about an hour. I preheat the oven and throw on something a little nicer than lounging clothes, fixing my makeup in the process. Then the front door opens, indicating Sam is home. I hear Charlie jump from the couch to greet her at the door.

"Babe?" I hear her call.

"In the bedroom!" I respond.

Sam saunters in and leans casually on the doorframe and studies me in the silence. I feel my face flush with heat at the attention. She must've had a good morning at work, I think.

"What?" I ask.

"I can't just admire you?" she teases.

I narrow my eyes.

"What do you want?"

She scoffs. "Why do you always think I want something?"

We move closer together and her hands grab my waist to pull me into her for a kiss. Our lips meet and I smile into it when her hands travel down to my hips and stop just shy of my butt.

"Sam..." I warn. "Shawn and Casey will be here soon."

"We can make it quick," she whispers into my mouth.

As much as I want to give in, it seems like it's my turn to be responsible. I place my hands on her chest to push her away from me and meet her gaze. Her shoulders shrug with disappointment, but she catches my drift.

"Fine," she groans. "I just miss you."

"I miss you, too." I pull away from her. "But I have to cook."

"Want some help?"

I raise my brow. "You don't wanna relax?"

She shrugs. "I had a great shift and I'm not tired, so I don't see why not."

Sam follows me to the kitchen, and we start preparing dinner. She pours me a glass of Chardonnay while we dance around the kitchen together, and I realize how much I had missed these moments. Things haven't been easy for us over the years, but moments like these make the struggle worth it.

Once everything is pretty much done, Sam presses her front to my back and hugs around my stomach. I feel my chest light up when her lips press lovingly against the back of my neck where she plants a kiss. My body instinctively leans into her as she sways to the music playing in the background.

"Do you think you can do this with me forever?" she asks quietly.

I turn to face her, and I can tell she already knows my answer. Neither of us had anymore doubt in our minds about spending the rest of our lives together. Sam is just teasing me with the question.

"I know I can do this with you forever," I answer as I drape my arms over her shoulders.

I study her in this moment and take in her features. She's changed so much over the years, but watching it was so gradual. The way her eyes now glow and are no longer plagued by her trauma or past. Her confidence – and I mean her real confidence – now oozes from her like light from the sun. Sam is a magnificent person, she always has been, but she had just been buried underneath the debris of her pain.

"What are you thinking?" I watch her lips whisper.

"Just how far we've come," I answer honestly. "How far you've come."

Her lips pull into a cocky smirk, but I know she's just teasing me again.

"Yeah well, did you expect anything less?" She tilts her head. "Mama didn't raise no bitch."

My eyes roll as I laugh and press my head into her shoulder. I take in her smell and savor it, remembering the times where I had thought I would lose her. There were too many, in my opinion, but there's this safety I feel with her now, a comforting feel that solidifies the fact that Sam's not going anywhere.

That's when the front door opens and Casey walks in, Shawn following behind her in close pursuit.

"Looks like we have perfect timing, huh?" Shawn jokes.

I laugh at Sam's brother, recognizing that taunting smirk that seems to run in the Carson family. He and Casey approach us for hugs, Sam teasing her brother for letting his hair grow so long in the process.

"Going for the surfer look?" she asks.

"It's been a busy few months, okay?" Shawn answers. "No time for a haircut."

"Plus, I kind of like the long hair," Casey admits.

We laugh and settle into conversation while I ask if Shawn would like a drink. He accepts and follows me to see our selection. I hear Sam tell Casey something about there being two sobers in the house now. Casey rubs her stomach that's just starting to form a baby bump and I feel ecstatic and envious at the same time.

We fall back into conversation in the living room while everyone catches up on what's been going on while we wait to eat closer to dinner time.

"So, why have you been too busy to get a haircut?" Sam asks Shawn.

"Well, my company is opening a branch in Jacksonville," Shawn informs. "I've been helping a lot with that because they-" He stops suddenly.

Sam and I look at each other before looking back at Shawn. Casey shifts on the couch, like she knows why her husband is leaving something out. I feel a tension fill the room from the weird interaction.

"Because they, what?" Sam presses.

Shawn sighs. "Because they want me to run the branch whenever they open."

I take in the information but realize that's... great? That would mean a lot for Shawn's career, not to mention a lot more financial stability. I don't see why he was so hesitant to tell us, that is, until I look over to Sam. She has this look on her face that worries me.

"So, you're planning to move to Jacksonville?" Sam wonders.

"Not for another year, at least," Shawn assures his sister.

The thing about Shawn's announcement that has Sam so shaken up is the fact that Jacksonville is over three hours away. Shawn is one of Sam's pillars of support, and a very important one at that. Ever since his wedding, he's been there for Sam just as much as I have. The thought of him moving away from her again must trigger some of her abandonment issues.

"Sam," he starts. "This will be okay."

"Y-Yeah," she stutters. "I know. It's good. It's great for you and Casey and the baby." Then she stands from where she's sitting. "I'm starving. Is anyone else ready for dinner?"

Shawn looks at me before he and Casey join Sam in the kitchen. We fix our plates and sit around our dining room table, but there's a tension I don't like. Sam does her best to power through her anxiety and dinner, but we all know she's worried. I can see the darkness fighting hard to take control, but she's gotten good at coping and dealing with it. Still, that doesn't mean she's perfect every time it happens.

"So, when's the baby shower?" I ask Casey after a sip of wine.

"I'm thinking sometime in July," Casey answers. "Around the end of my second trimester."

"I'm so excited," I admit. "Any maternal feeling on what you think the sex it is?"

"I don't know." Casey laughs and shrugs. "I mean, part of me feels it's a boy, but I don't want to focus too much on that, you know?"

"Why's that?" Sam asks, although she's distracted with her food.

"Well, I think we put too much emphasis on gender and stuff like that," Casey explains. "It's a baby. That's what I know. I just want them to be healthy."

"So, I'm assuming you're not planning on a gender reveal then?" I ask Casey.

"No." She shakes her head. "It'll just be a baby shower, but we are asking people stick with gender neutral clothes and stuff. Just a heads up."

"That's a great idea," I include.

"Yeah, I like that," Sam agrees.

Dinner ends and Shawn and Casey make their exit, which leaves me and Sam alone. I close the front door behind them and find Sam at the sink, scrubbing away at a dish. She's in her head, I can tell, so I approach her slowly and wrap my arms around her waist and rest my head against her back. I listen to the sound of her heartbeat while she continues doing what she's doing.

"Do you wanna talk?" I ask.

She stops scrubbing and I feel her take in a deep breath. It's ragged and filled with anxiety. I feel it radiating from Sam, but I just hug her a little tighter.

"I just like having him close," she admits. "After everything... the thought of him being far away again just... sucks."

"That's understandable."

"He's the only biological family that I really... need. So, I guess the thought of him moving farther away triggers something in me." She rinses her hands before facing me. "Does that make sense?"

"Absolutely," I agree. "It's okay to feel the way you do, Sam."

"But it's a year away," she assures herself. "A year is a long time."

"It is."

Finally, she smiles.

"Are you agreeing with everything I say because you actually agree, or because you're trying to make me feel better?" she wonders.

"I can't be both?"

She tilts her head and I watch her hair fall and cascade over her shoulders.

"I guess so," she says.

She pulls me into her as one of my hands play with a long strand of her blond hair.

"You need a haircut, too," I observe. "It's getting really long."

"I thought you liked that?"

She lowers her face to my neck and kisses again.

"I-I mean," I stutter from the distraction. "I do..."

"You like something to grab onto, right?" she whispers against my neck.

The jarring, but accurate, response makes me choke on my words. I feel her hands slide down my waist and stop and grab my hips. She pulls me into her and looks at me with a loving, but teasing, expression. Looks like she's feeling a little better after our talk.

"You're ridiculous," I say with a smile. "You know that?"

"Of course."

Then she leans in and kisses me. I inhale and reciprocate, tasting her and feeling the love she has for me. The warmth of the moment pulls me in and seduces me. I try to remember the last time we were intimate and fall short. Suddenly, I feel my body begin to yearn for her touch.

"You don't wanna finish doing the dishes?" I ask playfully between our kisses.

"They can wait," she says. "I just want you right now."

The tone of her voice lets me know she means that, and I feel the same. Knowing that I have nothing else to do today makes me excited to spend the rest of the night wrapped up in Sam, so I follow her to the bedroom and close the door behind us.

We fall onto the bed and I bring my face down to hers and kiss under the curtain of my dark hair. I feel her hands glide up my thighs and leave burning trails that make my body buzz, even after all this time. Her lips stray away from mine and continue kissing along my jaw and neck, sending shivers up my spine. Her fingers play against the edge of my jean shorts and tease the button.

"Always so eager," I whisper into her mouth.

"You really can't blame me."

She sits up as I stay straddling her lap. While her fingers struggle against the button of my shorts, my own skillfully pop every button of her shirt and push it off her shoulders. She eventually gets my shorts unbuttoned and I laugh at her small victory.

"You're not as smooth as you used to be," I say.

Sam doesn't like that, so she flips me onto my back and slides my shorts off without any issue. The suddenness of it all takes me by surprise, but I can't say I don't like it. Then she signals that she wants the rest of my clothes off, so I comply to make up for my ego-bursting joke.

Eventually we're both naked and under the sheets, kissing, touching and just being together. I savor her taste, in every form, and enjoy her pleasurable touches against my own body. In my mind, it's perfect as our bodies stay pressed together, as if they're trying to become one.

I find myself wedged between her legs watching her unravel. My left arm props me up while my right keeps steady motions to bring Sam to climax. A small vein pops out on her neck as a low and sexy moan escapes her lips. I cut it off with an eager kiss and ignore the cramping in my forearm. I feel one of Sam's arms grab the back of my thigh while the other grips the pillow behind her head. The sight is nothing short of breath taking when she finishes.

I fall into the bed next to her as she comes out of her dazed state and pulls me close. The warmth of her body surrounds me, and I feel a sense of wholeness. She kisses my forehead in the process and just looks at me lovingly.

"You know," she starts. "You're amazing."

"Yeah?" I tease.

"Yeah."

She's growing sleepy from the long day and extensive physical exertion, so I try to make the most of this conversation for as long as possible.

"Well, I can say the same for you, Sam Carson."

She smiles. "Do you wanna be Mrs. Carson? Or Mrs. Adams-Carson?"

"I don't really have a preference," I admit.

"I like the sound of Mrs. Carson, if I'm being honest," Sam teases with half-open eyes.

"I bet you do."

"Let's go to the courthouse."

The statement seems to come out of nowhere, and I'm stunned. Did she really say what I think she just said? The look on my face must give that away because she just laughs and releases a yawn.

"What?" she asks.

"Are you serious?" I question.

She just nods against her pillow.

"W-Well, when?"

"I don't know." She yawns again. "But soon. Let's go soon."

The excitement wells in my chest, but Sam is asleep before she can see the tears of joy that silently form on my water lines. Even though she's sleepy, I know she means it. I curl up into her and imagine actually going through with this and becoming Mrs. Megan Adams Carson. It sends a wave of joy washing over me.

And eventually, I drift off to sleep with a huge smile on my face.

***A/N***

I love writing Megan's POV. Hope you guys enjoyed this pretty fluff-filled chapter. It made me feel good to write. Anyways, thanks for reading and please vote! Love you guys bunches!

Twitter: @laurynabrooks

Site: www.laurynslgbtbookshelf.com

Be Proud. Stay You.

Lauryn