Gulf Coast Wedding by Maggie Miller
Chapter Nine
“I can’t believe we did that much trick or treating,” Sam whispered. Even with sneakers on, her feet were starting to hurt.
Levi nodded as he pulled into the driveway at the cottage. “Pretty sure it was the candy fueling him.” He glanced in the rearview. “Which is why he crashed so hard.”
Sam turned to look at her son in the back seat. He was slumped to one side, mostly held in place by the seatbelt, mouth open and fast asleep. Next to him on the seat was a bulging bag of candy.
Way too much. But this was their first Halloween in Blackbird Beach. And their first Halloween with Levi. She hadn’t wanted the night to end.
Levi parked and turned the car off. “I’ll carry him in. You get the door and the candy.”
“There’s no way I’m letting him have all of that candy.”
Levi nodded in what seemed like approval. “Hey, we could make it the first course at the wedding.”
She laughed louder than she’d meant to, quickly slapping a hand over her mouth, but Clayton didn’t budge.
Grinning, Levi tipped his head toward the house. “Come on, let’s get him inside.”
Moving with as much quiet and care as possible, they got out. Levi went around to the passenger side and unbuckled Clayton, then lifted the boy over his shoulder.
Sam grabbed the bag of candy, surprised by how heavy that much sugar and chocolate could be. She went ahead of Levi and got the door open.
The soft sounds and flickering light of the television told her that her dad was still up. She went into the living room and put her finger to her lips as she made eye contact with him. “Clayton’s sleeping.”
Travis nodded, then spoke softly. “Did he have a good time?”
Sam hoisted the bag of candy. “Definitely.” She deposited the bag onto the couch, then got the bedroom door open as Levi carried him through. She followed him in.
Levi eased him onto the bed, then stood back. “What can I do to help?”
“Take his socks and shoes off. I’ll get his pajamas.”
Together they got Clayton ready for bed and tucked him in. Sam figured he could brush his teeth in the morning. Missing one night wouldn’t be the end of the world, even if he had eaten all of that candy.
Then they went back out to the living room, shutting the bedroom door behind them. Levi gave Travis a nod before kissing Sam on the cheek. “See you at church tomorrow.”
Sam nodded. “Yep. Thank you. Clayton had a great time. I did too.”
Levi smiled. “Then he won’t mind paying a little tax.” He stuck his hand into the candy bag and pulled out a few pieces. “For the ride home.”
With a little wave, he was out the door.
Sam came around and plopped down on the couch. She was ready to change out of her cheerleader costume, but first she just wanted to sit. And maybe see if there were any peppermint patties in the bag.
“How was your night?” She asked her dad as she dug through Clayton’s stash. She found a peanut butter cup and held it up.
Travis nodded and cupped his hands to catch it. “It was mostly good.”
She tossed the candy to him, then went back to her search. “Only mostly good? I thought you had Georgia over.”
“I did. And I really hate to tell you this because I don’t want to spoil your evening, but your mom came to the door not long after you guys left.”
Sam’s hand had just closed around a small, familiar silver package. She froze as her father’s words registered. “She texted me, but I ignored it. I had no idea she was here.”
He nodded as he unwrapped the peanut butter cup. “I’m sure your grandmother called her.”
With a hard exhale, Sam pulled the candy out, ripped the wrapper off, and sunk her teeth into the minty confection, biting it in half. She spoke around the dark chocolate melting over her tongue. “Is that how she thinks she going to stop us from getting married? Because showing up isn’t going to change anything.”
“I realize that, but your grandmother is clearly desperate.”
“She must have promised Mom something pretty major to get her to drive down here that fast.”
Travis shrugged. “She might have flown into St. Pete.”
“True.” Sam sat back, kicking her feet up onto the coffee table. “Waste of time and money, though. Nothing’s stopping us.” She popped the other half of the miniature patty into her mouth and smiled. “I got a dress today.”
“Did you? That’s great news, honey. I’m sure you’re going to look beautiful in it. At the thrift shop?”
She nodded. “A friend of Agatha’s, a lady by the name of Faith, is going to do some alterations on it.”
“Oh, sure. Faith Marshfield. Nice lady. She sings in the choir.”
“She is. Also, as you already know, Levi found a house for us to look at. He told me that you’re coming along to give us your professional opinion and make sure we don’t buy a lemon.”
Travis smiled as he bit the peanut butter cup in half. “I am. You know that house is going to need some work.”
She nodded. “I know. He sent me the link. But I’m keeping an open mind. Besides, I know what you’re capable of. If you’ve taught me anything it’s to see the big picture. Not that I was so good at that when I was in high school.”
“Water under the bridge. I’m glad you guys had a good time tonight.” He tossed the last half of the candy into his mouth, wadding up the wrapper out as he did.
“We did. Levi is amazingly good at being a dad, considering he just found out he was one.” She found a Hershey’s kiss and unwrapped it next. Eating all of this candy probably wasn’t going to help her sleep, or fit into her wedding dress, but she was a little wound up and didn’t care at the moment. “It’s like he’s trying to make up for lost time. Which I’m sure he is.”
“He’s doing right by you and Clayton so far, that’s for sure.” Travis tilted his head toward her. “That ring on your finger. Now the house.”
“I hope he really can afford all of this. He said tonight that he’s going to put me on all of his accounts, but that doesn’t seem fair to me.”
“How so?”
She shrugged. “That’s his money. I certainly didn’t do anything to earn it.”
“No, but you’re getting married. And I know he wants you to understand how serious he is about helping take care of Clayton. But if you’re uncomfortable with it, maybe you could start a joint account together. A separate one that you could both deposit into, just to get things started.”
“I don’t have much to deposit. I’ve only barely started working.” And a lot of what she had coming was already going to pay for some of Clayton’s expenses. She pulled out another peanut butter cup and held it up.
Travis nodded and put his hand out, catching it as she tossed it over. “I’m sure he doesn’t care. And I’m also sure he understands. We had a good talk at the game today. And the more I talk to him, the more I like him.”
She smiled, pleased at her dad’s approval. “I’m glad to hear you say that. I know you think we’re moving too fast.”
“I did. I don’t anymore.”
“No? Thanks.”
“You’re both adults. You have a history together that includes a child. He deserves a shot at growing up with both parents around. And while I’m not a hundred percent sure how you feel about Levi, that man loves you with everything he’s got in him. I know that for a fact.”
Sam smiled. “I love him, too, Dad.”
“Good. Glad to hear it.”
She toed her sneakers off, letting them drop to the floor. “Do you think Mom is going to be a problem? Or grandma for that matter?”
“That’s like asking if there will be sand in the desert.”
Sam sighed and picked up her shoes. “Do either of them know the wedding is Wednesday night?”
“Not sure about that, but things have been set in motion. Your grandmother tends to find out what’s going on in this town before most people do so it’s a possibility.”
Sam frowned. She did not want their wedding interrupted by whatever nonsense Lavinia and Jillian might cause in an attempt to shut things down. “I really don’t want them to ruin our night. I don’t expect it to be perfect, but I don’t want their chaos either.”
“I know.” He sat forward. “I wish there was a way to prevent that from happening, but outside of locking the doors to the inn, I’m not sure of one.”
Sam grabbed her discarded sneakers and stood up, ready to wash her face and go to bed. “Maybe…maybe we should just invite them.”