Page 276 of The Havenport Collection

Gio

I looked around, trying to find Sam in the crowd.

She had texted me to meet her at the Tipsy Whale for happy hour.

I didn’t feel like drinking. I had been making myself sick with worry for the past few days, getting small bursts of sleep between furiously researching her diagnosis before leaving in two days for Italy.

So I googled, and read, and then googled some more until I was exhausted and terrified.

And then I had thrown myself into projects at her grandparents’ house.

Fixing small things because it was all I could do to keep myself from going crazy.

So I was a bit confused by her invitation to drinks.

Still, I took a shower and put on a nice shirt, just in case.

I was sipping a decent Syrah and making small talk with Fran, the bartender, about wine trends.

When my little brother Christian had invested in the Whale, he had hired me to come in and revamp the wine list. Fran was resistant at first—this had always been a fisherman’s dive bar, after all—but now that she was seeing the profits, she was quite happy to keep stocking “the fancy shit,” as she called it.

I was about to go into the storage room to check on some of the vintages when I heard my sister’s voice. I looked up and saw Nora walking in with Christian and Dante. I stood up and waved and then I saw some of Nora’s girlfriends were also with them, chatting animatedly.

Then I saw her walking in behind Dante. Sam.

She walked through the door wearing a yellow dress that hugged all of her curves—cut low in front and cinched in at the waist. Her auburn hair was down and so shiny and wavy I wanted to run my hands through it.

I stood, frozen to the floor, attempting to figure out what to say. She looked healthy and carefree and so different from the woman I had seen just a few days ago.

My breath hitched as she approached. “Hi, Gio,” she said, kissing me on the cheek.

I put an arm around her, drawing her close so I could catch a whiff of her feminine scent. “You look gorgeous.”

She giggled. Her lips were lush and glossy and her eyes were bright.

For the first time since she came back to Havenport, she looked happy.

My heart soared. I wanted to throw my arms around her and kiss her senseless.

Promise her nothing bad would ever happen and that I would fix everything for her.

“It’s all thanks to your family. I went to Nora’s store today.” That sounded right—my sister loved to empower women through clothing. I’m sure she gave Sam a pep talk in addition to fashion advice. “And then she sent me to Dante’s salon.”

I looked up at the booth where my family sat, staring at us, and Dante gave me a blatant thumbs-up. They drove me crazy, but I loved them. And I felt a surge of pride that they had helped Sam feel better. I vowed to make Nora a gorgeous table for her new house.

“And then I went out to dinner with Nora’s friends.

We had so much fun. Astrid, she’s the tall one,”—she pointed over toward the group which was settling into a booth—“she loves oysters too. So we ordered like a million…and margaritas.” She blushed.

“It’s been so long since I hung out with girlfriends. ”

She looked up at me, and this was how I remembered Sam—smiling, excited, and sharing her enthusiasm with others.

“I’m glad you had fun. What can I get you?” I gestured at Fran for another round for me, and she nodded and waited to see what Sam would order.

She pursed those glossy, juicy lips, and I worried that my self-restraint would finally give out. “Moscow Mule. We’re celebrating tonight.”

“What are we celebrating? You blowing into the Whale looking like you just stepped off the cover of a magazine?” I gave her a wink and her face turned pink.

“Stop.” She swatted at me halfheartedly.

“No, I mean it. And not one of those ones with the skinny teenagers wearing silly clothes. Like a magazine for amazing, grown women. Like Ass Kicker’s Monthly or something like that.”

She laughed and buried her head in my shoulder. “You always know just the right thing to say, don’t you, Gio?”

I shook my head, handing her the copper mug with her drink. “I just say what I’m thinking.” I shrugged, giving Fran a wave for the quick service. “I can’t help it if I think you look amazing.”

She held up her glass, her face still flushed.

“What are we toasting to?” I asked.

“Me. We’re toasting to living and having fun and not letting cancer ruin my life.”

I clinked my glass against hers. “Fuck yes. I’ll drink to that all night."

“Good. Because I plan on having a few of these and then dancing later.” She raised her eyebrows at me, daring me to deny her, which she knew I would not.

I not so secretly loved to dance, and she knew it.

Before the night was over, there would probably be several people with embarrassing videos of me on their phones.

“You know I can’t say no to a dance floor. Christian can control the juke box from his phone, so at least let me pick the music.”

“Deal.”

She drained her glass and placed it on the bar top, gesturing to Fran. “Another round?”

Before Fran could deliver, a familiar and unwelcome face appeared between us.

“Samantha?” I turned and found myself face to face with Steven. Motherfucker. He had been Sam’s first love, her high school boyfriend who dumped her at our senior prom, devastating her and leaving me to pick up the pieces.

He was handsome and smart and adored in this town. His dad was a wealthy businessman who served on town council, and his mom was director of the preschool.

“Steven?” Sam threw her arms around his shoulders. “It’s great to see you.”

“Gorgeous as always, Samantha,” he replied. That asshole always called her Samantha. Formal shithead. She preferred Sam.

“You remember Gio?”

I forced a smile and took his outstretched hand. “Great to see you,” I lied through my teeth, gripping his hand way harder than I should have.

We were about the same height, but I had a good forty pounds of muscle on him. An advantage if I were to punch him, which I was suddenly desperate to do. I didn’t want his hands on Sam. I didn’t want to stand there as he expressed his concern about her and her diagnosis.

I especially didn’t want to watch as he handed her his card, telling her to call him to “catch up” as he was recently divorced and living locally.

As soon as he walked away, I grabbed it out of her hand. Lawyer. Of course he was, smug asshole.

“Jealous much?” Sam said, raising her eyebrows at me. “You never liked him.”

“True. He’s a pretentious ass who strung you along for a year and then dumped you.”

“Trust me, I have plenty of hard feelings. But our relationship was a learning experience. He did me a favor.” She shrugged, while carefully tearing the business card up into identical, microscopic pieces.

“Besides, I’ll always have a soft spot for the man who deflowered me.

” She said it in a dreamy way that made me see red.

My eyes twitched and my heart pounded in my chest. I hated that he took her virginity. I hated that she had loved him so much. And I hated that he was here now, swooping in like some knight with a shining business card, offering to “catch up.”

“Stop scowling and come dance with me.” She slapped my ass and then headed to the dance floor, leaving me confused, jealous, and more than a little bit horny.

A few rounds of drinks and lots of fun, sweaty dancing later, Sam and I found ourselves tipsily walking along the streets of Havenport, stopping only to take silly photos and grab some huge greasy slices of pepperoni from Sal’s Pizza, which we ate on the boardwalk, staring at the ocean.

After a few moments of silence, Sam spoke. “I realized something today.” She continued to stare out at the boats bobbing in the harbor. “I realized that just because I have cancer doesn’t mean I have to stop living, or stop being myself.”

“Of course.”

“And my life is going to change in so many ways I can’t even anticipate.”

I nodded.

“And I want to live, Gio. I’ve been operating in a fog for weeks since I got my diagnosis.

I’ve been letting cancer rule my life, and I’m done.

My treatments are scheduled, my surgery is booked.

And until then, I am going to kick life’s ass.

I’m here, in Havenport with my best friend, my mom, and a whole town full of weirdos, and I am going to make the most of it. ”

We both laughed. She wasn’t wrong. And it felt good to hear her speak like this, like the fighter I knew she was, not the defeated woman who had come back to Havenport.

Her eyes shone and her smile lit up her entire face. I threw my arms around her, picking her up and spinning her around, the skirt of her yellow dress fluttering.

“I’m proud of you.”

Our bodies were flush as I lowered her to the ground, my hands on the curves of her hips. I looked away, unsure of what to do or how to react.

“Good. Because I am going to need your help.”

I caught her eyes, which were twinkling with mischief.

And before I could say another word, she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me. And not a friendly kiss, not a peck—but something substantial and meaningful and perfect.

Her mouth was heaven, soft and warm, yet firm. Her hand tangled in my hair as I pulled her close, deepening our kiss. It was desperate and intense and the most perfect thing I had ever experienced.

“Wow,” she said, gently wiping lipstick off my mouth. “That was better than I expected.”

I shook my head, hoping to make my brain cells function. “Wait? You’ve thought about kissing me?” I was so confused. Sam. I kissed Sam. Sam kissed me. And I wanted to keep kissing her forever.

She looked up at me, biting her lip playfully. “Of course, I’ve thought about it hundreds of times. You never thought about kissing me?”

My brain went into overdrive. I couldn’t think. Couldn’t speak, and damn sure couldn’t react. Sam kissed me. She took the lead and knocked me right on my ass.

And, best of all, she admitted to thinking about it. Admitted that there was a small spark of attraction between us. A spark that, at this moment, felt like a full-fledged inferno in my chest.

I pulled her closer and leaned down slowly.

“So many times, Sam. I’ve imagined this and so much more.

” I groaned, pulling her flush up against my chest and taking my time as I lowered my mouth onto hers.

I started slowly, controlling the pace and enjoying the sensation of finally kissing the woman of my dreams. She tasted sweet, and I allowed my hands to roam as her tongue slipped into my mouth, making my entire body ache with need.

Before we could proceed any further, we were interrupted by a loud wolf whistle.

I looked up and saw a group of teens walking past, laughing and pointing at us.

“Shit.” We backed away, feeling sheepish.

We were adults, for Christ’s sake. Knowing this town, there were probably satellite photos of our hot and heavy make-out session on social media already.

I wasn’t one for public displays of affection, and I felt totally off balance.

What happened next? Could I ever recover from the experience of kissing Sam?

“Let me walk you home,” I said, offering her my elbow.

She took it and gave me a sly smile. And that small gesture reassured me. She enjoyed it as much as I did. I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks. Because I was going to kiss the hell out of her behind closed doors, but for now…now we would walk.