I reach for my sandwich and bring it toward my lips. “That is strange.”
Marshal
I stare down in disbelief at the paper Sami has just handed me. When I look up, my gaze meets her beautiful green one. “What a fucking asshole.”
She shrugs as she settles on the couch at her place. “We knew that.”
When I received the text from her this afternoon asking me to come over, I wasn’t expecting a conversation about her ex. I could say I wasn’t expecting anything, but that would be a lie. And even now, seeing her wearing soft shorts, a tank top, and I would guess no bra, I could let my mind wander with possibilities. The thing is that I’m Sami’s best friend first. The benefits are secondary. Right now, she needs a friend.
As I study her expression, I see the small lines near her downcast eyes. Even after she kicked his ass to the curb, her ex is still a source of her angst. My stomach twists with a memory, and I face the fact that I failed her. “Sami, I’m sorry. I should have said more.”
“More about what?”
“That night we were all at the same bar...remember downtown...The Rooftop on the top floor of the Marriott?”
“Yeah. Do you know I walked two blocks in those ridiculous shoes and that short dress just so I wouldn’t valet park his precious car?”
I remember the night and the snow beyond the windows. “There had to be six inches of snow on the ground.”
“Well,” she says, “thankfully, the sidewalks were clear.”
I sit next to her and reach out, squeezing her knee. “That night, before you got to the bar—”
“I was probably trekking along a freezing cold sidewalk as salt pellets crunched under my high-heeled shoes.”
A grin comes to my lips. “Probably. Can you shut up a second and let me talk?”
Sami’s head shakes. “Bossy.”
“You like it.”
That changes her sad expression to a grin. “Sometimes.”
“Anyway, that night, while you were exploring the frigid streets of Grand Rapids in totally inappropriate hiking clothes...”
“And shoes.”
I inhale. “...and shoes, I saw Jackson and watched from the other side of the bar.”
Her brow furrows. “Watched what?”
“I don’t know for sure. And that’s why I didn’t say anything, but if I went with my gut, he was flirting with the blonde.”
“Ugh.” Sami stands and paces around her living room. “That blonde is her. That’s Ellen.” She spins. “She probably isn’t a real blonde, but I didn’t get close enough to take a look while she was in my bed.”
I let that comment pass as I move forward. “I went over to him. I guess I wanted him to know I saw him.”
Sami wraps her arms around her torso as her expression clouds.
Standing, I walk to her.
I can’t stop myself. It’s as if Sami’s a fucking magnet, and I’m helpless but to obey the laws of force drawing me to her. I don’t stop until I reach out and wrap my arms around her soft slender body and pull her against my chest. The scent of strawberries whiffs through the air as I inhale.
“I was such a stupid idiot.” Her words are muffled against my chest.
“No, I should have said something.”
Sami leans away and as her gaze meets mine, she slaps my arm. “You should have. Why didn’t you?”
“Ow.” She couldn’t physically hurt me if she tried. Okay, she did when we were five but not now. Now, I’m only crying wolf to see her smile. And it worked.
“That’s why,” I say as I run the pad of my finger over her cheek. “Your smile. It lights up a fucking room. I’ve seen you happy, and I’ve seen you sad. Never, and I mean never, do I want to be the cause of your sadness. And I think when I saw him with her, I didn’t want to say anything, on the off chance I was wrong.”
“You, Marshal Michaels, considered the possibility that you could be wrong? Wow.”
My expression turns sober. “I wasn’t, Sami. I knew that, but I didn’t want to be the one to tell you. I saw how controlling he was, and I didn’t want you to be put in a position where you had to choose. Maybe I didn’t just consider I could be wrong, I considered I could be right and it would cause problems between us. Fuck, I couldn’t bear to lose my best friend.”
She wraps her arms around my torso and lays her head against my chest. “I don’t know what I would have said. It would have hurt coming from you because you’re the one person I know has always told me the truth.”
I kiss the top of her head. “I’m sorry.”
“No. Seeing Jackson for the ass he is was something I had to do. I don’t even think you could have gotten through to me.”
“I’m still sorry, Sami. He should be fucking dust in your rearview mirror, not still causing you and your parents heartache.”
“He lies. He says what he thinks will help him.” She sighs. “Remember what he said about the honeymoon, in Mom and Dad’s kitchen?”
“France.”
Her head shakes. “It wasn’t true. He’d booked a week in New York.” She looks up at me. “I need ideas, Marsh. Come on, you and I defeated the stormtroopers every night before the sun set. We waged battles on our bicycles against make-believe bad guys.” Her emerald stare shines through her lashes. “This time the bad guy is real. He’s a prick with a tiny dick who thinks he has the power and that he’s better than everyone else. He’s taking his embarrassment at my canceling the wedding out on my parents.”
“It goes without saying that your parents aren’t paying that.”
“I’m sure that Jackson knows that legally, he doesn’t have a leg to stand on. I know him. He’s just trying to get in one last jab.”
“Tiny?” I ask.
Sami soft-punches my back. “Focus.”
“You said tiny.”
“I thought we weren’t supposed to share details.”
“I don’t want details on what he did with it, but you could elaborate on your description. Mushroom head? Weird kink or bend? Go on.”
Shaking her head, she steps away. “I’m pretty sure that every man in the whole world will seem tiny from now on.”
Friends with benefits means we are willing to accept that our friend will most likely move on to someone else. However, as more seconds tick by, I’m having trouble accepting that fate. While I’m happy to be the new gold standard, I’m not a fan of any other dick—big or tiny—getting near Sami.
Not now.
Not ever.
“What, Marsh? No comeback about how I could add that testimonial to your website?”
“One thing at a time,” I say, reaching for her hand. “How do we stop tiny-dick?”
“I’ve been racking my brain ever since Mom gave me that paper. That’s why I called my always-and-forever partner in crime. I mean, if we could defeat make-believe bad guys on the daily, together we can come up with a plan.”
This is my Sami, the one who never gives up, who is always thinking. “Let’s go get some dinner and keep working on this.”