Guarding Hearts (Living Again #3) (39 page)

“You made me a playlist?”

“These are songs that make me think of you, of us,” he answered, taking her hand as the first song began. “We hardly ever get time to just be regular people that are in love with each other. Today, I wanted to let us be normal for a little while. I want to dance with my girlfriend. May I have this dance?”

Sam smiled, touching his face. “I think you’re the most romantic person alive, Ellis Warner.”

“Don’t ruin my reputation,” he teased, taking her hand and kissing her palm. Pulling her to him, she rested her head against his chest as the opening chords of ‘All of Me’ by John Legend started playing.

“I love this song,” she whispered, squeezing him tighter as they moved together. She began humming the song, and he thought even when she wasn’t singing, it was beautiful.

“I give you all of me,” he whispered into her ear. She shivered, goosebumps breaking out on her arms. He rubbed them as they continued swaying to the music. When the song ended, it immediately went into another, one she didn’t recognize.

“What’s this song?”

Ellis laughed. “Nickleback, ‘Trying Not to Love You’.”

“You’re trying not to love me?”

“I did, but you were a magnetic pull I couldn’t stay away from.”

As the lyrics continued, talking about time apart being knives in your heart, Sam turned to him. “Come with me,” she said. He knew the look that was in her eyes right now. She pulled his hand until she reached the car.

“Have you thought of having me here?” She indicated the car. Ellis looked at her, then to the car. He couldn’t talk.

“H-here?”

“I love when I render you speechless. Yes, here.” She pulled him closer and pushed him until he was sitting in the driver seat. She climbed on to him, using the lever on the side to lay the seat back.

“Sammi,” Ellis groaned. “What are you doing?”

“Living all of your fantasies,” she purred, her mouth against his ear. “We’re alone, right? No one can see us?”

He shook his head, his mouth not working again. ‘Broken Arrows’ by Daughtry started playing, and she started taking her clothes off to the beat of the music. Before he could even react, she was sitting on him in just a black thong, and he thought he might die and go to Heaven. Or maybe he was already there.

“Did you forget how this works?” she leaned over and began kissing up his neck, stopping to nibble on his ear before working her way to his lips. As she kissed him, she began lifting his shirt, touching his abs as her tongue wound around his. The songs kept playing, Who I am With You by Chris Young, Words I Couldn’t Say by Rascal Flatts, and at that point he could no longer hear or think because she was touching him, kissing him, and he could barely hang on to his desire.

“Ellis,” she breathed. “I want you.”

She pulled his shirt off and threw it in the backseat, running her fingernails down his sculpted chest and abs, then unbuttoned his shorts and he assisted in getting them as far down as he could in the very small confines of the car.

“I’ll never think of this car the same again,” he said, watching with bated breath as she took him into her hand and led him right where he wanted to go. As they made contact, his eyes rolled back in his head at the feel of her. She was Heaven on Earth. He watched as she clasped his hands with hers as she ground on top of him, her eyes trained on his as she moved up and down. He ached to touch her everywhere, but he was paralyzed with the desire to keep watching her doing her thing.

“Sammi,” he cried out, watching her body move above him. She let go of his hands and leaned backwards, resting her hands one on the door and the other on the center console. He used that opportunity to grip her hip with one hand, pushing her harder on top of him while he used his other hand to caress the supple breasts that teased him. She was the sexiest woman he had ever seen. And she was doing him in his car.

She closed her eyes as the sensations started taking over, and he could feel her tightening. “That’s it, baby, God, you feel so good. Give it to me, Sammi.” He put his hands on her fine backside and pushed her tighter. As she began shuddering and calling his name, he watched her face as he went with her. When they both came down from the high, she lay her bare chest on his, both of them slick with the sweat of their lovemaking. A cool breeze came in from the open windows. They weren’t comfortable, not in the least, but he wouldn’t move. Not for anything.

“Samantha Kerrigan, you never cease to surprise me. First last night, now today, in my car? That’s it. I’m never selling this.”

She laughed, cradling his face with her hands and pressing kisses to his eyes, nose, and lips. “Ellis, seeing you with this hot car, I just had to christen it for you. Everything about you makes me want to lock you away and keep you forever.”

His hands roamed her naked body, memorizing every detail about this moment. “That was hot, but you have to be uncomfortable.”

“I think I’m stuck,” she laughed.

After redressing, eating a picnic dinner, and walking the private beach, they talked and danced from the music playing from Ellis’ car. It was a perfect last night in Sunset Beach, and he knew that for many reasons, he would never forget it.

Ellis wrung his hands. He was a wreck. Sam had no idea what he was up to. Mason stood next to him, a small smile on his face. He was in on the entire plan, and loved it. There was something so satisfying about seeing his son with the love of his life. Mason loved Sammi. Ellis thought maybe he was in awe of her, but it was more than that.

He thought back to Mason’s birthday, just a few short weeks ago. It had been the first time in his whole life he had been with his son on his birthday. For once, July 10
th
didn’t mean something sad. They had celebrated by taking Mason to Six Flags and riding all of the rides until they were almost sick. Sammi had rented out the entire park for the day and surprised Mason with a huge party with all of his friends. She had even done a private concert. It was sure to be something he would never forget, and Ellis would never associate his son’s birthday with anything sad ever again.

While Sam was only ten years older than Mason, he looked up to her and respected her. It was probably more because he had grown up with the worst possible role model and seeing Sam be a normal woman had changed him. Then again, his own father was young. If there was anything Ellis had made sure to talk to Mason about quite a bit since he came to live with him, it was the importance of being a father, but not before the right time.

He hadn’t had any idea what Mason might be like once he came to live with him, but it had been going surprisingly well. He was a teenager that wasn’t used to a lot of supervision, but he was taking Ellis’ insistence on being part of his daily life well.

“Ready, Dad?” Ellis’ heart squeezed. He would never tire of that boy calling him Dad.

He turned to him and winked. “You got the camera ready? Not that this won’t be captured on every television station worldwide. What in the world am I doing?”

“You’re doing something pretty epic,” Mason said. “You’ve got this. Go on.”

Sam had just finished a song and he knew that meant it was his turn next. It was now or never. He stepped out onto the stage, nodding to Jason and Luke so they knew he was there. Everyone knew, including the people running the sound and lights. Only Sam would be the one shocked.

As he made his way to her, the audience spotted him and a rumble started going through the crowd. She turned to see what they were making noise about, and that’s when she saw him. She gasped in surprise, her eyes wide.

“W-what are you doing?” she whispered. Just then, Jason stepped forward and handed Ellis his guitar, sliding a stool next to Sam’s. She looked at the guitar, at Jason, then back at him. He almost laughed out loud at her expression, and he might’ve if he wasn’t feeling so nauseous. She had no idea he knew how to play. It had been something Carl had taught him when he came to live with him, and he had played to help himself cope with life. He wasn’t fabulous by any means, but he was passable. He had spent every spare moment Sammi wasn’t around practicing this for what he hoped was enough time to not make a complete fool out of himself out there with her.

Ellis looked out at the crowd, seeing Mason standing in the front row, the camera focused on them. Standing next to him was their entire group of friends: Ben, Kayley, Devin, Rachel, Trevor, Emily, and a gaggle of kids, all of whom loved “Aunt Sammi”. He was so glad that they were here to witness this event. Or to see him pass out from nerves. Either one.

“Hello, Sunset Beach!” The crowd started screaming and chanting his name. “Didn’t my girlfriend do an amazing job tonight? It was about a year ago that she stepped on this stage here in Sunset Beach. I had met her right before that show, and she changed my life.” He looked over at Sam, whose eyes were still round as saucers. “You know the song ‘Through It All’?” The crowd screamed. The song had, as predicted, hit number one repeatedly since its release. “Well, that song is a big part of our lives together. I’m going to play it with her tonight. Is that okay?”

Sam gaped at Ellis. “You what?” she whispered.

“My girl is shocked,” he announced into the microphone. The crowd cheered, and he tried to ignore that he was shaking like a leaf. “Sammi, you ready?”

She grinned at his use of her nickname in public. “Um, sure!” Looking into his eyes, she started strumming the opening chords of the song, and he joined in. Her eyes widened fractionally as she realized he really did know what he was doing. They were perfectly in sync. He’d been practicing this for long enough. He was ready.

As she began the lyrics, her eyes never left his, even when he joined in with his deep, rich voice. They spent the entire song singing to each other, not even acknowledging the crowd. His nerves melted away, and he relaxed. She was his. As they sang the last line, Jason reappeared, taking the guitar from him. He stood up, and the crowd went absolutely nuclear.

Before she could register what he was doing, Ellis kneeled in front of Sam. Jason took her guitar from her as well, and she didn’t even look at him. Tears were coursing down her cheeks as she realized what was happening.

“Samantha Kerrigan,” he began, his voice shaky but strong through the arena. “This year has been the best year of my life. You’ve showed me that I can love and be loved. The things we have endured already in the short time we’ve known each other has proven that we belong together. We both knew we had something special from the first time we saw each other. I don’t ever want to live another day without you being mine. Officially. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?” He pulled the ring out of his pocket and lifted it up to her.

He could hear the crowd screaming and chanting, “Yes!”, but none of it mattered. They were suspended in time, her eyes searching his as tears dripped down her cheeks. She kneeled down next to him, wrapping her arms around him.

“Oh my god,” she breathed into his ear. “You’re the most amazing man I’ve ever known. I can’t believe you did this.” She ran her hands through his hair, smiling her megawatt smile. “Yes, of course I’ll marry you,” she said into her microphone, and he grinned. The crowd got even more deafening than he thought possible.

Sliding the two carat round diamond on her finger, he stood up and wrapped his arms around her, burying his head in her neck. “Sammi,” he said into her ear. “I love you so much. You and that boy down there are my entire world.” Sammi turned, seeing Mason in the front row. He waved at her, and she laughed, waving back.

“Have an accomplice, do you? Oh wait, you have many of them! All of our friends are here? I can’t believe you. You shocked the hell out of me. What other secrets are you keeping from me? You know how to play guitar
and
sing?”

“The singing was marginally better than screeching cats,” he laughed, cupping her face with his hands. He didn’t even care that he was doing the most PDA anyone could ever do. This would be plastered all over every single news outlet in the country, if not the world. He just proposed to
the
Samantha Kerrigan in front of everyone. And he didn’t care.

“What are you talking about? I think you just blew me out of the water. How did you learn to do that?”

“Carl.”

“You mean your dad?”

Ellis smiled, pressing his lips to hers in a brief kiss that had the crowd continuing their screaming. “Yeah. I have my family now. You, Mason, and my dad.” With that, they turned, waving to the crowd one more time before running off the stage.

Her parents were both standing there when they exited the stage, tears in both of their eyes. “That was beautiful,” Ella said, hugging Sam, then Ellis.

“One of the happiest things I’ve ever seen,” Samuel said, also hugging them. “Congratulations. And welcome to the family, Ellis. I couldn’t have picked a better man for my daughter.”

“Dad! I got it!” Mason bounded up. “You were
awesome!
Wait until my friends all see this! I’m going to be the most popular kid in school!” The group laughed, and Ellis pulled his son into a hug with Sam. He was fighting tears again. He couldn’t believe where his life had gone in just a few short months. As the rest of their group of friends made their way backstage, hugging and congratulating them, he knew that he had never been happier.