Page 92 of Theirs to Treasure

“You’re safe with us, Sam. Please tell me what happened,” Josie pleaded, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

“It’s not as bad as you think, Baby,” Sam rushed to assure her. “I got away, but…” Sam choked. “But Dad agreed to sell me to that fat bastard. He said…he said…after all the money he’d put into raising me, that he ought to make some of it back.”

“Jesus, Sam,” Chance breathed out. He put his hand on Sam’s shoulder, hesitated, and then clasped it. “What happened next?”

“Dad shoved me into my bedroom while they argued over the price. I climbed out the window and ran down the block to a neighbor I knew. He was a Marine. I was pretty beat up. I told him what was going on, and he went to my house and beat the ever-loving shit out of both of them.”

“Did they go to jail?” Josie asked.

“Just the big guy, not my dad.”

“Why the fuck not?” Chance demanded.

“’Cause he said he’d kill my mom if I told, and I believed him. He would have, Chance. But the beating I took got me out of the house and back to the Hutchins for the third, and final, time.”

Josie felt how cold and clammy Sam’s hands were. She pulled up the comforter, wrapping it around his shoulders. He arched an eyebrow at her.

“What?” she sniffed. “If it were me, you’d be carrying me into the living room, building a fire, and plying me with brandy and cocoa. Therefore, I get to wrap your ass in a blanket!”

“What happened to your parents?” Chance asked.

“My mom ended up dying of cancer before my eighteenth birthday. She didn’t want anyone to tell me she was sick. Betty and Butch took me to her funeral.”

“And your dad?” Josie asked.

“He ended up in prison. I know he was released while I was overseas, but I never heard from him.” Josie stroked the part of Sam’s chest that was showing beneath the blanket.

“I thought the nightmares were about Afghanistan,” Chance said.

“They have been. This is the first time I’ve dreamt about that in years. Dr. Richardson warned me that this might happen. I’ve been talking to him about this, because I really want the three of us to work, and I’ve been thinking about some of the things both of you have said to me.” He shrugged his right shoulder and pulled Josie to him.

“I want to make a family with both of you. Josie, you’ve been a mirror to me. I really get it when you say you’re not worthy. Hell, I had a father who said I was so worthless he’d sell me like a piece of meat, so I guess deep down I have some self-esteem issues, too.” Josie was heartened to see him give a small grin.

“Glad my lack of confidence could be of help,” she said wryly.

“In truth, it’s the fact that you’re so willing to trust us with your heart that has motivated me to confront my own demons. You’re my role model. I admire you so much, Josie. You’re the brave one.” Sam rested his forehead against hers.

“Fuck, I admire you both. My life was a cake walk,” Chance said thoughtfully.

“I’m thankful for that, Chance. You bring in the light and laughter. I don’t think I could have made it, man. Not without having you in my life,” Sam confessed.

“That’s bullshit. You had Betty and Butch, same as me.”

“Not the same thing. You were my touchstone. You were always there for me, you taught me how to be a kid, then how to be a teenager, and later on, how to be man. I always knew you accepted me, no matter how much I didn’t fit in. You helped me to fit in. You’re the only man I could imagine sharing Josie with.”

“Sam, you might have been quiet and awkward, but you were always solid. I’ve always known you had my back. You know better than anyone what it means to trust your life into someone else’s hands. You did that every day, of every tour you served with your fellow Marines in Afghanistan. Well, it takes the very strongest kind of brotherly trust to share one perfect woman, Sam. You’re the only one I could imagine doing this with, too.”

Something in Josie’s heart lifted. All her worries about why this couldn’t work, why she should take it slow. They floated away on the wings of a thousand butterflies, in a single heartbeat.

“Chance, I don’t need to wait until Monday. I’m in for the long haul. I love you both, and I love what we have together. I believe in what we have together. I don’t ever want to leave,” she said, looking between both men.

Both Chance and Sam’s arms flew around her, making it so she couldn’t breathe. Josie didn’t care, she was exactly where she wanted to be, surrounded by the two men she loved. She just prayed that in four days’ time, Sam would be as equally committed. Chance felt her stiffen at the thought, and whispered in her ear, loud enough for Sam to hear. “Zee, Sam’s with us. The moment he told Dr. Richardson this stuff, he was on board. Tell her, Sam.”

“You’re never getting rid of me, Baby.” Sam’s voice was muffled by her hair. Then he looked up at the both of them. “This stuff isn’t over,” he warned. “The PTSD and shit. Apparently, it’s a process.” Josie ached at Sam’s vulnerable expression.

“Yeah, well, you signed on knowing I was an on-again, off-again workaholic asshole, and that’s not a process! That’s a forever thing, so I think Josie and I can manage to cope with you.”

Josie watched as that slow Sam-smile spread across his face, and once again blessed having the three of them in this relationship.