Page 80 of Then Came You

Gillian sat beside him and picked up the remote. “How about a movie?”

“Sure.”

“I think it’s your turn to pick.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s your turn. I picked Rambo last time, remember?”

“Oh yeah. Is that who you named Rocky after, Sylvester Stallone?”

“Guilty. The man’s a beast!”

She laughed, and he was happy to hear it after their serious conversation.

“So, what’s your pick? Another romantic comedy?”

“Hey, romantic comedies are underrated.”

“Fine. You fire up Netflix, and I’ll make popcorn.”

“Deal.”

He got up and went into the kitchen, noticing Rocky hadn’t followed him. The dog really was getting used to being here, just like his owner.

Sam now knew where everything was in her kitchen as well as other rooms in the house. He got out the items he needed to make popcorn on the stovetop, as he refused to eat the microwavable kind. Gillian had laughed about it at first, but now she stocked jars of popcorn kernels for him, or for them, he supposed. When he opened her pantry, he saw other things that she’d bought specifically for him, like his favorite brand of coffee (Folgers Classic Roast), favorite cereal (Frosted Flakes), and favorite cookie (Oreos).

While he was making the popcorn, he remembered what had happened when she’d cooked for them a few nights ago. She’d been cooking spaghetti, and she’d spilled sauce down the front of her shirt. He’d offered to get her something clean to wear, and she’d asked him to get a sweatshirt from her dresser.

Not knowing which drawer to look in, he’d opened each of them until he’d stumbled upon a framed photograph of Owen in a drawer full of socks. Hearing Gillian moving around the kitchen, he’d carefully taken out the photo and studied it.

Not having known Owen for very long, he’d somewhat forgotten what he’d looked like. The picture had been taken in profile, and Owen was gazing out at the mountain scenery with a slight smile on his face.

Sam wasn’t one to judge a man’s appearance because he knew women liked all types. However, he could admit that Owen was good looking in a classically appealing way. Gillian had obviously thought so, and he expected his sister would have agreed. What he remembered the most about Owen was his affable personality and how his eyes had lit up when he’d talked about his fiancée.

“Sam? Did you find it?” Gillian shouted from the kitchen.

“Yeah,” he replied.

He carefully replaced the frame and closed the drawer. Then he quickly found the drawer that contained a stack of sweatshirts. He grabbed the first one off the pile and hurried out of the room.

He shook his head to clear the memory, finished making the popcorn, and rejoined her in the living room. But later that night, after they’d made love and she’d fallen asleep in his arms, he’d lain there thinking about that photo.

He hadn’t expected her to get rid of everything that had belonged to Owen, and he knew there were probably other mementos tucked away somewhere. What nagged at him was wondering where he stood in the scheme of Gillian’s life.

She’d invited him into her home and her bed, but would she invite him into her heart? They’d shared so much recently, and he felt like he knew her a lot better. What he wasn’t sure of was how she really felt about him. She obviously liked him and enjoyed their sex, but what about the rest of it?

He wasn’t Owen, and he was still a cop (a definite strike against him), but how else did she see him? Would he end up being a stepping stone to some other guy? Was he the transition man? Where had he learned that term from, anyway? Oh, right, one of her romantic comedies.

He smiled in the dark and gave Gillian a squeeze even though she was fast asleep.

The truth of it was, he’d gladly watch a thousand more romantic comedies, make her coffee every morning, and climb into bed with her every night if she let him. While he knew Owen would always hold a special place in her heart, Sam wanted to be her number one man.

Looking up at the ceiling, he sent a silent apology to Owen. Sorry, buddy. Just being honest. It was easy to admit his feelings to someone who was no longer on this earth, but what if he admitted them to Gillian? What would her reaction be?

He sighed, and she stirred, her silky hair brushing against his neck and the sweet scent of her shampoo wafting up.

He could analyze the situation all night long, but no matter how he looked at it, he arrived at the same conclusion. He was unequivocally, no holds barred, head over heels in love with Gillian Scott.

Then he heard Cocoa rustling around outside the bedroom door. And her dog too.