Logan frowns. “That’s boring. I’m asking for handcuffs.” He winks at Taylor.
She shakes her head. “I thought we already had some.”
He shrugs. “Can you ever have enough?”
Sam is laughing, but holds her hand up. “I’m going to be boring and say the same as Mason.”
Mark leans forward. “I’m going to ask for a truce between my girlfriend and mom. They’re still fighting.”
Cass rolls her eyes. “Aren’t you supposed to take my side?”
Logan shoots at her, “You got a ring yet?”
She glowers.
He smirks. “Exactly.”
If you could only take 1 person, 1 book, and 1 CD to a deserted island, who and what would it be?
Mason shrugs. “I’d take Sam.”
“Hey!”
He adds, “You’d take Taylor and you know it.”
“Still. I have to protest under the banner of protesting. It’s my right.”
The interviewer asks Mason, “And a book? A CD?”
He shrugs. “I’d probably take a journal instead of a real book, and maybe...some Otis Taylor.”
Logan jerks forward. “I’m taking Taylor, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Beyonce’s last album.”
Taylor raises her eyebrows. “Beyonce?”
“I’ve always liked Lemonade.” He winks at her.
She sighs, then answers, “I would take Logan, the first Harry Potter book, and I’m going to mix it up with Adele’s 21 album.”
Mark yelps, shooting a fist in the air. “Yeah! Fire to the Rain!”
Sam laughs. “I’d take Mason. The last JD Robb novel, and I’d take the last Avicii album.”
The interviewer turns to Mark.
“Oh!” Mark leans forward. “Yes. I’d take,” he frowns. “Shit. Yeah. I’d take Cass--”
“Took long enough to answer that.”
He ignores her. “--and I would take the second Harry Potter book, and also Adele’s 21 album.”
The interviewer looks at Cass.
Logan waves an arm. “Does she even matter? Really?”
“You’re an asshole.”
He laughs. “I have something to say, but out of respect to Mark, I’m actually keeping quiet. For once.”
Bungee jumping or skydiving?
“Skydiving, hell yes.” Logan looks to Mason, who nods.
Mason adds, “For sure.” He grins at the interviewer. “We’ve already done bungee jumping.”
“And it was awesome, but bring on the fake flying! Fuck yes. It’s time to soar. Right, Sam? Right?”
She frowns at him. “No. Not this time. No fake flying for either of you. You can bungee jump, but that’s it. I’m not risking losing either of you. Shit.” She shudders. “We’ve been over this, haven’t we?”
Taylor speaks, her voice firm, “I agree with Sam. No flying.” She locks eyes with Logan. “Unless it’s in the bedroom, you ain’t going nowhere, buddy.”
He groans, then grins. “I’m kind of turned on right now.”
Mason what would you give Sam on Valentine’s Day?
He doesn’t think. He answers right away, “We’d go to my mom’s villa in France. I’d hire a masseuse. A private chef. She’d have any alcohol she wanted…” He trails off and looks at her. “You’d probably want to go on a long run that day, right?”
She nods, beaming. “Is that okay?”
He sighs. “I’d have to go with you.”
She nods again. “On Valentine’s Day? You bet.” She leans over and kisses his cheek. “But we could enjoy the pool at your mom’s villa.”
Sam: Which would be harder for you to give up: coffee or running?
“Running.”
Logan laughs. “She tried giving up coffee, and that only made her run more.” He snorts. “Figure out the irony there.”
Sam shrugs. “Running.”
Logan: What do you want your tombstone to say?
“He partied hard. He lived hard. He sexed hard. Now he’s going to haunt hard.” He winks.
Who would Sam snog, marry or avoid out of Brandon, Channing, or Jackson?
“Snog Brandon, though that makes me uncomfortable saying. I’d avoid Channing, because he’s Heather’s.”
She grins at Heather, who mutters under her breath, “Damn straight. I love my girl.”
Sam finishes, “And I’d marry Jackson.” She turns to Mason. “I’m sorry.”
And out of Quinn, Logan, or Nate?
“Avoid Quinn!” She groans. “I can’t answer. They’re both family to me. I just can’t. I plead the 5th!”
Logan says, “I’d snog and marry Nate.”
“Thank you, Logan. I appreciate that.”
“Anytime, my husband.” He winks.
How much did Analise know about Samantha having horrible friends?
“She totally knew!” Logan bursts out. “I don’t care what Sam might say. Analise totally fucking knew, and that made her even worse.”
Mason nods.
Everyone is nodding.
Sam just says, “Yeah…”
For Logan. If you could be Mason, Nate, or Sam for a day who would you be?
“I would be Sam for a day when she’s hanging out with the girls. One, I’d like to see what it’s like to run a freaking marathon and two, I think the girls have a lot of fun. I think they hide it from us sometimes.” He looks at Sam, then Heather. “Right? Taylor always looks like she had really great sex every morning after a night out with you guys. What do you all do?”
Taylor barks out a laugh. “Not sex! Logan! That’s cheating.”
He shrugs. “I still want to know. You have this glow. I’m jealous of it. So yeah.” He nods to the interviewer. “I pick Sam, but no screwing my brother. She can’t see Mason that day. Or me. I have to be annoying sometimes.”
AN ALTERNATE BEGINNING THAT WAS CUT
“We’ve set the date! We’re getting married this June.”
This was an announcement that should’ve been received with smiles, cheer, congratulations, the usual merriment. As my mother proclaimed her news over the dinner table, none of that happened. Silence. Pure, awkward, and dread-filled silence filled the room. No one said a thing and for that, I was grateful. Mason sat beside me. Logan was across from me. Mark. Malinda. David. And James. We were all here. The two families, and Analise had thrown that out. She was beaming. Her smile spread from ear to ear, and for a second, my usual loathing for her lessened. She truly was happy. Everyone was waiting for me. I was her daughter. Mason and Logan would follow me in whatever direction I wanted to go, if I wanted to be happy or sarcastic, and I sat there, utterly having no idea how to react.
Malinda cleared her throat. She leaned forward, a timid smile on her face. “Well, congratulate--”
“Fuck this.”
All eyes went to Logan, whose lips were twisted in a glare. His eyes locked on his dad’s and he leaned forward, his hands holding onto the table like he was keeping himself in his chair. “Are you kidding us?”
James’s eyebrow knitted together. “I don’t know why you’re responding like this. She’s been home for a year now. What were you expecting?”
“Maybe to let us know privately.”
Mason spoke up and his voice was low, but it pulled everyone’s attention. His eyes were locked on their father as well. He wore a mask, not showing his emotion, but a shiver went down my spine nonetheless, even though I had no reason to be scared. I loved Mason. He was my soulmate and Logan was family. The three of us, brought together because of my mother and their father, had become our own unit. We depended on each other when we couldn’t rely on anyone else. Since then, David had come back into my life, my father, and with him came Malinda. They were now married and defined what the word ‘parent’ was to me. When I came home from college, I stayed with them. Mark was Malinda’s son and he was family as well, but nothing and no one came as close to Mason and Logan did to me.
“And when would that be?” James glar
ed at his eldest son. “The two of you won’t step foot in the house. You’re home on holiday this year and you still won’t accept any of my calls. Thank God for Malinda, for throwing this dinner or we wouldn’t have seen either of our children this holiday. You’ve all been avoiding us the entire year since Analise returned to Fallen Crest.”
Logan snorted. “Don’t blame us for wanting to avoid the loony bin reject.”
Analise sucked in her breath.
“Logan!” Malinda flashed him a dark look.
He shrugged. “I call it how I see it. Forget this shit.” He stood up, nodded to Malinda. “Thanks for the dinner, but I’m out. I got a girlfriend I’d rather spend time with than hear this bullshit.”
He left, letting the door shut loudly behind him. He didn’t slam it, and that was a testament to Taylor and the effect his girlfriend had on him. PreTaylor Logan would’ve stuck around, throw a few more barbed taunts at Analise, and then stalked out, slamming the door behind him. Or he would’ve just started drinking at the dinner table. This Logan left, only a few insults thrown out, and the door didn’t slam behind him.
He was maturing.
Mason glanced to me. “What do you want to do?”
And that was the crux of everything. What did I want? I wanted Analise to go away. She’d hurt me enough, but she had played nice for an entire year. She only forced her presence on me a couple times, but I was a sophomore in college. Mason was a junior. Logan was a sophomore with me. We weren’t in high school, and holy shit—did that suck. I felt like I had to be mature as well.
I closed my eyes for a moment, just one moment that I wished could’ve lasted into a thousand moments. When I opened them, Analise was waiting. I let myself study her. She was so beautiful. Her black hair was swept up into a braid that led to a bun. There were no glamorous necklaces, earrings, bracelets, or rings. She would’ve been dripping in them before she left for the hospital. Instead, everything was bare. She only had a minimal of make-up on her face and she was dressed in a simple red dress. She looked absolutely breathtaking and in that brief moment, she reminded me of the mom I once had. The one when there were good times, not the bad times, not when she was hurting me or scheming to hurt someone else.
Pain flashed in her eyes as she held my gaze. I didn’t know if that was genuine, or an act, but it worked. I felt my wall melting, just a tiny bit, and I sighed. “I think we’ve had dessert. I don’t think it’d be rude to leave.”
Her eyes shimmered with tears, but she looked down at her lap.
I said, my throat so damn hoarse, “But congratulations Analise.” I nodded at James. “You too. You both love each other and have gone through a lot for each other. I’ve no doubt the wedding will be amazing.”
Her head lifted. Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears, and one fell down. She wiped it away, her hand moving gracefully, but she was beaming at me. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She said, so softly, “Thank you, Samantha.”
I nodded, glancing to Malinda. “Do you mind if we leave?”
My stepmother waved at my plate. “Have at it. You came. You ate. You were gracious. Can’t be more proud of you, honey.”
“Mom, Cass called me before. Can she—”
Mark spoke up as Malinda was talking to me and without missing a beat, her hand went from gesturing to my empty plate to pointing a finger in her son’s face. “You might think it’s a good time to ask if your girlfriend can spend the night, but believe me, son that I worship, that girl is definitely not welcomed to spend the night.”
“Mom.” His tone was curt. “Mason sleeps over all the time.”
“And that was the deal worked out ahead of time between Mason, Sam, and your stepfather. There’s no such deal with your girlfriend.” Her hand fell on top of his hand and she squeezed it gently. Her tone softened. “I’m sorry, Marcus. I know it seems hypocritical of me, but you’re still my boy. And I’m still not a fan of hers. This is protective-mother coming out. I want to keep my boy as much to myself as possible.”
“I’m a sophomore in college, Mom.”
“I know.” Her voice grew husky. “Trust me, I’m aware.”
David leaned forward. As Malinda withdrew her hand and sat back in her chair, automatically leaning closer to her husband, his hand came overs hers. “Maybe Cass can come over tomorrow for dinner?”
Mark sighed, but said, “Yeah. That sounds good.” He glanced to me. “Are you coming?”
“I….” ….had no idea. Feeling like a deer caught in headlights, I turned to Mason, who narrowed his eyes.
He said, “Uh…I think we’re having dinner with Logan and Taylor tomorrow night.”
From the press of Mark’s lips, he knew that was a lie, but I had no doubt that we’d be having dinner with them now. Either that or Logan would want to come and harass Cass. She’d been a bitch to me, on more than a handful of times, and he hadn’t gotten over his dislike for her. “And speaking of Logan,” Mason stood up. “We should go and make sure he’s not doing anything that will land him in jail right now.”
I stood as well. Looking at Analise, I nodded to her. “Congratulations again.”
“Thank you, Samantha.”
James nodded to us. I started to pick up my plate, but Malinda said, “Oh phewy on that. Leave it, Sam. I’m going to make Mark help with dishes. He doesn’t know it, but we’re going to have an