The blonde returned the kiss willingly as they listened to the sound of knocking and voices coming from outside their door. “I’d say that all of our relatives and friends outside will lynch us if we do.” Sam giggled, seeing the look of dismay on Brooke’s face. “Come on, its only one night, Brooke. Look at it this way; we’ve got the whole rest of our lives together after this.”

“Well… we’ve got less than five minutes, Darlin’.” Brooke sighed as her eyes searched Sam’s face. “Were you surprised?”

“Very… very surprised,” Sam laughed. “And I see that you were surprised also by this little fiasco for the night, huh?” She watched as Brooke turned a little shy that her own plans were outsmarted. “Thanks, Hon,” Sam reached up and planted a kiss on her lover’s lips.

“You’re welcome, Baby. I just wanted it to be extra special for you.” Brooke looked down to Sam’s hand in her own and smiled, as her gaze leveled off into seas of green. “I don’t want you to ever forget tomorrow, or the fact that I love you.”

“Well, it is special to me, too.” Sam smiled shyly, “Thanks, Brooke. And you can believe me that I won’t ever forget it. I know that I won’t.”

Outside, the door-muffled voices clambered together until one strong one rung out loud and clear. “Peter Butler give me that key you used to let the dog in with.”

The two lovers clung desperately together, hoping for more time. “I guess our time is just about up for tonight, Darlin’.” Brooke tightened her hold on Sam and nuzzled into her neck.

“I guess you didn’t plan on this backfiring on you with that key, huh?” The blonde watched as the woman wrapped around her shook her head.

“Kiss me, Brooke, before you have to go.” Sam’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Always, Sam.” Brooke answered her back without hesitation, and then kissed the young woman again. “Always.”

Chapter 25 I Knew I Loved You Part II

“…I’ll never find love again like the kind you give, like the kind that you send, `Cause you’re one in a million… one in a million to me…”



I Knew I Loved You – Part II

Sam felt the surge of hands and feet behind her as the wave of womanhood swept her down the hall. “I don’t understand this archaic ritual,” the young woman protested as she was moved along the passageway. “Brooke and I are living together. It’s not like we’re virgins or something.”

C.C. brought up the rear as she quickly crossed the hall and held her hands up over Sarah’s ears. “Sam, can you keep it down? I mean, we’ve got your sister back here with us.”

“Yeah, and where were you the other night,” Sarah pulled away from the willowy woman’s grip. “I could have really used you then,” the young girl teased her sister as the group continued on.

Mable threw a glance back to her youngest daughter and smirked, “Maybe you should have taken some lessons from your older sister, Cjersti.” The matriarch heard the muffled laughter coming from the two daughters on either side of Sam. “I wasn’t talking about either one of you two, Randi…” Mable turned her head to look at her other daughter as she addressed her by name, “Terri.”

“Yes, Mom,” came the sound of dual voices, slightly out of sync and subdued.

Keeping her stride in an ever-forward motion, Mable cleared her throat before continuing with her explanation of traditions. “Now, Sam…You’re getting married tomorrow and whether it’s a conventional service or a civil union, some traditions still apply, Dear.”

“Oh, trust us, Sam. It’s all for the better.” Randi moved in closer to Sam’s ear. “It’ll get her wanting you all the more for tomorrow night.” The lawyer shot a glance to her sister. “Right, Terri?”

“Yeah, definitely.” Terri nodded as she looked down to Sam’s wondering eyes and thoughtful expression. “Besides, it gives her a chance to blow off a little steam. You know, sow those wild oats before she really settles down.”

Sam felt a hand slap on the back and turned a little nervously to see her ex-roommate smiling confidently at her.

“Yeah, like Brooke is gonna have any wild oats to sow.” She poked her head further forward to talk directly to Terri. “Sam’s marrying Brooke, not Loran. Remember?”

“I know,” Terri shot her youngest sister a wink. “I’ll bet Brooke won’t even do half the things that they got lined up for her to do.”

Seeing the trepidation in her cousin’s footsteps as the group turned into the waiting room for their party, Crystal jumped into the conversation. “So, Ladies…what are we gonna do?” She pranced to the front of the pack and gave a little happy dance, leading the way into the room.

With the pack following her lead, they waited until everyone was in the room and the door closed. Like a group of well-rehearsed choir members, they each looked to their leader and screamed their answer in unison. “GOSSIP!”

“Thank God they have a babysitting service here,” Randi laughed, “I haven’t had a chance to catch up on anything with the kids around.”

“Cool, I have some really good gossip about the blushing bride, there.” Sarah pointed to her sister.

“Sarah!” Sam’s eyes grew bigger knowing exactly what she was going to say. She took a seat and hid her face in her hands as the others filed in past her. Looking up, Sam saw Terri holding a decoratively wrapped box.

“I got Sam a little gift here.” The physician handed the box to the blonde.

“Come on,” C.C. yelled out. “Let’s get this party rolling.”

The blonde let her head fall back into her hands. “Oh God, why do I feel the blush coming on even now?” Sam took in a deep breath and reached for the box. Bringing it into her lap, the young woman glanced over to her Aunt and future Mother-in-law who were sitting together on the couch.

“Go ahead, Sam. We’ve got a perfect view from here. Right, Mable?” Sandy leaned into her soon-to-be distant relative through marriage.

The matriarch of the Gordon household put down her iced tea glass and laughed. “You’re right, Sandy.” The woman directed her attention to her pediatrician daughter. “Terri, I’m so glad that you had the hotel staff supply us with something that we all could drink. I’d hate making you feel left out if we had alcohol here tonight.”

Terri smiled pleasantly at her mother. “Yeah, having a healthy baby is what I’m all about right now.” She patted her stomach and reached for her own glass of the non-alcoholic refreshment. She waited until her mother had looked away before looking over and catching her oldest sister’s eye. With a quick nod of her head, Terri motioned to Randi, and then sat back in her chair, ready for the show.

“Sam,” Randi motioned for the blonde. “Could you give me a hand for a minute before you open that first package?” Her brown eyes looked warm and friendly.

“Sure,” the guest of honor shrugged her shoulders, and then got up from her chair. “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

Sam followed the lawyer down the small hallway. “What’s up, Randi?” The blonde watched as the tallest Gordon walked into the bathroom and held the door open for her. “Ah…Randi, wouldn’t you really want one of your sisters to help you?” Sam looked back toward the room she’d just left.

“No, I uh…I need to talk to you.” Randi watched as the puzzled blonde entered the tiny room. After taking a quick peek back into the hallway, the lawyer closed the door, and then turned to address her soon-to-be sister-in-law. “Here…” Randi chuckled nervously as she held out a flask for Sam to take.

Green eyes looked at the flask suspiciously. “What’s that?”

Randi giggled, and then brought one finger up to her mouth. “Shhhh…”

“But I thought…”

“Trust me,” Randi gave her most convincing smile. “You’re going to need it.”

“Okay,” Sam took the flask. “You’re the one with the most experience here, besides your mother and my aunt, of course.” The blonde raised the flask to her nose and made a face, then slowly took a drink from it. “WHOA! That’s strong.”

“Good, isn’t it?” Randi took the flask from her and took a nip herself.

Sam tried to answer her but the effects of the liquor were still creating havoc with her system as it hit her stomach and began to burn. Trying to hide her inexperience with hard liquor, the blonde started coughing as she turned and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Shocked by her bug-eyed and flushed appearance, the young woman coughed again. “Yeah…good,” she croaked out in a raspy voice.

“I thought it would relax you some.” Randi nodded then gave her a little wink. “I’m sure you must be at least a little nervous about tomorrow. Hell, you wouldn’t be human if you weren’t.”

“Yeah,” Sam coughed a few more times as she tried to get her voice back to its normal tone. “Human…” she muttered and coughed some more as Randi clapped her hand on the young girl’s back.

“So,” Randi offered the flask to Sam for a second mouthful, “You ready to go back out there?”

Sam held up her hand, declining the offer. “Sorry, I’m really a beer drinker,” she apologized as she reached for the doorknob instead, still feeling the heat from the first drink.

The lawyer just smiled as she tucked the flask back under her sweater. “Sure, no problem.”

The room looked empty with more than half of the people gone. Come to think of it, it was pretty quiet with the only woman being Brooke in a small handful of men. The males of the species just didn’t have that lust for speaking that the women found so appealing and essential to every moment of their lives. To them, it was more of a ‘speak only if necessary’ existence.

Brooke found herself amused by the observation and, for the first time in her life, was really glad for the difference. Pulling herself together, she looked over the group of men that were to be her confidants and cohorts in her last hours of being a single unattached person and smiled. “Okay,” she slapped her leg as she got up from the chair. “Where in the hell are we going anyway?” Brooke let her eyes roam the roomful of amused faces. “You know… this whole thing of separating me and Sam is crazy.” The grown woman stuck out her lower lip and pouted.