She turned her head so she could see his profile in the orange glow of the streetlights. Anxious to get both their minds off the horror they’d witnessed at Tara’s, Sam said, “So tell me, did my family overwhelm you?”

“What? No, of course not. Everyone was really nice.”

“They liked you.”

“What’s the story with your brother-in-law Spencer?”

Sam smiled. “He’s a bit much, huh?”

“Ah, yeah. Got a big opinion of himself.”

“We only put up with him because he worships the ground Angela walks on. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her.”

“Mike’s a lot more normal.”

“I adore him.”

Nick shot her a meaningful glance.

“Not like that,” Sam said, laughing. “I just give him so much credit. He’s raising Brooke like she’s his own—”

“She’s not?”

Sam shook her head. “Her father was a guy Tracy dated briefly. When they found out she was pregnant he hit the road, and she never heard from him again. She met Mike a couple of years later. After they got married, he adopted Brooke.”

“You’d never know she wasn’t his.”

“That’s why I love him so much. We all do. He doesn’t treat her any differently than he does Abby or Ethan.”

“No, he certainly doesn’t,” Nick agreed. “I like him even more knowing that about him.”

“He’s the big brother I never had.”

“Which is why he thoroughly grilled me about where I came from, where I’m going and what my intentions are toward you.”

“He did not,” Sam said, astounded.

“Yes, he did. And he made sure your father was able to hear the interrogation. In fact, I’ll bet Skip put him up to it.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it.” Turning in her seat, she leaned over to plant a wet kiss on his neck. “Thank you for putting up with that.” Because he deserved it after dealing with her family, she tossed in some tongue action, too.

The car swerved. “Hello? I’m going seventy over here!”

She ran her hand up his thigh. “Want to go for eighty?”

He caught her hand the instant before it reached the promised land. “Behave.”

“So what did you tell Mike?” she asked, resting her head on his shoulder.

Bringing their joined hands to his lips, he pressed a kiss to the back of hers. “That I’ve always loved you, and I always will.”

Sam sighed with contentment. “I like hearing that.”

“Do you know why I wanted to go home tonight?”

“Nope.”

“I found out today that you love me, too. I wanted to be alone with you tonight.”

A tremble of anticipation rippled through her. “You knew before today.”

“I suspected and I hoped, but I didn’t know for sure. I worried that maybe we were both caught up in the craziness of the last week.”