At the doorway, he turned back. “Yeah?”

“You’ll be okay on the trip, right?”

The hint of anxiety in Scotty’s voice touched Sam in the same place her anxiety dwelled.

“You bet. Nothing to worry about.”

“Okay. Night.”

“Love you, buddy. Sleep tight.”

Knowing Scotty wasn’t comfortable with the door closed tight, Nick left it propped open far enough to let in the faint glow of the night-light they’d bought when they discovered he was afraid of the dark. After Nick had found the door open and the light on in the closet one morning, he’d put two and two together and bought the night-light for the hallway.

They were all doing their best to navigate their new lives together, letting their love and affection for each other lead the way past any obstacles that might arise.

“What did we do before he lived with us?” Nick asked when they were in their room with the door shut and locked—for now.

“I have no idea, but it wasn’t anywhere near as much fun as it is having him here.”

“As I recall,” he said, slipping his arms around her, “we had plenty of fun when it was just us.”

That sexy smile of his always made her knees weak. “Yes, but this is better. We have us, but we have him too.”

“I love our little family. It’s the best thing to ever happen to me.”

Sam combed her fingers through the silky strands of his hair. She never got tired of looking at him in all his glorious male perfection. “I’m so glad. I wanted that so badly for you.”

He drew back from her to tug her shirt over her head and release her bra.

Sam took advantage of the opportunity to remove his shirt, and gasped at the exquisite sensation of her hardened nipples rubbing against his chest hair.

His arms encircled her, infusing her with his heat and his strength and his overwhelming love for her.

“You’re everything to me,” she whispered, needing him to know what was in her heart before he left.

He held her tight enough to cause pain, but it was the best kind of pain. “Sam, God, you’re killing me tonight.”

“I need you to know.”

“I know, baby. How could I not know?”

“I’m not very good at saying the words.”

“I don’t need the words when I have the actions. You show me all the time, in a million little ways. Such as when you turn all my pictures upside down because you know it’ll make me laugh when I find that you’ve left your mark on my desk—again.”

Sam dissolved into laughter that went a long way toward relieving the tension that had gathered inside her as his departure drew closer. “I didn’t do it.”