Free I Love You Twice (Falling For Him Contemporary Romance Series Book 7) by Jessica Gray Page B

and loving family!
    Before she could dwell in her sad past, Samantha came up to her and wrapped her in a big hug. Just like that. She squeezed her close, with honest appreciation and then said, “Hi, I’m Samantha. I’m so thrilled to meet you.”
    “Thanks. I’m Melissa and this is Happy.” She gestured over to the girl jumping about.
    “She’s so cute. How old is she?”
    “Almost three.”
    “So you’re the woman who owns my brother’s heart.”
    I do? How does she know that already? We’ve just met! “I do? Why would you say that?” Much to her dislike, she was blushing again. That constant blushing had to stop!
    Samantha gave Melissa a conspiratorial grin as she leaned close and answered, “No reason to blush. I like you by the way.” That simple acknowledgement meant the world to Melissa. She’d not only found a man who loved her with his whole heart, but also a sister who liked her and could become a good friend.
    “I hear he’s taken you on an excursion to watch his insects. That’s a first. He’s never done that before. Ever. That’s his sacred space, something he doesn’t share. He hasn’t even offered to take me. Not that I mind, you know? But if he took you, that means, he’s head over heels in love.”
    “It was wonderful. You should have seen the magical beauty. Ask him to take you sometime,” Melissa told her with a smile of her own. And what happened after our trip was even more wonderful.
    Sam looked as if she’d bitten into a lemon, “No thanks. I love my brother dearly, but I definitely don’t share his love for insects. Eww!”
    Melissa laughed. It was so easy. She’d had no reason to worry.
    Sam introduced her boyfriend Craig, whom Melissa immediately took as someone very egocentric. What is such a beautiful girl like Samantha doing with someone like him? She needs to be with someone who loves her more than himself! Those thoughts sprang to her mind, but she held them inside.
    “I always like to visit Dean when he’s up here at the lake. It’s a nice change of pace to the hectic life I live in NYC and I can actually relax. Can you imagine he doesn’t even have a phone in his rental house?”
    Melissa nodded. She’d already known that from talking with Denise. It had been one of his prerequisites for a rental property. Dean owned a cell phone, but never seemed to carry it around. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him answer it either!
    Before she could answer, Happy stole the show, demanding to become the center of attention.
    Samantha’s reaction to her daughter was almost identical to that of Dean! She fussed over the little girl, listening patiently as Happy talked to her about the various things she’d found in the garden. Her three-year old speak was oftentimes closer to jibberish than English, but Samantha wasn’t phased in the least.
    Melissa enjoyed herself so much. The smile upon her face became broader by the minute until she heard the petulant tone coming from Samantha’s boyfriend. I now know why Dean doesn’t like the man! He sounds like my three-year old when she hasn’t had her nap and isn’t getting her way!
    Craig began to whine about the fact that he was bored and lunch had been a long time ago. The sun was too bright, the mosquitoes too many, the grass too prickly. Samantha ignore him at first, but after ten minutes of his whining, she brought Happy back to Melissa and gave her a rueful grin, “I guess someone wants their dinner.”
    Melissa took Happy into her arms, pleased to see that she wasn’t completely covered in dirt from the garden! She turned to see Dean glaring at Craig, and not in a good way. Hopefully the evening would turn around once Craig had something to eat. What a pain in the ass!
    Dinner turned out to be at a restaurant instead of a home-cooked picnic. Craig had put up such a fuss when Dean had first asked him for help with the grill, that Dean had thrown his hands up and made reservations at one of the