June 14th –

I accidentally spent the night in the bathroom. While the bathrobe I had claimed was the softest, coziest thing I’d ever worn in my life, sleeping in the soaker tub in a next of bath towels, was not the softest place in the world.

Sam slid a note under the bathroom door. It read: “My Dearest Katie, please believe me that you were never and are never a prisoner in my home. I’ve instructed Fiona that you have free reign of the house. Please forgive me. Yours – Sam.”

Fiona entered the room with my breakfast tray as I exited the bathroom to change into something that was cleaner than the clothes, I had tried my failed escape in. She gave me a polite smile, though I could tell under her beady blue eyes that she wasn’t happy that I was still here. Frankly, I wasn’t happy that I was still here, so at least we agreed on something.

After I ate, I nervously made my way to the bedroom door to test the nob to see if Sam had kept his word. He had. The door swung open into the hallway. The hallway was just as magnificent as the two rooms of the house I had so far seen. The hardwood floors were a rich brown and carefully polished so I could almost see myself. What caught my eye was the artwork on the walls.

The pieces were all varied and beautiful in their own way. There were a few photographs of light, shining through the foliage at various times during the year. My favorite piece was a black and weight photograph taken by the lake. I loved the way the water rippled over the stones nearest the shore.

“Do you like it?” asked Sam, appearing beside me. I nod, unable to look away from the beautiful photo.

“It’s beautiful.” I noticed the small name card near the bottom of the frame: S. Harper. “You did this?” I ask.

Sam smiled and the familiar feeling of butterflies hit my stomach. “I did. Photography is one of my hobbies.” After a few minutes of shifting my gaze between the beautiful man beside me and the mesmerizing photographs, Sam said, “Would you like a tour of the house?”

“Sure.”

___

Sam didn’t go into much detail about what he did for a living as he showed me around his house. He simply replied that he’d inherited his position from his father and that a lot of people relied on him for support.

His house was big and yet felt modest at the same time. Most of the furnishings were either made by a local craftsman or was something Sam had made himself. The top floor of the house was private quarters for Sam and any personal guests staying with him. I guess I’d include myself in that category. The rest of the rooms were for the service of his people. There was a large kitchen, a small medical clinic, laundry facilities, and other stuff like that.

I looked up at Sam as he stopped to chat with a young mother with her two small children who had stopped for a meal in the commercial-sized dining room on the main level. Sam is a mystery to me. I know a lot of women say that about their boyfriends. Hush. He’s sensitive and artistic. He cares about people and is eager to make their lives better. If he wanted me to come and stay with him, he could have just asked. I didn’t need to be forced here.

“You are so lucky to be blessed with such a compassionate mate,” said June, one of the aids of the homeschool class. She sighed dreamily over at Sam. She looked about my little sister’s age, maybe fifteen or sixteen, just old enough to start being boy crazy. If she was going to be boy crazy, she could fawn over some other boy, just not Sam.

Sam had been stopped by a group of middle-aged men who needed to talk to him about crop rotation. I had wandered over to a homeschool class being taught at one of the tables in the dining area.

“Excuse me, what?” I asked, trading the red crayon I held for the blue one the toddler in my lap offered me. “Mate? What are you talking about, June?” The girl blushed.

“I’m so sorry,” June apologized. “I hadn’t realized that you hadn’t announced your courtship yet. Forgive me, Lady.”

“Okay…”

Sam came over to the homeschool group a few minutes later. All the children beamed and cheered at his approach. A few of the younger children sprang to their feet and charged at Sam, knocking him onto his keister. My stomach churned in delight as I watched Sam play-fight with the children. If he didn’t seem perfect enough, he was good with kids too. I was doomed.

“Are you ready to continue with our tour?” Sam asked, brushing a lock of hair out of his face.

“Are you?” I looked back at the little kids who weren’t ready to stop playing with their best friend. “I don’t think your fans were done with you yet.”

Sam’s smile brightened, showing off his adorable dimple. “Don’t worry my little warriors, I will be back to see you soon.” As we walked away, I pinched his arm. “What was that for?” he asked.

“Just checking to see if you’re real,” I reply, earning a belly-shaking laugh from Sam. “You’re like the perfect human.”

Sam wrapped his arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. “Trust me darling. I’m far from perfect.”