Chapter 15

Sam couldn’t get rid of the infectious grin plastered on her face as she made the short drive home. She was totally aware of how she felt about Daniel, and his admission of his love for her was such a lovely surprise, not to mention that beautiful bracelet. She briefly glanced down at her wrist from which it hung ever so slightly. It wasn’t a huge, gaudy hunk of jewelry; rather, it was petite and feminine, with dainty stones. It was one of the sweetest, most thoughtful gifts anyone had ever given her.

She snickered softly as she wondered what her father might think of it. She then felt a few fears rise up within her. She was still a bit worried about how her father would take to Daniel. She had only mentioned Daniel in passing to her father, and hadn’t gone into much detail about him. From what little was said, Jacob seemed to think Daniel was a nice guy, but he was now actually going to meet Daniel, and first impressions were everything.

She caught sight of Daniel’s car in her rear view mirror and smiled. She didn’t think she had all that much to worry about. She turned into her driveway and as she noticed Daniel pulling up opposite her front walk, she spotted a white Dodge Neon parked next to the curb, closer to the driveway. The door opened slowly and a partly bald, middle-aged man exited with some packages in his arms.

“Impeccable timing,” Sam muttered softly, smirking as she recognized her father.

Her smirk turned into a happy grin as she made her way over to his car.

“Dad!” she exclaimed.

Jacob turned around and his face lit up in a smile as soon as he heard Sam’s voice. He briefly set the packages down on top of the hood of the car as he pulled her into a hug.

“Hey, Sammie,” he said warmly as he hugged her and patted her on the back. They didn’t notice Daniel making his way up to them tentatively and observing their show of affection. He stood and watched them, not wanting to interrupt what was going on between them.

They pulled out of their hug and Sam stood facing him as Jacob pulled a serious face and gave her a mock salute, which she returned. She turned her head quickly and finally noticed Daniel’s presence. His was an expression of amused bewilderment. Sam blushed faintly and cleared her throat.

“Daniel, this is my father, General Jacob Carter,” she began. Daniel extended his hand in greeting as Sam shifted her attention to her father. “Dad, this is Doctor Daniel Jackson.”

The two men shook hands amiably. “So, this is Daniel,” Jacob stated. Daniel nodded silently, appearing a bit shy and timid.

“Sam’s told me about you,” Jacob continued.

Daniel’s brow knitted slightly. “She has?” he asked curiously.

Jacob nodded and smiled. “Not very much, I’m afraid,” he chuckled softly.

Daniel glanced briefly at Sam, whose blush was deepening. “Well, we haven’t talked all that much in the past month, Dad,” she said sheepishly.

Jacob chuckled once again. “This was very good timing,” he said as his laughter faded. “My flight was delayed because of a problem with the engine. We ended up sitting on the runway for almost an hour.”

Sam winced. “Ouch.”

Jacob shrugged. “Hey, better they discover the problem while we’re safely on the ground than 30,000 feet up in the air.”

“Good point,” Sam conceded.

“As soon as I got off the flight and reclaimed my baggage, I high-tailed it over to the car rental dealership. Once I made it here, I took a trip downtown to pick up some …” he trailed off as he looked down at the packages, which looked like they came from a bakery.

“… Things,” he finished.

Sam looked knowingly down at the packages and shook her head once she realized what they were.

“I’m glad you got back here when you did,” he continued. “I really hope you have some room in your fridge.”

“Dad, you didn’t have to do this!” Sam exclaimed.

Jacob shook his head stubbornly. “Please, Sam, I had to get something for you. We have to give you a nice birthday dinner, and what’s a birthday dinner without some dessert?” he asked hopefully with a twinkle in his eye.

Sam smiled and shook her head again, still unable to believe that her father went through all this trouble. She reached over and gave him a small kiss on the cheek, which he returned.

“Come on, kiddo, let’s get this stuff inside,” he said gently before picking the boxes up and following Sam up her front walk.

Sam had just unlocked her door when Jacob realized he’d left something in his car, and swore under his breath.

“Will you take these for me?” he asked Daniel. “I’ll be right back.”

Daniel nodded and took hold of the boxes as Jacob hastily made his way back to his car.

He followed Sam inside and stood in the foyer, looking around curiously. He then caught sight of her standing and looking at him expectantly, blushing ever so slightly.

“So, this is your place,” Daniel said slowly.

Sam averted her eyes and nodded.

“Nice,” Daniel mused.

“Thanks,” she said quietly as she took the boxes from him. “But, um … what do you really think?” she asked cryptically.

Daniel’s eyebrows edged up. “Of …?”

“Of …” she trailed off and gestured out the window, where Jacob was inside his rental car and picking something up off the backseat.

“Oh,” Daniel replied as he directed his gaze back at her. “He seems very nice,” he said sincerely.

Sam’s lips edged upward into a faint smile. It faded as Daniel’s brow furrowed, followed by a slight smirk.

“What was that all about with the … ah …” he trailed off as he mimed the mock salute she and her father had given each other just before.

Sam blushed faintly and began to chuckle. “Oh, that. He used to do that to me all the time since I was little. It’s just … something we’ve always done,” she said a bit awkwardly.

Daniel nodded. “Not a bad salute you have,” he remarked.

She blushed again. “That’s what he always said. Makes me wonder if, in another life, I was in the Air Force and my job was somehow more exciting,” she shrugged.

Daniel grinned amusedly, which earned a slight snicker from Sam.

“Well, it’s great that you have such a good rapport with him, such a good relationship, even though you live so far apart. I mean, it’s exactly the way it should be,” he said, his voice becoming tinged with regret.

Sam looked at him curiously, and Daniel realized he’d nearly said too much. He was trying to think of a way to change the subject when Jacob opened the front door and stepped inside. He looked at them incredulously when he noticed that Sam was still holding onto those packages of his.

“For God’s sake, Sam, put that away before it spoils,” he said as he gestured toward the larger box.

Sam looked quickly down at the box and snapped out of her confusion. “Oh, uh … sorry.”

Daniel gave her a sympathetic smile and squeezed her arm, prompting her to give him a sheepish smile in return before she headed for the kitchen and placed the box inside the fridge. She resisted the temptation to lift the lid open and peek inside. She took the smaller box, which more than likely contained cookies, and placed it on top of the counter near the stove.

“I’ll go in there and see if she needs any help,” Jacob said cheekily to Daniel.

Daniel looked at him for a moment before forcing a little smile. He figured that Jacob wanted to talk to Sam about something, so he made his way over to the couch and made himself at home. He glanced curiously at the few magazines Sam had laid out on top of the coffee table. He didn’t find any Vogue or Cosmopolitan issues; rather, he found Home and Garden, Mountain Living, Astronomy, and National Geographic. She had quite an interesting variety of reading material (little did he know about the journal collection cluttering up her home office). A large smile found its way across Daniel’s lips when he came across the last magazine, which featured a cover story on yet another mystery of King Tut. He subscribed to the magazine himself, but this was the latest issue and he hadn’t had a chance to read it yet.

As he browsed through the magazine, he couldn’t help but wonder what was going on inside the kitchen. He certainly couldn’t hear anything, so they must have been talking quite secretly about something.

Probably about me, he thought as his cheeks tinged with red. If he were anyone else, he would have strained his ears to try and hear what they were talking about or even gone up to the door and eavesdropped. But, Daniel was too polite and cared about Sam too much to ever try anything like that. He shook his head and sighed, directing his eyes down to the magazine’s print.

Sam had made enough room to put whatever was in that big box into the fridge, and after Jacob took a peek inside to make sure she had enough food – much to Sam’s chagrin – he gestured to the door at the rear of the small eat-in kitchen, leading out into her back yard.

Sam’s eyes questioned him.

“Outside,” Jacob mouthed silently, pointing to the door.

Sam was about to protest, but she realized her father wanted to talk about something important. Whatever it was, it was something he didn’t want Daniel to hear in the least. She obediently followed him out the door, hoping that what he had to say wouldn’t take too long, lest Daniel get suspicious.

They took a few feet from the back door and sat down at the small picnic table. She looked at her father expectantly.

He gazed at her for a few moments, apparently searching for the right words to start with.

“What were you thinking?” he asked quietly.

Sam looked at him incredulously. What was he saying, that he didn’t think Daniel was good enough for her? He’d only met the man, and already he disliked him?

“Dad, what are you saying –“

Jacob held his hands up. “I’m talking about Joe,” he said gently.

Sam inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

“How could you date him when you had such a nice man who obviously cares quite a lot for you?” Jacob continued as he gestured back toward the door.

She looked into her father’s eyes and was at a total loss for words. He’d asked her when he talked to her on the phone that morning, but she avoided it with the excuse that she had to leave for work. If she thought this was something he was bound to forget about, she was dead wrong.

“I …” she hesitated. Jacob’s eyes weren’t giving her any room for compromise. She couldn’t avoid it forever. She’d been such an idiot, and she was suffering the consequences for it.

“This is hard for me to say, Dad,” she began uneasily after taking a deep breath. “I … I went out with Joe, because I didn’t think I could go out with Daniel.” She blushed furiously as she finished her statement.

Jacob stared at her, almost dumbfounded by her admission. “What? What the hell does that mean?” he said quietly.

Sam shook her head, realizing that she wasn’t making any sense. “At first, it was hard for me to think about dating Daniel, because we’re such good friends. They’ve always told me, ‘it’s not a good idea to date your best friend.’”

Jacob’s mouth was nearly hanging open in disbelief. “Who told you that?”

Sam shrugged awkwardly. “Friends,” she muttered weakly.

Jacob shook his head sadly. “Don’t go by what they’re saying. They don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Sam looked at him like a young girl who’d just been chastised for doing something naughty.

“That’s just ridiculous, Sam,” Jacob continued. “There’s certainly nothing wrong with dating your best friend. How do you think I met your mother?”

His statement hit Sam like a ton of bricks. Both her mother and father had told her at different times in her life how they’d met, but they’d never gone so far as to tell her that they were best friends. Sam had always took it for granted that it was some overly hopeless romantic thing like love at first sight – that her father had met her mother and had just swept her off her feet at their first meeting and started off as lovers. Perhaps one of them had mentioned it to her in the past, but she’d conveniently forgotten about their friendship status.

She sighed heavily, aching as memories of her mother and of the accident struck her. She sat with her elbows propped up on the table and her head held up by her hands. Her eyes drifted downward as the emerald bracelet, which sat newly on her wrist, reminded her of its presence. Jacob seemed to take notice of it as well.

“Where did you get such a pretty thing from?” he asked.

“It’s from Daniel,” Sam replied, blushing faintly. “He gave it to me today … um … a birthday gift.”

Jacob smiled warmly and nodded. This only reaffirmed his belief that Daniel was good for her.

“So, when is he going to propose?” he suddenly blurted out, his eyes twinkling.

Sam’s eyes widened and she blushed madly. “Dad!” she exclaimed, taken aback.

“Shh,” he admonished her. “You don’t want him to hear us, do you?”

“Most of the windows are shut,” she responded automatically. She’d been caught completely off guard by his question, not entirely sure if he was absolutely serious.

“Oh, my little girl is blushing,” Jacob chuckled. “I must have struck a nerve there!”

Sam recovered slightly and shook her head, grinning. Her grin soon faded and there was a bit of an awkward silence between them.

“You love him, don’t you?” Jacob finally asked.

Sam looked at Jacob before she averted her eyes and nodded.

“Yes,” she muttered simply. “I do.”

She looked back up at him and caught the faint smile that appeared on his lips. Sam realized how wrong she’d been before, and she suddenly felt very ashamed. Here she was, thirty-five years old today, and her father was talking to her as if she was eighteen again. She should have known better that the notion of not dating your best friend was indeed ridiculous. She didn’t need to date Joe because she thought she couldn’t have a relationship with Daniel. He’d told her to go with her instinct, and yet she was ignoring it when she had certain misgivings about Joe. Even though she already knew that she was quite an idiot for taking a chance with Joe, this talk with her father compounded that feeling and made her feel guiltier than ever.

She was unable to stop the tear that rolled slowly down her cheek, but she sniffled quietly to prevent others from following its path. God, she’d been so stupid. Sara and now her father both knew that she and Daniel were great together, and she’d been too blind to notice it.

“Why are you crying?” Jacob asked her gently.

Sam lifted her gaze up to him and sniffled, her cheeks still a lovely shade of rose. She was actually crying in front of her father, and it served her right.

“Oh, God, Dad, I was such an idiot,” she blurted out, her voice trembling.

Jacob got up and came around to her side of the table, putting a comforting arm around her.

“I was such an idiot to think that Joe might have actually been a good guy, and to take such a chance with him, all because I thought it might be my last chance at happiness. Daniel was there the whole time, and because of that silly notion that I couldn’t date him because he was only a friend, I … God, I was so pigheaded.”

Jacob comforted his daughter by rubbing her back in slow, circular motions.

“It’s okay, Sammie. It’s done and over with now. We all make mistakes, but when we learn from them, it makes us better people. That’s the most important thing, and you did learn from your mistake.”

“That’s what Daniel told me,” Sam said sadly as she looked up at him.

“He’s absolutely right,” Jacob smiled. “All I want is for you to be happy, Sam.”

Sam sniffled and gave him a watery smile in return.

“Thanks, Dad,” she said, her voice muffled as he hugged her once again.

He patted her hair down and pulled apart from her. “Anytime, kid. Now, what say we get back in there before Daniel wonders what happened to us? I’m sure he thinks we’ve taken off for Tahiti or something,” he chuckled.

Sam snickered and shook her head as she opened the door and stepped inside, Jacob following. They were in the kitchen only about three minutes when Daniel cautiously poked the door leading from the dining room open and peered inside. Sam and Jacob turned their heads sharply and looked at Daniel expectantly.

“Hey guys,” he said. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

Sam blushed slightly, appearing like an ashamed little kid caught red-handed.

“Uh … no, it’s okay, Daniel. I was just debating with Dad over what to make us for dinner,” she said sheepishly.

Jacob caught on and followed her without missing a beat. “And I told you I would cook, Sam,” he said insistently. “I saw that half chicken you have in there.”

Sam was pretty sure that he was joking, but once she caught the slight wink he’d given her, she knew he was being perfectly serious.

“Please, Dad, you don’t have to do this,” she said.

Jacob shook his head. “In the first place, you’ve had a busy day yourself, and you could use a break. In the second place, it’s your birthday. Are you saying no to a birthday dinner, Sam?”

Sam shrugged slightly, knowing that she wasn’t really getting anywhere.

“And in the third place, I would imagine that the two of you would like some more time alone together,” he finished, raising his eyebrows playfully.

Sam and Daniel exchanged a sheepish look as Jacob grinned.

“Okay, Dad, you win,” Sam conceded, chuckling softly. “We’ll be in the living room.”

Jacob smiled. “You will not be disappointed,” he declared as he removed a pan from one of the cabinets over the stove, and then began rummaging through Sam’s freezer. “Now, please do not disturb the genius at work,” he said in a mock smug tone of voice.

Sam rolled her eyes and smirked. “I’d hardly call it ‘genius,’” she said wryly, snickering a bit as she and Daniel headed for the door.

“Watch your mouth, young lady,” Jacob shot back playfully, his voice muffled due to the fact that he was still rummaging in the freezer.

Sam laughed softly as Daniel gave her a bit of a surprised look as they left the kitchen and headed for the living room couch.

“I was only kidding,” she clarified. “He’s actually quite a cook.”

“Really,” Daniel said curiously.

“Mmm-hmm. He didn’t really cook very often when I was a little girl. Cooking out on the backyard grill during a barbeque was about the extent of his culinary faculties. After Mom died, he took it upon himself to learn how to cook more. It was almost as if he was trying to make up to my brother and I for what happened. I mean, that’s not all he did, but it seemed as though it was part of it.”

She stopped herself and glanced at Daniel. He was looking at her thoughtfully.

“I … I’m sorry, I’m probably not making much sense, am I –“

“No,” he interrupted softly, shaking his head. “I know what you’re saying. Since your mom was gone, he had to fulfill the roles of both a mother and father. It must not have been very easy, right?” He trailed off a bit as he turned his head away from Sam and toward the door leading to the kitchen.

Sam averted her eyes and nodded. “It wasn’t. It was quite hard for him, especially in the beginning,” she began grimly. “Mom was in a fatal car accident, and at first, my brother Mark and I both blamed him entirely for it. We didn’t understand how hard it was for him, and how much he loved us that he continued to provide and care for us, until one night we heard him in his home office. We saw the light down the hall and figured he was just up late reading, but when we went further down the hall and saw that the door was partly open, we realized he had been crying. When we saw his face, we realized it had been harder for him than it was for us. We learned to forgive him. Actually it took Mark a bit longer, but I learned how hard the accident was on him, and how hard his job of raising us would now be. He regained my trust and respect, and he became a wonderful, doting father to us both.” She finished her statement with an affectionate little chuckle.

Daniel gave her a warm smile and squeezed her arm. His smile faded when he noticed the tear stains on her face.

“Sam?” he asked curiously. “What happened?”

Sam was caught by surprise. “What?”

“Did something happen when you and your father were just talking before?”

Sam merely sniffled. Daniel lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes.

“No, not really. We had a little talk before and he just emphasized something that everyone’s been trying to tell me, but that I’ve been so blind about.”

Daniel gave her a confused look before realization shone in his eyes. “Joe?” he asked quietly.

Sam nodded and sniffled again. “I hated myself for what poor judgment I demonstrated. It was so hard for me to tell him, because I know he loves me and wants the best for me. After all these years, I still don’t want to let him down.”

“Sam,” Daniel began sympathetically. “I’m sure you didn’t let him down. He really loves you; I could tell as soon as I stepped out of the car and watched him hug you. You’re lucky to have a father who is so caring and understanding.”

Sam sniffled and nodded.

“What is it going to take to get you to stop beating yourself up over this?” Daniel continued gently. “As I told you, we all make mistakes, but we redeem ourselves when we learn from them. You learned from this incident and you know that.”

Sam looked into his eyes and saw the deep wisdom and clarity in them, similar to that which she found in her father’s eyes. “He said something very close to that,” she told him.

Daniel studied her face and a faint smile tugged at his lips. “He’s a wise man,” he finally answered. Sam gave him a half-hearted nod before he pulled her into a hug.

“Come on, cheer up. It’s your birthday,” he said kindly as he patted her on the back.

“Thanks, Daniel,” she said into his shoulder.

Jacob stepped out of the kitchen and smiled upon finding the two of them in a warm embrace. He knew they had such wonderful chemistry, and he hated to break up this scene of bonding, but he’d just finished preparing dinner and they were ready to eat.

“Okay, you two, dinner is ready,” he called out. Two pairs of blue eyes from across the room looked at him curiously, framed by two sets of rosy cheeks. Jacob chuckled inwardly and thought that their expressions were a priceless Kodak moment.

“That was really great, Dad,” Sam exclaimed after she swallowed a forkful of cake.

Daniel, still chewing on his, nodded enthusiastically.

“I hoped you’d like it,” Jacob said with false modesty.

“We did!” Sam insisted.

They’d enjoyed a quite delicious baked chicken, courtesy of Jacob. He’d cooked it in a few select seasonings, and added some carrots and potatoes as well. Sam had almost forgotten what a good cook he’d become, and she enjoyed every last bit. Even better, the meal was a little too big for the three of them, so she’d have some leftovers to enjoy.

Jacob had also surprised Sam with a very nice birthday cake: golden cake with chocolate pudding inside, and frosted with homemade whipped cream. The words “Happy Birthday Sam” were ornately written in pink icing.

She’d blushed ever so slightly as her father and Daniel at least attempted to sing “Happy Birthday” to her. When they were finished, Jacob prompted her to make a wish. She glanced for a fleeting second at Daniel and gave him a little smile before she turned back to the cake and blew the candles out.

Upon finding her father and Daniel done with their cake, Sam collected the plates and forks from them and headed toward the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” Jacob asked.

“To wash the dishes,” Sam replied.

“Please, let me do it,” he insisted. “It’s your birthday.”

Sam sighed, frustrated. “Dad, it’s nice of you, but you already went through all the trouble to make dinner for us. I have to accept some responsibility around here, and all that’s left to do is wash the dishes.”

Jacob shrugged and gave in. “Okay, kid, if you’re sure.”

“I am,” she nodded. “Why don’t you make yourselves comfortable on the couch?”

Daniel glanced at Jacob and nodded.

As Sam finished the dishes, she could hear Daniel and Jacob in the middle of conversation. She wished she could hear what they were saying, and she hoped that their conversation was positive. As soon as she headed for the door, their voices became hushed and they’d stopped speaking as soon as she opened the door and stuck her head out.

“What were you guys talking about?” Sam asked, smiling shyly.

“Oh, ah …” Daniel started nervously, glancing back at Jacob. “Nothing much,” he finished once he realized he wasn’t getting any help from the older man.

“Really?” Sam asked knowingly.

“Yep,” Jacob replied. “Nothing but some really embarrassing moments from your childhood.”

Sam’s cheeks flamed. “Dad!”

Jacob chuckled. “I’m just kidding, Sammie. I wouldn’t do that to you … yet, anyway. Daniel and I were having a nice chat.”

“Oh,” she said after a beat as she looked from her father to Daniel.

Jacob smiled. “Why don’t you kids go for a walk or something?”

Sam glanced at Daniel, the two of them exchanging a look of surprise. “Oh … uh … yeah, I guess …”

“Sure, it seems like a nice night,” Daniel agreed as he moved to pick himself up off the couch.

Sam nodded as he joined her and they made their way to the front door. “Don’t wait up,” she joked.

“You know I will,” Jacob said with a wry smile. He chuckled and shook his head as they headed out the door.

Twilight was approaching as Sam guided Daniel down the street in a direction that was so familiar to her.

“What’s down here?” Daniel asked her curiously.

Sam looked at him and smiled. “Remember when I told you about that special little place of mine, where hardly anyone else goes, with the little creek and the mountains in the distance?”

Daniel’s brow knitted in confusion. “I remember you telling me about some private little place, but you didn’t really go into much detail about it.”

Sam nodded and didn’t say a word until she led him down the end of the dead end street, and then down the little dirt path that led to the wonderful little place she spoke of. Daniel’s mouth dropped open when he saw what stretched out in front of him.

The water moved slowly down the length of the little creek for a short distance, before the land sloped downward a bit and the water began to rush before it culminated in a mini waterfall. A ways before the waterfall, there was a small, wooden footbridge crossing the creek. In the distance were the unmistakable peaks of the Colorado Rockies. There was a full moon tonight, and in the moonlight a soft glow was cast over them, making them hauntingly beautiful.

“Close your mouth before something flies in there,” Sam teased him. Daniel blushed as he abruptly shut his mouth. When he recovered, he chuckled softly and gave her a small kiss on the cheek.

“Sorry, it’s just that I’ve never seen such a beautiful little place like this,” he said softly as they stepped back and sat on the small bench.

“It’s quite all right, Daniel,” she smiled. “I have to admit that my initial reaction wasn’t very far off.”

Daniel returned the smile and pulled her closer to him.

“I was hoping I could share it with someone special,” she said thoughtfully.

Daniel studied her face and her gorgeous eyes, and saw the deep sincerity and love for him in them. His lips twitched upward into a faint smile.

Sam looked into his eyes and noticed how haunting they looked in the moonlight. The deep, blue orbs appeared to be even deeper and bluer, and she felt them beckoning to her, begging her to immerse herself completely in them. She felt there was no going back, as she was completely convinced that she loved Daniel and wanted to be with him. She found herself edging closer and closer to him.

Daniel must have felt the same way, because he was bringing himself closer and closer to her until their lips joined and they partook in one of the deepest, most passionate kisses that either one of them had ever experienced. They held each other close and their hands began roaming once they were completely immersed in the kiss. Sam’s hands found the back of Daniel’s head, and her fingers were snaking through his long, soft hair. Daniel’s hands had already succeeded in fingering Sam’s hair, and were now caressing her bare shoulders.

Still locked in the kiss, Sam could feel Daniel about to collapse on top of her, and she eased down across the bench. She was lying with her head at the end, and Daniel on top of her, kissing her passionately as his tongue intertwined with her own as it roamed her throat. Sam’s soft moan became louder and hungrier as she felt Daniel growing hard underneath his dress pants. She still had her fingers entangled in his hair and was, for lack of a better expression, “alive with pleasure,” when a small feat of gravity interrupted as Daniel’s glasses slid off his nose and hit her in the face.

Sam uttered a sound of exclamation as she became aware of Daniel’s glasses lying lens-side up across her nose. She glanced up at a formerly bewildered, but now quite embarrassed, no-longer-bespectacled Daniel and fought the urge to laugh. Her efforts proved futile and she snorted before snickering uncontrollably.

Daniel looked at her curiously as he picked up his glasses, and then, much to her surprise, started laughing as well. They both sat up and fell against each other, laughing.

“It’s times like this that make me wonder if I should opt for contacts,” Daniel said wryly.

Sam laughed sympathetically. “Do you really need to wear those all the time?” she teased.

Daniel sighed melodramatically, causing her to laugh gently once again. He tilted her chin towards him and their lips met again for a sweet, small kiss. He pulled her close to him, and she rested her head against his chest. For a while they sat like that – in each other’s arms as they gazed out at the foothills and the distant mountain peaks, and listened to the calm sound of the water spilling over the tiny waterfall.

“Happy Birthday, Sam,” Daniel said softly.