I Loved Her First

Chapter Thirteen

Friday morning Sam is in the middle of enjoying breakfast at a diner with Jay when her phone buzzes in her pocket. She answers the phone and finds Adam on the other line.

"Adam, hey what's up?" Sam presses her phone into her shoulder so she can eat.

"Hey, Sam. I wanted to ask you what you got Dana for her birthday tomorrow?" Adam replies.

"Umm, I haven't actually decided yet," Sam replies. "Jay and I were gonna go romp around the mall and look for something after breakfast." She adds and takes a bit of her pancake.

"You're with Jay?" Adam coughs. "Where did you guys go for breakfast?" He asks her casually.

"That family diner a few blocks from my place," Sam replies.

"Wilson's?" Adam sounds a bit surprised. "That's the one that we always go to before the gym." He tries to hide the slight hurt in his tone.

Wilson's family diner is the diner a couple of blocks from Sam's apartment that she and Adam always go-to for breakfast when they work out in the morning. Adam was the one that introduced her to the place. It's kind of like their spot, or so Adam thought.

"Yeah, I know." Sam nods. "They've got like the best pancakes in town and neither of us felt like cooking." She explains. "Did you get Dana something already?"

"Yeah, Matt let me know that they needed a new blender," Adam confirms. "So I picked her up one yesterday."

"Nice." Sam smiles to herself. "I'm sure that she'll love it. I'll see you tomorrow night then, yeah?" She adds.

"Yeah." Adam nods. "I'll talk to you later, Sam." He hangs up.

Sam puts her phone back into her pocket and goes back to eating her breakfast. Jay pokes at his food with his chin in his hand and gazes at Sam across from him.

"What did Adam want?" He asks Sam casually.

"Wanted to know what I got Dana for her birthday," Sam replies and picks up a fork full of pancakes. "He got her a blender. Which I'm sure she'll love."

"And what are we getting her?" Jay asks.

"I have no clue." Sam shrugs. "I was thinking about maybe a spa package? God knows Dana could use a day to herself away from Matt and the kids."

"Hey, that sounds nice." Jay agrees. "Plus that means you don't have to drag me around the mall all day." He adds.

"Oh really?" Sam raises a brow at Jay. "Well I hate to inform you but you're sadly mistaken, love. Because I've got to go shopping for a dress for the party. And you're filling the position of my bag handler." She giggles with a mischievous smile.

Jay flashes a hint of a frown but he doesn't really mind in reality. Running around with Sam trying on a bunch of cute outfits for the party isn't as boring as it sounds.

"I guess if I have to." Jay fakes a sigh.

"Mhm, you'll have fun. I promise." Sam replies.

"If you say so." Jay muses.

Sam and Jay head out after breakfast and Sam shops for a dress for the party. Something casual but still cute. A sundress is what she's thinking since the weather is nice this time of year.

"Okay, how about this red one?" Sam picks a dress off of the rack.

"Well, I am a fan of red," Jay replies. "Add it to the pile." He holds his hand out for the dress.

Jay's already got a couple of extra dresses in his hand already for Sam to try on once she's done browsing. But he's happy to act like her coat rack if it means he gets to see her try them all on.

"Okay! I think that's it." Sam picks out a couple of more dresses. "Let's head to the dressing rooms." She beckons for Jay to follow her.

Jay nods and follows Sam into one of the dressing room bays. Jay hands over her dresses and she disappears behind the door.

Sam tries on a couple of dresses in a variety of colors. She shows each one of them to Jay who gives his comments on each. In the end, Sam picks a golden-yellow one which irks Jay just a bit. Gold is Adam's signature color after all. But he doesn't say anything about it.

"Okay, I'm gonna run in here and grab a spa package ticket for Dana." Sam stops on the way out of the mall. "I'll be right back." She hands Jay her bags and heads inside.

Jay takes Sam's bags and waits for her to come out of the spa. When she comes back out she's got a ticket in her hand and a smile on her face.

"You get what you need?" Jay asks Sam.

"Mhm." Sam nods. "Come on, let's get out of here and grab some lunch."

"Alright." Jay agrees.

At the same time Sam and Jay are enjoying their shopping date, Adam is busy putting his plans into action for the party tomorrow afternoon. He's having lunch with Matt and Nick as a ruse to get them to help him unknowingly. 

"Thanks for meeting me for lunch, you two." Adam thanks the Bucks. 

"Yeah, no problem, Adam." Nick nods. 

"So, what's up?" Matt adds. "I assume that you wanted to talk to us about something? Which is why Sam isn't here." 

"Yeah, well I  guess that I'll get right to it then." Adam confirms, knowing that he can't beat around the bush with Matt and Nick. "You guys know that I love you two, right? And I love Sam?"

"Yeah, we know." Nick nods. 

"But this is about Sam, right?" Matt cuts in. "Because you're finally ready to tell her that you love her?" He asks Adam. 

Adam is a bit shocked at Matt's blatant words. He was under the impression that Matt and Nick had no idea about his crush on their sister. He falls silent for a moment and searches for what he should say next. 

"It's alright, Adam." Nick chuckles. "We've known for a long time." He informs him.

"You have?" Adam swallows hard. "And Sam?"

"She doesn't know." Matt shakes his head. "Or, at least we don't think she knows." He corrects himself. 

"That's good, I guess." Adam nods. "Anyway, does this mean that you two don't mind if I tell her how I feel?" He asks the brothers. 

"Not at all." Nick shakes his head. "Of course, I don't think it'll do much good." He adds. 

"What do you mean?" Adam replies. 

Matt and Nick share a look with one another of sympathy. They've known for a while about Adam's hopeless crush on their sister. And for while they've thought that Adam would be an excellent fit for Sam. But now that Jay is back, they aren't sure anymore. 

"She and Jay are getting pretty close," Matt explains. "Would it be right to tell her now? I mean, to put all that guilt on her?" He questions Adam. 

"I never expected Jay to get involved with her." Adam shakes his head. "That was never the plan." 

"Then what was the plan, Adam?" Nick replies. "Keep pining after our sister until she eventually figured it out herself?" He asks Adam. "Her and Jay seem like they're happy. Are you really going to ruin that?" 

"I love her." Adam sighs with frustration. "I've been in love with her for so long. And I know I should have said something years ago. I know. But I can't keep it to myself anymore. Or it's going to kill me." 

"Tell her that, Adam. Not us." Nick replies. "Just, don't be an ass about it, okay?" He reminds Adam. 

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." Adam nods. 

"And don't make a big scene at Dana's birthday," Matt adds. "She deserves a good birthday party with no drama." 

"I will." Adam insists. "I promise." 

"Good." Matt nods. "Now let's get lunch. I am starving."