The Family Screw Up Finds Himself A Girl

Chapter Twenty Six

Sam

I go into a small convenience store looking for some sweets to take back to the hotel. As I look down the shelves I see a row of Snicker Bars, and I think to myself what I would give to go back to that night and be with the most amazing man that I have ever met. I pick up a bag of Cadbury's chocolate buttons instead and go to the checkout to pay. "Aren't you forgetting these?" I can hear someone behind me but I have my headphones in my ears, I turn to look at the person and to my amazement it's him. My stomach does somersaults, my heart races and I can see he has a bag of Pretzels and a Snicker bar in his hand. "Toby, what are you doing here?!" He's staring at me up and down, just like he did on that very first night that we met. "I had to come and check to see if everything was going well with the boyfriend, but I can see he's gone awol. Plus your besties got in touch and said that if I knew what was good for me to come after you. I was already on my way to the airport when they called, but I thought I would tell you that little detail." He points towards the door, "Do you want me to help you look for Mr Altman?" I am overwhelmed with so much love and happiness, I can't believe he is here. I tiptoe to reach his height, wrapping my arms around his neck and I say to him, "I have found what I am looking for and it's right in front of me." He gazes into my eyes and says, "I've never loved anyone like the way I love you and I'm never letting you go again." I need to tell him exactly how I feel, "I love you too, I've just been too arrogant and scared to realise it. I'm never ever leaving you again. I'm so sorry about Philip, he doesn't come close to you and he never will be you." He doesn't respond, instead he grabs my neck and kisses me with so much passion as if he has never kissed me before. I now know wholeheartedly that this is the man that I am meant to spend the rest of my life with.

Later that day, I'm walking through midtown Manhattan holding Toby's hand. We have just left Rockefeller Centre, one of my favorite landmarks in the world. I glance to the left of me and I can't quite believe that this is happening; he is here, and he knows that I love him just as much as he loves me. "What are you smiling at?" He asks with a grin, "My first, my last, my everything." I respond and he laughs, "I'm not your first, but I will be your last and your everything, Barry White." He kisses the side of my head and says, "So, where have you booked into, please don't say the Edison?" I laugh, that was our hookup place when we first started sleeping together. "The Hilton for your information," I say in response. He rolls his eyes at me, "Don't you ever learn? Nope, I'm checking you out of there and we are going somewhere else." I love his spontaneity, he has always been like this since the first day I met him. "Ok, then. Whatever you say, fiancé." I say and he looks at me surprised, "Fiancé?" He says and I respond, "Well, you asked me to marry you a few weeks ago. But if you've changed your mind, I'll go." I go to walk away and he stops me with both hands, "I've never changed my mind, I want nothing more than to marry you and make you my wife." I bite my lip, "Where's my ring then Mr Grummett?" He reaches into his pocket, takes the ring out and goes to put it on my finger. I stop him, "Wait, not just yet. Give it to me." He does as I say and I put it in my pocket as I walk ahead of him, "Where are you going, babe?" He asks and I turn around to look at him, "To check out of my hotel room." He catches up with me, takes my right hand in his and twirls me around as though we are in mid-dance. I giggle, "So, where are we staying?" He has a mischievous look on his face, "Just you wait and see," he grins.

I don't have to wait too long to find out. We arrive at The Marriott Marquis in Times Square, back to where we first started. "We got the penthouse suite too, my girl." Toby says whilst taking out his phone, "Come here, we need a selfie." I oblige and pose next to my man, he changes his screensaver to this new picture and we go to walk inside. "Wait, close your eyes!" Toby says as he grabs on to my shoulders, "Why, what's going on?" I ask and he responds, "Nothing, I just want you to remember this." I do as he says, and he leads me in through the entrance. "Keep your eyes closed. I know that we have always talked about coming back to this hotel with Hannah, Ruby and Jackie, and it just doesn't feel right that they are not here with us." I nod in agreement, he continues, "So, that's why I invited them!" I open my eyes and unbelievably all of my girls are right in front of me at the reception desk. I scream so loud everyone in the lobby turns to look at me, but I don't care. I run over to them and we congregate into a group hug, "I knew you two would get back together!" Says Ruby excitedly. "Get over here mister!" Jackie calls over to Toby, he does as she says and squeezes in beside me into our little circle. "Hey! You three, get over here as well!" She screams. I don't know who she is referring to, I look to my right and can see Charlie, Clyde and Adam sitting on a nearby couch. They raise their eyebrows but oblige and join in on our hug. They each take turns high- fiving Toby. "Guys, I'm so glad you're all here! Who invited them?" I exclaim, Hannah speaks first, "We did! Toby couldn't be the only guy, well, apart from Clyde. We thought it would be a great couples evening and an excuse for me to see Adam again!" I look over at Adam and I can see him giving Hannah a sexy wink. Someone's getting laid tonight, I think to myself. Toby quickly chimes in, "Right guys, let's go upstairs and get freshened up as we have reservations in just over an hour at the Rainbow Room, in Rockefeller Centre."

"History repeating itself, huh?" Toby says nostalgically in the elevator. Adam nudges him and says, "You wanna grab a Snickers bar?" They both laugh and I roll my eyes, "Actually he is a Pretzel guy, I'm the Snicker girl," I say to Adam with a wink. Jackie looks up from her phone and says, "Yeah, Sam likes Toby sticking his Snicker bar into her tight little Pretzel. Do you wanna share with the class about the time I found a homemade sex tape of y'all's whilst I was looking for a DVD to watch when I was at your place last?" All of us burst into fits of laughter. I was mortified when I found out, luckily it was only Jackie that saw it. I made sure that Toby disposed of it as soon as he got home that night. "Since we are on the topic of bringing up people's pasts, have you seen any bricks around the hotel grounds, Jackie? I might have to teach someone a lesson later on tonight," I say whilst fluttering my eyelashes at her sarcastically. Last year Jackie got herself into a bit of bother when she finally plucked up the courage to confess her love to Clyde. She walked in on him with his tongue down Mindy Lynn Castle's throat, nothing held her back and she tossed a brick through the window, it certainly put an end to their little rendezvous. When she told me, as horrified as I was, I couldn't stop being so proud of her. Truth be told if that hadn't of happened her and Clyde might never of gotten together, and what a tremendous shame that would of been. They are the definition of childhood sweethearts and I love them both immensely. My reference to brick-gate makes her crease up with laughter. "Touché pussy cat," she jokingly replies. The doors open and we all head off to our rooms.