A Rose in Shadow

Sunday

SUNDAY

When a knock sounded at the door around ten minutes to 11 on Sunday morning, Mac and Malachi were just gathering their duffle bags and setting them by the door and Samantha had gone to her room to run a brush through her hair.

Opening the door and placing his entire body in front of the opening, Malachi relaxed when he saw that it was Adam on the other side. Grinning at the other man he stepped dramatically to the side "Come on in, my good man" and Adam good-naturedly gave him a light punch on the shoulder before making his way through.

"Hey, Adam" Mac called over his shoulder as he made his way down the hall. "I'll let Sam know you're here" he stopped outside of her closed bedroom door and rapped his knuckles lightly against the wood.

"Come in" he heard her call out and turned the knob to enter. Seeing his sister standing in front of her bedroom mirror holding her hairbrush brought a rush of nostalgia to Mac. Walking over to her he took the brush from her hand and started to run it carefully through her long dark hair.

Mac glanced around at Samantha's bedroom while he stood behind her. She had always had excellent taste and never leaned toward the typical girl styles even when she was a very young girl. Her walls were painted a serene and tasteful colour and the furnishings blended in almost naturally although, knowing Samantha, she put a lot of work into making things that way. His mind flipped to the old house that he hoped to be able to buy soon and thought that, if his offer was accepted, he might try to convince his sister to come stay with him for a week or two and help him with the decorating. She would love the house and the challenge of decorating it and he would love to just be with her and have her to himself for a while. He missed seeing her every day.

"Remember when I used to brush your hair for you" he asked her, looking over her shoulder at their reflections in the mirror.

Smiling lovingly at him, both dimples on display "Of course I remember. I loved it. You used to ask mom if you could brush it for me every night after she gave me my bath. It was the one time each day that you were sweet to me" she grinned mischievously at him and let out a tinkling laugh.

He gave her a light rap on the head with the brush before he continued brushing "I was always sweet to you."

Sighing, Samantha looked at him. Love shining from her eyes. "Yes you always were. You were, and still are, the absolute best big brother" Mac felt a lump in his throat that he quickly swallowed.

"You had the prettiest hair and were so precious to me. Like a fairy princess. Still are." Pausing to swallow again. "There you go" he cleared his throat and handed her back the brush "Beautiful again" Samantha felt a rush of love and gave herself a quick glance in the mirror before taking a deep breath.

"Adam's here?" she asked.

Tilting his head Mac met her gaze "Yep. Are you comfortable with him? Do you want me to stay?" catching her questioning look he added "Like I already told you I know very well that he's not here because he's a cop but because he's attracted to you".

Embarrassment crept into Sam's face as she turned to face her brother.

"I'm attracted to him too" she made herself say and saw her brother cringe slightly. "Do you like him?" she asked turning serious. "Yeah, I actually do" Mac said reluctantly and gave a grin.

"Ok. Get your butt out there, Smalls. We have to hit the road and you have a date" he slung his arm around her shoulders and propelled them both out of the bedroom and down the hall to the living room where Adam and Mal sat chatting.

Seeing them approach, both men stood up. Mal moved forward to gather Sam into a big hug, lifting her right off the floor before setting her back on her feet. "Be careful, Sam" he said "I want you to call me every day – or send a text – until they catch this guy" Smiling sweetly at him she reached up to caress his cheek. "Yes, Mal, I will".