8. Sametra #2
I felt my throat tighten because he was right, and the truth of it made my hand quiver.
My mind had never been able to properly trust that another man who didn’t share blood with my son could love him more than his own father did.
It was dumb, but it was how I felt. Ashe walked out on his damn spitting image looking-ass son and never looked back.
It would be easy for a stranger to do the same.
And I just couldn’t put us through that again.
But Malik wasn’t a stranger anymore. He’d already proven himself in ways Ashe never had. He showed up. He stayed. He saw Samaj not as baggage or an obligation, but as part of the package deal he was eagerly signing up for.
“I know,” I whispered, finally. “I know you’re right. It’s just... scary as hell.”
Daddy reached across and squeezed my hand. “I want to meet him properly. Not as Samaj’s doctor, but as the man who’s courting my daughter.”
“Courting?” I laughed.
“Don’t get smart with me, girl. You know what I mean.”
“Yes sir. I’ll talk to him about coming to dinner.”
“Good. And Sametra?”
“Yes?”
“You do deserve to be happy. I just want you to be careful with your heart and your time.”
“I will be. I have to tell you all something, so can you come to the kitchen or the deck?”
We headed toward the deck, and I felt good about our conversation. It had been a long time since I’d been summoned to talk about a boy. That made me think of Malik, and before I could second-guess myself, I pulled out my phone.
Me: Dinner Thursday with my family at 6?
Me: Can you make it?
Me: If not, it’s fine. No pressure. Is this weird? Too soon?
The three dots appeared almost immediately.
Rommy Rome: LT, what you nervous about? I’d love to. I hadn’t planned on asking for his blessing so soon, but it is what it is.
Me: Here you go doing too damn much again. LOL
Rommy Rome: I got that bad, huh?
Me: Very, but it’s kinda cute. I’ll send more details later.
I slipped my phone back into my pocket, grinning despite myself. The man’s confidence was ridiculous, but I was starting to love it.
“Ma, what is it? Everything good?” Samaj asked, wheeling himself closer to where I stood by the deck railing.
I took a deep breath, looking around at the three people who meant everything to me. “I brought you all out here because I got accepted into school. I wanted to finish my degree and got accepted to South Silverrun University’s psychology program. I start in two weeks.”
The silence lasted exactly two seconds before the deck erupted. Lorana let out a squeal that probably had the neighbors looking over the fence. My dad slapped his knee and pulled me into one of those bear hugs that lifted me off my feet.
“Baby girl! I’m so damn proud of you!” he said, spinning me around like I was seven years old again.
“Sametra, honey, this is wonderful!” Lorana was wiping tears from her eyes. “I knew you had it in you. All these years of putting everyone else first, and now it’s your time.”
“Happy for you, Ma,” Samaj said, and when I looked at him, his smile was the brightest I’d seen since before the accident. “You’re gonna be Dr. Andrews soon.”
“Eventually,” I laughed, settling into the chair next to him. “It’s going to be a long road. Four years, maybe more if I go for my master’s.”
“So what made you finally do it?” Daddy asked, still beaming with pride.
I thought about it for a moment. “Honestly, I’d been thinking about it for a while.
I applied months ago but kept second-guessing myself.
Then the accident happened, and when I woke up in that hospital bed, I had an acceptance email waiting for me.
” I shook my head, remembering that moment.
“It felt like a sign. Like the universe was telling me something.”
I looked at Samaj. “And seeing how strong this one has been through his recovery, I know I’m raising a young man who could handle whatever comes his way. I don’t have to keep putting my dreams on hold to protect him.”
“Thursday’s dinner will be a celebration. I’m so proud of you, MiMi,” Lorana said, with so much excitement she almost knocked me over coming in for a hug. She planted a kiss on my cheek. That was her thing.
“Speaking of Dr. Holloway, he’s coming to dinner Thursday. Daddy wants to meet him properly.”
“At Sheena’s?” Lorana asked, already mentally adding that we may be more than friends. I never allowed anyone to come into our family dinner. Not even my besties. But Malik felt different. In a way, he’d become family, with the way he helped Samaj.
“Yeah, is that okay?”
“More than okay,” she said, getting that look she got when she was planning something special. “I’ll make sure my famous pot roast is on the menu for the night. Can’t have your man thinking we don’t know how to cook.”
“Hang on, he’s not my man. We’re just friends.”
A lie didn’t care who told it. Malik may have been my friend now, but he wouldn’t be for long. He was gunning for me like Elmer Fudd.
For seventeen years, I’d been running a one-woman show because asking for help always came with strings attached. But Malik didn’t offer help; he wanted to share the stage with me. And I was finally ready to stop being a solo act.
As we sat there on the deck, watching the sun start to set over the ridge, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time: pure, uncomplicated peace.
My son was healing, my family was supportive, I was finally going after my dreams, and there was a man in my life who made me feel like anything was possible.
Rommy Rome: Want some company tonight?