Chapter Seventeen #2
Sam swallowed the lump that had been forming in her throat and started to cry.
Nadine reached out and pulled Sam into a tight hug.
It had been years since Sam felt the comforting embrace of Nadine’s hug, and she sank into it.
She nodded against Nadine’s shoulder. “I will,” she whispered.
She gently pulled back and looked into Nadine’s eyes. “I promise.”
Alex chose that moment to round the corner into the kitchen. She stopped abruptly, sensing the tension in the air. She looked from her mother to Sam and then back again. “What’s up?” she asked slowly, brow furrowed, concern written on her face.
Nadine stepped fully back from Sam, dropping her arm from her shoulder.
She turned to Alex. “Nothing’s up, honey.
” Nadine walked over to the refrigerator, patting Alex’s arm on the way.
“It’s just time for pie.” She opened the door and rummaged inside.
When she turned around, she held a perfectly baked pie, and a bright smile lit her face.
Despite her confused state, Sam felt her stomach grumble in anticipation. She tried to wipe discreetly at her eyes.
“Why don’t you girls take your pie outside on the porch?” Nadine shot a wink at Sam. “I’m sure you want some alone time.”
Sam’s mouth dropped open as she gawked at Nadine. She turned her stunned gaze to Alex as if to say What’s going on here? She felt like she was in an alternate universe, but she knew she needed to snap out of it and act like a normal person. She shook her head to clear it and looked over at Alex.
Alex had her hand over her mouth and was trying her best to smother a grin. “Pie would be great, Mother.”
Nadine turned around and began gathering plates from the cabinet and a knife from the block on the counter. “You all head out,” she said over her shoulder. “I’ll get this ready for you and bring it out.”
Alex reached down to take Sam’s hand. She tugged her gently toward the door that led out to the patio. “Come on.”
They had almost reached the screen door’s safety when Nadine called out. “Oh! Hey, Sam…”
Sam froze, wondering if there would ever be a time when she wasn’t terrified of Nadine Weaver. She slowly turned back to face Nadine, who was watching her with a mischievous smile. “Would you like coffee with your pie?”
Sam exhaled in relief. “Oh, um, yeah,” she stammered. “With—”
“Cream and maple.” Nadine winked. “I remember.”
“Thank you, Nadine.” Sam smiled gratefully.
Alex again tugged on their clasped hands.
“Come on,” she said, pulling her out of the house.
She led her across the spacious patio next to the pool and gently nudged her back toward the long swing that ran the length of one end of the patio.
“Let’s sit.” She sank onto the swing and turned to face Sam.
Sam paused for a moment, looking around the backyard.
She had so many happy memories of them floating in the pool, reading on lawn chairs, and rocking back and forth for hours on that swing.
The Weaver house had once felt like a second home.
Though it was surreal to be back there, everything around her felt warm, familiar, and safe.
“Oh my God.” Alex burst out laughing. “You should see the look on your face!”
Sam scowled at her and huffed as she sat down on the swing. “It’s just strange, you know? I know she seems to mean well, but it’s hard to let go of what happened.” She shook her head. “It was brutal back then.”
“I get it, Sam. And I know for sure that she gets it.”
“How long did it take for things to feel normal for you?”
Alex scrunched up her nose. “I don’t think it’s quite the same,” she began. “I mean, she’s my mom. So I was much quicker to let her back in. With Sophie, I wanted her in my life.” She let out a bitter scoff. “But I did make her earn it.”
Sam looked over and met her eyes. “Good, you deserve that.”
Alex looked down at the space Sam had left between them and then raised an eyebrow at Sam. “Come here,” she said, patting the space beside her.
Sam’s eyes darted around before she finally moved closer. She sat stiffly, staring straight ahead and resting her hands neatly in her lap.
Alex let out a sigh and closed the distance between them, lifting one leg onto the swing and tucking it beneath herself. She was so close that her leg nestled between Sam’s side and the back of the swing. Her other foot stayed on the ground and began to gently rock them back and forth.
When Alex rested her hand high on Sam’s leg, she exhaled deeply and closed her eyes. She felt a buzz of electricity where their bodies met, and a flush spread through her body.
“Alex. Please.” Her eyes darted toward the door. The last thing she wanted was for Nadine to see them in this state. She tried to put some distance between them.
Alex took the hint and moved back a few inches. She turned away from Sam and leaned back against the swing. The hand on Sam’s thigh moved up to rest along the back of the swing behind her. Idly, she began to run her fingers through Sam’s hair.
Sam let out a small groan and leaned back into the touch. “You know,” she mused, “I think I fell in love with you the first time you played with my hair.”
Alex gave a sharp inhale. Her hand stilled on the nape of Sam’s neck. “Are you serious?”
Sam glanced over at her. “Yeah.” She hid a smile. She nudged against Alex’s hand until she started up again. “No one had ever touched me like that. With such care, and I don’t know what else.” She sat thinking for a moment. “I don’t think anyone has since,” she admitted.
“But surely…” Alex sounded confused. “But you had so many boyfriends in high school.” She squinted at Sam. “I seem to recall that you had one when we…” Her voice trailed off at the sound of the screen door opening.
“I have pie, ladies!” Nadine carried a tray with two giant pieces of pie topped with ice cream and two steaming mugs of coffee.
She pulled over a table and set them down in front of Sam and Alex, along with a tiny vase holding a single tulip.
“I know tulips are your favorite, Sam. I just couldn’t resist.”
“Thank you, Nadine. This is very thoughtful of you.” Sam’s smile was genuine.
“Thanks, Mom.” Alex reached out and took a mug of coffee, grimacing when she tasted it. “Gross.” She passed it to Sam. “This is yours.”
Nadine waved her hand away. “Anything for you two.” She finished arranging the items and straightened up.
“Now,” she said. “Your father and I are going to take a drive. I told him there was a new ice cream shop out on Route 40 and we needed to try it.” She shot them both a conspiratorial wink.
“I’ll text you to give you a warning when we’re on our way home. ”
“Mom!” Alex’s face had turned an impressive shade of red. She looked at Sam with a shocked expression on her face.
“See?” Sam joked. “It’s like The Twilight Zone around here.”
Alex shook her head, looking numbly at her mother. Nadine laughed as she shut the door behind her.
A few minutes later, they heard the garage door and the sound of the Weavers’ car retreating down the drive.
They ate their dessert in silence for a while, gently rocking back and forth on the swing.
The sun was sinking low on the horizon, casting them both in a twilight haze, and the lightning bugs had begun to emerge.
Sam couldn’t remember ever feeling so content.
When she was done with her pie, Alex set down her coffee mug and turned again to look at Sam. “So, where were we?”
“I seem to recall you asking me about boyfriends,” Sam answered.
She set her mug down and turned on the swing to face Alex, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.
“And to answer your question, yes, I did have boyfriends,” she said, making air quotes.
“But everything with them was all fumbling and awkward, and they only ever had one goal in mind.” She grimaced.
“I realized very early on that boys were…gross.” She picked at an invisible spot on her jeans.
“I never had sex with any of them,” she said.
“Huh.” Alex’s face was scrunched up in thought. Sam thought she was the most adorable thing she had ever seen. “I never would have guessed that.”
“What did you think?” Sam countered. “That I was some kind of promiscuous teenager making my way through the football team?”
“No, no, no!” Alex covered up her face with her hands. “You were just amazing, and everything with you was so perfect and right that I would have thought you had done something before.” She cringed at her own words. “And…now I’m dying of embarrassment.”
“Alex, it’s okay.” Sam reached out and took her hand, making light circles along the back with her thumb. “I’m glad it was a good experience for you.” She winked.
Alex pulled back her hand and punched Sam lightly in the shoulder. “You’re terrible.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the sunset fade and the fireflies come out.
Crickets started to chirp. Alex’s foot gently rocked them back and forth on the swing.
It felt like the most perfect, natural thing in the world to Sam.
Years ago, they had spent countless hours like this: talking, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company.
Suddenly, she realized that if given the chance, she would spend the rest of her life on this swing with Alex.
The thought hit her like a lightning bolt.
Eventually, Alex’s voice broke the silence.
“I think I loved you from the night you won sectionals.” Alex’s voice was low.
She turned to face Sam, again taking her hand.
She threaded her fingers through it and brought it up to her lips.
She brushed the barest of kisses across Sam’s knuckles.
“After you celebrated with your teammates and your mom, I was the first person you came over to.” She smiled.
“That was the first time we hugged,” Sam remembered.