Chapter Twenty-Two
Over the next week, she and Alex spent as much time together as possible, much of it with Sophie.
To Sam’s surprise, Sophie finally warmed up to her.
Her time with her dad made her realize how much she enjoyed sports and outdoor activities.
And Sam, a former college athlete and experienced backpacker, became Sophie’s new hero.
It also helped that Sam was still a kid at heart, and her playful spirit quickly won Sophie over.
Sam had never been certain if she wanted children.
Growing up with a single mom made her very aware of how expensive children could be.
Although she earned a decent salary as a marketing manager, she still didn’t think it would ever be enough to support a family the way she imagined.
She also wasn’t sure how good a mom she would be.
She knew her mother had done everything she could in raising her, but still felt like she hadn’t had enough time to learn everything from her.
Despite all this, she found herself falling hard for Sophie.
They spent hours together, hiking through trails from Sam’s childhood, playing ball in the yard, or just chatting about the most random things while eating ice cream.
Initially, Alex seemed hesitant whenever Sam and Sophie were together. She hovered in doorways watching them, arms crossed, shoulders tense, and a mix of worry and hope on her face. But as the two became nearly inseparable, Sam saw Alex’s hypervigilance begin to fade and her body language soften.
Alex’s parents not only appeared to respect their growing closeness, but they were also more than happy to help watch Sophie so that Sam and Alex could have some time alone.
Most often, that meant Alex could slip away after Sophie’s bedtime to spend each night at Sam’s house.
They spent hours getting reacquainted, exploring each other’s bodies into the late hours of the night.
Sometimes they would lie in each other’s arms and talk about anything and everything.
Then Alex would steal away before dawn to make sure she was there when Sophie woke up.
Tonight, however, was the first night that Alex and Sophie would spend together at Sam’s.
Sam had spent the entire morning preparing a space for Sophie at her mother’s house.
Since Sam and Alex had been crashing in Sam’s room, that wasn’t a good option for Sophie.
Sam wasn’t ready to move into her mom’s old room, even though she had done a lot of work in there.
The loss was still too fresh. Instead, she made a makeshift area for Sophie in a small room next to her own, which her mother had used as both a sewing room and a library.
She found a small bed and a beanbag chair to put in the room.
To give the space a more Sophie-like feel, she hung up some purple curtains to drape the walls.
On the floor by the bed, she put some old books from her childhood that she thought Sophie might enjoy.
It wasn’t much, but she was still getting the house ready to sell, so there were limits on what she felt she could do.
When Alex pulled in later that evening, Sam was waiting for her on the porch.
She could see Sophie waving her arms excitedly in the back seat, and it brought a smile to her face.
She was realizing there was almost nothing like the pure, unconditional love of a child. It was a feeling she could get used to.
Alex hopped out of the car, a smile breaking across her face as she watched Sophie’s excitement. She had barely shut her own door before the back one flew open and Sophie jumped out of the vehicle on her own.
“Sam! We’re here!” Sophie yelled, waving enthusiastically at Sam. She ran down the driveway and up the stairs onto the porch, opening her arms wide.
Sam laughed as she caught the little girl and spun her around. She felt Sophie’s small, warm body against her and inhaled the sweet scent of her shampoo, a wave of happiness washing over her.
“We missed you,” Sophie said, muffled against Sam’s shoulder.
Sam looked over Sophie’s head at Alex, who was watching them with a gentle expression. She gave Sophie one final squeeze before setting her back on her feet on the porch. “I missed you, too, sweetie.” She ruffled Sophie’s hair before turning her attention to Alex. “Hi,” she said softly.
“Hi,” Alex murmured back. Sam reached out a hand and squeezed Alex’s arm before dropping it again.
So far, they’d been cautious about showing of affection in front of Sophie, but the young girl was pretty observant.
Sam had noticed her watching them a few times with a furrowed brow and thought it was only a matter of time before they needed to have that conversation.
“What did you all do today?” Sam asked as they walked into the house together.
“We went to the park!” Sophie exclaimed. “And Mommy tried to play catch with me, but she really isn’t as good as you are, Sam.” She crossed her arms over her chest and shot her mother a look.
Alex just chuckled. “I mean, I tried, Soph.” She looked up at Sam with a gleam in her eyes. “But let’s face it. We all know I’m not a quarter of the athlete that Sam is.”
Sophie uncrossed her arms and patted Alex on the arm.
“That’s okay, Mommy. That’s what we have Sam for.
” She looked at Sam with a big smile, and Sam felt her heart melt.
Sophie looked at her with so much wonder and admiration, it made her feel like the most special person in the world.
Sam drew her attention back to Sophie, who was still chatting animatedly.
“And then we had a picnic. Mommy made cookies, and sandwiches, and lemonade.”
Sam looked over at Alex, who was grinning back at her and shaking her head. She opened her arms, and Alex stepped into them for a chaste hug. When she pulled away, Sam felt the cold loss from where her body had been. “Maybe we can play together after dinner,” Sam said to Sophie.
Sophie’s eyes lit up. “Yes, can we? Please?” She looked from Sam to Alex and back again, bouncing with excitement.
“Of course, honey,” Alex replied. “If you eat all your dinner.”
“Yes!” Sophie raised her fist in celebration. She sat down at the kitchen table and started pulling out coloring books and pencils. “Sam.” Her little voice was serious. “You don’t have any pictures in here. I’m going to color you something.”
“That would be great, Sophie. I’d love that.” Sam smiled down at her before turning her attention to Alex. “So, what are we having for dinner?” Sam asked. “We don’t have much in the house, so I was just thinking of ordering something…” Her voice trailed off as Alex held up a grocery bag.
“I thought we could make those homemade pizzas we used to make in high school.” Alex smiled shyly at Sam from under her lashes. “Remember those?”
Sam laughed, the sound echoing around the kitchen as she remembered the many evenings they had spent there together, their hands covered in flour. “Of course I remember. Those nights with you were some of the best nights of my life,” she said.
Alex nodded, giving Sam a slight smile. She moved past Sam and started to empty the contents of the bag onto the counter. “I have dough, which just needs to rise, sauce, cheese, sausage, and pepperoni.” She looked up at Sam, who nodded in appreciation.
“Mommy also got salad,” Sophie chimed in. “We have to eat our vegetables.”
“Yes, we do,” Sam agreed. She reached into the fridge and grabbed two bottles of beer. After she popped the tops off, she handed one to Alex.
Alex took the beer, her eyes meeting Sam’s as she raised an eyebrow. “What’s this? You’re not trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me, are you?” she teased, her voice light and playful.
“Not yet.” Sam laughed. “I’m saving that for later.”
“You know,” Alex purred, her voice low enough for only Sam to hear. “You don’t even need to get me drunk first.”
Sophie, who had been watching the exchange with a curious look, tilted her head to the side, her eyebrows furrowed. “Why would you want to get Mommy drunk, Sam?” she asked, her voice filled with genuine confusion.
Alex blushed slightly, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink.
She looked wide-eyed at Sam, who was returning her gaze with a stricken look on her face.
“Oh, sweetie. It’s just a silly expression.
Nothing to worry about,” she stammered, coming around the counter to affectionately ruffle Sophie’s hair.
Sophie squinted at her mother for a few more moments before turning back to her coloring.
“Nice save,” Sam mouthed.
Alex turned back to Sam and made an exaggerated gesture of relief. “Besides,” she whispered to Sam as she moved back to the counter to work on the pizza dough, “I think we’re both going to need a drink or two to get through tonight.”
Sam chuckled as she nodded in agreement. “You’re probably right about that.” She clapped her hands and looked over at Sophie. “How about you, Soph? Do you need a drink?”
Sophie scrunched her nose up in thought. “Do we have any more lemonade?” she asked, her tone hopeful.
“Sure do,” Sam confirmed. “One lemonade, coming right up.” She grabbed a glass from the cabinet, filled it with ice, and then added lemonade. She set it down at the table in front of Sophie. “Here you go, sweetie.”
Sophie looked up at her gratefully and reached out to grab the glass. “Thanks!”
“It’s cold,” Sam warned. “Don’t gulp it all down at once, or you’ll get a cold headache.”
Sophie nodded seriously at her and took a small sip of the drink before placing it back on the table. “Mmm, tasty.” She grinned at Sam.
As Sam turned back to face Alex, their eyes met.
They shared a secret smile, the weight of their shared past in that kitchen hanging over them, along with the promise of a new start for the three of them.
Alex broke the gaze first, her cheeks flushing slightly as she looked back down at her pizza dough.
After a moment, she raised her head. “You know,” she teased, “I never told Sophie about what a terrible influence you were on me in high school.”
Sam squinted at her, biting her lip. She sensed that Alex was avoiding something, but she decided to go along with it.
“I don’t know that I’d say that I was a terrible influence,” Sam drawled, taking a drink of her beer.
“I’d like to think of it more as encouraging you to branch out.
You know, do things you’d never done before. ”
Alex glanced at her, eyebrow raised, but Sam brushed it off. “Not like that,” she chastised. “But yeah, I guess that too.” She tilted her head in acknowledgment. “But that came much later. And I seem to recall you having some ideas of your own.”
Alex smiled smugly.
“Remember that time we went to that Quiz Bowl tournament?” Sam asked.
Alex nodded. “And you just decided that we had to go swimming?”
“Well, we did. It was hot! There was no AC in the dorms where we were staying.”
Alex laughed, her eyes sparkling at the memory. “I don’t think that meant we had to go swimming in our underwear,” she pointed out.
“Well, I wasn’t going to get my clothes all wet,” Sam argued. “It was the only logical option.”
Sophie’s eyes were wide. “You went swimming in your underwear?” she asked.
“More or less,” Alex acknowledged. She pointed a doughy hand at Sophie. “Don’t go getting any ideas, you hear?”
“Yes, Mommy.” Sophie nodded solemnly. “Hey,” she said, her voice turning eager. “Can we watch a movie later?” Her eyes were wide and hopeful as she looked between Alex and Sam. “Please? I bet Sam hasn’t seen LEGO Monsters 3.”
“I didn’t know there was a LEGO Monsters 1,” Sam admitted. “Or two, for that matter.”
“Then we have to watch them all!” Sophie exclaimed.
She kept chatting as she colored, trying to give Sam a rundown of the many plot twists in her three favorite animated films. Sam and Alex shared a look, their smiles mirroring each other’s.
A movie night seemed like the perfect way to end their evening together.
“Why don’t we make it a whole movie night? ” Sam suggested.
Sophie’s eyebrows shot up. “With popcorn?” she asked with an innocent smile.
Sam pretended to think about it. “You drive a hard bargain,” she finally said. “It’s a deal.” She reached out her hand to Sophie so they could shake.
“Deal,” Sophie affirmed.
“Okay, you two,” Alex interrupted. “How about we start on dinner? The dough is just about ready. Sophie, run upstairs and wash your hands.”
When Sophie scurried from the room, Alex quickly moved around the counter to stand in front of Sam. She reached up, cupped Sam’s cheeks, and pulled her in for a long, slow kiss. “Hi,” she whispered.
“Hi,” Sam whispered back. “I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” Alex briefly rested her forehead against Sam’s. “I like the three of us together.”
Sam could hear the vulnerability in Alex’s voice.
She leaned back and gently tipped Alex’s chin up with her finger so she could meet her eyes.
“I love the three of us together,” she replied.
“I love us.” She kissed Alex’s lips again, hoping to convey all of the love and promise that she felt in her heart.
They stepped back quickly at the thundering sound of Sophie’s footsteps down the stairs. “Later,” Sam whispered the promise to Alex, who nodded at her, smiling shyly.
“Is dinner ready yet?” Sophie asked, rounding the corner. “I’m starving!”
Alex rolled her eyes at Sam, then focused her attention on Sophie. “Nearly, Soph.” She pulled out the dough that had been rising in the oven. “It’s time for your favorite part. Want to help add the toppings?”
Sam stood and sipped her beer while watching them work.
A warm wave of contentment washed over her at the sight of Alex and Sophie in her kitchen.
The nostalgia of hours spent in that same kitchen with Alex, combined with the cozy domesticity of the present moment, gave her a sense of peace that she hadn’t felt in a long time.
After they ate, they snuggled up on the couch, covered by one of Sam’s grandmother’s quilts.
Alex smiled fondly at her daughter, who was nestled between them.
She had her arm wrapped around Sophie, but her hand rested gently on Sam’s shoulders.
Sam leaned into the touch as closely as she could.
The simple gesture felt like an intimate, silent acknowledgment of the growing connection between them.
Sam was sure now that this was what she wanted, that this was where she belonged.
She just needed to figure out how to make that happen.