Chapter Eighteen
D ex was right. Going to Florida lifted a weight off Samantha’s shoulders. Stepping off the plane and inhaling the humid air told her she was home. Though she loved New York, there was nothing like family.
Instead of going to Dex’s house first, they rented a car and drove to her mom’s house. She passed through the gates and as soon as he parked, she was out of the car and rushing up the driveway.
Her mother greeted her at the front door, wearing a pair of white Bermuda shorts, a collared shirt tied low at the waist, and her hair pulled back in a low ponytail.
“Mom!” Suddenly feeling like she wanted to cry, Samantha threw herself into her mother’s arms. “It’s been such a mess.” Tears leaked from her eyes and though she ought to be embarrassed, letting out her frustration and pain felt cathartic. Her mother had always been there for her and now was no different.
“Shh. It’s going to be okay. Let’s go inside and we’ll talk.” She rubbed Samantha’s back as she did when she was a child. “But first, aren’t you going to introduce me to the good-looking man at the foot of the stairs?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“Oh right.” She sniffed and dabbed at her eyes with her fingers before turning to face Dex. “Dex, this is my mom, Emma St. Claire. Mom, this is Dex Sterling. He’s a friend of Ian’s and he’s been there for me throughout this crisis.”
“I’m aware.”
Dex stepped forward and shook her mother’s hand. “Ms. St. Claire, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Same here. And thank you for being there for Samantha. I felt much better knowing she hasn’t been alone. Now, let’s get out of this heat and you two come inside.”
Her mother’s husband, Michael Brooks, walked out of the kitchen and joined them. Her mother had kept her maiden name during both marriages.
Samantha walked over and gave him a friendly hug. “Good to see you,” she murmured.
“It’s good to see you, too. We’ve both been worried and I’m glad you’re here.” Michael was a good man and her mother adored him. After the nightmare that was Samantha’s father, her mother deserved it.
She smiled. “Thanks, but I’m okay.” She left out the hospital visit. She’d save that for her mother when they were alone.
Emma introduced the men, then Michael suggested he and Dex go sit beneath the awning by the pool where they had an overhead fan. Samantha knew he was giving her time with her mom and Dex seemed at ease, so she agreed.
Following Emma into the kitchen, her mother poured them both a glass of lemonade and they settled into the barstools at the island.
“You look tired,” her mother said. “You have dark circles under your eyes.”
Samantha swallowed hard. “Don’t panic, because you can see I’m fine, but yesterday I fainted and wound up in the hospital.”
“What?! Why didn’t anyone call me?” Emma asked, her voice high and frantic.
The last thing Samantha wanted was to upset her mom. “Because I’m fine. I just hadn’t eaten and my blood pressure dropped. It was that and stress, which is why Dex insisted we get away.”
“I like that man,” her mother said.
Samantha felt her cheeks heat. “I do, too, Mom. But there was a time I liked Jeremy, too.”
“Do you really think Dex is anything like your ex-fiancé?”
She immediately shook her head. “But it’s so soon after the almost-wedding. Which I am so sorry for. I shouldn’t have let things get that far, Mom. It cost you—”
“Stop. Better before than after the wedding, or after you’ve stayed so long you set a bad example for your children, or waste your younger years with the wrong man.” Emma blinked back the tears in her eyes.
“Oh, Mom. You didn’t set a bad example for us. If anything, you showed us strength of character. Loyalty. I admire you so much.”
“And I admire you . You’re a smart businesswoman and you think before you jump. Which is why you won’t fully commit to your feelings for Dex. And that’s okay. Take your time. If he’s the right one, he’ll wait.”
“That’s exactly what I needed to hear.” Samantha hugged her mom tight before sitting back in her seat and taking her first sip of the tart but refreshing drink.
Her mother did the same. “Now, what do you say about me inviting the family over for an impromptu dinner? I’ll order in and we’ll all get together.”
“I’d love that.”
“Great! Then let’s start making phone calls.”
And just like that, she put her concerns away for the night and focused on having a good time with the family she loved.
***
Dex spent a good amount of time talking to Emma’s husband, Michael, who owned an insurance company downtown. He was a smart man and from what Dex could sense, a decent one who, though he’d only been married to Emma for a handful of years, cared about her children.
The backyard was huge, with large ceramic pots, a cactus planted in each, all surrounding the outer perimeter of the property in front of the screen that protected the pool.
They were mid-deep in conversation about this year’s Thunder players when Dex’s cell rang. “Excuse me,” he said, pulling the phone from his pocket and taking the call from Austin.
“Hello?” Dex asked.
“Where are you?” His agent spoke without preamble.
Dex smiled at Michael before replying. “Hello to you too. And I just so happen to be in Miami.”
“With Samantha.”
“Yes.” He had no intention of lying or hiding the fact that he cared about her and would be by her side for as long as she needed him.
Austin let out a host of expletives. “You don’t listen, do you?”
Shaking his head, Dex asked, “Why should I? I’m single, she’s single, this whole it’s unseemly thing is a crock of shit and you know it.”
“I do but that doesn’t matter. Jeremy Rollins is doing interviews that make Samantha sound like a cheating whore and you like a home-wrecking asshole, and the reason for his called-off wedding. Peter Morgan called and wants to know why his newest analyst is getting bad press,” he said of the president of FSN. How’s Samantha?” he asked, changing the subject, and Dex knew it was a temporary reprieve.
“Shaky. She fainted yesterday and was in the hospital. I took her to Florida because I need to check in on my house, but mostly because I wanted her to spend time with her family.”
Austin let out a long breath, followed by a curse. “You love her.”
Dex glanced at Michael and pushed himself up from his chair, stepping away to take the call in private. “Is this my agent asking?”
“No. I’m asking as Samantha’s cousin and your friend.”
Dex stood by the screen and looked out at a lake in the distance. Wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, he groaned, because he couldn’t stay mad at this man.
“Yes, I love her.” Saying the words aloud released the pressure he’d been feeling in his chest. “I love her and I am not walking away. Not when she needs me and not at all. If you want me to sit down with Morgan and ease his mind, I’ll do that when I get back to New York. But she comes first.”
Austin barked out a laugh. “You have never made life easy.”
Dex shrugged. “That’s why you’re paid the big bucks. One more thing.”
“What?”
Dex glanced at Michael, who was busy on his phone. Lowering his voice, he said, “I still don’t want Samantha to know there’s trouble with my job. She has enough on her mind.” And she didn’t need a reason to run from him.
“I’ll do what I can to keep the people at FSN calm, but the media cycle has to focus on something else and quick.”
Dex understood. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll try and keep things with Samantha under the radar until things blow over.” It wasn’t like either of them were looking to be photographed or be the focus of the paparazzi’s cameras.
“Thank you,” Austin said, clearly relieved.
“Talk soon and say hello to Quinn.”
“Will do.” He disconnected the call and Dex headed back to Michael, only to find Samantha and her mother had joined them.
Samantha’s eyes were red but she seemed more relaxed and was smiling.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, as he joined them.
He nodded. “Austin was just confirming some appointments when I’m in Kansas City.”
She tipped her head to one side. “Really? Because I heard raised voices.”
“You know how guys joke and raise their voice.”
She gave him a skeptical look but before she could ask another question, her mother spoke. “Did you tell Dex we’re having a family dinner tonight?”
Samantha shook her head. “I didn’t get the chance.” She glanced at him. “But he knows now.” Conversation turned to food and dessert. “Dex and I can pick up things at the bakery. I’m dying for one of their cannolis.”
“Oh, good idea!” Emma said.
“Umm… I thought it would be smarter if you and I stayed out of the public spotlight.” Dex walked over and put an arm around her waist to soften his words. “Just while things with the paparazzi blow over.”
“Oh, sure. That makes sense,” she said in a more subdued voice.
“I can ask Meg and Scott to pick up dessert on their way over,” Emma said.
“That’s my brother and his wife,” Samantha explained.
“You’ll have to keep everyone straight in your head,” Emma said, laughing.
“I’m used to it in my big family.”
Samantha smiled. “Thanks, Mom. I’m going to show Dex around and unpack our things.”
Emma nodded. “Good. I’m glad you’re staying over while you’re here.” She picked up her phone and began to text, presumably giving orders to all of Samantha’s siblings.