Bridget spoke, her voice thick with tears. “I’m late.”
Silence, as the two of them soaked up this information. Maya’s heart thumped hard against her chest, before it fell into her stomach. Bridget thought she was pregnant? With Sam’s baby?
Sam released Maya’s fingers, and his expression softened. “What? But how...we were—” He seemed to remember Maya was sitting next to him and stopped abruptly.
Great.
“Nothing’s 100 percent, Sam.” Bridget sniffled.
He tensed and turned away from Maya, leaning toward Bridget. “Did you take a test?”
Bridget flicked her eyes in Maya’s direction, then back to Sam. “No.”
Sam shook his head, visibly relaxing. “Well, maybe do that before you freak out.”
A tear escaped Bridget’s eye, and Maya looked away. It felt invasive to watch her struggle.
“I’m scared, Sam.” Her voice cracked, and she continued, her speech getting louder by the second. “What if I am? I don’t have time for this right now—my parents will be pissed. What if I have to drop out of school?”
“Hey, hey calm down.” Sam stood and held her arms. Maya’s heart dropped even as she saw green. “Brig, it’ll be fine. We’ll figure it out.” His words were hushed, as if he didn’t want Maya to hear. She turned her head away to give them a semblance of privacy. She felt like an outsider, and that’s what she was.
“Take the test, and see what it says before you freak out.” He dropped his voice further, but Maya could still hear. “We were always careful—I’m sure you’re fine.”
Maya did not care to be reminded about the fact that Sam had slept with other girls. He was hers now. At the same time, it couldn’t be easy facing an unwanted pregnancy. Maya waffled between jealousy of and sympathy toward Bridget.
She heard Bridget sniffle again, and Sam murmured words of comfort before saying goodbye. Maya turned her head back in time to see Bridget descend the bleachers.
Sam sighed and shook his head, as he sat down next to Maya and took her hand in his again. “It’s always some kind of drama with her.”
“Drama? You think a pregnancy scare is drama?”
“No, I think true pregnancy is something to deal with. But right now, she just wants attention. Let her take the test. Besides, I’m always careful.”
There was that “always” again. Exactly how many girls had there been? “What about us?”
Sam grinned and leaned in closer to Maya, all the gentleness and warmth that she loved so much, restored. “Weare different.” She felt his breath on her. “Webelong to each other.” His lips met hers and everything made sense. He lovedher. She put Bridget out of her mind.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
SAM
New York, 2012
SAMHADBEENwaiting in the Manhattan café for twenty minutes. He walked outside and to the corner and back. No sign of Samantha.
Maya’s return was conjuring up all kinds of suppressed memories. Like how he had wanted to open his own practice and help people in the community. He remembered the conversation with his parents. His father had been supportive, as expected, and his mother had been wary, but she had seemed to come around. But when Maya had left, and his mother was diagnosed with cancer, her one request had been for him to continue along his original path. He was her only remaining son, she liked to remind him—it was his duty. What choice did he have?
He hadn’t given any real thought to his dreams in years. Sure, he took on the occasional case his father mentioned, and yes, he pretended that those cases distracted him from his real job, but the reality was that those cases made him feel like he was making a difference, like he was making good use of his life.
He checked the time on his phone. Samantha had reached out to him for this lunch. It was today, right? He checked his calendar. He called her. Straight to voice mail. He left a message. Shoved the phone back into his coat pocket.
Sam paced the block again and peeked inside the café. Nothing. He pulled out his phone. Nothing. He started to scroll, looking for Maya’s number. Not that it would help—she hadn’t answered or returned any of his calls all week.
“Don’t call my mom. I’m here.”
Sam sighed in relief and turned toward the sound of Samantha’s voice. “You came. I was getting worried.”
Samantha shrugged. “Are we eating or what?”
