John helped his son get in the shower, and Sam stood there and willed the water to bring him relief. To show him the way to make all this right with Maya. Somehow, he’d hurt her, and he had no idea what he’d done. Whatever it was, he’d fix it.
He turned off the shower and toweled off, his head still pounding. He threw on sweats and a T-shirt and fell asleep on top of his bed, wet hair and all. The whole universe was looking down on him from his ceiling, and he wondered yet again how the hell he had screwed this up. Agitated voices broke through his fog, and he opened his eyes to listen.
“He has to at least explain to her about the coin.”
“No, he does not. If she really cared, she would not be so harsh. Good riddance to her, I say.” Sam’s mother sounded relieved.
“Hema, he’s in love with her. And she’s in love with him. They can fix this. There must be some other reason she was upset. He needs to make amends and find out.”
“He cannot be in love with her—she’s not right for him, for the kind of future he promises to have. I’ve held my tongue the whole summer and let him have his little romance—but now it is over.Idid not even think he was serious about marrying her—how could she think so? She’s wise. The best thing she can do for him is leave.”
“Hema, he loves her and he’s going to fight for her. You better get used to the fact that she will be your daughter-in-law.”
“Humph. We will see.”
At the sound of his father’s optimism, Sam smiled to himself.He’s right. It’ll be fine. He’d go see Maya tomorrow and straighten all this out. But right now, he needed to silence the drums in his head.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
SAM
New York, 2012
SAMFIDGETEDOUTSIDEthe bakery, waiting, so he could catch Paige before she went in. He had to at least tell her that the cake designer she loved so much was his ex-girlfriend. He could break the news about Samantha when they got home. His parents would recognize Maya, too. But they hadn’t known she was pregnant back then any more than he had. He’d tell them about Samantha later, as well.
Paige and his parents pulled up in a cab. They gazed around at the storefront, eyes wide, huge smiles on their faces. He walked over quickly, calling out to Paige as he approached.
She turned to him, beaming. “Great, you beat us here! Oh, my goodness, Sam! Do you see this place? So quaint, so perfect.”
“Yeah, it’s great.” He spared the store a cursory glance before he took her hands and planted a peck on her cheek. “Can I talk to you, quick?”
“Sam, we’re late. It’ll have to wait.” She admired the sign and the floor-to-ceiling windows. “I love it! I just knew I would.”
His mother took Paige’s hands from Sam’s as she presented her cheek to him for her kiss. Sam automatically obliged. “Let her go for a minute. We have important things to do.” She wrapped an arm around Paige, as if she really were her daughter, and guided her toward the bakery. Paige leaned into his mother’s embrace and continued her chatter.
His father clapped Sam on the back. “How you doing, son?”
“Great, Dad.” An automatic reply as he tried to get his fiancée’s attention while she continued to gush over the storefront. “Seriously, Paige. Just one minute.”
She smiled at him as if he were a little boy. “I’ll give you all the minutes you want after this. I simplymusthave this woman make our cake.” With that, she followed his mother through the front door. Even the door chime made her giddy.
His dad laughed as he guided Sam through the door. “Don’t get in the way of a woman and her wedding plans.”
Sam shoved his sweaty hands into his pockets as he followed his father through the door and mumbled, “You have no idea.”
They entered Sweet Nothings to the glorious aroma of baking cakes and fresh coffee. It was almost after hours, but Julie was still there. Paige approached her. “Hello. I’m Paige Doyle and I’m here to see—” she pulled out her phone “—Maya Rao. The appointment may be under the name of my art gallery since my assistant made the call.”
Julie smiled at Sam in recognition. Paige was not paying attention to anything except the shop, so she failed to notice the sudden thickness in the air as Sam’s parents recognized Maya’s name. Sam could feel, more than see, his father turn to him. Sam focused on Paige.
Before Julie could go back to get her boss, Maya came through the door from the kitchen. She’d changed into slacks and crisp chef’s whites, her hair bound in its ponytail. Sam could appreciate the fact that her smile seemed forced and that there was no real light in her eyes, but he doubted anyone else could see that. She walked around to the front of the display cases. “Hi, I’m Maya R—” She addressed Paige and froze as she caught sight of Sam’s father, then his mother, and finally, her jaw clenched as she laid eyes on Sam.
“Hello, Maya, I’m Paige Doyle, and this—”
“Maya Rao.” Sam’s father cut her off and advanced toward Maya with open arms. “I can’t believe my eyes.” His voice was filled with the same warmth it had always held for Maya. Sam couldn’t stop his own smile or the warm feeling he experienced as his father embraced Maya like a long-lost daughter. When his dad finally released her, there were tears in Maya’s eyes. “Let me look at you.” He held her at arm’s length, but didn’t let her go. “How have you been all these years?”
Maya brushed her tears aside, a love-filled smile taking over her face. “I’m doing just fine, Uncle, thanks.”
Sam’s father shook his head at her, in that way that older men do when they’ve seen something unique. He turned to address his wife. “Hema, what a small world it is.”
