It wasn’t until he actually said the words out loud that he knew them to be true. But now that he knew that he loved her, he couldn’t possibly imagine his life without her. Everything was suddenly very clear. She loved him. He knew it. She was just scared. He was not going to let her run from him twice in a lifetime. He handed Samantha a bottle of Gatorade. “Drink up. We need to get to my jeweler. And then see your grandmother.”
Samantha looked more puzzled. “Nani?What do you want with her?”
“I have to ask her something. Something I should have asked her a long time ago.”
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
MAYA
New York, 2013
THEELEVATORDOORSshut and Maya just stood there. Her lips were swollen from that kiss—she could still feel Sam’s lips on hers, as well as the heat from his body. He couldn’t just kiss her and then say...whatdidhe say? Because, what? Did he think he could kiss herlike thatand she’d go running to him like some lovesick Bollywood heroine? No. Just because her body responded to him that way did not mean that they should be together. That was just biology. Though she didn’t melt like that when Leo kissed her.Not at all.
Her phone buzzed and she was startled from her thoughts. It was Ami.How was last night?The insinuation was loud and clear, even through text. She ignored it and rushed to catch a cab to Ami’s to change before class.
Maya hopped into the shower while Ami dealt with her toddler twin boys.Thank goodness for those mischief-makers!She dressed quickly so as to make a getaway, but Ami cornered her while she was doing her makeup. There was no way to lie when Ami turned her “truth serum” stare your way.
“What do you mean, he kissed you?” Ami almost screeched, her eyes wide.
Maya slipped on her clogs and grabbed her backpack. “I have to get to class.” She walked past Ami and out into the small living area. Manhattan apartments were tiny, which Maya had always loved, but today, she needed a place to hide. And there was nowhere to go. Not if Ami had a say.
“Well, did he say anything?”
“What happened to the little monsters?” Maya looked around as if finding the twins was her life’s ambition.
“Ajay took them to soccer.” Ami was still in flannel pajamas, wearing her thick-rimmed glasses, with her hair up in a messy bun. There was egg stuck to her shirt and possibly ketchup splatter on her bottoms, but with her arms folded across her chest like that, she was as intimidating as any courtroom lawyer. “Maya! What is happening?”
Maya dropped her backpack and busied herself pouring coffee into a to-go cup, in an attempt to avoid Ami’s stare down. The warm scent of the coffee was comforting (she had roasted the grounds at her own shop, after all!), but she knew that if she didn’t answer her friend’s questions, she’d never get to class. “He said... I don’t know what he said. He can’t just kiss me and think I’ll come running. I mean what does that mean, anyway?”
“What doeswhatmean?” An expression of sheer confusion colored Ami’s face.
“I can’t...” Maya shook her head.
“You kissed him back!” She pointed a finger at Maya and covered her gaping mouth with her other hand.
Maya looked away, but a smile poked through her grimace.
“And you liked it!”
“No! No, I did not.” A flush warmed her face as her traitorous body revealed her lie.
“You are such a liar! Well, he sure as hell took his time, didn’t he?” She giggled. “So what’s the problem?”
“You’re the one who told me to go on with my life and date and blah-blah-blah.”
“True. But that was when Sam was being an ass.” Ami started to gather breakfast dishes and pile them in her sink. Maya started to wash them.
“I’m seeing someone, remember?”
“Leave the dishes, Maya.” Ami waved her hand and butted Maya out of the way. “So you’re in love with Leo?” Ami’s eyebrows shot high into her forehead.
“Leo is easy.” Maya stepped back and picked up her backpack again.
“Because you don’t love him. So you have nothing to lose. With Sam, you stand to lose everything.” Ami turned off the water and gave Maya her full attention.
“I can’t do that again.” Maya shook her head against the prickle of tears behind her eyes.
“Maya—there are no guarantees—but I do know that every man is not your father. Sam is a good man. That’s why you fell for him in the first place. Trust your heart.” Ami’s voice was soft, yet firm. The way it had been when she’d told Maya that having a baby was a good thing.
