Page 53 of Without You, Scotch and Sammy 2

“Every time I look at her, I see the Sammy that I love.”

“Funny. I see the Soda that we all loved too. Just talk to her. She’s still the same chick, but she’s older and hotter now.”

I swear, I’d give anything for them to stop calling her Soda. And hot. I step back from him as memories wash over me, battering at me like waves on a rock and bruising my heart as I remember.

“And she’s still the girl who aborted my baby and left, even after I begged her not to.”

***

Luc and Ang walk away from the back parking lot and head toward their cars, and I stand in the snow for a minute more as Lily’s piercing cries fill the air.

At least it’s nearly midnight, so she’s still somewhat on routine. I stomp up the back stairs and dislodge snow and sludge from my boots, then I let myself in the door and wait for the heating to defrost me. It only takes a few minutes before Sammy wanders in shyly with a squeaking Lily in her arms. She peeks around corners and freezes when she spots me. Swallowing nervously, she gauges my mood, and I bite off my curse.

Luc’s right. I’ve got her scared, and I hate myself for being such a dick. There wasn’t a chance in hell high school me would treat her this way.

Sammy holds up a bottle of mixed formula as she stands nervously at the entrance to the kitchen. “I just need to warm this up, then I’ll get out of your way.”

I nod and step aside. “It’s fine. Kitchen’s all yours.”

I step around the far side of the table to allow her room to move, but she doesn’t. “I’m sorry I’ve made you uncomfortable in your own home, Sam.”

“It’s fi--”

“You stayed at your girlfriend’s house last night, and you tried to sneak in tonight. And now, you don’t feel comfortable in the same room as me.” She sighs in defeat. “I’ll make other arrangements for Lily and me tomorrow. I promise. We won’t be a problem for you anymore.”

My heart races in unreasonable panic. “You’re leaving again?”

“Not exactly. Not leaving town. I can’t risk Lily, so I still really need you. But we’ll make alternate living arrangements, and I’ll make this as easy on you as possible. There’s no reason why you should do this, but I’m really hopeful you still will.”

“I’ll still play along. It’s okay. The rest of her life is more important than something a couple kids shared for a year.”

She nods sadly and steps forward to deal with the bottle. “Yeah. She’s definitely more important. So, thank you.”

“It’s fine.”

She turns back to me as the bottle heats. “I’m done in the living room, if you want that space. We’re just gonna go to our room, and you won’t see me again until the morning.”

“You don’t have to hide away--”

“Tomorrow, I’ll get us back into the hotel for a few days, then since we’ll be here for the next couple months, I’ll see about finding a temporary apartment or something for us.”

“Luc would probably have you.”

I was only kidding, but Sammy’s eyes fire anyway. “That wasn’t… I’m not--”

“I was joking, relax.”

“Oh.” Her cheeks warm and a sweet blush flushes across her face. “I remember what happened when Marc thought Meg was friend shopping. I didn’t want to get into more trouble.”

I lean against the wall opposite hers and cross my ankles. “Meg… That’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. How’s she doing these days?”

The warmer beeps and Sammy turns away from me, but she shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t actually know. She and I haven’t really kept in touch.” She tests the warm milk on her arm, juggling the baby and the bottle awkwardly, but once she’s satisfied, she turns back toward the living room. I follow her in and watch as she awkwardly looks around the room.

“It’s okay, sit down. Feed her out here.”

Sammy nods shyly. Lowering gingerly onto the long couch, Lily’s squeaking turns up several notches as she begins chugging the formula.

“She’s married now.” When my eyes come up to hers, Sammy clarifies, “Meg is. Last I checked, she was married to a lawyer type.”

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