Page 170 of Nocere

"Alerts for what?"

"My birth mom getting released today."

"Oh." She shook her head. "No alerts for me, but Rebecca did text me to tell me. Ironically, my mom called me to see how you were as well. Are our moms friends now?"

I chuckled at her question and nodded. "I think so. Our post-fall safety plans turned them into friends."

"Really?" Ainsley asked while chomping on a jelly doughnut. "That's super cute."

"It really is." I smiled at Sam while lacing my fingers behind her neck. "Are you surprised?"

"Very." Sam nodded, her hands brushing up and down my sides. "My mom is usually less social."

"Sami." I cupped her face in my palms and she smiled at me.

"What, baby?"

"You make me happy."

"Do I?" Her maroon-hued lips curved into a smile.

"Yes. My good friend showing up within five minutes of learning something that she knew would upset me, and my girlfriend not long after that, how could I be anything less than happy about the people I have in my life right now?"

"Aww, Rosie. So cute." Ainsley snickered as she stood. "I'll leave you two alone, but only because I'm supposed to be in the meeting that I stole these doughnuts from." She scooped up the tray and wagged her brows at us. "Last chance."

I plucked a glazed one from her and Sam shook her head.

"Bye, lovelies. See you Saturday," she said before bolting.

"What's Saturday?" asked Sam before we shared a bite of the sugar bomb pinched between my fingers.

"Dinner at her house with Stella and everyone…"

"Do you want to go?"

I thought about her question, and decided to answer in Sam's best interest rather than my own. "Sure. It'll be smaller. Do you want to?"

"Only if you do," she said, then kissed me quickly. "C'mon, show me what your job is about."

"Really? It's a little boring…"

"Show me everything." She blew a raspberry against my neck and I squealed out my laughter.

Sam's mood seemed to take a huge turn around over the last few days, and my gratitude for her support soared with her presence. I wondered if she felt the same; if our support of one another changed the outcome of our reactions. "Thank you for coming here today," I said while showing her how I run crime analytics using the software application on my mega computer.

"Thank you for coming to the hospital when I needed you, and didn't even know I needed you," she whispered, her chin resting on my shoulder. Her statement solidified my suspicion, and I reached back to stroke her cheek while clicking through some numbers on the screen.

In that moment, I understood relationships a little better. I understood what it meant to not always be fifty-fifty with give and take, but that sometimes it would be a hundred-zero, or seventy-thirty, or whatever the situation needed in order to love and be together. Although my family and friends provided good support, only Sam's presence filled the vacancy in my heart. The longing for someone to share things with on a deeper level, someone whose gestures made me feel special and like I had a place in the world.

"Friday is Valentine's Day," she whispered against my cheek. "Will you go to dinner with me, Rosie? Somewhere special and quiet, with not a lot of people, I promise."

"Yes." I gulped as I turned to meet her gaze. "I'll go anywhere with you." The way she smiled met her eyes, and I knew that my acceptance became one of those hundred-zero moments. It meant something to her to share a dinner out and I would do it for her. I would do anything with her, and just that alone told me of my willingness to change, and our ability to grow together.

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