Page 22 of When Love Is Unexpected

"He wasn't wrong about Adam or Aaron," Mom says, "and he's not wrong about Sam."

"You say it with such conviction, Mom," I say. "What am I missing?"

"Honey, we've been around longer. We sense things. We observe. We listen."

"So, what is it exactly that I'm missing according to you and Dad?"

"The fact that Sam is deeply in love with you."

My heart not only skips a beat but stops altogether. I feel like all the oxygen has just been sucked out of the room. And I feel like crying. Loren is the crier in the family. Not me!

"Mom, I don't know what to think or what I should think of your opinion."

"It's not an opinion, Laila. It's a fact."

"What am I supposed to do now? I'm having dinner with him, Adam, and Katherine. I'm going to San Diego with him for two months. What am I supposed to do with all this?"

"You're supposed to figure out whether or not you feel the same way."

I feel a panic attack coming on. My heart goes from not beating to pounding inside my chest. I feel my hands getting clammy, my mouth getting dry, and my armpits getting sweaty. This is not happening.

I put my head down between my legs and try to breathe through the sheer panic.

Mom laughs. The woman laughs. God, help me.

Five minutes later when I've calmed down, I ask again, "What do I do now?"

"Go to San Diego with the man who makes you melt," she says.

I scoff because I don't believe this is happening.

"What if you're wrong, Mom? What if I make a fool out of myself, and it all blows up in my face?"

"This plan you have to pretend to be in a relationship. Don't pretend."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"The moment you walk out that door tonight, believe that Sam is your boyfriend. Let him love you."

I'm not one for blushing—that's also Loren's department—but I feel the heat rising to my face, and I'm getting sweaty again. I'm going to need another shower.

"How do I do that?" I ask.

"Sweetheart, you're twenty-six years old. You've had two serious boyfriends, but you've never been in love. Until now."

"How do you know?" I ask.

"Because I know my daughters. The only thing that has ever mattered to you is med school, your career, your goals. That is until you met Sam. That's how your father and I knew you were falling."

"But I was in a relationship with Eric for over two years."

"True, but you started prioritizing your time with Sam over your time with Eric. Did you not realize that?"

"He helped me study," I say in my defense.

"Eric would have done the same," Mom says. “But you never gave him a chance. When Eric called, you'd say, 'I don't have time; I need to study.' When Sam called, you'd say, 'I'm coming over. You can help me study.' There's something there, Laila. We all see it."

"Who's 'all?’" I ask.

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