Page 26 of When Love Is Unexpected

"I whispered, 'Hi, Katie'," Adam says.

"What?" I ask, completely confused. "That's it?"

"That's it," Adam says, smiling.

When I look at Katherine, her face is beaming.

"When I lean in," Adam says, "And I whisper something in her ear, nine times out of ten, it's just her name, 'Hi, Katie.'"

"It's the way he says it," Katherine says, smiling.

Oh, my goodness, she's blushing.

"No one calls me Katie but him, and in that one word, I found and continue to experience love, commitment, passion, and devotion from the man who changed my life forever. It melts my heart, and it makes me happy."

"Wow," I say, watching the spark between them ignite once again. It never fails. They're soulmates.

Chapter 6

Sam

After dinner, Laila drives me back to Loren's house.

"Do you want to come in?" I ask.

"Of course I do," she says. "I'll make us some coffee."

"So, you've told your family we're together?" Laila asks as soon as we sit on the couch.

"Yes," I say. "As far as they're concerned, you and I are in a long-distance relationship. We were friends when I left. We missed each other and realized our feelings were stronger than we thought."

"All of that is true," she says, "except for the relationship."

"You have stronger feelings for me?" I ask.

"I missed you," she says. "I was inconsolable for weeks."

"You never said anything when we spoke on the phone."

"What was I supposed to say?" she asks. "You chose to leave."

"One word from you would have made me stay."

"Well, I didn't know the magic word," she says. "Because you left, so fill me in. What word were you looking for exactly?"

"You're getting upset," I say.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," she says.

"I'm sorry," I say. "You were having more and more arguments with Eric the longer I stayed. You were going to have to choose between the two of us sooner or later."

"I would've chosen you," she says. "I would've chosen you."

"He was your boyfriend, Laila. I was just a friend, remember?"

"You know you're much more than a friend," she says but doesn't elaborate, and I don't push it.

I get up and go to the kitchen to pour each of us a cup of coffee.

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