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Norma’s eyes were still red and puffy. She sniffled. “Do you love me, Sam?”
It wasn’t even a question he had to think about. It was also something he’d told Norma plenty. But it seemed that in this moment, the question was different than any he’d ever been asked before. And the answer would turn their life either right or left.
“Yes, I love you, Norma,” Sam said, his voice cracking. “With all my heart.”
She nodded, and new tears slipped down her face. Then she walked toward him and wrapped one arm about him, Olivia nestled between them. He wrapped both of his arms around his girls.
“I love you, too, Sam,” Norma whispered.
They’d both said the words before. Many times. But this time her words traveled from her heart to his heart, creating a bond as strong as steel. He tightened his hold and kissed the top of her head.
She released a sigh. “David left. He said he’ll be back tomorrow to meet Olivia, but he won’t be. I could see it in his eyes.”
She drew away and looked up. “I told him I’m in love with you and that our marriage is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I told him that Olivia is your daughter in every way that matters, and if David wants to be in her life, he’ll be like an uncle. For once, he took me seriously. For once, he heard the truth. And then he made false promises—ones that a child could see through.”
Sam ran his fingers over her cheek. “I’m sorry.”
Her eyes glimmered with tears, but her smile appeared. “Don’t be sorry. His rejection and cruelty led me to you, and you’re the best man in the world, Sam.”
His chest expanded with warmth and relief. “In the world, huh?”
She laughed softly. “In my world.”
He met her smile with a kiss, reveling in the sweetness that was everything Norma.
“I think we need to celebrate,” he said when he drew away.
One of her brows lifted. “Celebrate?”
“Yes, we’re celebrating our little family,” Sam declared. “We’re going out to eat.”
Norma’s forehead crinkled. “I don’t think Olivia’s ready for that. She’s not going to sit still at a restaurant table.”
“We’ll take her to the diner,” Sam said. “Introduce her to the place it all started. If she can’t keep her manners, then we’ll box up the food and bring it home. Have a picnic, and she can babble to her heart’s content.”
Norma’s smile widened. “I love you, Sam Davis.”
“And I love you, dear Norma.”
1981
THE RINGING OF THE PHONE awakened Anita from a dream that fled her mind instantly. She sat up, disoriented, trying to figure out why it was still dark. The clock radio next to her bed said it was only five thirty in the morning. So that’s why it was dark, but who was calling?
She scrambled to get out of bed to answer the phone before its ringing awakened Carly.
“Hello?” she said, her voice a scratch.
“Anita,” the man said on the other end of the line, “I’m glad I caught you. I know it’s early, but—”
Every word of Bobby’s was like an ice cube down her back. “Don’t you dare cancel on Carly,” she broke in.
“Look,” he said on a heavy sigh, “I don’t have a choice. It’s a work thing, but I’ll be back in a few days. So I’ll call you up and put together another time.”
Anita’s grip tightened on the receiver. She could try to believe the man, but her knotted stomach told her she’d be lying to herself. “Bobby, if you don’t show up tonight, then don’t show up at all.”
“Hey, that’s not fair,” he said, his tone defensive. “We’re turning over a new leaf, remember? Things happen, and we have to adjust—”
“You’re getting back together with Gloria, aren’t you?”
