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Except her.
She was sitting in the distance, as far away from Toby as possible, simply so she could watch him with no one noticing. Why did her very own caterpillar have to turn into a breathtaking butterfly?
His blue eyes danced in the firelight as he laughed and talked with his family. There was a deep connection between all of them – and always had been. That spark in him that used to make her feel uncomfortable when she was younger was now something she understood.
She was attracted to him – and always had been.
“Why don’t you attempt to talk to him?” her mother began, walking up behind her.
“Mom, it’s nothing. We’re good.”
“Somehow, I don’t think that’s accurate…”
“It’s fine.”
“You sound like your father,” her mother muttered, pulling up a chair and sitting beside her. “Let me tell you for a fact that taking things slow gives you a chance to learn who you are and savor the feelings that are growing within you… but to the other person?” her mom hesitated, before smiling wryly. “It’s irritating as could be and kinda pisses them off.”
“What?” Samantha turned to look at her mother’s blunt words in shock and surprise. The older woman smiled at her sheepishly and shrugged.
“Sorry, it’s true. I waited forever for your dad to be brave enough to make the first step – and your uncle was always there causing problems. It wasn’t until we were much older that we started talking.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Because it didn’t matter once we finally decided to take matters into our own hands, despite my brother’s protests.”
“Uncle Hunter didn’t want you to date Daddy?”
“Threatened to throw him into oncoming traffic when he found out your daddy snuck a kiss back in high school…”
“You have got to be kidding me,” Samantha gaped, stunned. “Daddy threated to beat up Toby for the exact same thing years ago.”
“Because he knows how that story ends and it doesn’t sit well that his beautiful baby girl is now a grown woman,” her mother whispered, brushing back Samantha’s hair and touching her cheek.
“You are so much like your dad sometimes, but every once in a while? I see a bit of me hiding in there…”
They smiled at each other knowingly.
Samantha had always been a ‘Daddy’s girl’. A lot of photographs were the two of them at softball practice, soccer practice, her graduation, and even painting her new office. The two were inseparable sometimes… unless it came to Toby Saxon.
“This bothers him because he thinks he’s going to lose me, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah,” her mom whispered, nodding, her eyes shiny with tears. “Your daddy has always been a gentle man with a big heart. I think he would move mountains for you - if you asked him to.”
Samantha looked at Toby in the distance and sighed heavily.
“I think all of that is past now and he has nothing to worry about,” Samantha uttered in defeat.
“I don’t think so, baby…” she smiled ruefully. “I just found out Toby’s call sign from his mother.”
“What is it?”
“Let’s just say you should definitely ask him out.”
“Me?”
“Yup,” her mother nodded. “Don’t wait for time to pass you by, because it goes by so quickly. Take your own chances, make your own decisions, and there is nothing wrong with being friends – but what if there is so much more, my beautiful, brave, adventurous girl?”
“Mom, you’re the best…”
