by Mona Shroff
Samantha gaped at her, anger blazing in her eyes. It was Maya’s turn to stay firm. She tossed the crumpled flower and stood. “Tell you what, since you’re all done painting, you can work on making these flowers. Might as well make the best use of that suspension.”
“Are you saying he’s not my dad?”
“I’m saying Mr. Hutcherson has agreed to help us so that you won’t have a record, and for that, we should be grateful.” She inhaled, summoning the strength to remain calm.
“You’re not answering the question.”
“Listen, we’ve done fine without your dad all these years, and we’ll continue to be fine without him. I’m done with this conversation.” Maya put on her best “stern mother” expression. “Get the flowers done. I’m going for a swim.”
Samantha glared at her but remained silent as she snatched up clean gloves and started work on the gum paste flowers. Maya sighed and grabbed the keys to the van.
“Well, you needed him now, didn’t you?” Samantha mumbled, just loud enough for her to hear.
Maya pretended she hadn’t heard as she let the door slam behind her. This was far from being over.
CHAPTER TWELVE
SAM
Maryland, 1996
THE LIGHT WAS still on at Sam’s parents’ house when he pulled into the driveway after the concert. He inhaled Maya’s lingering floral scent. He could still feel her lips on his, and the way her body had shaken as she’d faced off with her uncle. Maybe he should go back and check on her. That phone call in the morning with her mother was going to suck. He knew Maya’s mother was going to forbid her to see him. What if Maya listened to her mother? His stomach clenched at just the thought. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t.
“Here he is.” John Hutcherson lowered the volume on his game as Sam entered.
“Hey, Dad.” Sam sat down in his seat, giving wide berth to the middle cushion. No one sat there anymore. It was Arjun’s seat. “Mom.” He ran a hand through his hair.
His dad was comfortably ensconced in his chair, while his mother curled up at her end of the sofa, reading under a lamp.
“How was your date?” John studied Sam’s face.
“My date? My date was amazing. She is amazing.”
“So what’s the problem?” John took off his glasses. His mother looked over her own half eyeglasses at her son.
“Her family is—very conservative Indian.”
John side-eyed his wife. “I’ve been there.”
Sam’s mother shook her head. “Oh, come now, John. I took care of my family. And now they love you and Monica.”
Sam’s thoughts wandered back to Maya and their kiss, and the look on her uncle’s face when he’d seen them.
“Sam. Sam, where are you?” There was a twinkle in his father’s eye and a smirk on his face.
“Right here, Dad.”
“Your mother asked who the girl is.”
Sam flushed a bit as his father studied his face. “Her uncle is Deepak Shah, the cardiologist I asked you about,” he said. “Her name is Maya.”
His father’s eyes crinkled as he began to chuckle. Sam looked at him, surprised. “What’s so funny?”
“You.” He shook his head at his son and turned to his wife. “Our son is in love.”
His mother deepened the wrinkle in her brow. “What? How could you possibly know that?” Hema Hutcherson still had her Indian accent, so her Ws sometimes came out as Vs, and this was the source of more than one joke in their family.
“Besides, how many times have you seen her, anyway? You’ve had two dates?” She frowned. “That’s nothing.”
“Dad said he knew the first time he met you.” Sam turned to his father for support.
John’s support and enthusiasm were apparent from his vigorous nod. “That’s true.”
Sam’s mother rolled her eyes at them both, but Sam caught her blush and winked at his dad. She waved her hand at the both of them. “Crazy.”
“Ma, she’s Ben and Niki’s summer nanny. Monica-mami told you, remember? I see her every day at your brother’s house.” And he hoped he would still be able to after Maya spoke to her mother.
Hema frowned. “That baker’s daughter?”
Sam ignored the frown and managed to smile at his mother. “She’s been to culinary school, and she’s going to be a pastry chef,” he said, pleased with himself.
John chortled and looked back at his wife. “Oh, yeah. He’s done for.”
Sam considered again the wisdom of going back to see Maya tonight. No, he’d be better off waiting until work tomorrow. She had to go to work, right? The thought of losing what he only just gained prevented him from noticing his mother’s continued frown as she put her glasses back on and returned to her book.
* * *
SAM ARRIVED EARLY to his uncle’s house to wait for Maya. He hadn’t really slept, so getting there early was easy. He brewed coffee and worked on the tiling while he waited. He kept checking his watch, but the minutes passed slowly.
“Sam?” Sudhir-mama called out to him.
“In the bathroom.” Sam stepped down from the ladder as Sudhir-mama entered. He’d been working for an hour that felt like a whole day and had successfully placed all of two tiles.
“Maya just called.”
Sam’s stomach plummeted. “Yeah?”
“She’s running late. Can you hold down the fort with the kids until she gets here? I have a meeting in half an hour, and Monica left already. They won’t be up for a while.”
“Yeah, sure. No problem.” Sam started back up the ladder.
“Is everything okay, Sammy?” His uncle glanced at the two tiles.
Sam shrugged, ignoring his uncle’s gaze. “Yeah. Everything’s fine.”
“Okay.” Sudhir-mama furrowed his brow. “You just seem... I’ve never seen you like this before.”
You mean you’ve never seen a man wait to find out whether the love of his life might leave him because her mother was making her?
“I’m good.” Sam picked up a random tool and had no idea what to do with it.
“Okay.” Sudhir-mama eyed the tool. “Not sure why you need a screwdriver to tile, but you go for it.”
“Sure thing.” Sam came down the ladder.
“Let me know if the kids are a problem.”
“Uh-huh.”
Sam continued working for the next hour. Just as he debated getting the kids ready to go with him to Maya’s uncle’s house, he heard a car pull up. He washed up and waited in the kitchen. Sam poured two cups of coffee, adding just a splash of cream to Maya’s.
Maya rushed into the kitchen, and looked startled when she saw him standing there. “You’re here early. I didn’t think...”
He grinned with an ease he did not feel. “Of course I’m here. Somebody has to do your job when you show up late.” His relief at seeing her had him almost giddy. But her eyes were swollen and red, her hair was trapped in its ponytail and she was fidgeting.
She shook her head. “Of course, the kids, and the tiling...of course you’d be here.” She faked a smile, but it didn’t hide the question in her face.
“Maya, I’m here early because I didn’t think it was a good idea for me to come over to your uncle’s house. But if you hadn’t shown up, I was coming to get to you.”
“Oh, I thought...after last night...you wouldn’t want...” She threw her hands up. “I mean... Deepak-mama’s unreasonably strict, but he’s just doing what he thinks my mom would want...”
He crossed the room and was by her side in an instant. “You thought I’d bail because Deepak-mama glared at me?” He couldn’t believe Maya thought there could ever be a reason he wouldn’t want to be with her.
She met his question with a small shrug and big, questioning eyes. “It’s not easy, going out with me.”
“Th
at is true.” He cupped her face in his hand. “But since it took me weeks to get you to go out with me, I can’t waste all that work.”
A small giggle escaped and her body relaxed. “True, you did beg.”
Her laughter calmed the storm within him. “Persistent. I was persistent.” Sam handed her the coffee. “Drink this. Tell me what happened.” Sam took her hand, enjoying the perfect fit of it in his. He led her to the sofa, and when she sat down, he pulled her legs onto his lap.
Maya sipped her coffee. “Perfect. How did you...?”
“I pay attention.”
Sam was rewarded with a small smile before she stared down into her coffee. “Sam—” she flicked her gaze at him before returning to her conversation with her coffee “—my mother has pretty much forbidden me to see you. Like, ever. Like I have to quit this job, ever.”
The roiling in his stomach returned with a vengeance. “She can’t do that...”
“Well, she can.” Maya lifted her chin, her lips forming a tight grimace, but her eyes blazed. “But I don’t have to listen. And that’s what I told her.” Her face brightened. “You have to understand—my mother was hurt very badly by my father. So her way of protecting me is to try to keep me from making her mistake. Which basically involves her deciding when and who I’ll be in a relationship with.” Maya paused for a sip of coffee. Her crooked smile took over her face.
“She wouldn’t pick me?” He smirked, already knowing the answer.
Maya shrugged. “I told her you were different. She insisted it was a mistake for me to be with you.”
“Maya, I would never do anything...”
“I know.” She brought his hand to her lips. “I told her you were my mistake to make.” She searched his face. “I don’t know where this is going, but—”
“I can’t give you up.” The words fell out of his mouth, but it was the truth.
“I can’t give you up, either.”
“What are you saying, Maya?” Sam had to hear her say it. His heart was quite literally paused, waiting for her to either push Play or Stop.
“I’m saying that I told her I was going to continue seeing you and that I wasn’t quitting my job, and that I would be home at the end of the summer, like we’d planned. She can’t keep me sheltered my whole life. She’s not happy with me.” Maya shrugged. “But she’ll deal.”
“Are you okay with that? I mean, you and your mom—you’re so close...”
“What’s the matter, Sam? Trying to get out of this?” Amusement colored her words.
Relief washed over Sam as he rested his hand on her face and leaned in and kissed her, picking up where they had left off the night before. A soft moan escaped Maya’s throat. He pulled back. “What do you think?”
“I think if you’re trying to get out of this, that kiss is not helping your case.”
“What about Deepak-mama?” Sam tucked back a flyaway lock of her hair.
Maya dismissed him with a wave. “He’ll do what my mom says. She told him to keep an eye on me. But apparently my cousin has a secret love life, too. So...whatever.”
“Why do I smell chlorine?”
“I went for a swim this morning after my mom called. It’s stress relief.”
Sam pulled Maya closer still, and pressed his lips to hers once again, and was rewarded with her ready response. The scent of chlorine on Maya was new, but not unwelcome. “So is this.”
“Eww. Sammy, are you kissing Maya?” Ben’s voice was filled with all the disgust his eight-year-old body could muster.
Sam groaned as Maya jumped back from him. “These interruptions have got to stop.”
* * *
AFTER WORK, AND after stealing a few more kisses with Maya when the kids weren’t looking, he made his way to the mall. Excitement put a bounce in his step as Sam realized he was taking his future into his own hands for the first time. He paused at the jewelry store, where glass cases gleamed with all things gold, silver and diamond. Sam absently fingered the coin in his pocket before walking in. There was no question. This was what he wanted.
He searched the cases until he found exactly what he was looking for. When Sam pointed out what he wanted to see, the jeweler paused and drew his gaze over Sam, taking in the worn jeans and old T-shirt. Sam did not waver; he simply met the jeweler’s gaze, and pointed again at what he was interested in.
“Tell me about it—” Sam scanned the jeweler’s nametag “—Charles.” He tapped his fingers on the glass while he waited.
Charles shrugged and opened the case. He appeared to be in his midforties, with a ready smile and slight question in his eyes. After an almost imperceptible hesitation, he spoke quietly. “Well, you have great taste,” he said. “On your first try, you picked a very high-quality diamond in an eighteen-karat gold setting, and at just shy of one karat, it’s a reasonably sized engagement ring.”
“How much?” Sam bit the inside of his cheek when he heard the price. He could probably squeeze in a few more goalie training sessions per week and finish his uncle’s remodel ahead of schedule so he could get another job. At his silence, the jeweler showed him a smaller ring, of lesser quality.
Sam shook his head at him. “No. It’s the first one. That’s the one.” Sam leaned his elbows on the case and spoke softly. “I’ll just need you hold it for a bit, until I can—”
Charles held up a hand to silence him. “Not a problem, son. We do it all the time.” Sam left his name along with a deposit and headed out, light and happy, on his way to see Maya.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
SAM
Maryland, 1996
“COME ON,” SAM SAID. “It’ll be fine. I promise.” He kissed the soft underside of her wrist to reassure her and spoke against her skin. “My parents don’t bite.”
“Yeah...” Maya’s hand went slack from his kiss, and goose bumps appeared on her arm. She shifted her gaze to the house. They were sitting in the Civic, in front of his parents’ house. Those honey eyes were—nervous. “I thought we were going to a game.”
“We are.” He loved the idea of being the one who gave her goose bumps, but right now didn’t seem the time. Instead, Sam squeezed her hand. “It’s just that...” He turned in the driver’s seat to face her. “It’s just that my dad really wants to meet you.”
Her brows knit together. “Why?”
“Why?” Sam chuckled. “Seriously?”
Her blank stare made it apparent she had no idea.
“Because.” Heat crept up his neck, but he ignored it. He cupped her cheek in his hand and focused on her eyes. “Because he knows I’m in love with you.”
Her small, lopsided grin made an appearance as she leaned her face into his hand. “What?” The word came out on a breath.
He knew she’d make him say it again. It didn’t matter: he’d say it as many times as it took. “I love you.”
She smiled at him for a moment before her face clouded over. “So, he wants to check me out? See if I’m good enough?” She was spewing words so fast, Sam had trouble keeping up. “Oh my God!” She pulled out of his reach, and covered her mouth with her hands. “So I’m like meeting-your-parents meeting your parents?” She turned on him. “You could have warned me!”
Sam stared at her, trying to figure out what was happening. Had she even heard what he said? She must have, because she was freaking out right now. “Maya.” Sam spoke as if he were trying to calm a cornered animal. “It’ll be fine. I love you. They’ll love you, too. I promise.” He took both of her hands between both of his and held them steady.
She nodded, her breathing became more even and she turned to look at the house. Sam released her hands, and she tucked a flyaway piece of hair behind her ear, revealing her jawline and neck. She bit her bottom lip. He couldn’t help himself. With a low groan, he leaned over and kissed the corner of her jaw, just below her ear.
He heard her gasp and felt her smile as she tilted her face close to his.
“You do deal with Deepak-mama every time you come over.”
He grinned into her cheek as he kissed her again. “Mmm-hmm. I do.” He felt more than saw her goose bumps, so he kissed her again, moving closer to her mouth.
“Sam...” Her breathless giggle only encouraged him to continue. He could feel her words on his mouth. “We’re sitting in front of your parents’ house!”
“So?” He held her gaze with his.
“So...” Her hands were soft and cool when she took his face in her hands and kissed his lips. Sam leaned over the gearshift to her side of the car and deepened their kiss, like a man starving for her. Which he was. Maybe they could skip the game...
Maya pulled away, leaving him wanting more. She closed her eyes as if summoning strength. “Okay, if you can do it, so can I.”
“Great.” He leaned over to continue their kiss.
She pulled back and rested her forehead on his. “Sam.”
“Mmm?”
“We really should go in.”
He really needed to be closer to her. He brought his mouth to hers and spoke against her lips. “I really do love you, you know.” He reached around to grab her by the waist and pull her to his side of the car, but she pulled away from him.
Maya bit her bottom lip again, putting him at arm’s length. Her eyes filled with mischief. “Well, good.”
Sam’s eyes widened as he shook his head back and forth. “Maya...”
She laughed and pushed him away. “Your parents are waiting.”
Sam groaned as he got out of the car and came around to open her door. He laced their fingers together and led her to the house. His father stood in the doorway just as they approached.
“Sammy!” His father greeted him with a jovial slap on the back and then turned his attention to Maya. “You must be Maya. Come in, please!” He stepped aside and proffered his arm. “Take my arm, young lady, I will introduce you to my lovely wife.” His father’s grin lit up his face as he turned to wink at Sam.
