Page 24 of Scoop Me Up (Love in Maplewood #7)

Gabe

I dropped Ellie off after a day of exploring and fun, intending to head straight home to Sam. Home , I thought. I like the sound of that. As I walked Ellie inside, though, it became apparent that Jennifer had other ideas.

“Gabe,” she called as I opened the front door. “Is that you?”

“Mommy!” Ellie ran into the living room to find her mom watching something on TV, a glass of tea next to her.

“Hi, Bug,” Jennifer said, hugging Ellie tight. “Did you have a good time today?”

Ellie nodded. “Can I go play in the backyard?”

“Of course.”

When Ellie was gone, Jennifer gestured to me. “Come sit.”

The urge to get back to Sam was strong, but I knew there was no real hurry, so I sat in the big, comfy chair and leaned forward. “What’s up?”

“Nothing much,” she said. “Just checking in. How are things going? You’ve been here almost a month.”

I shrugged, not sure how much I should tell her. “It’s great. I love spending all this time with Ellie.”

“And Sam.” She gave me a little smirk, one eyebrow raised.

With a little chuckle, I nodded, giving in. “And Sam.”

She reached out and put her hand on my arm. “I told you, you’re allowed to be happy. Chase this thing you’re feeling.”

“I’m trying,” I confessed.

“Have you thought any more about that job offer you told me about?”

“Yeah. I turned it down.”

“Gabe.” Her tone was one of surprise and she leaned back from me. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“But this was such a big opportunity for you. I thought you wanted a change.”

With a sigh, I shrugged again. “I did want a change. And then I came to Maplewood and got all the change I could handle.” I was quiet for a moment.

“I don’t want to miss seeing Ellie grow up just for a job.

They wanted me to move to DC. There will always be jobs out there.

For now, I want to be close to the people—the person—that matters most. Ellie.

” I cleared my throat, hoping she hadn’t noticed my slip.

“Are you—are you staying in Maplewood?”

“I want to.”

“Is that a yes?”

“I don’t know,” I confessed. “There’s a lot to think about.”

She squeezed my hand again. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You always do.”

“Thanks, Jen.”

Over the next week, Sam and I continued to share moments of quiet domesticity, and my decision to stay in Maplewood felt more and more certain.

We’d agreed not to make any decisions based off of one another, but that was in the beginning, when it was just a kiss.

We’d spent the past two weeks getting closer physically, too.

Would they want me to stay now that our relationship had started to develop?

Or were they looking forward to sending me back to Burlington in a few weeks?

Friday was the big day at school—Sam’s last day of teaching, and the read-and-math-a-thon, which honestly was just a big name for kids showing off the skills they’d strengthened in an hour-long open house at the school.

I’d agreed to volunteer, though, along with about a half dozen other parents, and I held up my end of the bargain.

I arrived at the school just after lunchtime and made my way to Sam’s classroom.

They waved me in and I found there were several other parents in the back of the classroom chatting amongst themselves as Sam gave students instructions. As I stepped in, Ellie lit up and shouted for me, waving furiously.

“Daddy!” She turned back to look at Sam. “Mix, it’s my daddy!”

Sam gave me a soft smile and nodded at Ellie before putting their finger to their lips, encouraging her to be quiet for just a bit longer. When they were ready to wrap up class, they clapped their hands together. “Okay, learners. Who’s ready to read?” The students cheered.

A few minutes later, I had my volunteer assignment and Ellie was leading me down the hall to the cafeteria where I would be selling snacks at the event.

I took a seat at the refreshment table next to a pink-haired parent I recognized—Felix Spring, whose kids were Elsa and Arya.

Ellie had held several playdates with them.

“Oh hi,” I said as I sat. “I’m not sure if you remember me. I’m Gabe. Ellie’s dad.” I nodded toward Ellie who had run off to talk to someone.

Felix nodded. “I remember. Good to see you again.”

We chatted as we sold baked goods and snacks to parents and students alike. At one point, Sam stopped by to check in on us.

“Everything good here?”

“A-OK,” I confirmed.

Sam put their hand on my shoulder and smiled. I wondered if it looked as casual as I knew he’d intended, or if it looked like more. “Great. Let me know if you two need anything at all.”

The moment Sam left, Felix gave me a little smirk. “Sam, huh?”

“Pardon?”

“I didn’t know you and Sam were a thing.”

“Oh,” I said in a hurry. “We’re not. I mean, we’re just friends. I stay at their house but that’s all. We’re not a thing .”

Felix’s eyebrows were raised and he nodded. “Sure.”

Heat flooding my cheeks, I prayed for the read-a-thon to end faster, partially to get myself the hell out of the line of fire, and partially because I wanted to get Sam home for a little relaxation of our own.

By the time another week had passed and Saturday had rolled around, Sam invited me to bring Ellie by the shop. They were going to be painting soon, they’d said, and they’d thought she would enjoy helping.

We arrived at the shop in the early afternoon, Ellie wearing her favorite “get messy” clothes.

When we entered the building, I was bowled over by the changes that had already been made.

It looked so fresh and modern. Light streamed in through the clean windows, giving the entire room an airy feel.

The ceiling was high, with exposed ductwork making the room look industrial.

The once-dingy floors were gleaming, the beautiful white countertops had been installed, subway tile lined the walls, and from where I stood, I could see that the kitchen equipment was slowly arriving as well.

Sam came from the kitchen, beaming when they saw us. “Hi, Ellie!”

I furrowed my brow in mock-confusion. “What am I, imitation maple?”

They snorted and shook their head. “I’d never call you that. You’re the real thing.”

My heart skipped a beat. Does that mean…

No, they’re just playing along with the joke.

Right? Before I could say anything else, or even formulate a response, I noticed Ellie had slipped off.

She’d found one of the painters and he was teaching her patiently how to dip the brush, wipe it off, and then swipe it along the wall to add color.

Ellie turned and smiled at me. “Look, Daddy! Look, Mix! I’m doing it!”

The smile on Sam’s face was soft and fond.

“You sure are, El.” They headed to Ellie to help and watch in equal measures, and as they stood there, working together, my chest tightened.

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Watching them felt too much like watching Jennifer with Ellie—with one major difference.

I’d loved Jennifer, but never with the ferocious intensity of emotion the way I felt about Sam.

I’d come to terms with the fact that I was in love with Sam, not that I’d told them that, yet.

Seeing them with my daughter though? It felt like we were all a little family.

I’d always thought I wanted a life like this someday. A family, someone to share my days and nights with, someone Ellie could be comfortable with. It seemed someday had come when I wasn’t paying attention.

We all helped for several hours before Ellie started to complain that she was hungry. “Daddy,” she said with a whine.

“Okay, Bug,” I conceded. “I’ll go get us some pizza. How does that sound?”

She jumped up and down. “Yes!”

“Good.” I ignored the urge to kiss Sam goodbye and headed out.

It took me about a half hour to order pizza on a mobile app, drive to a neighboring town to pick it up, and return, and when I came back, I had two boxes of pizza, steaming and ready to eat.

I had to admit, Ellie was right—it was dinnertime. I was starving too.

I entered the shop with the pizzas in hand and immediately heard laughter coming from the kitchen. I put the pizzas on the counter and called out to them. “Hello? Anyone hungry?”

“We’re in the back,” Sam called.

I made my way into the kitchen and around the corner until I found Sam and Ellie, paint smears and speckles on each of their faces. “What happened here?”

Ellie dissolved into giggles and looked at Sam, who just shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I left Ellie in charge and the next thing I know…”

She giggled harder and I shook my head, smiling at them both, my heart warmed by the sight. “Well, why don’t you two go get cleaned up and we’ll have pizza?”

“Pizza!” Ellie cheered.

Sam led Ellie to the bathroom so they could wash their hands and I put the pizzas out, along with bottles of water I’d gotten for everyone.

They returned and we all ate quietly, Sam and Ellie flatly refusing to tell me any more about what had led to the paint incident, both of them just looking at each other and laughing every time I asked.

As we finished eating, Ellie began to yawn and quiet down. I asked if she was okay and she just nodded.

“Want me to take you home, Bug?” I asked as she yawned again.

“Here,” Sam said. “I’ll carry her, and we can both walk her home.”

“You don’t have to do that,” I protested.

Sam shook his head. “It’s fine. I don’t mind it. Right, El?”

Ellie nodded and rubbed her eyes, so Sam scooped her up and let her rest her head on their shoulder.

As we walked back to Jennifer’s house, emotion rose in my throat, making it hard to swallow.

This is how it’s supposed to be, I thought.

And I never want to let it go. At Jennifer’s, Sam quietly tucked Ellie into her bed and read her a story while I watched from the doorway.

Jennifer came up behind me to watch as well.

“You really won the lottery,” she murmured, just loud enough for me to hear. “Don’t you dare let that one go.”

I looked back at her, tears pricking my eyes. “I’ll do my best not to.”

She nodded and patted me on the shoulder. “That’s all you can do.”

“Yeah,” I whispered, knowing it was damn near time to lay it all on the line, come what may.