Page 30 of Scoop Me Up (Love in Maplewood #7)

Gabe

The week moved quickly and soon we were facing down the final day before the grand opening of Scoops on Maple.

I woke to the soft sounds of birds singing outside my window and rolled to my side before remembering Sam had slipped out of my bed and back to their bedroom after our late-night activities the evening prior.

It was becoming our routine, but something was missing and I knew it.

I didn’t want to wake up without Sam in my bed any longer.

It had been a week since I’d told Sam I was staying and I felt more and more confident in the decision every day.

I’d convinced my landlord to let me terminate my lease early, pending my finding a place in Maplewood to live, and Miles and I had been hunting for rental properties ever since.

There was one big task to accomplish still and that was talking to Ellie.

A little over an hour later, I picked up Ellie from her mom’s house and we walked together to Red’s for breakfast. As always, we sat at the Formica counter, her little legs swinging as she pursed her lips and studied the menu.

After a few moments of consideration, she looked up at me with her wide, blue eyes. “Daddy, can I get pancakes?”

“Of course, Bug. Anything else?”

“Bacon,” she said with a nod.

Mickey swung by and took our order—bacon and pancakes for Ellie, over-medium eggs and toast for me—and when that was done, I turned to face Ellie, who was coloring.

“Bug, can we talk about something?”

Ellie stopped coloring and put her crayons down. “What’s wrong, Daddy?”

“Nothing’s wrong, Bug. I just wanted to…

run something by you.” She looked up at me, her gaze one of pure love and trust, and I worried that I was about to shatter something.

Jennifer had dated, but I hadn’t, and I had no clue how Ellie would handle me seeing someone she cared so much about. “You know Sam? I mean Mix?”

“Duh.”

I suppressed a chuckle. Of course she knew them. What had I been thinking? “Well, I really like Mix.”

“Me too. They let me help at the ice cream shop and they taught me all about making ice cream and reading.”

“That’s great, baby. I’m glad you like them. Because… well, you know how Mommy had a boyfriend?”

Ellie nodded solemnly. “They broke up.”

I swallowed and nodded. “Yes. They did. Well, Mix and I… Mix is my…”

“Your they-friend?” She suggested with a frown, as if the word didn’t quite make sense.

“Exactly. A special, romantic friend. Does that make sense?”

“Okay.”

Mickey chose that moment to deliver our breakfast, his smirk impossible to miss. He was probably loving overhearing every uncomfortable word out of my mouth. He gave me a serious nod before leaving us to it.

“Are you okay with that? With me dating Mix?”

Ellie shoved a bite of pancake in her mouth and chewed for a moment. “Yeah. Can I call them Sam now?”

“Probably. I haven’t asked, but I don’t think they’d mind that.”

“And can I run the cash register?”

I coughed to cover up my laugh. “I don’t think you’re quite old enough for that. But you can definitely help out at the shop.”

“Are you going to live with them now? And get married?”

“I don’t know, Bug. It’s not that simple.”

She shrugged. “Okay.”

“Any other questions?”

“Are you in love with Sam?”

My face heated and I took a bite of egg to cover for myself while I tried to control my response. “I feel very strongly about them. Is that good enough for now?” I didn’t think it was appropriate to tell my elementary schooler that I was in love with someone before I told the person in question.

“Yeah. Daddy?”

I put my fork down and looked at her. “Yes?”

“I love you.”

I smiled, warmth spreading through me. “I love you too, Bug.” I hesitated once again. “And one more thing.”

She looked up at me with the most trusting eyes. I knew I never wanted to move away from this town, not if Ellie was still living in it.

“I’m moving to Maplewood.”

“Really?” When I nodded, she threw her arms around me in a tight hug.

After breakfast, I took Ellie home and headed back toward the shop, determined to help Sam with any last-minute preparations that needed to happen before the grand opening the next day.

On my way, as I passed in front of the vet clinic next door to the ice cream shop, I ran into Cooper, who stopped to chat.

“Hey, Coop,” I said warmly.

Cooper sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m worried about Sam,” he said without preamble.

“You are?”

He nodded. “I don’t want you to leave and break his heart.”

I held up a hand to stop him. “Not a chance. I’m moving here permanently.”

“For real?”

“Completely for real.”

He nodded thoughtfully before speaking again. “In that case, welcome to Maplewood. Vermont’s Queerest Town.”

I chuckled at the town slogan and nodded. “Thanks. I’m glad to be here. For as long as Sam will have me.”

“Just don’t go running back to Burlington, announcing you were really straight this whole time.”

I hesitated at that. I hadn’t really given much thought to my sexuality or labels since I’d started seeing Sam. “Definitely not. I don’t think straight fits me so much anymore. Queer, I think, so I guess I fit right in.”

Cooper grinned, slow but wide. “I’ll remember that if anyone asks. Is that okay?”

“Be my guest,” I said. We chatted a few more minutes before Cooper had to leave, and I continued toward the shop.

I turned the corner and pulled the shop door open before stepping into the cool space, a welcome relief from the hot morning.

Above where the tiles stopped on the walls, they were brightly painted.

The ice cream case was shining and white, ready to be filled.

Behind the counter were rows of ice cream cups, boxes of cones, toppings, and a milkshake blender.

The main seating area was dotted with borrowed tables and chairs, thanks to the community rallying when I asked them for help.

I found Sam standing in the middle of it all, chatting with Mayor Axlerod.

“Sam, we’re all really proud of you,” she said as I crossed the floor to join the two of them.

Sam bashfully rubbed the back of their neck before looking back to the Mayor. “Thank you. I’m excited to see how this thing turns out.”

With a wide smile, she turned to me. “And you. I hear you’re Maplewood’s newest resident. Welcome to the town, officially.”

“Thanks,” I murmured. “I couldn’t be happier to be here.”

She turned to Sam again. “Have you given much thought to how you’re going to weather the winter with a new ice cream shop? Tourism doesn’t slow down, but ice cream consumption definitely will.”

“I was thinking about that. Hot chocolate would be a good addition to our menu, don’t you think? Mulled cider for the fall. Maybe even eggnog.”

“That sounds lovely. I was wondering… have you given any thought to s’mores?”

Sam’s brow dipped. “S’mores?”

“There are shops popping up here and there that are exclusively dedicated to s’mores. I learned about them at a conference I went to recently—there were two s’mores restaurants in that town alone!”

With a solemn nod, Sam smiled. “I’ll give it some serious consideration. I hadn’t thought of it, but it sounds clever.”

“Worth a try,” I suggested.

“Definitely worth a try.” Sam’s dark eyes sparkled as he agreed and I could tell the wheels of his brain were spinning and working already.

A few minutes later, thunder rumbled in the distance and the mayor glanced outside at the darkening sky. “Looks like a storm is coming. You two should head home before things get too nasty out.”

“Will do,” Sam said. A few minutes later, the mayor had left and Sam and I were alone. They turned to me. “You want to taste my newest flavor?”

“Seriously? Of course I do.”

“Let’s taste it before we leave.” They hurried back to the kitchen and returned with a pint of ice cream in an unmarked white container, a single spoon in their other hand.

We took a seat at one of the mismatched tables and Sam popped the lid off the pint.

Inside, the ice cream was white with swirls of white fluff and something red.

“What is it?”

Sam grinned. “Vanilla ice cream. Strawberry and marshmallow swirls.”

“Sounds amazing.”

“I hope so. I haven’t tasted it yet.” They dipped the spoon into the ice cream and passed me the first bite.

“You should go first.”

Sam shook their head. “It’s for you.”

My heart fluttered in my chest as I took the first bite, touched that Sam would create a special flavor and let me try it before they did. The ice cream was cold and creamy, a hint of vanilla before the flavors of strawberry jam and marshmallow hit my tongue.

“Too sweet?”

I shook my head. “Sam, this is incredible. I love it. You have to put it on the menu.”

“I’m glad you like it.” They bit their bottom lip and took a deep breath. “Ask me what it’s called.”

My eyebrows raised, I asked the question. “What did you name it?”

Sam’s dark eyes met mine and held my gaze, unwaveringly, and they dropped their voice to a low murmur. “Love You Berry Much.”

My stomach did a somersault, butterflies filling me. My throat was thick with emotion and I struggled to find the words to reply.

“I love you, Gabe. You don’t have to say it back. I know it’s fast. We’ve only known each other a couple of months. But… I love you. I do. And I needed you to know.”

I swallowed hard, taking a slow, shaky breath. “I love you too, Sam.”

They blinked rapidly, eyes shining, fighting back tears. After a moment, they leaned in and pressed a sweet kiss to my lips. When they pulled away, we both let out shaky laughs, overwhelmed with emotion.

Sam cleared their throat and nodded at the pint between us. “Can I taste it?”

I laughed again, giddy, body light and bubbly. “Of course.” I scooped up a spoonful and fed it to Sam gently. “What do you think?” I asked after a moment.

Sam nodded thoughtfully and took one of my hands in their own. “It’s good. It’s really good.”

We sat there for a long moment, just holding hands and enjoying the moment. Just as I was about to suggest we head home, the skies opened up, rain poured down, and a crash of thunder made us both jump.

I sighed. “Well… now what?”

Sam grinned mischievously. “I have one more thing to show you.”

I furrowed my brow. “If that was a sex joke…”

They laughed and shook their head. “Not this time. Come with me.” They stood and led the way, me trailing behind as we made our way past the counter, into the back of the shop, and to the locked door that led upstairs. Sam stood in front of the door, smiling widely, eyes bright. “Ready?”

“Sure,” I said, my tone skeptical.

Sam stuffed a hand into their pocket and withdrew a key, which they slid into the lock on the doorknob. A moment later, they swung the door open and held an arm out. “After you.”

“Please tell me you don’t expect us to wait out the storm in this dusty old apartment.”

They laughed again and shook their head. “Fine, I’ll lead the way.”

I followed Sam up the stairs, stopping when we reached the top. Sam stepped into the apartment, and held their arm out again, gesturing around. “Surprise.”

The apartment wasn’t the dusty, run-down place it had been when Sam had first leased the building. My breath caught in my throat. It was beautiful, better than I could’ve imagined. Everything was new—floors, paint, furniture, appliances. “Did… did the owner arrange this?”

Sam grinned and nodded. “The new owner wanted it done so they made it happen. They apparently told Miles there was no point in restoring the shop if we weren’t going to do the apartment at the same time.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I murmured.

“I didn’t want to get my hopes up. It was a decision that we made later in the process. And I didn’t want to make it a big deal.” They bit their bottom lip again. “There’s just one thing.”

“What’s that?”

Sam shifted from one foot to the other and then back again.

“There are two bedrooms here. I don’t need both, especially since the shop has an office of its own.

If you want… you could have the other one.

” When I didn’t answer immediately, Sam rushed on.

“You don’t have to. I know you have Miles helping you find your own place.

I just thought you might, I don’t know… want to move in with me? ”

My breath caught in my throat. It felt too good to be true. Sam loved me and wanted me to move in with them. I laughed a little nervously. “I’d love that.”

“You don’t think we’re moving too fast, do you?”

I shook my head. “Who cares? As long as it makes us both happy, there’s no timeline to follow. I do have one condition though.”

Sam's eyebrows shot up. “Yeah?”

“I’m not staying in the second bedroom. If we’re going to live together, I want to wake up to you in my arms every day.”

They nodded slowly. “I think that can be arranged.”