Chapter 10-1

| April 28th | Sunday Afternoon| ~ Megan's POV ~ As I finish up organizing myself for this coming school week, Charlie seems to sense it and lifts her head in excitement. I close my laptop and check the time, seeing that Sam should be finishing up with the brunch shift at Crossroads and heading home any minute now. Shawn and Casey are coming over for dinner and I find myself looking forward to the company, excited that tomorrow is an off day for the students and a half-day for teachers. I feel my phone vibrate in my lap. Sam: On my way home! Megan: See you soon. I love you. Sam: I love you too <3 Now that Sam is heading home, I decide to start preparing lunch. Shawn and Casey would be here in about an hour. I preheat the oven and throw on something a little nicer than lounging clothes, fixing my makeup in the process. Then the front door opens, indicating Sam is home. I hear Charlie jump from the couch to greet her at the door. "Babe?" I hear her call. "In the bedroom!" I respond. Sam saunters in and leans casually on the doorframe and studies me in the silence. I feel my face flush with heat at the attention. She must've had a good morning at work, I think. "What?" I ask. "I can't just admire you?" she teases. I narrow my eyes. "What do you want?" She scoffs. "Why do you always think I want something?" We move closer together and her hands grab my waist to pull me into her for a kiss. Our lips meet and I smile into it when her hands travel down to my hips and stop just shy of my butt. "Sam..." I warn. "Shawn and Casey will be here soon." "We can make it quick," she whispers into my mouth. As much as I want to give in, it seems like it's my turn to be responsible. I place my hands on her chest to push her away from me and meet her gaze. Her shoulders shrug with disappointment, but she catches my drift. "Fine," she groans. "I just miss you." "I miss you, too." I pull away from her. "But I have to cook." "Want some help?" I raise my brow. "You don't wanna relax?" She shrugs. "I had a great shift and I'm not tired, so I don't see why not." Sam follows me to the kitchen, and we start preparing dinner. She pours me a glass of Chardonnay while we dance around the kitchen together, and I realize how much I had missed these moments. Things haven't been easy for us over the years, but moments like these make the struggle worth it. Once everything is pretty much done, Sam presses her front to my back and hugs around my stomach. I feel my chest light up when her lips press lovingly against the back of my neck where she plants a kiss. My body instinctively leans into her as she sways to the music playing in the background. "Do you think you can do this with me forever?" she asks quietly. I turn to face her, and I can tell she already knows my answer. Neither of us had anymore doubt in our minds about spending the rest of our lives together. Sam is just teasing me with the question. "I know I can do this with you forever," I answer as I drape my arms over her shoulders. I study her in this moment and take in her features. She's changed so much over the years, but watching it was so gradual. The way her eyes now glow and are no longer plagued by her trauma or past. Her confidence – and I mean her real confidence – now oozes from her like light from the sun. Sam is a magnificent person, she always has been, but she had just been buried underneath the debris of her pain. "What are you thinking?" I watch her lips whisper. "Just how far we've come," I answer honestly. "How far you've come." Her lips pull into a cocky smirk, but I know she's just teasing me again. "Yeah well, did you expect anything less?" She tilts her head. "Mama didn't raise no bitch." My eyes roll as I laugh and press my head into her shoulder. I take in her smell and savor it, remembering the times where I had thought I would lose her. There were too many, in my opinion, but there's this safety I feel with her now, a comforting feel that solidifies the fact that Sam's not going anywhere. That's when the front door opens and Casey walks in, Shawn following behind her in close pursuit. "Looks like we have perfect timing, huh?" Shawn jokes. I laugh at Sam's brother, recognizing that taunting smirk that seems to run in the Carson family. He and Casey approach us for hugs, Sam teasing her brother for letting his hair grow so long in the process. "Going for the surfer look?" she asks. "It's been a busy few months, okay?" Shawn answers. "No time for a haircut." "Plus, I kind of like the long hair," Casey admits. We laugh and settle into conversation while I ask if Shawn would like a drink. He accepts and follows me to see our selection. I hear Sam tell Casey something about there being two sobers in the house now. Casey rubs her stomach that's just starting to form a baby bump and I feel ecstatic and envious at the same time. We fall back into conversation in the living room while everyone catches up on what's been going on while we wait to eat closer to dinner time. "So, why have you been too busy to get a haircut?" Sam asks Shawn. "Well, my company is opening a branch in Jacksonville," Shawn informs. "I've been helping a lot with that because they-" He stops suddenly. Sam and I look at each other before looking back at Shawn. Casey shifts on the couch, like she knows why her husband is leaving something out. I feel a tension fill the room from the weird interaction. "Because they, what?" Sam presses. Shawn sighs. "Because they want me to run the branch whenever they open." I take in the information but realize that's... great? That would mean a lot for Shawn's career, not to mention a lot more financial stability. I don't see why he was so hesitant to tell us, that is, until I look over to Sam. She has this look on her face that worries me. "So, you're planning to move to Jacksonville?" Sam wonders. "Not for another year, at least," Shawn assures his sister. The thing about Shawn's announcement that has Sam so shaken up is the fact that Jacksonville is over three hours away. Shawn is one of Sam's pillars of support, and a very important one at that. Ever since his wedding, he's been there for Sam just as much as I have. The thought of him moving away from her again must trigger some of her abandonment issues. "Sam," he starts. "This will be okay." "Y-Yeah," she stutters. "I know. It's good. It's great for you and Casey and the baby." Then she stands from where she's sitting. "I'm starving. Is anyone else ready for dinner?" Shawn looks at me before he and Casey join Sam in the kitchen. We fix our plates and sit around our dining room table, but there's a tension I don't like. Sam does her best to power through her anxiety and dinner, but we all know she's worried. I can see the darkness fighting hard to take control, but she's gotten good at coping and dealing with it. Still, that doesn't mean she's perfect every time it happens. "So, when's the baby shower?" I ask Casey after a sip of wine. "I'm thinking sometime in July," Casey answers. "Around the end of my second trimester." "I'm so excited," I admit. "Any maternal feeling on what you think the sex it is?" "I don't know." Casey laughs and shrugs. "I mean, part of me feels it's a boy, but I don't want to focus too much on that, you know?"