Page 83 of Anatomy of a Meet Cute
“You made it,” Sam said, holding her arms out wide as her brother wrapped her in a big familiar hug.
“Wouldn’t miss this for the world, little sister,” Isaiah called loudly, rocking her back and forth. Then, whispering, he added, “I heard you and Mom talked. Good for you.”
“Thanks,” Sam said, using the telepathic meaningful glances that siblings used to communicate an hour’s worth of words in one split second.
Is she mad?
No, Mom’s not upset.
Thank God. I was afraid.
Proud of you. Love you. Good job. Ahh, here they come!
“Samantha, this is really something,” her father said, pulling up even with the two of them and cutting the siblings’ nonconversation short. “I should’ve known you’d come out to California and do something like this. Look at you, a grown doctor in your white coat.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Sam said, shaking her head as she reached in to give him a hug.
Once he released her, Diana said, “I’m so impressed, sweetheart,” before crushing her in another hug. When she finally let go, she said, “And those are beautiful portraits.”
“Earnest, the doula with the green hair, took them. Turns out he has a real knack for photography. You two should chat.”
“You’ll have to introduce me.” Diana smiled.
The corner of Sam’s heart that was still tender from their discussion twinged, and she smiled back. It was a small gesture, but it reminded Sam of how far they had come in just a short time and how much further they could still go if they made an effort.
“He shouldn’t be too hard to find,” Sam said, leaning around the shield her brother’s height and broad shoulders provided so that she could see the rest of the room. She spotted Earnest easily, then flinched. Standing right next to him, smiling as if the sight of him hadn’t just knocked her world off its axis, was Grant.
In theory, nothing about him should have been special. The problem was that he’d had the nerve to show up looking handsome as ever. Objectively, Sam knew he looked the same as he always had—that same jawline with his brow gently furrowed in concentration as he triedto listen to whatever Earnest was saying over the din of the crowded room. In fact, compared to the first time she’d seen him, the white coat and basic black pants and button-up did almost nothing to show off his body. He didn’t even look tired or the least bit sad. Meanwhile, she was still recovering from an ice cream overdose and the kind of puffy eyes that were still sensitive to the touch because she’d cried them into oblivion.
Sam bit down on her bottom lip as anger curled around her, making her face hot and her palms sweaty. If he wasn’t even the slightest bit socially crushed over losing her, then he shouldn’t have ever had her in the first place. In fact—
Oh shit.Sam jerked her gaze around the room and prayed Grant hadn’t caught her staring. Taking a deep breath, she plastered a massive smile on her face as she spotted Kaiya and waved. Nodding to the person she was talking to, Kaiya started to walk over, unknowingly bailing Sam out of yet another jam. If Sam were Catholic, she would have single-handedly begun the process of trying to canonize Kaiya as a saint.
Turning back to her family, she said, “I can’t find Earnest, but there is someone else I want you to meet. Family, this is Kaiya Owens, one of the most incredible doulas I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Kaiya, this is my family.”
“Pleasure to meet you all,” Kaiya said, smiling at three people who seemed as awestruck by her as Sam was.
“Such an honor. Sam basically spammed the family text chain with articles about you,” Isaiah said, half grinning as he ribbed Sam. “It’s incredible what you’ve built here.”
“Your sister deserves just as much credit. I’ve never met someone more determined in my life. You should have seen the way she went after Dr.Franklin for this thing. I was scared she was gonna lose her job.” Kaiya smiled over at Sam. “Instead, she got this.”
“Determinedis such a nice way of sayingpigheaded,” her dad teased.
“Don’t give me that much credit. I think Dr.Franklin was just too busy to fire me.” Sam shook her head and chuckled. Catching sight of her watch, she gestured to her family and said, “Anyway, y’all should go grab a drink. The event is about to start, and I want to make sure you have something to toast with.”
“She just doesn’t want us to embarrass her anymore.” Her father held out his hand. “Thanks for watching over her. I know she really looks up to you.”
“It’s been my pleasure,” Kaiya said, shaking his hand, then turning to take her mother’s.
“So nice to meet you,” Diana said, giving Kaiya’s hand a squeeze. “I’m just so impressed with this.”
“Nice to meet you,” Isaiah said, nodding at Kaiya as he wrapped his arms around his parents and began steering them away with his typical big-brother affability.
“Your family is darling,” Kaiya said as soon as they were out of earshot. “Y’all are just cute. The Holbrooks are like an insurance commercial. All midwestern sincerity, fresh haircuts, and straight teeth.”
“I’m pretty sure that is just my dad’s naval experience rubbing off on the rest of us.” Sam giggled. “I don’t think any of us would iron our clothes if he weren’t around.”
“I’ll bet you still make your bed, though,” Kaiya said, a tell-me-I’m-wrong expression on her face.
