Only You (Stevens Book 12)

Chapter 10

Shortly after they had finished eating, Sam had an emergency at the hospital. He kissed Mave, his girlfriend, goodbye and told her to keep the doors locked. Mave hadn't expected him to say such a thing, which unnerved her.

She had paced around the house until after midnight, then went to bed and attempted to sleep. After a few hours, she had given up. The negative thoughts and bad dreams had returned with a vengeance and, with them, the anxiety. She had seen a record player and some old records in the living room, and she thought some music might help. After a few minutes of indecision, she settled on an old Frank Sinatra record. Making herself a mug of tea, she opened the back doors and settled into a seat on the back porch, letting the music soothe her.

It brought back so many good memories of her aunts and uncles singing around the piano while the kids ran around, oblivious to the talent that surrounded them. She missed her grandparents and her Uncle Brian. The thought that she would never see them again made her unbelievably sad. The moonlight reflecting off the river, and the wind whispering through the trees added to the mood that came with reminiscing.

They only seemed to be together as a family lately when something sad happened. Mave's phone, which was resting next to her, rang, and she jumped. It was almost five o'clock in the morning. There were never any good phone calls at that time in the morning.

Picking it up, she saw that it was her mother.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Mave asked, putting her feet firmly on the ground before her and leaning forward.

"Do you want the good news or the bad first?" Alice Stevens asked.

"The bad news first, please?" The last time Mave had a phone call in the middle of the night was to tell her that Uncle Brian had passed, and it was eerie that it was what she had just been thinking about.

"There's been an accident."

Mave jumped out of her chair, tensed and waiting.

"Alistair and Katherine fell into a pit, and they're trapped. They think it's an old basement, but they're trying to determine exactly what's going on," Alice sounded distracted.

"Where?" Mave asked.

"The house in Kent." Alice covered the phone and said something to someone. "He's responding and said he only hit his head, but Katherine is unresponsive."

"What's the good news?" Mave said, falling heavily into her seat. Suddenly, her problems seemed to have gone on too long.

"Poppy's married," Alice said as if with a shrug. The older generation had to be tired of all the younger generations' secret romances. And to be fair, Mave's sister Beth had gotten married without telling anyone either, so it was a been there, done that scenario for Alice.

"How are Uncle Mason and Aunt Cassie handling it." Mave wished she was there.

"They seem all right; it's not as if it's odd for our family. How's Sam?"

Mave hadn't told her parents where she had gone, but they had known, and she saw no reason to hide it.

"He's good. He's at the hospital. There was an emergency."

"He's taking good care of you?" Alice asked urgently. Mave knew she was still worried about her.

"Yes, he is, and I had lunch with Aggie and Roark today. Aggie is eating everything in sight and is ready to pop. She's mad at Beth for making pregnancy look so easy." Mave smiled at the thought of the baby that was about to arrive.

"It was the same with me and Cassie. I carried well, and Cassie didn't. If she can't call us when the time comes, you will?" Alice asked.

"Yes, as soon as I know. Tell Aunt Cassie and Uncle Mason that I'll keep an eye on her."

"I will. Are you all right?" Alice asked tentatively, and Mave couldn't blame her for being hesitant.

"So much better, Mom. It was the right decision to come here. It's only been a few days, but the drive helped my confidence, and Sam makes everything better." Mave smiled and hoped her Mom could sense it.

"I'm glad." Alice still sounded worried.

"Mom, it's going to be fine. More good things are happening than bad. Alistair might have taken a tumble, but he's with Katherine, I'm here with Sam, Poppy met a man she loved enough to marry, and Aggie's baby is on the way." Mave looked up to see Sam standing in the doorway, watching her. He looked tired.

"Mom, I think it's important to tell you that I love Sam, and he loves me." Her eyes were trained on Sam as she said the words.

"I know, we all know." Alice sniffed and laughed at the same time.

"It's important that I say it," Mave admitted.

"I understand," Alice said. "I'll call you later?"

"Yes, please. Keep me updated on Alistair and Katherine."

They ended the call, and Mave patted the seat next to her, but Sam shook his head.

"I need a shower. What happened with Alistair? You said he took a tumble, and Poppy is married?"

"Yes, Katherine and Alistair fell into a pit where they are still trapped, and Alistair hit his head, and Poppy is married." Mave stood up, looking at Alistair with a frown.

"If it was any family but the Stevens family, I would be shocked, but your family seems to have more adventures and drama than almost every other family on the planet." His teasing words had no heart, which wasn't like him.

"What's wrong?" Mave stepped toward him.

Sam shook his head. "It was a rough night."

"Are you hungry? Can I make you something?" Mave took another step, ready to do that very thing if it was what he wanted.

He gave the shadow of a smile. "That didn't go well last time, and the last thing I need is to put out a fire." Again, there was no heart to his teasing.

It was apparent that he didn't want to share, so she responded as she usually would.

"I've never caught anything on fire before!" Mave insisted as she picked up her mug and moved into the house past Sam, who turned and locked the doors behind her.

Mave placed her mug in the sink and then turned to look at Sam. "Do you need a hug?" she asked.

"Yes," Sam nodded, and Mave rushed toward him, letting him pull her into his arms, where he held her tight. "I really needed to hear you tell your family that we love each other. Thank you for that."

Eventually, Sam showered and crawled into bed with Mave, where he pulled her close, but this time, she wasn't the one who needed the comfort; he was, and she was glad she could offer it to him.