Mitchell's Power Play

Trying Again

MITCHELL

Sammy did actually respond to my text. It was waiting for me by the time I woke up the following morning. Granted it wasn't anything more than she was 'good but busy'. Not much to celebrate, but I just liked the fact that she wasn't ignoring me any longer. We started texting again, ever so slowly. Again, no earth-shattering revelations, but it was a step in the right direction.

Over the next few weeks, I was able to drag some information out of Nash so I knew Sammy wasn't lying about being busy. She'd gone to spend some time with her mom in Philadelphia the past couple of weekends. According to Nash, they had a rocky relationship where the mom only really bothered with Sammy when she needed something. I could understand that part better than most people.

Even with everything we had going on, I wasn't about to back off. I liked this girl. A lot. It had taken my persistence to get Sammy to text me back, but now we were communicating by text at least every other day. Sometimes more. It wasn't what I was hoping for, but we were getting there. And since she hadn't been able to come to me for dinner I decided to go to her.

By some miracle, we ended up getting a Friday night off last minute and Sammy didn't have any wedding cake orders for that Saturday so I knew she'd be home. I had actually overheard her telling Kennedy at the last dinner Nash and Kennedy had us over for, that she'd be home this weekend and how she was looking forward to a quiet night. I was all for a quiet night myself. So I packed a bag and set off for her apartment.

The funny thing about this was that Kennedy had totally called me out on trying to hide a girl from her. I'd expected that Nash would've been the one to lay into me about my secrecy but it was Kennedy at last Sunday's dinner. Nash and Sammy had been on clean-up duty in the kitchen while I sat with Kennedy on the couch. Nash had in normal fashion told her to take it easy and go sit. I'd jokingly said that I needed to take it easy too and rubbed my belly. That had earned me one of Sammy's fancy eye rolls, but at least she was smiling when she did it, and a snort from Nash.

"Yeah, you come sit with me, Mitch," Kennedy had said. I had jokingly given Nash the finger and his response had been to throw a dinner roll at me. Yeah, we were very mature sometimes.

"How are you feeling?" I asked Kennedy. "Tired of him yet?" I nodded my head towards where Nash was standing in the kitchen talking to Sammy.

She snorted out a laugh. "I'm alright but bored. So bored."

"I get that. Him keeping you under lock and key probably doesn't help."

She rolled her eyes similarly to how Sammy just did it, just not as elaborate. "You know I love him, Mitch, but you're right. Sometimes he treats me like I'm three years old and incapable of doing anything on my own."

"I hear that, but how are you really doing? Are you in pain? Uncomfortable?"

She tilted her head and studied me like she was surprised I wanted to know. "I'm not in pain, but definitely uncomfortable. I can't see my feet when I stand up. My fingers are so swollen I can't wear my wedding ring. I can barely wear shoes. My back hurts but the worst part is that I just want to do something."

I smiled. It was all getting to her. Thankfully this pregnancy was coming to an end very shortly.

"Any contractions yet?"

She shrugged her small shoulders. "Some Braxton Hicks ones, nothing significant."

I nodded, having no idea what it would feel like, but still trying to be supportive.

"How are you doing?" She asked, her blue eyes focused on me.

"Good."

Her lips thinned as she studied me. "How are you really doing?" she said then, mimicking my words from earlier.