Leave The City (Book 8 of Adopted by the Josephs)

71. Jenna

Samantha was in good spirits as we drove back to Brendon and Sarah's. I loved watching Dylan wrap his fingers around hers. It looked so natural and so... right. I smiled. Dylan is just fantastic. Like Tyler said, if Sam would let us pick a boyfriend for her, it'd be someone like Dylan. Whatever there's between them, it's organic and not forced. They fit. It's right. Tyler and I sat in the back as we drove home. Because in this scenario, we were the guests. Samantha had offered me the front seat, but I declined. I would be fine in the back seat for a few minutes.

Back at the house, as soon as we pulled up, Brendon and Sarah were out front with the girls who were excited to see their sister back home. As soon as the car stopped, and as Sam was opening her door, they came running up to her waving paper in her face.

"Sammy! Sammy! You're home! I maked you a card!" Rosie shouted.

"Me too Sammy! I makeded you a card too!" Junie was jumping up and down beside Rosie, hoping to get Sammy's attention.

"Wow! I get two cards? How lucky am I?" Sam smiled at both her sisters. She looked only at the front of them both. Rosie had drawn flowers and a stick figure that was supposed to be Sam, apparently, and Junie had drawn scribbles that could conceivably be flowers and the typical two year old's version of a person, but with one leg.

"These are the best cards I have ever seen!" Sam gushed as she took both their hands and headed towards the house. "Have you guys thought of selling your designs to card companies? These are so great!"

Both girls were beaming with pride.

"Read mine!" Rosie insisted.

"I'm going to read them both, but how about we go inside so I can sit down and really absorb the thoughts and feelings you put into them?"

Ever the peacemaker, Sam was able to get both girls to calm down just enough.

"Welcome home, sweetheart," Sarah said to her as we got to the door. She wrapped Sam in a hug, only to have Brendon pull her away and hug her himself.

"So glad you're home," he said.

She hugged both tightly and, smiling, led her sisters into the house.

Tyler, Dylan, Brendon and Sarah, and I followed our three kids into the house.

The baby kicked just then, too.

"You're happy Sam's out of the hospital too, aren't you?" I asked the baby. He rewarded me by rolling over. Definitely an odd feeling.

Once we got into the house, Sam was already in the living room with the girls. They sat on the couch, Junie and Rosie flanking Samantha.

"Read mine first," Rosie insisted.

"No! Me first!" Junie said.

"It was my idea, Junie. And I'm older. Sammy reads mine first!" Rosie argued.

"I want Sammy reads mine first!" Junie whined.

"How about this," Sam said putting one card on top of the other and turning them over. "I'm going to switch them back and forth so I won't know whose is whose. And then I'll read the first upside down one. Okay?"

Rosie pondered that for a second and Junie looked between Rosie and Sam. If Rosie agreed, no doubt Junie would, too.

"Okay, Sammy," Rosie smiled.

"Okay Sammy!" Junie cheered.

I smiled watching my 18 year old with my two and four year old. The relationship between the three of them was just so special and amazing. Sam never tired of her sisters, never complained they were annoying or interfering. She didn't even complain when they'd started squabbling over a toy while she was trying to do homework. The only time I had ever heard Samantha raise her voice at either of her sisters was when she'd yelled at Rosie in the aftermath of the amputation. But Sam wasn't in a good place herself, and eventually she recognized she'd been mean to her sister and apologized.