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

93. Tyler

I couldn't stay still. I hadn't been able to sleep last night and now I was all over the place. Jenna just kept shaking her head at me and smiling.

"Tyler," she laughed as I checked my phone for the hundredth time. "Her flight is on time. We'll leave at three to go pick her up."

"I know. I know," I said, still practically vibrating. Samantha was coming home today for the summer. She had her graduation from South Columbus this weekend, and we had a party planned for her and her class after. And Dylan was coming to Ohio with Sam. 

Finally it was time to leave. Because we now have three little ones, Jenna would stay home with them and Debby would stay and help out while Josh came to the airport with me to help bring Sam and her luggage home. She was leaving some things back in LA since she would be going back in the fall for university.

Josh and I jumped into my truck and headed to the airport.

"I can't believe it's been almost a year," he said. "And I can't believe it's over and she's coming home!"

He was almost as excited as I was.

"Just for the summer, though," I said. "Though I tried to convince her to come to OSU.  Unfortunately, they don't have the program she wants."

We both sighed dramatically.

Once at the airport, Josh and I scoped out a parking spot and headed into the arrivals area.

I was bouncing on the balls of my feet watching travellers coming out of the luggage carousel area. I didn't see Sam. The flow of people turned into a trickle and still no Sam.  I was starting to get worried. When I saw paramedics go into the luggage area I started to panic. My phone vibrated and immediately I was on even higher alert worried that we were about to have a repeat of her first solo trip to LA where she'd had a seizure when she came home and it had started a nightmare week. With a shaking hand I pulled my phone out of my pocket.

"Hey Dad. The paramedics aren't for me! Don't worry!  We're waiting for our last bag. And we called 911," she texted. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's not Sam," I said to Josh, seeing the worry on his face, too. He'd had custody of Sam and Rosie for a couple of days during that nightmare week.

"Thank god!" He said.

"Dad!" I heard and turned back towards the doors the paramedics had just gone through. Samantha was running towards me, her arms outstretched.

"Sam!" I cried, crossing the distance between us and wrapping my arms tightly around her. "I was so worried! I saw paramedics go in and it made me think about..."

"I know. I know, Dad," Sam said, not yet letting go of me. "That's why I texted you right away when they came in. A guy on my flight had a heart attack I think, waiting for his luggage. As soon as I saw the paramedics I knew I needed to get out here fast anyway. Once I got my luggage."

"Where is your luggage?" I asked.

"Hi, Tyler," Dylan said, coming up with a luggage trolley and a huge smile on his face.

"Dylan!" I said, pulling him into a hug, too. "How are you?"

"Doing well, thanks," he grinned. I knew what he had planned this week and even I was having a hard time keeping quiet.

"String Bean!" Josh said, jumping in and hugging Samantha.

"Hi, Uncle Josh," she smiled as he kissed her head.

"I missed you!" He said, pulling her in for another hug.

"Me too," she smiled.

Josh said hello to Dylan, Dylan passed Sam her backpack and I took the luggage cart. Sam hadn't needed to bring everything home, since she was going back in a couple of months for school anyway. For now the plan was she would stay with Brendon and Sarah. I know she wants her independence and that she would like to try dorm life, but I just can't handle the thought of what would happen if she had a crisis in her room, possibly alone. So we compromised and she agreed to stay at Brendon and Sarah's and I agreed with her choice to go to UCLA.