A second Chance
Chapter 6 - Sarah Swarek
He knew she was nervous. Andy had only met Sarah Swarek once before, when she stopped by at the station one time. Before all the crap went down. Before Jerry, before holding a bomb. Before all of that. At that point, Sarah didn`t even know that her brother had a girlfriend, so you could imagine the awkwardness that filled the room when Andy introduced herself to Sarah - as Sam`s girlfriend.
That was in the past. This - is the future, and they are embracing it with the most open arms. Starting with Lilly Swarek`s sixth birthday. Uncle Sam wouldn`t miss that for the world, and it was a written deal that Andy would come too (according to Sarah).
He figured he would give her an hour to cool her jets, get her emotions under control and her nerves tied up before he spoke. Who was he kidding? This is Andy McNally, who`s allergic to silence. Ten minutes on the road and she broke.
"What if she really doesn't like me Sam? I mean, I have to sell myself in to not only her, but three kids and your brother in law. How am I gonna do that huh?"
"Andy, relax... They will love you. I love you, and they will too. And you won`t need to sell yourself in. Those rug rats will probably attack you at first, study you, ask all the questions kids ask, and then... they`ll lose interest pretty fast. Believe me. Sarah will try to bond with you. Steal you away every now and then, ask what your intensions are with me... I`m kidding sweetheart. She won`t do that last part. But everything else... pretty much"
Andy let out a deep breath. "Should I bring her flowers or something? I probably should..."
Sam shook his head. "She is not that kind of woman. She can`t keep a plant alive more than you can, so there is really not a point".
"Really? What about that green one in the window I brought from my apartment?"
Sam made a quick glance at her between traffic stops. "Andy, that one is fake. Of course it`s still alive, and by the time we`re eighty years old, it will still be alive. Sorry", he smirked.
She giggled, because despite being tensed up by nerves and what not, he did make her feel a little bit at ease.
Once outside Sarah`s house, and Andy didn`t show any signs of getting out of the car, Sam got out himself, started to unload the car and came around to the passenger side.
"You coming sweetheart? Do you need a minute or...?", he asked jokingly.
"No, no, I`m good. Let`s get this show started", she said nervously.
"Relax, it`ll be fine, okay?". Andy nodded, and waited for footsteps towards the door as Sam knocked and walked in.
"Uncle Sam, Uncle Sam! You are slooow", eight year old Jackson said as he plunged towards his uncle.
"Hey buddy! How are you?". He gave Andy a quick smile before he bend down and picked up Lilly. "Hi, birthday girl, how`s the big six huh?"
"Uncle Sam, aren`t you being a little rude?" Lilly asked looking at Andy.
"Oh, sorry! Guys, this is my girlfriend Andy. Say hi Andy".
"Hi Andy", Jackson and Lilly said at the same time.
"Hi, nice to meet you guys. Happy birthday Lilly", Andy said back. Before she got to say anything else, she heard a woman call from further inside the house.
"There you guys are!", Sarah said as she appeared. "Kids have been waiting for you guys to come all morning", she said as she pulled her brother in for a hug. "And I can`t believe you have been hiding this one for so long", she complained as she smiled to Andy. "Andy, nice to see you again. Come in, please! I`ve got warm coffee on the pot", she said hugging Andy too.
Andy noticed a little girl placed in her mother's arms, that was looking at her. Big eyes, and the most adorable smile she had seen on a child.
She looked back at the girl and lightly touched her arm. "Hi, what`s your name?"
The girl`s smile grew even bigger as she held up four small fingers. "I`m Ella and I`m four years old", the girl could inform.
The adults giggles at her. "Hi Ella, I`m Andy and I`m twenty eight. I really like your dress".
"Thank you. You`re very pretty Andy", Ella said as she fought her way down from her mother`s arms. Andy`s heart started melting. "Thank you Ella. You are pretty too", she smiled patting Ella`s silky black hair.
From what Sam had told her about his family, she expected a lot of questions from the kids and his sister. What she didn`t expect was the youngest child placing her small hand in Andy`s on their way into the kitchen.
Like nothing else, little Ella led the way - Andy in hand. The look she saw being exchanged between the Swarek siblings as Ella took Andy`s hand, was something she would never forget. She knew she would fit perfectly in.
"So, you given up that apartment of yours yet Andy?", Sarah asked, hoping her brother had finally managed to get her under his roof).
"I did. Apparently, your brother wants to live with my mess", she joked.
"Good. He better".
"So, where is Jack?", Sam asked. "Oh, he`s working until five. It`s just us till then", Sarah smiled as she put a tray of sandwiches and a variety of nicely sliced fruits on the table. "Let`s eat!"
Andy kept sneaking glances in Sam`s direction throughout the entire meal, and she knew that Sarah had noticed the heart swelling looks she had given her boyfriend for the past hour, because the raised eyebrow and the smirky smile coming from Sarah Swarek - told her that little would go unnoticed.
And honestly, she couldn`t care less.
Because the sight of Sam Swarek surrounded by laughing and giggling kids, was something that her heart had never felt before. Like a new ticklish, bubbling feeling, she felt something more for the man in front of her, something she had yet to experience. Was it a new mature feeling of love? A feeling of expectance for the future? She couldn`t quit put her finger on it. Didn`t fully know what it was. What she did know - was that, this was something that wouldn`t go away any time soon, and she would go to hell and back to let him know exactly what she truly wanted. With him. Even though she didn`t know herself until this very second.
"Earth to Andy!", Sam called. She thought she heard her own name far away. When she heard it again, her head snapped out of wherever she had been the last... minutes?
"Sorry, what?", Andy managed to speak, noticing all eyes were on her. Five sets of dark brown eyes and dimples on full show, really seemed to get her attention.
"Where did you go sweetheart?", Sam asked jokingly as he tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "I, uh.. think I got lost for a bit actually. What were you saying again?".
"Yeah, seemed so. I said, who`s up for a game of fun outside?"
"We are, we are, come on Andy! Play ball with us!", Jackson and Lilly eagerly said.
"Yeah, of course. I love a game of fun". Before she managed to get up from the chair, she felt something... or someone tugging her dress. She looked down and met Ella`s exceptional adorable eyes. "I must go pee pee Andy", Ella said. A little caught off guard, Andy took Ella's hand.
"Ellibell", Sarah said. "I`m sure Andy would like to go outside. Come on". Ella stood still. Andy gave the girl a reassuring look. "Sarah, it`s okay. I really don`t mind. I`ll take her upstairs".
Sam and Sarah shared that look again. "Outside kids!", Sam said as he teasingly brushed them ahead of himself towards the patio door. However, when he discreetly saw Andy and little Ella walk hand in hand upstairs, he couldn`t help but get that look on his face. The kind of look where something or someone did a little to his heart. Because nothing went past Sarah Swarek unnoticed, she raised her eyebrow at her brother the minute she caught him staring after his girlfriend.
What? He mimicked back. Except blinking her eye, she said nothing back.
Coming from the upstairs bathroom, Andy could hear the noise(children laughter, dog barking and Uncle Sam demanding another shot at getting the ball in its goal) coming from the very much on going outdoor ballgame. Not sure of what they were walking out on - she didn`t hesitate scooping Ella up in her arms as the little girl raised her arms up, demanding to be lifted.
Once outside she sat down with Ella on a swing as she excitedly watched Sam Swarek interact with the kids in an full out ball game of fun.
"I know that look Andy", Sarah said teasingly as she sat down on the other swing next to them.
"What look? I don`t know where you`re getting at". She really didn`t want Sarah to know what she was thinking.
"No? well, let me tell you what I think", she started as she pushed her swing for some more speed.
Can`t wait to hear where this is going. What us she psychic? Good I hope not!
"I think...that you have this new, maybe unknown feeling when you watch my brother with those rug rats over there", Sarah said nodding her head towards the cheering players on the lawn. " You don`t think I have noticed the looks you two have given each other since the minute those little munchkins got a hold of you two, but I can promise you, nothing goes by me Andy", she smiled.
Those god damn dimples! How the hell do you ignore something like that?
"I even bet you guys have talked about it in the extend that my brother talks about these kind of things, and I think - correct me if I`m wrong... I think that you, without saying out loud, want to have my brother`s babies, because the way you look at him, and the way you`re not even considering giving back my sleeping child that is putting all her weight in your tired arms, you can`t stop thinking how it would have been for the two of you".
Wow! How the hell does she do that? She couldn`t be more right, if I told her either.
Not knowing what to say, Andy just looked down on the sleeping girl. "I uh...how... I mean -"
"It`s okay Andy. You don`t have to explain or defend anything. I`m a mother. I know these things. Honestly, I can`t blame you... Us Swarek`s have an impeccable way of getting underneath your skin. Right?"
Andy still didn`t know what the hell so say to that either. Who is this woman?
"Yeah, you`ve got that right. I... honestly?", she said to her... future sister in law? "It scares the crap out of me... I just got talked into moving all our crap under one roof, so it may not be today or tomorrow, or the next month... But we`ll definitely get there", Andy said as she took one more look over at her boyfriend(husband, baby-daddy). "We`ll definitely get there".
That was all Sarah Swarek wanted. To know that what his brother had with this incredible woman - was something even she couldn`t describe with good words. Nope.
Jepp, jepp. There you go. ;)