You all must hate me for taking so long. I'm sorry. My life's been...well, it's been rough lately, to put it lightly. And, umm..so I sorta lied. New York happens in this chapter, but at the end. I guess I'm just really slow at build up. But, alas, no worries, it'll be all about it next chapter. But I sincerely hope you enjoy this one! It's shorter than usual, but I needed to post something for y'all.
"Are you serious?!" Sam said in an almost comical manner. Her indignance betraying the adult persona she was trying to give off. "MOM. DAD. I'm 14! I know how to behave. You don't have to sit me down and tell me to be good!"
"And that's not what we said. We know you know how to behave." Lucas answered not budging to her creeping attitude. One that was not because of any trauma, and so he would be as stern as he could be if she kept fighting them about this.
But Sam knew that these rules set for New York would put a damper on their plans to visit Tamara's mom.
"Or were you not listening?" His brow raised slightly.
Sam shook her head and crossed her arms in defiance, "I get it. Geez. I heard you."
Brooke sighed, "Samantha, we know you're 14. Dad and I are just trying to protect you. New York is not Tree Hill OR Southside. It's a big city and you've never been there. Apart from that, everyone knows who I am. The moment you step out and they find out who you are it'll be crazy."
"I bet Rebecca isn't making Liz be chaperoned wherever she goes." Sam mumbled, with narrowed eyes at her parents.
"Liz knows the city. That's been her home for 15 years." Lucas said matching her stare.
"And I can tell you with certainty that Rebecca doesn't allow her to go to certain parts. And it won't be that bad Samantha." Brooke added, "As long as you're out with one of us, Rebecca, or Liz then you're fine. But it can't just be Tamara and you because you both are strangers to New York." The mother resisted from rolling her eyes at their darling daughter's dramatics.
Sam brought her legs up to the couch and sat criss cross, "And I have to be back by 7 when I'm just out with Liz and Tamara." Sam pointed out unhappily. She then looked down, "Even though you guys are going to be out all hours of the fucking night." She grumbled.
"Hey." Brooke snapped.
Sam's head shot up, knowing she probably took it too far.
Her mother's eyes were glaring at her now, and her father was just shaking his head in disapproval.
"I thought I explained this to you."
"Well it doesn't mean I have to like it, do I?"
Brooke took a deep breath and counted to five before she did or said anything she'd regret. "No but you do have to understand it young lady. There will be late nights for me because of the work that I'll be doing. Your father is going to accompany me to some of the events. If you want you can come with us and stay up all those hours, though I can assure you, you'd hate it, considering that you can't sit still in my office for more than minutes at a time and you end up asleep by midnight anyway."
Sam pouted at that but knew it was true. She hated that her mom and dad had a point.
"Considering that you're not arguing with me about this, then I assume you know I'm right."
"Yes mother." Sam ground out.
Brooke ignored the bitterness in her daughter's words, "Good, then you will enjoy yourself with your friends and be back by 7pm. No exceptions. If an adult is home you can leave with them back into the city, but if not you will stay inside and occupy yourselves."
But for some reason, a reason that only a teenager will be able to explain, Sam decided to push her parents once more. "And what if I don't come back at 7?" She sat up now. I mean, what would they really do? Ground her? She could take it.
Her eyes narrowed, as did her dad's.
"Excuse me?" The irate Luke's tone was not one to mess with, too bad an equally irate teenager did not catch on to that clue.
"It's not like you'll be there to drag me back, right?"
Sam saw her dad's hand twitch and she swore that if she was near him her backside would've felt a swat or two. She was so glad both her parents smacked her bottom sparingly because it hurt! And not to mention the ultimate feeling of chastisement that came along with it. Ugh.
Luke took a deep breath then took out his phone and began dialing Peyton's number.
"What're you doing?" Sam asked nervously.
"Calling Peyton."
"Why?"
Luke stopped and looked up, "To see if she can stay with you because you're not coming with us Saturday holding that kind of attitude."
Both Brooke and Sam looked at him a bit shocked. After all, they had bought the ticket. Sam tried to see if he was bluffing. But as his phone hit his ear Sam gave up.
"Dad stop! Come on, chill. "
He raised his eyebrow.
Sam's face fell in resignation knowing she had lost this fight. "I'm sorry." Her voice softened, "I'll follow your rules."
He hung up the phone.
'Even if they are dumb.' Sam thought to herself.
Brooke sighed, "Go to your room Sam."
For a moment Sam thought Brooke had heard her thought. Stupid, it's in your mind, she said to herself.
"Wait, why?"
"You know better than to act the way you just did. Now, go. One of us will call you down. And leave your phone here."
The girl knowing she had pushed them both as far as possible with her attitude mumbled out a 'fine.' Though she hated being stuck in her room. She loved her room usually, but not when she was forced to stay there against her will. She wasn't dumb. It was the teenage version of a timeout. She bit her words back as she thought of telling them they might as well park her in the corner, but she wouldn't dare place that thought in her parent's minds. She wouldn't put it past them, especially the way her dad was looking at her at the moment.
Sam grumpily slid the phone on the table, then walked passed her parents making sure to cover up her backside slightly, you know...just in case.
Both watched her sulk her way upstairs, relief washing over when the door did not slam.
Luke turned to Brooke after dramatically falling onto the couch, "Silence Brooke. Do you hear it? Silence. No attitude in sight."
She scoffed, "Shut up."
"She got that from you." He smirked.
"Got what from me?"
"The ability to smart mouth her way into trouble. She has no filter sometimes."
"You have no proof that's from me!"
"We should put it to vote with everyone. Let's see who's right."
Brooke moved onto his lap, "Alright." She grumbled, "You might be right. "
"What's wrong with her?" Lucas wondered aloud.
Brooke sighed, "She's just being a teenager. I would've hated having rules if I was in New York for the first time too."
"It doesn't excuse the way she acted though."
"No. It doesn't. Which is why she's upstairs. She can pout and grumble to herself. "
Lucas pecked Brooke's lips, "I'll go talk to her in a bit."
"You're a great dad."
Lucas pouted a bit. "Well the little monster upstairs doesn't seem to think so."
Brooke shook her head and chuckled at the fact that Luke's feelings were so easily hurt by their daughter. A father's weak spot was always their little girl.
"I think the fact that she still likes to snuggle in her daddy's lap when we're watching tv is enough proof that she loves you."
Luke smiled, "You're right, I guess. I just wish she'd drop the attitude. It gets to me sometimes, you know?"
"I can't believe it."
"What?"
Brooke leaned in closer to him, "That Lucas Scott's weakness would be a 5 foot, one hundred pound girl."
"I actually have two weaknesses."
Brooke knew where this was going, "And what might the other be?"
"The hot girl sitting on top of me."
He breathed in and leaned into her neck, kissing it slowly, "Am I your weakness Brooke?"
"Mmmmhhhmmm." Her voice was breathless as she felt his hands rub up against her leg.
"God, I love you."
"Shut up and kiss me." Was all Brooke could say.
…. …. ….
Sam was staring up at her ceiling. She knew they'd have to risk getting into trouble the day they'd go and find Tamara's mom. But it would be worth it in her mind. Tamara would be able to see her mother. She internally wondered if telling her parents would help them in the end. Maybe it'd make this whole thing easier.
Sam suddenly felt like an idiot. Why had that not been their first choice again? There was the chance that they'd say no, but why not give it a try? And if they said no, well, then they'd resort to more...sneakier, tactics.
Sam opened up her computer and sent Tamara a Facebook message to see if she'd be okay with it. She figured Tamara was taking care of her foster brothers and sisters and would have access to the computer. It was around half an hour later that she replied in agreement. Now it was just a matter of talking to her parents.
She hoped it was her mom that came in to talk to her. She didn't seem as angry as her dad, and besides she had been more lax with Sam since the incident with the spilled coffee.
Ten minutes later she heard footsteps up the stairs. Damn. Those were her dad's footsteps. The knock came and Sam crashed into her pillows. Damn it.
"Come in." She muttered.
Lucas found Sam laying on her bed her arms sprawled out, staring at her ceiling fan, an unhappy look plastered on her face.
"Not happy to see me, kid?" He went over and sat on the bed.
The girl sat up and shrugged her shoulders.
"Still mad?" He asked her.
Sam bit her lip as she thought, then just shrugged her shoulders again. and looked away .
Luke took a deep breath and lifted her chin so their eyes could meet. He was not going to humor her silent treatment. Either she talked or he'd leave her to stew for a bit more."Do you want me to leave? I can come back and see if you're ready to talk in an hour.."
Sam knew that meant she'd be stuck in her room until he came back, so she shook her head and whispered out a 'stay.'
"Being defiant won't ever help your case with me or your mother Samantha. You're life would be easier if you just kept that in mind."
God, why was her dad being so stern with her today? Sam looked up at him with frustrated tears swimming in her eyes. Lately, she had been trying to reconcile her desire to push her parent's' boundaries and her desire to want nothing more than their approval and affection., and today was no different.
Fortunately, Sam had two loving parents that knew their teenager very well. They knew she could be willful, which called for them to be stern and upfront with her, more than they'd like to be, but it was needed. They also knew their girl needed a lot of loving up after any sort of hard talk, or punishment because behind her willfulness was also a very sensitive core. One, both parents assured they were attune too.
Lucas saw her tearful eyes and sighed, "I know you're unhappy with the rules, but please just rein it in. If you don't learn to control your attitude when we're talking to you, it'll only land you into trouble. You understand that, don't you?"
"I understand." Sam said sadly, hanging her head and wiping her eyes with her hand.
"What're you thinking about?" Luke asked after some silence. Sam squirmed a bit then looked back up at her dad, "Do you trust me?"
"Sammy, I do. But you have to understand that we are still in charge of making sure you're okay and safe. You are not your own boss kiddo, as much as you wanna be, you're not. But we do give you a lot of freedom. I think you know that. We let you out with your friends all the time. We never restrict that. But being in a whole new city is different."
Sam nodded solemnly.
"I won't tolerate you breaking the rules we set for New York, Samantha." He said in gentle sternness
"Yes dad." Came her dutiful response.
He leaned in and kissed her head, "Good."
"Daddy?"
"Hmm?"
Sam's eyes flicked up, "Can I tell you something?"
"Sure, peanut." Although the question made him a bit nervous.
Sam wasn't sure how to say it. There was a whole backstory to this and maybe this whole thing would backfire. Maybe it really was easier to just sneak out. But things were different now. She could trust her parents completely now. She needed to tell them. Her heart told her so.
Lucas noticing the discomfort and squirming moved towards the headboard then pulled his daughter onto his lap. He hoped doing so would make it all feel less threatening.
Sam hadn't noticed his movement until she felt his hands gently pull her in. She immediately snuggled into his chest.
Brooke's remark of Sam still cuddling with him rang clear in his mind. He hoped his little girl never got too old for it. There would always be a place for her in his embrace. He would be there to hold her after her first heartbreak. Bastard men. After an argument. If she was just scared. If she was confused. If anything. He just wanted to be there...holding her. Loving her. He felt a pang in his heart as he imagined an adult Sam telling him she was far too old for cuddling.
Deciding to move away from his thoughts Lucas gently squeezed his daughter. "What's on your mind baby girl?" He whispered.
"Do you know that I really do trust you and mama now?...completely."
Lucas smiled and kissed the top of her head, "We know you do."
They knew it very well. As time passed and her therapy sessions became more frequent Sam's insecurities with trust were becoming a thing of the past. They were truly falling into the roles of a normal parent/child relationship. It was a beautiful evolution that Brooke and Lucas were proud of.
Sam took a deep breath, "It's Tamara...and her mom."
… ….. ….
Sam walked out of her bathroom after getting ready for bed clad in one of Brooke's shirts and black tube socks. She found her mother undoing her sheets and moving pillows.
"Hi mama." She said moving closer and wiping at her eyes. The day had exhausted her. Brooke looked over at her daughter and smiled. She was alway reminded of Sam's youthfulness and at bedtime. She held the covers out for Sam to slide into bed.
Sam climbed in.
"In you go kid." Brooke said with a gentle swat to Sam's exposed backside. Sam snuggled in and watched as her mom tucked the sheets around her.
They didn't do this all the time, but Sam really liked it when they did. Though she knew her mom probably wanted to talk about something. She never understood why Brooke and Lucas liked to talk to her before bedtime, but figured it was because it was one of the few moments when their schedules stopped and downtime was abundant. From the parent's perspective it was more or less because Sam was the most open when she was sleepy. Her guard was down and she was most receptive to their words.
Brooke handed Sam her blanket first, then her teddy bear, "Can I lay with you for a second, kiddo?" The mother asked. Sam nodded and waited for her mom to get comfortable before she slid closer and laid her head on her mama's stomach.
Brooke began to play with Sam's hair, "I'm really proud of you for telling dad and me about Tamara's mother. "
"Even though I kept it a secret? And kinda snuck our way into getting Tamara a ticket?" Sam asked timidly. She was glad she wasn't looking at her mom at the moment. It made asking that question easier.
Brooke chuckled softly, "Well I'm not so happy about that and that's why I have custody of your phone until we get to New York...By the way, Jack keeps texting you."
"Awww, mama!" Sam whined.
Brooke smiled, "Don't worry he knows you don't have your phone."
"You texted him back?"
"Yes."
Sam considered whining about privacy, but didn't think it was wise, so she just sighed.
"I didn't read the texts. Don't worry, my eyes have not seen your flirty words to one another."
Sam burned a deep shade of red and lifted her head up, "Mom!"
Brooke laughed, "Okay, I'll stop. I'll stop."
Content with the woman's answer she laid her had back down on her mother.
"Just be glad I have your phone and not your father."
Sam rolled her eyes. Her dad would've definitely not appreciated all of Jack's messages.
"I know." She said, "Thanks."
Brooke went back to playing with Sam's hair, "But either way Sam, you came clean and I'm proud of you. You could've kept the whole thing a secret, but you didn't."
Sam nodded and curled in closer to her mom, "I, umm, I feel bad though."
"Why, sweetheart?"
"Because this is just another thing on your list to worry about when we're in New York."
Brooke rubbed Sam's back, "Shhh don't you worry about that. Sammy I'm your mother and anything related to you takes my priority. I'm used to stress, trust me, I'm Brooke Davis. It'll be fine. I have your dad, Rebecca, and as much as I hate to say this, Victoria to support me."
Sam stayed quiet, and Brooke looked down, "Are you excited to meet up with my mom?"
She saw her daughter's lips curl into a small smile, "Yeah. She finally called me back and said I could follow her around on Wednesday and then we could go to dinner and see some sights after. It'll be fun."
Brooke smiled and hoped Victoria kept her promise. After all, she had called her mother to make sure she called Sam back and not falsely get her daughter's hopes up. But she wouldn't tell Sam that, and she would force her to spend the day with Sam if that's what it took as well, but, alas, she would give Victoria the benefit of the doubt and believe that she would do as she said.
"You and dad are going tomorrow to talk to Tamara and her foster mom right?"
"Yes m'am." Brooke responded.
"And the chances of me going with you are-"
"Are extremely low. Like in the negatives, low."
To which Sam responded with a deep huff.
"I know you and Tamara are inseparable and feel responsible for one another, but trust that dad and me will make this work."
"Can we make a deal?"
Brooke's curiosity peaked, "A deal, huh?"
"Yeah, a deal."
"What do you want, heathen?"
Sam chuckled, "If I can't go, can Jack come over."
Hey, it never hurt to bargain, right?
"No."
"What?! But mom we won't-"
"You can hang out with him out of the house, but you're not allowed alone with him here."
"That doesn't make any sense." Sam said forlornly.
"Dad's rules."
"Don't you have a say?"
Sam knew her mother was more lax when it came to boys, well to Jack.
"Sorry Sam. We're a united front."
"I wish you weren't so united." She muttered.
Brooke patted her bottom, "Alright, calm down. Would you rather not hang out with him at all?"
"No." Sam shook her head, "Sorry. We'll go hang somewhere else."
'Like his house.' Sam thought. Jack's foster mother often left them alone, but Brooke and Lucas didn't know that.
"Good girl." Brooke said with one last pat.
Sam sighed, feeling relieved, then tightened her hold on her mother, "Mom, I, umm, I didn't know you guys were legally bound to tell T's foster mom about all this now that you know."
"Foster parenting has its legalities."
Brooke felt Sam stiffen a bit, and she knew exactly why, and so she wrapped her arms around Sam and brought her close, kissing her head, "Three and a half more months and we can finally formally adopt you." She whispered into Sam's hair.
Sam nodded into her mother's embrace. Brooke did a quick check of the time and knew her girl needed to get to sleep soon, else they'd have a bad morning, which Brooke was definitely not up for.
"Alright baby, you have to get some sleep, and I need to finish something up before tomorrow."
Sam undid her hold and then kissed her mom on the cheek, "night mom." She said softly.
Brooke laid a hand on her daughter's cheek, "Goodnight sweetheart." With that she got off the bed and waited for Sam to get comfortable before smiling one last time, then turned off the lights and closed the door.
…. …. ….
The next day Brooke and Lucas found themselves in front of an old door, hiding behind was chaos.
They could hear one child crying, a kid yelling, and a woman telling them both to quiet down.
Brooke had spoken to the woman, Camille, before. She and her husband, Ted, were good to Tamara. The girl had moved two months ago into the home after her previous family asked to move her because their home was too full. This foster home had four children, including Tamara. Of course it wasn't without problems. The parents were often harried and overwhelmed, and enlisted the help of the teenage girl to care for the other kids.
When things got to be much, Tamara would just leave to Sam's house. There was an unspoken understanding between Camille and Brooke that they would leave Tamara to do so and not ask her questions.
Lucas knocked four times.
"I'm coming!" Hollered Camille's voice.
Luke turned to Brooke, "Maybe we should've told her we were coming."
"She would've said no." Brooke said definitively. As much as Camille trusted the pair, she also avoided talking to them unless she absolutely had to.
The door opened and Camille was holding a three year old who was once crying in her arms. She frowned as she realized who it was, "You here for Tamara?- T! GET DOWN HERE!" She looked at them, "Come sit. I got work."
She placed the three year old in Lucas's arms, "Can you hold him? I gotta get my shoes on- TAMARA!"
"What?!" Came the teenager's voice from upstairs.
"Umm." Lucas squeaked as the child was placed in his arms.
Camille bent down and grabbed her shoes as she closed the door.
Lucas and Brooke stared at each other and found a seat on the couch. Lucas held the toddler boy in his arms.
"Brooke and Lucas are here for you!" The woman yelled up the stairs.
"We're actually here to talk to both of you."
Camille stood up and shook her head, "Brooke I have work. I'm sorry."
"It's important." Lucas added, "It has to do with Tamara."
Camille turned to the stairs and saw Tamara now timidly standing at the bottom steps. Camille led out a frustrated huff,
"Damn it." She muttered.
Tamara frowned at her foster mother's reaction. She knew this was a bad idea. Why had she gone along with this?
Camille grabbed her phone out of her pocket, "L'emme call my boss." She turned to Tamara who was still frozen on the steps, "Well come on now. This is about you isn't it?"
Tamara nodded.
"Well go sit down then."
The girl nodded again and did as she was bid.
Brooke and Lucas were surprised at how acquiescent Tamara was. Hopefully though, it was out of respect and not fear.
"She's kinda crazy right now. She'll chill once she sits down and breathes." Tamara said to which they nodded.
Brooke could see the worry in the girl's eyes. "It'll be fine Tamara."
Tamara eyed her with anger, that surprised Brooke, "You don't know that." Her voice was harsh, "They treat me well here. What if Camille gets mad at me because I wanna see my mom?"
"She won't Tamara." Came Luke's voice. The man was struggling to keep the fussy boy in his lap still. He eventually slipped away and headed to Tamara, then sat on her lap. "His name's Ronnie." She said as she bobbed her knee up and down to calm him. He was a pretty quiet kid.
"Say hi Ronnie." She instructed the child.
"Hi." He said timidly.
"RONNIE!" Yelled another child. This one a little girl of about six. Her hair was a dark brown and she was still wearing her school uniform. A juice stain right in the middle of her shirt.
"That's Leslie." Tamara said, "They've had her since she was three."
The girl came bounding down and stopped short when she saw the two strangers. "Les, come say hi." Tamara instructed, "These are Sammy's parents." Sam had already been over a couple times.
This made the little girl feel better and so she went over and extended her hand to the two. It melted their hearts.
"I'm Leslie. That's my foster brother Ronnie, and my foster sister Tamara, but we just call each other brother and sister. My foster mommy is Camille, and my foster daddy is Ted. Except I just call them mommy and daddy. You're Sam's mommy and daddy?"
Lucas smiled widely, "Yeah buddy, we are."
Leslie went over and sat right between them, "It's nice to meet you Sam's mommy and daddy." She grabbed both of their hands and leaned back into the sofa. Brooke imagined Sam being just like her at that age and had to restrain herself from squeezing the girl with love.
"You're a cutie Leslie." Brooke said.
"Thank you! You're really pretty too."
Camille finally came in and sat down on the recliner, "Les, sweetheart, come sit over here."
Leslie easily nodded and hopped off to sit on Camille's lap, "So what's this about? I only have a few minutes, so let's get this goin'."
The fashion designer spoke first, "Camille, I assume you know that Tamara bought a ticket to New York?"
Camille grunted and shot the girl a look, "I do. But she won't be buying plane tickets without my knowledge any longer. Isn't that right T?"
"Yes m'am." She muttered. It pained Tamara that she actually respected this woman's authority. But she did.
Camille nodded, "She learned her lesson. She won't do that again."
Lucas narrowed his eyes, "Wait, what do you mean by 'learned her lesson?' You didn't-"
Camille knew where this was going and she felt her blood boil. Damn rich, judgmental jerk.
She covered Leslie's ears, "We don't beat our kids." Camille said with a bit of edge to her voice then let go of the little girl's ears. "Just because we're poorer than you, doesn't make us barbarians. Past an occasional spanking I'd never lay a painful hand on a child."
Tamara turned a deep shade of red and fidgeted in her seat. Camille had threatened to spank her when she found out about the ticket. She focused on her little brother who was playing with a broken cell phone.
Lucas felt like an idiot, "I'm, uh, I'm sorry. it's just-"
"I get it." The woman spit, "Can we move this along? Now I wanna hear this from you Tamara. What's going on?"
The girl was forced to look back up. She took a deep breath...
"I found out my mom's living in New York and I wanna go see her Camille. That's why I bought the ticket. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to send me away or something. It's calm here. I like it. I don't wanna leave." Tamara spit out and boy did she feel relief afterwards, "So can I go? Or no? I just need an answer."
The adults in the room stared at the girl, stunned by her boldness.
"Why is she in New York?" Camille asked, clearly shocked, and unable to ask anything but the obvious question in her mind.
Tamara shrugged, "That's what I wanna know. Some guy took her to New York. Probably her new manwhore."
"Manwhore!" Both Leslie and Ronnie parroted. The foster mother's eyes darkened, "Hush both of you!" She scolded with a slight smack to Leslie's thigh,
"Ow, mommy!"
"That's a naughty word. I don't want to hear you using it."
Leslie pouted, but drew closer to Camille, "Yes mommy."
"Ronnie, you too."
He only nodded and grabbed the pacifier in Tamara's hand and put it in his mouth.
"Sorry." Tamara said. Camille just rolled her eyes at her eldest, most difficult, foster daughter.
"So...can I go?" Tamara tried again, though with less force.
"How'd you find out?" The woman asked.
Tamara huffed. She just needed an answer. "My brother called Thrice to tell me that my mom was at the Rehab center here, when I went to go see her they told me they checked her out to take her to one in New York."
Camille turned to the two parents in front of her, and then to the teenager in her charge, "Go upstairs honey." Her voice softened.
Tamara's head shot up, "But Camille I wanna know if I-"
"For pete's sake, you already bought the damn ticket. I can't really stop you, can I? Now go up the damn stairs and take Ronnie and Les with you."
The girl picked up the boy, "Come on Ron Ron." She whispered then held out her hand, "Les, come on."
Leslie kissed her mommy on the cheek and went to grab her sister's hand. Tamara also saw a little Sammy in Leslie. Maybe that's why it was so easy for her to fall into an older sister role for the girl.
Once all her children were out of sight Camille turned to Brooke and Lucas, "Please take care of her when she's over there."
"We will Camille."
"Don't leave her alone with that woman. One of you has to go with her."
"I'll be there." Brooke assured her.
Camille stayed quiet for a bit and moved a hand through her hair, "Thank you." Her voice was weary and tired.
Brooke swallowed the lump in her throat. The woman before her was strong in ways that Brooke did not understand. She'd have to make sure to be less judgmental towards her. Regardless of her brusque ways, Camille cared, and that's what mattered.
… … ….
Sam stepped off the plane, excitement beaming in her eyes. The sky was clear and the breeze was perfect. She felt her eyes brighten.
"T, we're in New York!" She exclaimed. Brooke and Lucas beamed, happy to know the joy the trip brought their kid. But as they walked into the airport, two brawny gentlemen pulled them all aside. Brooke, Lucas, Sam, and Tamara.
Rebecca and Liz had gotten on a separate flight and would arrive later.
Sam was rattling on to Tamara while her mother and father spoke with the men. A few moments later Brooke secured Sam's hand, "Mom?"
Brooke sighed, "They know Sam."
"What? Who knows what?" Sam turned to her confused.
"The paparazzi. They know I brought you."
The girls eyes widened, but this time with uncertainty. Brooke put a hand on her cheek, "We'll be fine. I'm used to this. I just need you and Tamara to stay with Lucas and behind me. Okay?"
Sam felt a bit nervous, "Umm, o-okay."
"This is Eric and Wes. They're the security guards I use here in New York." They both smiled warmly at the girl, "So nice to meet you Sammy. Your mom's always gushing about you."
Sam blushed, "Umm hi, nice to meet you too."
"This is Tamara, guys. Sam's friend." Brooke added.
"Hey." Tamara mumbled, "So can we go now?"
Wes looked to Eric and they nodded, "I'll go in front of y'all, and Eric in the back. Once you're in the taxi, it'll be all good."
Lucas grabbed a hold of Sam's hand, "Sam, do you think you'll be okay? I know they scared you last time."
Sam shook her head and smiled. She was ready. She was in New York.
I hope you liked it! Many of you wanted Sam to get into trouble in New York. So I'll have to think about how that'll happen since I scratched the idea of them sneaking to find Tamara's mother. Suggestions? Let me know what you guys think! Or whatever you wanna tell me ;)
Also, I made a Tumblr :D It'll be a space for me to answer questions you may have (there's an ask feature)/ possibly post sneak peeks if I'm taking too long to post a whole chapter, and to give y'all some mini snippets that pop into my head! The tumblr username is writingsteph The link is also in my profile!