Here is another Chapter just for you! I hope you enjoy! Stay safe and stay blessed!
After saying goodbye to everyone, Sam had asked if Malaya could join his family for ice cream. Mercedes wanted to say no, but a part of her knew that if she didn't give Malaya the chance to answer for herself, she might never do it when it came to Sam. To her surprise, when he asked, she didn't hesitate to say yes.
Sam had pulled Mercedes aside and assured her everything would be fine, they would grab the ice cream with his parents and then be home within the hour, but it was still hard to watch them go. As she walked into her parent's house, her phone rang. Picking it up, she sighed heavily.
"Hey Bas, how goes the Smythe Holiday Party?"
"Save me! My mom had me cornered, and I told her I had to make a call." He said, rushed.
"Ah, so you didn't want me, just distraction I bring."
Sebastian sighed. "I am sorry; you know I love you. How was skating?"
Mercedes plopped on her bed. "Well, Sam and Laya bonded, and he took her to get some ice cream with his family."
"That's a good thing, right?"
Mercedes sighed. "Yes, it is; I am glad they are bonding; it's just hard."
"Merce, she is always going to love you as her mom. You know that, right?"
"Yeah, I know." Mercedes exhaled. "That is not even the craziest thing that happened, and Jamal showed up."
"Jamal showed up where?"
Mercedes sighed a long deep sigh. "At the skating rink. He's in Ohio and wanted to check on me."
"Mmm, that was one of the yummiest men you ever dated. He reminded me of a young Michael Ealy…."
"I should have never had you watch Think Like a Man."
"Yes, you should of!" He said quickly. "That movie had so many fine men I almost couldn't stand it."
Mercedes laughed. A few years ago, they had a movie athon showing him The Best Man, The Brothers, and Think Like a Man, and ever since then, they did sexy man movie night where they pick a guy and watch his movies. Before she left, they watched Crazy Rich Asians because Mercedes was semi-in-love with Henry Golding.
"Speaking of yummy men, where is Hunter?"
She heard Sebastian huff. "Had to work, lucky bastard. He promised me mind-blowing sex for having to go alone, but and I can't believe I am saying this. There are just some things that sex can't fix."
Mercedes laughed. "I wouldn't know. But what I do know is he is good for you, so I really hope you bought that ring we were looking at before I left."
"I did. I feel like I am betraying you, though, Merce; we promised to marry at the same time."
Mercedes laughed. "That is when I was with Jamal…but I couldn't even introduce him to Laya, so what does that say."
"You were scared he could hurt her; it's understandable after what you went through." He reminded her. "And need I remind you Jamal never pushed. He accepted the fact that you had baggage, and it is not your fault you are cautious. He asked you to marry him, and you said yes then no so fast there was no time to have them meet."
"You say such nice words to me, Bas; it's one of the things I love about you."
"Is that my pseudo-daughter? Give me the phone." Mercedes heard, and she laughed, knowing it was Sebastian's dad. "Hi, Papa Smythe."
"When are you bringing my grandchild? Sebastian won't tell me."
Mercedes smiled. "We are due back on the third, right before she goes back to school. And I promise she will be happy to see you."
"I saw that article; how is my girl doing?"
"She didn't see anything, but she did meet him, and she's handling this very well. I am scared, though."
"That's you being a mom; that's you wanting to protect her. You have always done right by that girl, and she will always be okay because of that. Now. I have to get back to the party, or my wife will have my head. I love you."
"Love you too."
"I gotta go to babe, but call me later."
After hanging up with Sebastian, Mercedes checked the time, Sam was due back with Malaya in about twenty minutes, and she would use that time to wrap the gifts she bought.
The door opened as she finished the last box, and Sam walked in with Malaya. She smiled, looking over at the two of them.
"Hey guys, how was Ice cream?"
"It was fun! We brought you some strawberry shortcake." Malaya said happily.
"Thank you both; I am glad you had a good time. How about you get into your pj's, and we can get you some milk and cookies while we watch Miraculous Lady Bug? The new one came on tonight."
Malaya smiled. 'Yes!" She ran to the stairs but stopped before turning to Sam. "Thanks for a great day." She hesitated for a moment before going to him and hugging him. Then ran up to her room.
Sam stood there nervously as he looked at Mercedes; she offered him a soft smile. "What?"
He shrugged. "What?"
"You want something. I can see it in your eyes. You may not be the same boy I fell in love with all those years ago, but some things never change. What do you want?"
"I know we talked about doing a movie night, and I was hoping that since tomorrow is Christmas Eve, we could do it? That way, I get to wake up with you both on Christmas. I have a game on Christmas, so I know I won't be around after that."
Mercedes exhaled. "Sam…"
"I know I screwed up, Mercedes, but this is a second chance for me, for me to step up the way I should have all those years ago. You guys are leaving soon, and I have my games, so I want to make the most of this time. I understand if it's too much too soon, but please. Just let me have this time. You guys just come to my suite, and you will have your own room with Laya. I really would like to get this chance."
Mercedes touched the bridge of her nose, taking a breath. "Fine, we can come tomorrow evening, have dinner watch a few movies, and be there for Christmas morning."
Sam offered her a grin. "Thank you! Thank you!" He moved quickly, pulling her into a hug.
Mercedes hugged him, the familiar feeling of when they were teens dancing in her mind for a moment before she came back to her senses and pulled away from him. "Um yeah, so I will make sure we are ready."
Sam stepped back with a nod. "So I promised Laya we would do matching pajamas. If you text me your sizes, I can make sure they are there when you arrive."
Mercedes nodded. "Okay, I will. So we will see you tomorrow."
Sam nodded. "Yeah, see you tomorrow."
Sam paced around his hotel room, it was Christmas Eve, and he was waiting for his girls to arrive, hoping Mercedes didn't change her mind. He had laid everything out for them, snacks, drinks, and blankets. Everything they needed for a fun night of movies and talking.
He looked down at the green and red pajamas he laid out for them and smiled. Stacey and his mom helped him pick them out and the gifts he got for Malaya and Mercedes. His heart sank when his phone rang, but he sighed in relief, seeing it was Mike.
"Hey, Mike, what's up?"
"Just seeing how things are? You going to make it for the game tomorrow night?"
"Yes, that's why we are having movie night here. I want to spend at least a little bit of time with them before I head back."
"You should give them tickets to the game." Mike suggested.
"I thought about that, but if they show up, then people will know for sure she's the one, and she and Laya won't get any peace. I can't do that to them."
"I get it, Sam. So what's the plan for tonight?"
Sam sighed, looking around. "I have all of Mercedes's favorite snacks, Laya's too, and drinks. I have Netflix, Hulu, Paramount Plus, Prime, whatever I need to make sure I have any movie they want to see."
"How are things going with Mercedes? She still can't stand you?" Mike laughed.
Sam sighed. "She is adamant that there is no more Mercedes and me. But I know she still loves me, and I feel it."
"Sam, you left her; she can't trust you, so whatever you do, give her time to get to know you again. Take it slow, and don't rush her."
"You talked to Tina about me, didn't you?"
Mike laughed. "Yeah, she said you won't get anywhere if you rush her."
Sam exhaled. "I know. I know. I won't rush her. I will do my best to just enjoy being with my family."
There was a knock on the door, and Sam grew nervous again. "I gotta go. See you at the game." Sam hung up and went to the door, opening it and smiling as he saw Mercedes and Malaya standing there. "Hello, beautiful ladies; please come in."
Mercedes smiled, shifting the bag as they walked into the room. Sam watched as their eyes widened. He had his mom and sister help him grab a tree and decorations, making the living room into a Christmas Fort.
"Mommy, look, it's so pretty." Malaya said in awe. "Look, presents!"
Sam blushed as Mercedes stared at him. "I might have gone overboard with the presents…since I have a game, I just kept them all here. Mom said she is bringing her presents to dinner."
Mercedes nodded, sighing. "Sam, you did so amazing. This is perfect."
Sam moved closer to her and nodded. "Thank you." He turned her towards him. "Thank you for giving me this. It means so much."
Mercedes smiled. "It means so much to us too. What you did here, a fort, movies, snacks, and it's amazing."
Sam beamed. "Well, how about you two get into your brand new pajama, and I will put your gifts with mines." He said, motioning to the bedroom to their right.
Mercedes handed Sam the bag and led Malaya into the room to change.
Sam exhaled, taking the gifts out, and felt touched seeing a few were for him. He smiled as he laid them out and waited for them to come out.
MC: Sam, you need to see this asap /samevans/babymommas
Sam frowned, clicking on the link and gripping his phone tightly.
TMZ BREAKING NEWS
Just when you think Sam Evan's news has died down, we have received a video that shows Sam and his recent ex, Penny talking about her being pregnant with his child. Click Here for the video.
As you can see, Penny is asking Evans what he would do with her being pregnant. Evans, you are living up to the Football Player stereotype of having multiple baby mommas. Evans, I need you to wrap it up before you end up like Nick Cannon, and you'll populate this world with just your kids.
Sam angrily gripped the phone. Penny wasn't pregnant, but someone must have been recording them when they fought. He should have been more careful, but he wasn't concerned about it.
Looking over to the room, he prayed Mercedes wouldn't see it. They were doing so good this would ruin it.
Sam quickly devised a plan to keep her off the internet as she and Malaya walked out. "Hey, so I decided that we should have a phone-free night. I am texting my family my hotel number, and you should do the same, and we will turn off our phones."
Mercedes looked at him and smiled. "You know what? Okay, that sounds good." She said, grabbing her phone. "What's the number?"
After they got everything together and the text sent, Sam got them settled in the fort and smiled. "So here is the menu, and you guys can order whatever you want."
Malaya looked at it and smiled. "They have nuggets!"
Sam laughed. "Yes, I made sure they had them before I came here. What do you want, Merce?"
Mercedes looked at the menu and frowned. "Everything is so expensive."
Sam shook his head. "That doesn't matter, and it's on me."
Mercedes was about to speak, but Sam shook his head. "Merce, right now, this is all on me. So order what you want, which we both know is going to be the steak."
Mercedes rolled her eyes playfully. "You don't know me."
"Then what do you want?"
Mercedes hid her smile, looking at the menu. "The burger looks good…but yeah, I am going to have the steak, medium well, with baked potato loaded. And that doesn't mean anything.'
"Of course, it doesn't." Sam teased. After he put the orders in, Sam turned on 'Elf' so they could start their movie-watching experience. After Elf, they watched 'A Yeah without a Santa Clause,' 'Noelle,' 'And Frozen' because Malaya said it was in the spirit of Christmas.
As 'Snow Day' went off, Malaya laid between Sam and Mercedes, snuggled up and sleeping. Sam looked over to Mercedes and smiled as he whispered. "This is perfect."
She smiled. "It really is. I think this is the happiest Laya has been, and you made her Christmas with this."
Sam sighed, getting more comfortable. "Tell me how you usually spend the Holidays?"
"Well…" Mercedes started. "Some years, my family would come to us, and some, we would come here. She stopped believing in Santa when she was six. She told me that she knew Santa wasn't real because she saw me wrapping presents. I tried to convince her, but she made up her mind."
Sam nodded. "Sounds like me. She seems a lot like me."
Mercedes nodded. "She is, and she's funny and smart. She got the best of you, Sam."
Sam reached over and took her hand. "She got the best part of both of us."
Mercedes chewed her bottom lip as she let him link his hand in hers. This moment was great though the gnawing of the past was far too great for her to give herself to the moment completely.
"What's on your mind Merce?" Sam asked.
Mercedes sighed, looking over to Malaya. "When we were younger and found out that we were pregnant, and we laid on my bed and talked about moments just like this."
Sam smiled. "I remember. You wanted at least four kids, more girls than boys, and you told me that you would love me forever."
Mercedes frowned. "You said you would too; then you left me." She pulled her hand away and sat up, running her hands through her hair before she stood and stepped out of the fort.
Sam followed her after checking on Malaya. "I am sorry I didn't want to upset you."
"Sam, all this is…this was supposed to be our life! Not the hotel thing but the forts and ice skating, the movie nights, and spending these nights! This is what we wanted, what I wanted."
Sam pulled her to him. "We can have that and be a family, Mercedes. We can start over and have it. I still love you, and I am still so in love with you."
Mercedes stared at him, confused and unsure. "Sam, I…"
Sam stepped into her and raised his hands to her cheek, staring into her eyes and wiping a stray tear. "I have regretted letting you go since the day it happened. I've been a coward all these years, thinking I could never get this chance. If I had gotten those letters…Mercedes, if I knew you wanted me…that she wanted me, I would have been there."
Mercedes sighed. "Sam, we can't go back; we can't change the past."
His thumb caressed her cheek. "I know, but we can make the future better."
"Ho-" His lips cut off her words. He should have waited and let her make the first move, but having her this close just caused all rational thought to leave her mind. Sam nipped at her lip, praying she would put him out of his misery and kiss him back, and after a moment, she pressed herself into him, kissing him passionately as her tongue fought his.
Sam pushed her gently against the wall, pressing his body into hers as his hands ran up her sides. "I love you." He whispered against her lips. "And I have missed you so much…I want you."
Mercedes froze at his words, pushing him away from her. "I can't do this." She moved out of his path, running her hands through her hair.
Sam looked at her, confused. "What's wrong? I thought… Mercedes, I thought you wanted me to kiss you."
"I did…God, I wanted you to kiss me, Sam, to touch me, but I can't. This isn't about me or what I want. Because you are going to leave and go running back to your life the first chance you get."
"No. Mercedes, don't you get it? You and Malaya, you are my life. The only life I want. Football is great, but it's not where my heart is."
Mercedes stared up at him. "How do I know that you aren't gonna take what you want and then leave us?"
Sam leaned down and kissed her softly. "All I want is a chance."
"A chance?"
Sam nodded. "Lay with our daughter and me, and just give me a chance to show you that I am not lying."
"Sam, I am not sure I have any faith left for chances."
He nodded and took her hand, kissing her wrist softly. "Then start by laying with us in the fort. The rest we will take day by day. Hell, minute by minute, if it helps.
Mercedes looked over to the fort and sighed. "Okay, but no funny business. I am not saying I am giving you a chance or us; I am tired."
Sam smiled. "Of course you are."
"I am." She said, moving to the fort.
Sam pulled her close, cupping her face as he leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
She smiled up at him, a blush creeping up his neck as she moved to lie down in the fort. Sam followed suit, lying down as Mercedes placed her hand over Laya's. Sam grinned, doing the same.
"Good Night Beautiful."
Mercedes hesitated for a brief moment before closing her eyes. "Goodnight, Sam."