The next evening as Tara fed and bathed Maya in preparation for Sam’s visit, she thought about her conversation with him the night before. It had gone much better than she’d thought it would. Of course he’d been hurt that she hadn’t told him about Maya sooner, but at least he accepted his daughter and wished to be a part of her life.

His marriage proposal, on the other hand, was a different matter altogether. There was no way she could agree to marry him, knowing that he’d only proposed to her out of a sense of obligation. She and Sam were good friends and cared for each other, but the only reason they’d hooked up in the first place was because she’d been pining over Jason Stackhouse and he’d been in love with Sookie. Tara had grown enough to realize that her feelings for Jason were nothing more than a schoolgirl crush, but for all she knew Sam was still carrying a torch for Sookie. She didn’t want a husband who was in love with her best friend. In fact, she didn’t want a husband at all. She’d finally broken free from her mother and she wasn’t about to hand control of her life to anyone else. She was interrupted from her reverie by a knock at the door.

“Hey Tara,” Sam greeted her as he entered the apartment.

He was carrying a brown, floppy-eared stuffed dog and a large bouquet of flowers.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“These are for you,” he said, handing her the flowers, “and Cocoa here is for Maya. Where is my girl?”

Tara thanked Sam and led him to Maya’s bouncy seat next to the couch. Sam picked the little girl up and, speaking in a silly voice, introduced her to Cocoa, making her giggle.

Tara laughed. “You’ve won her over already.”

“I sure hope so,” Sam replied seriously.

He accepted her offer of iced tea. When she returned, he was walking around the living room with Maya in his arms, obviously inspecting her apartment.

“Nice place you got here, but you know you could have moved into one of my rentals.”

She’d known this was going to come up. “What’s wrong with this?”

“Nothing. It’s just…small,” he said.

“It’s large enough for me and the baby.” Tara said defensively. She felt a surge of irritation. She was proud of her place and the work she’d put into decorating it. Sam had no right to criticize.

“But my apartments are larger, and you wouldn’t have to pay anything,” he persisted.

“This place is more convenient to my job and Maya’s daycare. Look Sam, I don’t need anything from you. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of my daughter.”

Sam bristled at the words ‘my daughter,’ Maya was their daughter. He didn’t correct her, though. He’d come here to discuss his role in Maya’s life, not start a fight with Tara. “I never said you weren’t. It’s a really nice place.” He took a seat.

Tara knew Sam and knew that the matter wasn’t closed…far from it. Nonetheless, she appreciated his peace offering and accepted it. “So let’s talk about Maya.”

“Yeah, let’s. How often can I see her?”

“How often would you like to see her?” Tara asked.

“Everyday,” he replied, perfectly straight-faced.

“Sam…”

“This wouldn’t even be an issue if we were married,” he said matter-of-factly.

So much for peace offerings. “I thought we’d agreed not to discuss that again.”

“I never agreed to any such thing. Maya needs both of her parents.”

“She has both of her parents.”

“I mean together, Tara.”

Tara took a deep breath and tried to hold on to her temper. Fighting with Sam wasn’t going to accomplish anything, but she needed to let him know that marriage was definitely not on the table.

 “Sam, you did the honorable thing. You offered, and I appreciate it, but I don’t want a husband.”

“You don’t want a husband, or you don’t want me for a husband?” he asked.

“I don’t want to get married. Ever.”

“Why not?” he questioned.

“I’m not discussing this. We’re supposed to be discussing how often you can see Maya, and everyday isn’t feasible,” she snapped.

At least it seemed that Tara’s problem was with marriage in general, instead of some personal issue with him. That meant he still some chance of changing her mind. Or he hoped it did. Sam decided to back down.

“Okay. How about five days a week then?”

“How about three?”

“Fine. When can I come get her?”

“Why don’t you visit her at my place until you get used to taking care of her?”

Sam was doing his best to come to a reasonable compromise, but apparently Tara wanted to keep everything on her terms. “I’m not an idiot, Tara. Don’t you trust me to take care of our daughter?” he asked angrily.

“Of course I trust you. But how much do you know about babies? How many diapers have you changed? Do you have a crib or car seat? Do you know how to mix formula, or give her a bath?” Tara asked. “Besides, I’m not turning my child loose in that pigsty until after you’ve sterilized it.”

“Okay, whatever,” Sam muttered, vowing to hire someone to clean his trailer. He’d learn to care for Maya, and maybe the three of them spending time together would help convince Tara to make the arrangement permanent. “When can I visit?”

“What about Tuesday and Thursday evenings? You can come by at 6:00; I put her to bed at 8:30. I’ll teach you the basics, and you guys will have a couple of hours together.” Tara said.

“You said three days a week.”

“I was thinking Saturday mornings, 9:00 to noon.”

“I guess that’ll work,” he said, sounding a bit put out.

Sam had blustered in like pit bull, determined to take charge of everything. Now he looked like a whipped puppy. Tara decided to offer an olive branch of her own. “I’m taking Maya to see her new pediatrician in a couple of weeks. Would you like to come along and meet the doctor?”

He brightened as she’d known he would. “Sure, just let me know when.”

She gave him the date and time, and he agreed to meet her there. Then he handed her an envelope.

“What’s this?”

“Child support for Maya. I want to give you something for her every week. I hope it’s enough.”

Tara opened the envelope to find a check for a very generous sum. “It’s more than enough. Thanks, Sam.”

Maya had begun to squirm and rub her eyes. “Looks like someone is getting sleepy,” Tara said. “Let me go fix her bottle and you can put her to bed.”

Sam took Maya to her room and sat in the rocking chair. Tara gave him the feeding pillow and showed him how to position the baby.

“I’ll give you two some time alone,” she said.

Sam rocked slowly, looking into his daughter’s face. She looked back at him with huge brown eyes before reaching a tiny hand up to touch his cheek. He smiled, then began softly singing a lullaby.

Goodnight, my angel
Time to close your eyes
And save these questions for another day
I think I know what you've been asking me
I think you know what I've been trying to say
I promised I would never leave you
And you should always know
Wherever you may go
No matter where you are
I never will be far away

When Tara returned a few minutes later, Maya was fast asleep in her crib with Sam standing over her. She went to join him.

“She’s so perfect,” he whispered.

Tara smiled. “She is. I never knew what love was until the minute they lay Maya in my arms.”

They watched the sleeping baby a few minutes longer before returning to the living room.

“I saw all the things in Maya’s room. Do I need to get all of that for my place?” Sam asked.

“For such a tiny person, she sure needs a lot of stuff,” Tara laughed. “But no, you only need to get the essentials. I’ll give you a list.”

“Actually, it might be better if you come along with me.”

Tara laughed again. “Okay Sam. We’ll go shopping after we take her to the doctor, how does that sound?”

Sam agreed and bid Tara good night. As he drove home, he vowed to himself that the three of them would be a family soon. He’d prove himself indispensable to Tara, and she’d have no choice but to realize that he was everything that she and their daughter needed.

*******