The Taming of Xander Sterne(74)

                The rest of the day had been a blur, something to be endured rather than enjoyed. Xander had taken them all for a pizza after the cinema, and then read Daisy a story and tucked her up in bed after Sam had given her daughter her evening bath.

                Upsetting as Daisy’s outburst to Malcolm had been, it was Xander who was now at the centre of Sam’s concerns.

                Sam had realised today that it wasn’t just Daisy who had come to rely on him too much this past week. She was also guilty of leaning on him. Depending on him too much.

                And it had to stop.

                Oh, she wouldn’t dream of stopping Xander from continuing to see Daisy, if he wanted to; that would just be too cruel when her daughter so obviously adored him.

                But Sam’s own dependence on him had to end.

                Right now.

                ‘I think, after all that’s happened, that Daisy and I have to leave. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for all you’ve done for Daisy and me, but—’

                ‘I don’t want your gratitude, Samantha!’

                ‘Nevertheless, you have it,’ Sam insisted quietly, eyes downcast so that she didn’t have to look at him. So she didn’t have to acknowledge how much she loved him. ‘You’re recovering more and more every day, and I’m pretty sure you can manage on your own now. Malcolm is too scared now, of what he knows you can do to him, to ever bother us again. You’re more than welcome to continue seeing Daisy, of course.’

                ‘How generous of you!’

                Sam winced at the sarcasm in Xander’s voice. ‘Please don’t be angry, Xander.’

                ‘What the hell do you expect me to be?’ He ran an agitated hand through the blond thickness of his hair as he surged to his feet. ‘What about last night, Samantha?’ He frowned darkly. ‘What about us?’

                She gave a sad shake of her head. ‘There is no us. There never could be.’

                ‘You don’t know that.’

                ‘Yes, I do!’ she said vehemently. ‘Last night was— Well, it was wonderful,’ she acknowledged huskily. ‘But it can’t happen again. And my staying on here, under those circumstances, would just be—I need to leave, Xander, can’t you see that?’ She looked up at him imploringly, silently pleading with him not to make this any harder for her than it already was.

                The last thing she wanted was to leave him. How could it not be, when she was in love with him?

                But they had come together under far from perfect circumstances. And Xander had been wonderful, amazing, both with Daisy, and with helping Sam deal with Malcolm once and for all. But Sam wasn’t about to take advantage of his generous nature by allowing him to feel even more responsibility towards her because of what had happened between the two of them last night.

                ‘I need to leave,’ she repeated as she stood up with determination. ‘Please don’t make this any harder for me than it already is,’ she added firmly as she could see Xander was about to make another protest. ‘Daisy and I will be leaving in the morning. But I would appreciate it if you were able to see Daisy again. She loves you so much,’ she added gruffly, knowing that she loved Xander as much as, if not more than, her daughter did. Just as she knew it was breaking her heart to leave him.

                Xander had never felt so impotent in his life as he did at this moment, knowing by the expression on Samantha’s face that she meant what she said. That she had also made it clear that last night hadn’t meant the same to her as it had to him. That she really did intend leaving him tomorrow.