With Brave Wings

by Cara Dee

  Happy was the wrong word, but his brain was wrapped in a fog that made it impossible to express himself. A kiss had worked perfectly with Sophie, but he wasn’t going there with Noah.

  "Have you discussed work?" Asher wondered, ever the businessman.

  "Briefly." Tennyson chewed on a piece of turkey with gravy. "She wants to rest as much as she can, but she's worried the industry will forget her if she doesn’t take on more work. So I told her I have connections." He smirked at his brother.

  Ash laughed. "Am I those connections?"

  "Damn straight." Tennyson had a lot of influence with the studios as well, but Asher had even more. "She'll do this animated movie soon, and then she'll take some time off. Once she's ready to get back to work, we'll make sure she gets the roles she deserves."

  "Got it." Asher nodded, thankfully serious now. "I'll speak to her publicist personally. She's okay with local interviews, right?" Tennyson inclined his head, his mouth full. "And how are we on privacy with this?"

  "As much as possible—no pregnancy-related questions," Tennyson told him. "I get the feeling Sophie's father is a factor, too."

  Brooklyn nodded there. "She doesn’t want any contact with him, and she's afraid he'll get in touch now that the pregnancy is out. Same for her former friends."

  "We're like her filters," Noah added. "She avoids press at all costs, but it's crazy, man. We see the shit they write about her, and those so-called friends are behind every article starting with 'Sources say.' They're starting all kinds of rumors."

  Tennyson shook his head grimly.

  "You liked the one that went viral today. Where you're named the father," Brooklyn said with a smirk at Noah.

  "Pardon me?" Tennyson couldn’t help but feel territorial.

  "Oh, chill." Noah cracked up and brought out his phone. "I'll show you. It's funny."

  Tennyson accepted the phone and glanced at the gossip blog's article. Not only was Noah—the man Sophie had shown up at the premiere with—the dad, but he was also the betrothed prince of "Swizzerland."

  "Journalism at its finest. Just remarkable." Tennyson handed back the phone. "Glad to see they know their European monarchs, too."

  "Right?" Noah pocketed his phone again. "I wonder who I'm betrothed to."

  "Yourself," Brooklyn deadpanned.

  "Who's betrothed and who uses that word anymore?" Sophie joined them, combing her fingers through her damp hair.

  Tennyson's mouth twisted into a grin when he saw the T-shirt she was wearing with her flannel bottoms. "I've been looking for that T-shirt, sweetie." It was one of his many University of Michigan shirts—one of his favorites, actually. Though, it looked better on her.

  "We've bonded," Sophie said, sitting down next to him. "Don’t make it weird."

  He chuckled then got back to eating.

  "So…no shotgun wedding?" Asher smiled innocently. "I'd love to hear Mom's reaction to the baby."

  "Don’t remind me," Tennyson muttered. "There's no pleasing that woman."

  "Yes, there is," Sophie said lightly. "Perfection. She told me herself."

  Tennyson froze with his fork in midair, processing those words. His mom had only met Sophie once, and that was on the Fourth of July. "She told you what?"

  "Meh, just some motherly attitude." Sophie was dismissive about it, but Tennyson wasn’t. He was pissed. Hell, even Ash looked irritated. "She wants a perfect woman for you. Trisha Cummings was mentioned."

  "For fuck's sake." Tennyson shook his head. "I'm calling her tomorrow." They'd already decided he was staying here until he was off to Texas on January fifteenth, so he'd step out tomorrow morning to get some essentials. And Christmas gifts. "I don’t tolerate that shit. Let me know if it ever happens again, all right?"

  She sent him a small smile of gratitude and nodded. "Okay."

  *

  Early the next morning, Tennyson and Asher headed out to get their errands done. There wasn’t much Tennyson could do about his phone being stuck in Mendocino and most stores closed, so he'd settle for borrowing Asher's today. After the holidays, he'd buy a new one or ask his cleaning service to ship the phone next time they were at his house.

  "Was Sophie's bed nice?" Asher rubbed his shoulder and winced. "The couch wasn’t."

  "It was great." Tennyson smirked.

  It had been even greater waking up with Sophie in his arms, and he was incredibly relieved there was no tension between them. They'd kissed and held each other, and for the first time in months, he was satisfied with that. Sort of.

  "Brooklyn could've shared the guest room with me." Ash was awfully sulky this morning.

  "Let it go, little brother." Tennyson parked outside the nearest CVS and got out of their rental. "While you're busy checking out Brooklyn's ass, she's focusing on spending Christmas morning with her daughter and friends. We're already shit out of luck when it comes to presents, so let's not make it worse."

  Inside the empty CVS, it was easy enough to raid the gift card stand for presents for Brooklyn, Noah, and even Maliah, but Tennyson had no fucking clue what to get Sophie.

  She'd forbidden him to buy her a gift since this wasn’t planned and she hadn't gotten him anything yet, but Tennyson didn’t care. He'd find her something if it was the last thing he did, and then order a better gift once the holidays were over.

  Brooklyn and Noah hadn't anticipated the Wrights being there either, obviously, but it felt rude to crash their Christmas empty-handed.

  "Does Noah like seafood?" Asher was about to add a fifty-dollar gift card to Noah's stack. "Nothing beats the biscuits at Red Lobster."

  "He's a vegetarian. Give me your phone, please." Tennyson was ready to call their mother. "He's on the road a lot and likes to read." While Asher handed over the phone, Tennyson grabbed a few cards from Amazon, iTunes, and Barnes & Noble. "And for chrissakes, why would Maliah want a gift card for golf equipment? She's ten."

  He shook his head and headed down an empty aisle.

  "Eleven, actually!" Ash called. "I'm learning! And Tiger Woods started when he was two!"

  What a weird morning. Tennyson sighed and placed the phone to his ear, waiting for his mom to pick up. They were vacationing on the East Coast, so they were definitely up.

  "Asher, dear?" She finally answered.

  "No, it's Tennyson, Mom. Sorry, I forgot my phone at home before New Mexico." He wandered past the lackluster selection of children's stuff. Unless Brooklyn had plans to bring Maliah on a road trip and wanted a few puzzles for her, there wasn’t much you could find at a pharmacy.

  "Oh! Tennyson. Merry Christmas, sweetheart. How's the climbing going? You're being safe, yes?"

  Here we go. "Actually, we're in LA—flew in yesterday. We're spending the holidays with Sophie and a few others. You met Noah and Brooklyn in Vancouver."

  "I see." That wasn’t what she had wanted to hear. "Your film is doing very well at the box office. Surely, you don’t need to continue the PR romance for more media attention."

  "It's nothing like that." Tennyson paused in an aisle, realizing he'd ended up among the baby items. Bottles, pacifiers, wipes—countless things. His gaze got stuck on a blue pacifier that said "Daddy's Star." Christ, there was a strip of film underneath the words—how damn fitting. Another one was green, had the image of a small caterpillar, and the words "Daddy's Bug."

  It hit him in a whole new way. He was going to be a parent, a father, a daddy. To a little boy.

  His heart squeezed, and he was suddenly both deathly afraid and elated. He couldn’t fucking wait to meet this little person he and Sophie had created.

  "Are you still there, Tennyson? Why are you and Asher spending Christmas with Sophie Pierce?"

  He smiled to himself and snatched up the two pacifiers. "Because she's pregnant, Mom. And I'm the dad." He couldn’t help but laugh at his mother's gasp. Nothing could touch him; he was too stoked about picking out little things for his son.

  Jesus.

  It sent a thrill through him every time h
e thought about it.

  "You're not serious, are you?" Mom choked out. "It was only for publicity!"

  "Oh, it was more than that." Tennyson placed the phone between his shoulder and cheek, eyeing the bibs. The kid would probably need some of those, too. "We're going to raise our son together, of course. We're not involved anymore, and it's a mutual decision, but we're close. I care for her a lot, and I have zero tolerance for you being rude to her. Are we clear on that?"

  His mother spluttered and tried to butt in, but he wasn’t done. While picking out more stuff for the baby, he explained briefly how Sophie had found out she was pregnant and how they were going to handle this together. He made it clear he wanted his son to have grandparents, but it hinged on Mom's behavior toward Sophie.

  "I think you've misunderstood everything," she argued tearfully. "A child is a blessing, and Sophie is a sweet girl. But she's so young and spoiled. She's not right for you—"

  Tennyson interrupted. "And I'm saying you don’t know her enough to make any kind of judgment whatsoever. Lastly, you clearly don’t know what you're talking about if you believe Trisha is perfect for me. I ended our relationship for a reason."

  "Fine," Mom replied stiffly. "I'll go tell your father now. Keep me posted on the pregnancy because, unlike what you seem to think, I'm very happy for you." She sniffled and hung up.

  Tennyson blew out a breath, frustrated, but he wasn’t going to apologize for upsetting her.

  *

  They made it back to Sophie's loft right as breakfast was being served, and everyone was amused by the CVS bags the two Wrights stuffed under the tree.

  "You really didn’t have to buy anything, boss," Noah chuckled.

  "I had to get a toothbrush and deodorant, anyway." Tennyson smirked and, without warning, picked up Sophie from her seat at the dining room table. She squeaked, and he sat down with her on his lap instead. "Don’t mind me, but I have a baby bump to feel up."

  She giggled and returned to spreading butter on a piece of toast. Everyone dug into the food she and Brooklyn had set out, but Tennyson was content to sip his coffee and keep one hand on her belly.

  "Why do grown-ups eat so slow?" Maliah complained. "I wanna open presents, Mom."

  "And I want a million bucks. Finish your pancakes, baby," Brooklyn said.

  Tennyson glanced over at his brother, who was looking pensively between Brooklyn and Maliah.

  "Holy f—" He stiffened and pressed his palm a little to the left of Sophie's belly button. "I think he's moving."

  "I know he is," she laughed. "He's inside my belly."

  It was extraordinary, and now that he'd felt it once, he couldn’t get enough. Throughout breakfast and, later, the gift exchange, he stayed glued to Sophie so he could feel their son moving again.

  He was vaguely aware of Brooklyn and Noah saying they'd gone overboard with the gift cards, but Tennyson waved it off. Asher just pointed to an exuberant Maliah and said they'd clearly done well.

  "Too well," Brooklyn argued, though she was laughing.

  Noah grinned and slapped the stack of gift cards to his knee. "It pays to know the upper crust of Hollywood."

  "See?" Asher chuckled. "That’s the spirit. And I know you deserve it since you've put up with my brother for two productions. How the first one didn’t kill you, I'll never know."

  "But holy hell, has it given me more work," Noah replied. "Thanks to Unrecovered, I'm booked solid for a year, and not for indies, either."

  Tennyson tuned them out and gave one of the CVS bags to Sophie. The two of them occupied a corner of the large couch, so it was easy to get lost in their bubble.

  "I told you not to buy me anything," she chided halfheartedly.

  "Technically, I didn’t." His hand slid under her T-shirt to caress her stomach. "It's for him."

  "Oh." Now she looked more excited, and she tore through the bag and pulled out all the items he'd bought. Pacifiers, bibs, bottles, a small blanket, a pair of baby socks, and a small strap for pacifiers to attach to his clothes. "Oh, Tennyson…" Sophie got emotional and threw her arms around him. "This is so cool." He grinned as she crawled onto his lap and began looking at the things more closely. "Daddy's bug, huh?" She sniffled and chuckled at the next one. "Daddy's star. Where's the mommy stuff?"

  "I'm afraid that was all sold out."

  She gigglesnorted and whacked his chest playfully. "Very funny—oh!" She sat straight up. "I actually have something for you, too. I'll be right back." She left the living room, only to return a few seconds later with an envelope. "I should've thought about this yesterday."

  Tennyson welcomed her on his lap again and pressed a kiss to her neck while she opened the envelope. They were images, he noticed, and when he looked closer, his throat closed up.

  They were ultrasound photos of their baby.

  He could see a small, closed fist. He could see the shape of his son's nose. The little one seemed well developed for being so small.

  "I got a bunch, so take as many as you want." She smiled softly and brushed the pad of her thumb under his eye. He hadn't even realized he'd gotten emotional; he was too focused on the tiny creature on the photo.

  "I—thank you," was all he could utter, and he doubted she understood exactly what he was thanking her for. The sonogram picture, sure, but…God. He had never thought a moment could captivate him like this. Being here with Sophie, seeing the evidence of what their romance in Vancouver had given them; it was life-changing and beautiful.

  She sighed in contentment and rested her head on his shoulder. "We're gonna rock this parenting thing in our own way, aren't we?"

  He squeezed her tightly and glanced over at their friends. "Definitely." When Tennyson wasn’t able to be here in person, he had no doubt Sophie's closest would be. But for now, he couldn’t bear thinking about being away.

  Chapter 7

  San Diego

  Sophie peered down the hall where a bunch of kids was coming in from recess. As part of PR for the animated movie they were making, the actors were flying around the country and visiting schools to hand out comic books about their characters' adventures leading up to the movie. Each character had their own comic book, and it was like a prologue that would make the kids want more.

  Stellar PR tactics. Go after the children.

  "I'm glad you're here," she told Tennyson, who'd flown down to San Diego with her.

  He smiled and gave her hand a squeeze. "You'll do great. Good practice too, eh?"

  "What am I, chopped liver?" Daniel asked.

  *

  Los Angeles

  "I wish you didn’t have to go." Sophie blinked back her tears. "Texas is overrated, anyway."

  Tennyson grinned into the kiss he dropped on the top of her head. "The location was perfect when we picked it, but now I have to agree with you."

  January fifteenth had come like a boy on prom night. Way too fast.

  After a few moments, Tennyson released her and got down on one knee to kiss her stomach through the fabric of her T-shirt. "Be good to Mommy for me," he murmured. Sophie's ovaries went kaboom. "I'd rather not ground you before I even get to meet you."

  Stupid, stupid horny hormones.

  *

  "Time to go, Sophie!" Noah called.

  She made a face at the mirror but figured there was little she could do about it. She couldn’t hide her pregnancy anymore; then again, what was the point? The world knew already.

  Pursing her lips, she debated internally and then left the top two buttons open.

  "Coming." She left her bathroom and adjusted her snug button-down. The buttons weren't straining or anything, but it was two sizes larger than she was used to. Damn boobs, damn basketball belly.

  "You look like a hot CEO." Noah waggled his eyebrows before he frowned. "Why do you look like a hot CEO? We're going to dinner, not a board meeting."

  Yeah, well. Sophie wanted to look classy. The media continued to scare her, and dinner at a fairly popular restaurant meant paps might fin
d out where she was. Hence button-down, black dress pants, and stilettos.

  In her defense, she was wearing some cool accessories—that sure as hell didn’t belong in a boardroom—and her hair was down.

  "Nobody can call me a tramp when I wear stuff like this." She shrugged. Her feet were already killing her, but she'd get used to it. She and her friends were constantly busy with work, but tonight they were off. So dinner it was.

  She'd voted for pizza and a movie marathon.

  She'd been in the minority—four against one.

  "Sophie…" Noah sighed. "You need to give yourself more credit."

  She waved it off, wanting to get the evening over with. "Come on, let's go. Are we meeting up with the others there?"

  Noah nodded and followed her out of the loft.

  Halfway to the restaurant, she got a text from Tennyson.

  Asher thinks we should name our son after him. I admit, I laughed in his face.

  Sophie giggled and replied.

  Poor Asher! So he's visiting you in Texas, huh? Does he find it overrated, too?

  "What'cha gigglin' about?" Noah asked.

  "Names." She grinned. "We look for names everywhere, but whenever we start texting about it, it leads to goofing around."

  She'd found a name yesterday she liked though, so she fired off another message to Tennyson.

  What about Flynn?

  His response came shortly after.

  Yes, and Asher says hello. My uncle's grandson is named Flynn, though I do like the name.

  "Shoot." Thinking cap back on, then.

  "I say you go with Noah," Noah said with a firm nod. "A little Noah Wright. Someone should pass on my name."

  "It's last names you pass on, dingus," Sophie laughed.

  "Fine! So Collins, then. Collins Wright."

  "That sounds…" Sophie tried to put it as nicely as possible. "Honey, I love you, but no chance in hell."

  He huffed. "All right, but I get naming rights on the second kid."

  "Sure." Sophie humored him.

  She hadn't even given birth to her first child. Thinking about a second was a decade or so too fast.