by Rita Herron
He moved even closer, and lifted a knuckle to brush across her cheek. She closed her eyes, remembering the times before when he'd made the same gesture, then when he'd undressed her and made slow, sweet love to her. If only they could turn back time and she could do things all over again...
"Sophie, I want us to be together. To..." He paused and cleared his throat. "To get married."
Shock bolted through her. She opened her eyes and found him kneeling on one knee. He gathered her hand in his and held up a diamond ring that shimmered in the pale light of the room.
Sophie was breathless. She'd dreamed of Lance forgiving her, but not of a proposal.
"Oh, Lance..."
"Please, Sophie, I know we've had some problems, but there's chemistry between us, and I care about you, and I think you care about me. We'll make our baby a wonderful home—"
"Baby?" The joy Sophie had felt moments before disintegrated. Hurt welled in her throat, nearly cutting off the air in her windpipe. "What do you mean, our baby?"
He smiled then and laid his hand over her belly. She shivered and drew back from his touch.
"It's okay, I'm glad I know. I mean, I wish you'd told me, but still, I'm just glad I know." His voice was so calm, assured, determined. "We'll make it work, Sophie. We'll get past all this—"
"I'm not pregnant, Lance."
His fingers tightened around hers. "Sophie, you don't need to keep it a secret."
Tears pricked at her eyelids. "I'm not, Lance; I'm really not pregnant." She pulled her hand away, already missing his touch, then wrapped her arms around her middle to hold herself up. "What gave you that idea?"
His breath whooshed out and he stood, looking shaken. "Reid. Lucy told him she heard you and Maddie talking."
She pressed her lips together and saw the moment realization dawned.
"Not you, Maddie?"
Sophie nodded. "She didn't want to tell you right now, not with us... the way things are."
Lance gripped his hands by his sides. He glanced around the room, at the ceiling, his shoes, back at her. He clearly didn't know what to do.
"I think you'd better go, Lance."
"But Sophie, I... I'm sorry."
She turned and ripped his shirt from her body. Uncaring that she stood naked in front him, she shoved it at him. "Take it and go. I don't ever want to see you again."
Lance balled the shirt in his hands and backed away, his gaze glued to her until she shut the door in his face. As soon as she heard his truck crank, she wrapped the Afghan around her and yelled for Lucy.
The new job offers were looking better and better all the time....
* * *
Lance picked up Reid on the way to Maddie's. If he had ever thought he might have another chance with Sophie, he had blown it.
"I was trying to be noble. To do the right thing," he argued. Which was obviously the wrong thing.
"I'll never understand women," Reid said.
Lance glanced at his crumpled shirt and nodded. "Me neither." And he would never forget the way Sophie had looked wearing nothing but that shirt. Then naked, handing it back to him with tears in her eyes. He had hurt her terribly, and he wasn't even sure what he'd done so horribly wrong.
Five minutes later he and his brother stood in Chase and Maddie's house.
"Why didn't you tell us the good news?" Lance pulled his sister into a bear hug, his throat thick with emotion. He was going to be an uncle; his baby sister was going to be a mother, his best friend in the whole world a father. "I'm so damn happy for you, you know that?"
Both he and Reid pumped Chase's hand, then Maddie hugged them both.
When they finally all stopped patting and hugging, Maddie planted her hands on her hips. "How did you find out?" She slanted a suspicious eye toward her husband. "Did you tell, Chase?"
Chase shook his head. "No, ma'am, you gave me orders."
Maddie quirked a brow at her brothers.
"Er, it... just came out," Reid said.
Maddie's eyes narrowed. "Okay, something's up, boys; what happened?"
Somehow, between Lance and Reid's scattered explanation, they managed to spit out the gist of the story.
"Oh, good gracious, Lance." Maddie slapped at him. "Next time you have to deal with Sophie or any woman, check with me first. You and Reid both need lessons."
Chase chuckled, but Lance threw out his hands in confusion. "I still don't know what I did wrong. I thought I was doing the right thing."
"Which is exactly how it came across to Sophie." Maddie hissed and blew her hair away from her forehead. "I have to see her now and make sure you haven't damaged her for life."
Chase gently caught her hand. "Do you want me to drive you, honey?"
Maddie rolled her eyes. "You're sweet, but no, thanks, Chase. I'm pregnant, not an invalid."
He looked monetarily hurt, but Maddie kissed him. "Tell you what, though, you can give me a backrub when I get back."
Chase hugged her. "Of course, honey."
"Oh, for Pete's sake," Reid muttered. "Do you two ever stop?"
Maddie laughed, then fluttered a wave and ran out the door. Chase gestured toward the kitchen. "I've got some beer. Celebrate with me?"
Lance nodded, fighting envy at the nice home his best friend and sister had made, at the love they shared, and the baby they would bring into the world. They would be a real family.
Chase opened them all a beer and they sat at the breakfast bar. Reid tipped his bottle for a toast. "Here's to the first Summers-Holloway kid."
Lance raised his bottle. "Let's pray it's a male."
"Yeah, we don't need any more women in the family."
The other two members of the Terrible Three seconded that sentiment and clinked bottles.
* * *
"It was awful," Sophie said as Maddie and Lucy gathered around her with a chocolate layer cake, two quarts of ice cream, and a liter of diet Coke, which brought a fresh round of tears.
"I'm sorry; this is all my fault again," Lucy wailed. "I'm such a screwup."
"No, honey, it's not your fault." Sophie hugged her sister. "You meant well."
"I wanted to make it up to you for putting a hex on Lance in the first place. It's all because I was so selfish that I didn't want to be alone...."
Sophie brushed Lucy's hair from her damp cheek. "What do you mean? You're not alone."
Lucy hiccupped on a sob. "But I was afraid if you married Lance, you'd forget all about me, 'cause you'd be too busy with him and having babies and I'd never see you again—"
Sophie cut her off, the truth dawning. "Oh, Lucy, honey, you're my sister, my favorite person in the whole world. I could never forget about you." She handed Lucy a hankie to dry her eyes. "No matter what happens, even if one of us does get married, we'll always, always have each other."
Lucy fell into Sophie's arms, and Sophie rocked her back and forth. She and her sister had both been affected by the way they'd grown up; they'd learned to cling to one another. She should have understood Lucy's feelings sooner.
"Well, I know my brother loves you," Maddie said. "Unfortunately he has mush for brains."
"Don't they all?" Lucy muttered as she blew her nose.
Sophie tried a laugh but failed. "For a moment I thought Lance did love me, maybe because I wanted it so badly, but then... I'll never forget the way he said we'd make it work. He didn't mention anything about love."
"Nothing?" Lucy asked.
"No. Oh, well, he said he cared about me," Sophie said in a sarcastic tone. "People care for their dogs; they don't care for the person they want to spend the rest of their life with. Maybe I should take that job and move."
"You're not moving," Maddie said emphatically.
"I'm just sorry that my pregnancy caused such a misunderstanding, and that it hasn't worked out." Maddie dabbed at her own eyes. "I really wanted you and Lance to be as happy as Chase and I are."
Sophie put her hand on Maddie's belly. "Don't be sorry for a minute. You should
be celebrating now. I feel terrible for spoiling your news."
Lucy washed her hands, handed each of them a fork, and poured three glasses of milk. "I say we celebrate with Maddie right now."
They raised their milk glasses and clinked. "Let's just hope this baby's a girl," Maddie said.
"I thought you wanted a boy," Sophie said.
"I did, but I've changed my mind. We don't need any more men in the family; they're too much trouble."
* * *
With her big three-oh behind her, and after Lucy's comment about being afraid she'd lose her, and with Mother's Day only two days away, Sophie had done some serious soul searching. As an end to her Mother's Day tribute, she had phoned and arranged for Peter to bring Deseree to the show. Her mother had begged to come a few weeks earlier, when Lucy had appeared as a guest. Sophie had refused to entertain the idea then, but now she had a surprise for Deseree.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Lucy asked.
"I'm sure." Lucy had been asking her questions all morning, as if she were afraid Sophie had gone off the deep end. She squeezed her sister's hand, grateful that Lucy had returned to Savannah with her. They had spent the last couple of days bonding, staying up late to watch old movies together, shopping, and debating Lucy's future with the Sleepover, Inc., company, the dance club, and a surprise offer from the talent scout who'd seen the Diva act in Vegas. Apparently he'd placed Peter on an MTV show, and the producer was interested in Lucy for another role in the production.
But Sophie had discovered a local arts theater that might be interested in her sister as a performer, and Lucy had an audition the following week. She was also considering going back to school.
"Did you see Peter and Deseree yet?" Sophie asked.
"Yes, I arranged for them to have good seats, right up front, like you requested."
"How does Deseree look?"
"Nervous but excited," Lucy said.
Sophie's heart squeezed. "I'm glad I talked to her yesterday and explained what I wanted to do."
Lucy hugged her. "It's going to be okay, Soph."
The producer stuck his head into Sophie's dressing room. "You're on in five."
"Be right there." Sophie took Lucy's hand and led her to the stage. She hoped this episode wouldn't cost her the career she'd worked so hard to build, but even if it did, she had to see it through. She'd kept her past and her present lives separate for too long; she didn't want any more secrets returning to haunt her or mess up her life.
* * *
Maddie pointed to her sofa. "Sit."
Lance and Reid exchanged confused looks with each other and Chase, but did as she said. They'd learned long ago not to mess with Maddie, especially when she had her mind made up. And she was pregnant now, which made her even more hormonal, more delicate and in need of their protection.
"What is it, honey?" Lance asked.
Reid leaned forward. "Do you need us to do something for you, Maddie?"
"Oh, good gracious," Maddie said. "I'm fine. But you two are going to sit here and watch the Sophie Knows show with me."
"I've got work to do." Lance instantly bolted up, and Reid started to follow, but Maddie pushed him back onto the sofa and Reid froze.
"Are you trying to punish me?" Lance asked. "It's bad enough I can't sleep for thinking about the woman without having to watch her on TV every day."
"It's not a punishment," Maddie said, although the gleam in her eyes made him wonder. "But you have to see today's show. You'll understand when it's all over."
She disappeared to the kitchen, and Chase jumped up to help her. Lance and Reid once again exchanged confused looks, but both were too worried about upsetting the pregnant Maddie to argue. After all, even if she didn't always act like a delicate Southern lady, her condition was delicate. And they had a niece or nephew to protect now.
Besides, Maddie had a good right hook and she wasn't afraid to use it.
A minute later, Maddie and Chase returned from the kitchen with an assortment of goodies, including a hot fudge cake with ice cream, and a pitcher of sweet iced tea, so the boys helped themselves. Maybe if he ate enough food, he'd distract himself from wanting to eat... lap up Sophie.
The music piped up and Sophie pranced onstage wearing a dark green suit that emphasized her eyes and hugged her figure. Lance mentally saw her naked, and wondered if he'd ever be able to ban that image. He still hadn't been able to wear that shirt she'd returned to him....
Seconds later Lucy appeared. In spite of the fact that Reid grumbled incessantly about Lucy being a kook, his little brother sat up straighter, his eyes glued to the TV, his body twitching as if he might leap off the couch, crawl through the TV and grab her any minute.
"Today we end our Mother's Day special," Sophie said as the music faded. "All week long we've been reuniting mothers who have been separated from their children, hearing stories of troubled kids, and honoring the females who assume the matriarchal role to take care of their families. Today I have a special story to share with you. This is my own story. Mine and my sister's." Sophie hesitated, and Lance's breath lodged in his throat.
"My hope is that by sharing my past I can persuade others, especially troubled teens, who are in need of help to come forward and ask for it."
Maddie plucked a box of tissues from the table and hugged them to her. Chase massaged Maddie's back with a terrified look on his face. Reid's leg twitched faster.
"I'd like to start by telling you about my mother. Her name is Deseree." The camera panned to a close-up of the bottled blonde he'd seen in Vegas. She was decked out in gaudy jewelry and a bright orange outfit and had big hair, and seemed pleased to be on camera.
"My mother had a very difficult childhood," Sophie began. "She grew up with alcoholic parents who abandoned her when she was a teenager. With no family to help her, little education, and no money, she set out on her own. She survived, but she was desperate and resorted to working in a dance club in Vegas, and later, I hate to admit, to being a call girl."
The audience murmured a low rumble of whispers, but they were captivated.
"As a little girl, I didn't understand why other children made fun of her or me, but I knew my family was different, and I closed myself off from others. By the time my little sister was born I was old enough to realize that the late nights my mother worked were not waitressing jobs. I was afraid of the men she brought home, protective of my sister, and basically ashamed of her life. I swore when I grew up I'd be different."
Lance knotted his hands into fists and started to stand. "I don't want to hear any more."
Maddie grabbed his arm and jerked him back down. "Shut up and sit there and listen."
Then she grabbed a tissue and dabbed at her eyes. Chase cradled her to him. "We should turn it off, Maddie; all that crying can't be good for the baby."
Maddie blew her nose. "The baby's fine."
Reid slid to the edge of the seat to get up then, and Maddie snapped her fingers toward him. "You, too. Reid. I mean it, don't move. We're watching every minute."
Reid pressed his fists together while Lance pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Anyway," Sophie continued, "it wasn't until I met a special friend, Maddie Summers, and her brothers, that I learned about real families. I wanted that so desperately; all I'd ever dreamed of was a nice big old house with a front porch and my own bedroom with a walk-in closet and a white picket fence and maybe a pond out back...." Emotions choked her voice, and she paused, making Lance's throat thicken. "I wanted that so badly I tried to hide my past, hide who I am."
Lucy cleared her throat and broke in. "You see, my sister and I grew up in Vegas, watching the showgirls walk the streets. We'd sneak into shows backstage to watch the girls dance, and eventually created our own show. When we got older we needed money ourselves, so we took our act to the Palace. Some of you might have heard of it—the Diva act."
Again the audience murmured and whispered, but Lance saw their expressions. Sympathy. Compassio
n. Admiration.
He hoped Sophie saw it, too.
She composed herself. "Anyway, I realized recently that our past is very important; it shapes us and makes us who we are. We should never be ashamed of it; we should embrace it, treasure it, allow it to help us grow." She stood. "That said, I'd like for Deseree—my mother—to come up onstage." Sophie's voice wobbled. "You see, my mother may not have made all the right choices back then, but she loved me and my sister, and she did what she had to do to survive. And I learned from a very wise, smart girl"—she gestured toward Lucy—"about forgiveness. Today I'd like to honor my mother by introducing her to you."
The camera once again swung to Deseree, and the audience burst into applause as she wove her way up to the stage. "Come on up here, Mom."
Deseree waved to the crowd, then burst into tears. Sophie embraced her, and Lucy joined them in a group hug.
Lance exhaled, trying to steady his own emotions. Maddie was completely out of control, sobbing like a baby. Chase kept stuffing tissues in her hand, his expression of terror and sympathy almost comical.
"I can relate to Sophie," Chase admitted gruffly, reminding Lance of Chase's life in the orphanage.
"I should never have let her go," Lance said in a husky voice.
"What a nightmare for Sophie and Lucy," Reid said.
"I love her," Lance said. "I thought she knew that."
"How would she know it if you didn't tell her, you big idiot?" Maddie blew her nose so loudly she nearly burst Lance's eardrum.
But she was pregnant, so he didn't say a word.
Instead he stared down at his shoes. Maddie was right. He had never told her. "It's too late now," Lance said, although he couldn't stand the possibility of her moving away and giving up the house she had worked so hard to buy. The home she'd put so much time and love into. "She gave me back my shirt." The fact that she'd rather be naked than wear it had said a lot.
Reid and Chase looked at him as if he'd gone alien on them.
"It's never too late," Maddie whispered. "Not if you really, really love her."
He did love her, more than anything. In fact, he wanted her so badly it hurt to breathe. But after the way he'd acted, how could he convince her?
