Discovering Sophie

by Anderson, Cindy Roland

  The night before, he and Peter had talked. Peter had suggested that Jack and Sophie’s feelings for each other were mainly based on the bond they’d shared when Sophie learned of her father’s death and then again when they’d been kidnapped and escaped together.

  While that might be true, Jack knew his attraction to Sophie had been strong from the moment he’d first met her. Still, chemistry was a fickle thing. What if he moved to Colorado and his or Sophie’s feelings changed?

  Then there was the whole issue with his family. He still had no idea how to go about mending those relationships. Jack’s hands gripped the steering wheel hard. If things didn’t work out with his family, would Sophie ever be able to be truly happy with just Jack and eventually their children if they had any?

  Peter’s family was close, and they did love Sophie. He’d read all the personal messages on the poster board to her. They already considered her a part of their family. Some of the notes mentioned seeing her at Thanksgiving, which was only a couple of weeks away.

  It was a holiday that typically brought families together, and it would probably be the perfect time to reunite with his brother and parents. Still, it scared him to think about facing his family again. Seeing Heather and Adam together would hurt. Even after all these years, he knew it would hurt. Could Jack really forgive them for all the pain they’d caused?

  By the time Jack pulled into the parking lot, he wasn’t sure what to do. The only thing he knew for certain was that he loved Sophie.

  * * *

  Sophie didn’t know what to say to Peter. They both listened silently to Jack’s retreating footsteps. With her heart monitor no longer needed, the room seemed awfully quiet.

  “I’m sorry about your dad,” Peter said, his brown eyes filled with tenderness.

  “Thank you.” Her voice quavered, and she bit her lip to control her emotions. “At least now I know what happened to him.”

  “My family sends their love.” He smiled and picked up a white poster board that was leaning against the wall. “They all got together and made this for you. I showed it to you yesterday, but I’m guessing you don’t remember that either.”

  He turned it over and her breath caught. Pictures of Peter’s parents, his siblings and their spouses and children covered the board, with messages for Sophie written in between them.

  “That is the sweetest thing in the world.” She held out her hands and Peter handed it to her. “I can’t believe they did this for me.” Her eyes skimmed over the familiar faces. She read a few of the messages and couldn’t help smiling.

  “They love you Sophie.” Peter’s voice was so soft and sad at the same time. “So do I.”

  Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes. Part of her still loved Peter. It was nothing compared to the way Jack made her feel, but she still cared about him. “I know you do.”

  Peter reached into his pocket and withdrew the velvet pouch containing the ring he’d given her. “I brought this with me, hoping you’d decide to accept my proposal.” He took a seat in the chair next to her bed and emptied the bag, letting the engagement ring fall into the center of his palm.

  Sophie stared at the glittering diamond, seeing her dream of becoming a wife and mother packed into such a small package. A lump lodged in her throat. She had decided not to accept the ring, even before she’d met Jack. It was the right decision, but deep down she had this fear that this might be her only chance to get married. Jack still hadn’t said anything more about marriage. Of course she’d been too sick for them to have any kind of a serious discussion, but what if he didn’t want to marry her?

  Peter picked up the ring and held it between his long fingers. The vulnerability she read in his eyes pierced her heart. Before he said anything, the nurse named Yolanda came into the room.

  She spotted the ring in Peter’s fingers and clapped a hand over her heart and said something in Spanish. Peter knew a little of the language and Sophie saw he liked what Yolanda had said.

  “Sí,” he said, winking at the nurse.

  Yolanda smiled at Sophie. “He is a good man, Señorita. I can tell.” Then she turned around and left the room as fast as she’d appeared.

  Sophie wasn’t sure what to think about the woman’s statement. For some reason, the nurse didn’t seem to like Jack. Trying not to be bothered, she focused on Peter and found him watching her closely.

  “I want to marry you, Sophie.” He leaned forward, and the diamond sparkled under the lights. “I know you have feelings for Jack, but I believe you still care about me.”

  “Yes.” She shook her head. “I mean, yes I still care about you, but I fell in love with Jack.”

  Peter tipped his head in acknowledgement. “I can understand that.” He twisted the ring so it caught the light again. “But have you considered your feelings for him are based off of the bond you two shared when you learned about your father’s death? You two also went through a lot together with the abduction by those ruthless men and then your illness.”

  “It’s more than that, Peter. I don’t know how to explain it.”

  He palmed the ring and closed his fist around it. “I’m not trying to undermine your feelings.”

  Sophie frowned. That was exactly what he was trying to do.

  Peter let out a big breath. “Okay, I guess I am, but I want you to be sure you know what you’re doing.” He sat back, his lips pressed flat. “We’ve been together for a long time, Sophie. You know me, both my good and my bad. You know where I stand with God. You know my family.”

  He pinned her with a solemn look. “How well do you really know Jack? What about his family?”

  Her throat was tight, and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. She’d known Jack for two weeks, but it’s not like they were getting married next week. But when would they get married? Neither of them had a plan. Was Jack staying in Costa Rica, or would he try to move to Colorado?

  She swallowed, wishing Jack would come back now. She felt so unsure about everything. When he was with her, it was easier to imagine them together.

  “I...I don’t know.” Sophie dropped her eyes and stared at the poster board once again. A few of Peter’s older nieces had referred to her as Aunt Sophie and asked if they could have another princess movie night at her condo over the Thanksgiving holiday. They’d done it before, and Sophie had relished every second of the time spent with the sweet little girls.

  Suddenly she felt so tired. She really didn’t know how to answer Peter. Any argument about her feelings for Jack—which appeared to be based solely on physical attraction—seemed hollow.

  “Sweetheart,” Peter said, reaching over and taking one of her hands. “I’m sorry if what I’ve said has upset you.” His hand, so smooth and warm, tightened around hers. His touch wasn’t electric like Jack’s, but it was comforting. “You don’t have to make any decisions right now. I just want you to think about it, okay?”

  “Okay.” Her voice was barely audible. Tired, like how she felt.

  Peter must have sensed that. “Go to sleep, honey. I’m right here.” He stroked her palm with his thumb. “I’m not going anywhere unless you tell me to.”

  * * *

  The scene before him was not what Jack had expected to find. He leaned against the doorjamb and fought to control his emotions. Both Sophie and Peter were asleep, and they were holding hands.

  He tried to tell himself it meant nothing, but after what Yolanda had just said, he wasn’t so sure. Had Peter really proposed again, and with a diamond ring? Sophie’s left hand was tucked underneath Peter’s, so he couldn’t see if she was wearing a ring or not.

  Feelings of betrayal and jealousy gripped him around the middle. What had happened in the hour and half it had taken him to answer his emails and do a load of laundry? He’d been so confident about Sophie’s feelings for him that he hadn’t been in any hurry to return.

  As if sensing she was being watched, Sophie’s eyes fluttered open, and when she saw Jack, her face lit up. “Hey,” she
said softly. She pulled her hand out from Peter’s and stretched.

  “Hey, yourself.” Jack didn’t see a ring and felt a measure of relief ease the tension in his chest. “Did you have a good nap?”

  “Yes.” She glanced over at Peter. “I guess we fell asleep.”

  The innocent remark struck a nerve. “Yeah, I could see that.”

  Sophie's pale cheeks flushed pink. She dropped her gaze as if she felt guilty. “I’m glad you’re back,” she said, her eyes darting back up at him.

  “Are you?” Jack hated the bitter sound in his voice, but it was as if he was reliving those days when Heather had told him she was pregnant with Adam’s baby.

  “Of course.” The confused, hurt look that crossed Sophie’s face made him feel bad. He started to apologize, but right then Peter jerked awake and stood up. Something dropped on the tiled floor and pinged twice before coming to a rest.

  Jack looked at what had fallen and felt his skin grow cold. A gold wedding ring with at least a two carat diamond sparkled under the lights. “You dropped something,” he said evenly.

  The tips of Peter’s ears were red as he shuffled forward and picked up the ring. Jack’s breath felt trapped in his lungs, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to wait around to see what would happen. He drew in a shallow breath of relief when Peter dropped the ring into a black velvet pouch and slipped the bag inside his pocket. While Peter hadn’t put it on Sophie’s finger, it looked like he had been a busy boy doing something other than saying his goodbyes as he’d led Jack to believe.

  “Did you two have a nice visit?” The tone of Jack’s voice oozed with irony as he kept his gaze firmly centered on Peter.

  “We did.” Peter narrowed his eyes. “Were you able to get any work done?”

  “Yeah.” His eyes flickered to Sophie. “A group of doctors out of Utah and Idaho want me to guide them on a two week humanitarian mission a couple of weeks before Christmas.” Jack hadn’t responded yet because he wasn’t sure what he was doing with his business or where he’d be living. Now he wanted to pull out his phone and confirm the reservation.

  “Are you going to take them?” Sophie asked in a soft voice.

  Jack felt his wall of self-protection going back up, and he shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet.” The tension in the room was as tight as a coiled spring. No one spoke for several heartbeats. Then a buzzing sound ended the awkward silence.

  Peter reached inside his pocket and pulled out his cell. He glanced at the screen and heaved a sigh. “Excuse me, but I need to take this.”

  Peter left Sophie’s room to talk on his phone. When he was gone, Jack looked at Sophie and felt bad about the wounded look in her eyes.

  “Why are you so angry?” she asked.

  Jack shoved his hands in his pockets. “What did you and Peter talk about while I was gone?”

  Sophie twisted her hands together and stared at him for a few drawn-out seconds. The white poster board on her lap started to slide down the blanket, and she grasped onto it before it could fall. “We talked about my dad.” She moistened her lips. “And about us—that is you and me—and our relationship.”

  “Oh? And what did Peter have to say about our relationship? I’m sure it was very insightful.”

  “Jack, stop acting like this.” Her voice quavered. “I don’t care what Peter said. I love you, and it doesn’t matter that we’ve only known each other for a short time.”

  Nice. Not only had Peter lied about his intentions, he’d also used his time to plant seeds of doubt in her mind. The problem was Jack already had those same doubts swimming around in his head. What if he moved to Colorado and Sophie realized she wasn’t really in love with him after all?

  “Did he propose to you?”

  “Not exactly.” She let out a big breath. “He brought the ring, hoping I’d changed my mind.”

  “You were holding hands.”

  “I was feeling insecure and tired. He was trying to comfort me.”

  Jack snorted. “You were feeling insecure because of what he said.”

  “Yes and no.” She lifted one shoulder up. “Truthfully, I’m feeling insecure because I don’t know what is going to happen to us.”

  Jack wanted to say something to reassure her, but his tongue felt thick. He looked away from her and swallowed hard. “I…don’t either.”

  The sharp intake of her breath brought his gaze back to hers. The moment their eyes connected, all the powerful feelings he felt for her slammed into him. Oh, man. He loved her so much. She wasn’t anything like Heather. Logically, he knew that, so why was he feeling this out-of-control insecurity?

  Needing to be near her, he crossed the floor and sat down on the edge of her bed. “But we’ll figure it out, okay?”

  A look of relief flickered in her eyes. “Okay.”

  The giant card Peter had given her started to slip off of her lap again. Jack took it from her and studied the pictures and messages. Compared to this, the family Jack had to offer Sophie was so inadequate. “Wow, I got to hand it to him. He really does have a nice family.”

  “Yes, he does.”

  “They already consider you a part of their family.”

  “That’s true.” Sophie took the card and propped it in between her mattress and side rail. “But I’m not marrying Peter just so I can have his family.”

  Jack’s eyes widened, and she laughed. “Sorry, that came out wrong.” She reached out and laid her hand on top of his. “I’m not marrying Peter at all. For any reason.”

  Jack turned his hand over so their palms were pressed together. He knew he loved her, but no matter how much he loved her, he could never give her what Peter could—a large, loving family. Plus, it’s not like Jack was that great of a catch. He thought about how easily the anger and bitterness toward Heather and his brother had returned so quickly only moments before.

  Part of him had to be realistic. Was it really possible he would reconcile with his family? Sophie had only known him for two weeks, and Jack had only been humble enough to ask God’s forgiveness for half that time. What if he couldn’t stay recommitted to his faith? How would Sophie feel about him then?

  “Please don’t be mad at me,” Sophie said in a soft voice.

  “I’m not mad at you.” He was scared. If Heather had the power to hurt him, Sophie had the power to completely destroy him.

  One of her perfect brows lifted up in disbelief. “You sure seemed like you were.”

  “I know.” He threaded their fingers together. “I’m sorry I was such a jerk.”

  Someone outside the door laughed. Then Hector walked into the room. “Jack, she’s only been awake for a few hours and you’re already apologizing for being a jerk?”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Sophie had never been so relieved to see someone in her life. “Hector! What are you doing here?”

  “Well, I came to see you.” He pointed his thumb in Jack’s directions. “But maybe I should take this idiot outside and knock some sense into him”

  Jack rolled his eyes. “How about just knocking out Sophie’s boyfriend?”

  “I thought that was you.”

  So did Sophie. She frowned and wanted to throw something at Jack for acting so stupid.

  “Stick around,” Jack said sarcastically. “Peter should be back any minute now.”

  As if on cue, Peter came rushing back in. Sophie watched Jack’s face and saw the flash of anger mar his features. He was angry because he was jealous. That realization made her feel a little better.

  Peter ignored Jack and smiled at Hector. “Hello.”

  Hector grinned. “Hola.”

  Peter held out his hand and said something in Spanish. Sophie thought Hector looked mildly disappointed he couldn’t pull the same trick he’d pulled on her. The two men shook hands.

  “How are you related to Sophie?” Hector asked in English.

  Peter’s jaw dropped, and Jack laughed out loud. Hector knew very well Sophie didn’t have any living relatives.


  “We’re not related. I’m her…” He glanced at Jack, then Sophie, and back to Hector. “I’m Peter Elliot, and Sophie and I have been dating for the past year.”

  “Ah, I see,” Hector said with a wide grin. He looked around Peter and spoke directly to Sophie. “Maybe I should take care of both of them, ¿no?”

  Sophie tried to suppress a giggle that came out sounding more like a hiccup. Peter’s forehead creased as he glared at Hector. “And you are…?”

  “Here to see Sophie,” Hector quipped.

  Peter didn’t find it as funny as Jack or Sophie. “Peter, this is Hector Garcia,” Sophie said. “He traveled with us and did most of the cooking. He also helped rescue Jack and me.”

  The lines in Peter’s forehead softened. “Thank you, Mr. Garcia, for being there for Sophie.”

  Hector shrugged. “Sophie was the real hero that day, right Jack?”

  “We wouldn’t have gotten away without her.”

  Peter’s scowl was back again. Apparently, he hadn’t heard all of the details of their escape.

  “What—” He started to question her, but just then, a beautiful, dark-haired woman came into the room carrying a bouquet of colorful flowers.

  Hector gave the woman a quick kiss and then introduced her to Sophie. “This is my wife Isabelle.” He grinned widely and winked. “Now you know why I’m always so happy.”

  Hector was teasing again, but it was the sweetest thing Sophie had ever heard.

  Isabelle’s caramel colored skin was as radiant as her smile. “Hello, Sophie.” She walked over and handed the flowers to her. “I’m so happy I finally get to meet Jack’s bride to be.”

  The comment was innocent, but it proved to be too much for Peter. He turned toward Sophie, his face red. “You’re engaged to Mathison?”

  Sophie had never heard Peter sound so angry. “No.” She wanted to be, but Jack hadn’t asked.

  Jack sauntered forward, a cocky smirk tipping his lips. “Not officially.”

  “Have you proposed to her?” Peter demanded.

  This time Jack’s face flushed red. “Uh, no.”

  Sophie waited to hear Jack follow up with some kind of explanation like there hadn’t been the right moment, but Jack just stood there without saying another word.