I sucked my breath in and pulled up my proverbial big girl panties when I got off the elevator. I unlocked the door to the apartment, secretly relieved he hadn’t changed the locks, while I was gone. As I walked in, Grace came running up to me. “Sophie! You’re back!” she shouted, obviously excited to see me. I dropped my bag and caught her in a hug. Tears sprang to my eyes at the sight of her, and hope trickled in, as I held her. Maybe there was a chance.
I looked up, as Olivia walked up to us. She smiled and wrapped her arms around me gently. “I’m very glad to see you,” she whispered, the expensive scent of her perfume enveloping me. She stepped back from us and gave Grace a smile and a wink. Seconds later, she was out the door.
I was confused by what was going on. I didn’t think anyone else was here. Why would Olivia leave me alone with Grace?
“Did you know Uncle ‘Olt is my daddy?” Grace asked me, grabbing my hand and dragging me to the couch. “Not my real daddy. That’s Daddy. But Uncle ‘Olt is too. Did you see me on TV? I smiled and waved at the cameras. Daddy said you might see me from Colorado.” She looked up at me expectantly.
I was stunned, but I gathered myself enough to say, “I did. You looked beautiful in your navy dress.”
“Thank you! Aunt Livie picked it out. She picked out everyone’s clothes. It was funny watching her pick out Daddy and Uncle ‘Olt’s clothes. They didn’t even fuss. Mama said it was a miracle,” She chattered excitedly, stumbling over the word miracle.
I couldn’t help but smile at her words. Her presence felt like a second chance. I wasn’t sure exactly what Colt’s plan was, but my hope was soaring. “Grace, can you explain this to me?” I asked her, gesturing between the two of us and the apartment.
“We’re having a sleepover! We get to hang out and eat junk food and talk all night. At least, that’s what Aunt Livie said we’re supposed to do.” Hannah’s excitement was contagious, but I was still confused.
“Is anyone else joining us?” I asked her.
“Nope. Just us. Can I call you Aunt Sophie now? I overheard Mama say if it goes well, you’ll be Aunt Sophie. I don’t know if it’s going well, but I want you to be Aunt Sophie,” Grace told me, with a small frown.
“Of course you can call me Aunt Sophie,” I managed, a catch in my throat at her unconditional love.
“Oh, I’m supposed to give you this,” Hannah said, running to the table for an envelope. “Uncle ‘Olt said it’s important. He said what’s in here is as important as me. He said it’s the two most important things in the world.” Hannah made sure to pronounce the words carefully, as if they’d been rehearsed. “Uncle ‘Olt made a mistake. A big one.” Grace held her arms out as wide as they would go, and I bit back a smile. “He said the only apology big enough was me.” Her eyes cut to the side, and I knew she was not sure if she’d got it right. She thrust the envelope at me. “Read this,” she said, nodding confidently. “It’ll fix everything.”
I took the envelope, as she spun around and went back to her puzzle on the floor. I sat down slowly, my forgotten bag sliding down my shoulder. I carefully opened the envelope, taking a deep breath before I began reading.
Dear Sophie,
Words aren’t good enough. I know that. Our actions define us. I chose not to trust you at the first insidious doubt I had. There’s no excuse for that. You told me I had to decide to trust you and I have. This is the only way I know how to prove how much I trust you. Grace means more to me than my own life. I’m leaving her in your care until tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. The set time is nothing more than my attempt to keep myself from showing up at dawn on my knees begging forgiveness. Trust me when I say I’ll do that too.
You may not believe me, but I knew I’d made a mistake as soon as you walked out the door. My pride and distrust were a beast I allowed to control my actions. I know you would never do that to me or Grace. Please believe me when I say that. Olivia found out who did, but I’d already decided it wasn’t you. I chose to listen to my heart and not my head. When it comes to you, it seems to know best.
I’m sorry for doubting you. Please forgive me.
You and Grace are the most important things in my life.
Colt
I was crying and laughing at the same time. Only Colt would know how to make me believe him when he said he trusted me. He couldn’t have made it clearer to me how he felt. Grace came up to me with a familiar handkerchief in her hand.
“Uncle ‘Olt said you might need this,” she whispered, handing it to me.
“Your Uncle Colt is surprisingly smart,” I replied, blowing my nose in the hankie. “I haven’t had a sleepover in forever. We’re going to have so much fun!”
“YAY!” Grace shouted. “Can we have candy now?”
I laughed saying, “Absolutely.”
The night flew by, as we giggled and painted each other’s nails. We made pizzas, creating crazy faces with the toppings. Grace laughed hysterically when I declared mine the spitting image of Colt. We whipped up a batch of brownies in celebration. Grace didn’t understand completely what’d happened, and I was okay keeping it that way. I knew we were celebrating. We ate brownies and watched the Little Mermaid before going to bed. It felt like Christmas, but instead of waiting for Santa to arrive I was waiting for Colt.
We curled up in my princess bed, because that was what it was. It took me a while to figure it out, but the bedroom they’d created was designed for a princess. I read Snow White to Grace, but she fell asleep within the first three pages. I contented myself with watching her sleep. My heart felt as if it’d doubled in size. I’d never allowed myself to get too attached to Grace, always fearful that she’d be taken away from me. But Colt’s trust broke that final wall, allowing me to love her completely. I slept easily for the first time, since I’d walked out the door.
The next morning, we were waiting, staring at the door at 9:45.
“Do you think he’ll be early?” Grace whispered, never removing her eyes from the door.
“I don’t know. I hope so,” I whispered back, ears straining for the sound of the elevator. The door and walls were soundproofed, but I imagined I could hear it, if I tried hard enough.
“Do you think he’ll bring flowers?” Grace asked.
I gave a slight shrug, I didn’t care about flowers, but Grace thought they were romantic. “Probably. He’s done everything else. I bet he’ll have flowers.”
“What about candy?”
I smiled at her blatant attempt to get more candy. “No, I think we ate all the candy in Waco last night,” I answered her. I saw her frown out of the corner of my eye, but at that moment, I heard the sound of a key in the lock.
Grace made a little sound and leaned forward. My heart was beating triple time, waiting for the door to open. If it was anyone other than Colt, my heart might give out.
When I saw him, my smile widened to the point that my face might crack. He had the biggest bouquet in Texas in his arms. Grace squealed so loudly, my ears rang. Colt had a slight smile at her reaction, but his eyes were locked on my face. I couldn’t control my smile. I’d refused to give up on this man, and he’d proven me right. I’d never meet anyone else who would understand me like he did.
He walked to us and dropped to his knees. “I’m sorry. I can’t promise that I’ll never mess up again, because we both know that would be a lie. But I trust you. The two of you matter more to me than anything. I’d give up football forever if it meant another minute with the two of you.” His voice was thick with emotion, as he told me this. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I’d be upset about the constant tears, but they were happy tears now. Colt had the power to hurt me, but he also gave me more happiness than I’d ever had. I threw my arms around him, crushing the flowers between us. We both stuck an arm out and pulled Grace into the hug with us.
After a few minutes, Grace wiggled out and announced, “I’m hungry!”
Colt laughed and said, “It’s nice to meet you, hungry.”
“I’m not hungry
! It’s Grace!” she fussed at him, shaking her finger. “Can we eat now?”
“You haven’t eaten yet?” Colt asked, surprised.
I shook my head. “I couldn’t. We were waiting on you,” I replied, smiling shyly.
“Good. Let’s go to Ford’s house and have breakfast. There’s a bunch of people eager to know how this went. How’s that sound?” Colt suggested. Grace immediately clapped in excitement and ran to get her shoes. Colt looked at me. Kneeling, he was eye level with me, as I sat on the chair. He gave me a searching look, leaning in slowly, as I waited. Our lips brushed lightly, eyes wide open to each other, before I let mine drift closed. His mouth slanted over mine, the kiss desperate. As our lips touched, the last of the hurt slipped away. The kiss erased the pain of the last week and embraced the sweet joy of coming back to one another. Our mouths were the only place we touched as the kiss deepened, the entire world disappearing.
“Let’s go. I’m ready,” Grace piped up next to us. We broke apart to see her standing uncomfortably close to us, an eyebrow raised, looking eerily like Olivia. Colt cleared his throat and gave me a shrug like, what can we do? I laughed, feeling effervescent, knowing nothing could ruin this moment.
We piled into Colt’s truck, the radio blaring King George. When we got to the house, there was a line of cars parked on the street, surprising me.
“I wasn’t kidding when I said there were a bunch of people that wanted to see if you forgave me,” Colt replied, at my look of surprise.
We hopped out of the truck and walked hand in hand to the house. Grace races ahead, slamming the door open and announcing us, “We’re home. Aunt Sophie forgave him!” I laughed at her eagerness to tell everyone, as they all started pouring out of the house. Colt looked at me and mouthed, “Aunt Sophie?” I gave him a quick shrug. That’s what Grace decided to call me. His slow grin made me think that was exactly what he wanted to happen.
“Thank goodness,” Martha cried, bustling over to us. “I thought Colt had really done it this time.”
“I’m so happy you forgave him. He can be an idiot, but he means well,” Hannah said, hugging me.
“Oh, welcome to the family, Aunt Sophie,” Mrs. Anderson giggled, kissing my cheek and pinching Colt. He made a big production out of her hurting him before saying, “Sophie pinches harder.” This caused everyone around us to laugh and congratulate me on knowing how to keep him in line.
Olivia walked up to us, smirking. “I figured if she bothered to come back you were forgiven,” she said, looking at Colt. “Especially after your touching speech on national television.”
Ford arrived next, picking me up and spinning me around. I shrieked with delight before he put me down. “So incredibly happy for you both,” he whispered.
We accepted all the well wishes and congratulations that came our way. It was bewildering to me. It felt like we’d announced an engagement, instead of making up after a fight.
Colt snaked an arm around me after the congratulations died down. “They know my intention is to marry you one day,” he whispered in my ear, reading my mind and causing my heart to thump wildly. Colt knew my ambivalent feelings toward marriage. I think this was his way of easing me into the idea. Or throwing me in the deep end. “We’ll elope. You just have to make it through today.” His confidence made me laugh, easing my discomfort at the crowd of well-wishers.
Once we made it into the house, there was a buffet of food. They’d arranged an impromptu brunch, waiting to see if Colt’s groveling had worked. We spent the day with family and friends discussing Colt’s press conference and Hannah’s interview. I was surprised to find out it was Hannah’s parents that leaked the story about Grace, and that she eviscerated them in the interview. I made a note to never cross Hannah. Colt never left my side, as we touched constantly, reassuring ourselves that we were there.
A week later, a picture of Colt with Grace in his lap was on the cover of People magazine. They’d gone with Hannah’s interview as the main story, bumping a Kardashian. The story Hannah told was as amazing as it was unbelievable. I’d never known all the details of what had happened between Hannah and Ford, but theirs was a beautiful love story. Hannah didn’t hold back on her parent’s crimes. They’d done some awful things, but surprisingly, Hannah never lost her kindness.
Within a few days of the interview coming out, the church her father preached at demanded his removal. They lost the house provided by the church and any friends they might have had. Based on the article, they’d be hard pressed to find a congregation anywhere that would accept them. We all felt satisfaction at their punishment, as Hannah assured us that her parent’s public humiliations were the worst thing that could happen to them.
The next Saturday, I woke up to breakfast in bed. Colt came in with a tray loaded down with chocolate croissants, bacon, and fruit.
“I debated not making bacon, but then I decided my groveling may never be complete. So I made bacon,” Colt announced, setting the tray on the bed. I pulled myself up, smiling.
“You can never go wrong if you make me bacon,” I replied, snitching grapes off the tray. “What’s all this for?”
“Groveling. I may never stop,” he answered, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. He’d been incredibly attentive over the past week, since I come back from Colorado. While I enjoyed the attention, I also knew we needed to fully move past the argument that caused our separation.
“Colt. You don’t need to do this. I appreciate it. Don’t get me wrong, but groveling is unnecessary,” I told him. “We’ll have fights. It’s what couples do. Remember though, I’m not giving up on us. We’re worth fighting for.”
“Are you happy here?” he asked abruptly, startling me with the topic change.
“Um, yes,” I answered hesitantly. “You mean in your apartment, or right here right now?” I asked, in an attempt to clarify his question.
“I mean Texas. At Baylor. With me,” he said, his words disjointed, but I could tell how serious he was.
“Yes, I am.” My words were swift and confidant. I continued, attempting to explain my feelings. “I’m at home here. I love teaching the creative writing course at Baylor, and I enjoy our time with your family. I can’t imagine not being here with you.”
He nodded, looking contemplative. “What if this is it?” I knew I looked puzzled and he expounded on his question. “What if we stayed here? There’s always a chance the Broncos will release me. I don’t know what the future might be with my football career.”
“I’m happy wherever you are,” I said with a shrug, but I narrowed my eyes at him knowingly. “Can you be happy here?”
He looked at me, exhaling slowly. “I don’t know. Part of me says yes. I’ve missed so much of Grace’s life. The thought of staying here and building a life is appealing. Weekly barbecues, watching our kids grow up together.”
I nodded, the life he described was idyllic, but I also knew it was not his dream. ‘What’s bringing this on?”
“They offered me the coaching job. I told them I’d have to think about it. But it started me thinking. Pro ball is a completely different life. It’s a lot of time on the road, strict diets and daily workouts, the risk of injuries. It’s a lot to ask of a person,” Colt answered, crunching on a piece of bacon. He laughed disbelievingly. “If you told me a year ago I’d be contemplating a career as a high school football coach, I would have laughed you out of the room.”
“Colt, we’ll support whatever you decide, but it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You can always play football and still visit your family,” I told him, wondering if guilt and regret over the past were causing his conflict. “They know you love them.”
I saw from his expression that he was still torn. His dream would always demand a level of sacrifice from him that was uncomfortable. He had to come to the understanding that it was okay to pursue his dream. We all supported him, but the guilt he carried was his own. Only he could make the decision to let it go.
The weeks before
Christmas flew by, after Hannah asked me to be a bridesmaid. I was honored to accept. She had become a good friend to me, since I came to Texas. In the midst of wedding planning, I found myself becoming friends with Olivia, as well. Three women that couldn’t be more different, but somehow we worked. I knew the call would come for Colt to play again, even if he doubted it himself. I also knew the friendships I’d formed with Olivia and Hannah would endure, even with the distance that came with Colt’s career.
It was a week before Christmas when I got the news that they’d decided to make my position permanent, offering me the job. I loved the classes I taught, but I’d rediscovered my passion for writing over the past semester and debated if I wanted to continue teaching. Colt wound up making the decision for me.
“I got a call today,” he said, walking in the door after football practice. Their season was over, but they still had workouts every afternoon. They’d won the championship, making it the first time, since Colt had graduated, that the school had won a championship.
“Really? Just one?” I teased him. He looked like he was about to burst from happiness.
“Yep, it was a big one,” he said, grinning.
“Hmm, it must have been your mom calling to say she loves you,” I guessed, fighting back my smile at his look of impatience.
“No, but she will when she hears about this call,” He shot back. “My agent called.”
“From that smile, it was a good call,” I said, smiling now. “The Broncos?”
“Yeah, they’re ready for me to come back,” he said, his smile satisfied. The Broncos had one of their worst seasons in years, with Colt benched.
“That’s fantastic!” I shouted, throwing my arms around him. He twirled me around, before I leaned back and looked at him. “How do you feel?”
“Good,” he said, rubbing his hands up and down my back. “I’m ready to be back.” I looked at him, noticing his ice blue eyes were conflicted.
The Anderson Brothers Complete Series Page 36
