by Lisa Heaton
He held her out to look at him. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. As a matter fact, it’s done just the opposite.”
“Meaning?”
“I don’t want to wait until summer. Let’s do it sooner.”
With eyes wide, he said, “Are you kidding?”
“No, not kidding at all.”
“What about next weekend?”
“I was thinking about a few weeks, to give us time to at least invite people.” She paused. “I mean, we are still having a wedding, right?”
“Absolutely!” He reached for her and pulled her closer. “I’ve got the arbor built. We just need to get the preacher lined up and ask our friends.”
“There’s food and flowers and cake,” Sophie said.
“We’re not making this a big production. We will do the bare minimum, anything to get a ring on that finger and me wearing that t-shirt.”
She laughed at that, then moved in to kiss him. “If I’m going to be accused of it, I plan to seduce you as soon as possible.”
“I’ve been waiting for that since I was eighteen years old.”
He kissed her once, leaned back, then moved in to kiss her again. A few seconds of that and he had to jump from the bed.
“I’m not sure there’s enough praying up I can do to stay in this room with you tonight.”
“Yeah, I knew better.”
Josh couldn’t have been any more pleased by his family’s reception of Sophie at the party the next day. His granddad had outright flirted with her, but who could blame him. From the time she had opened her hotel room door wearing that black and white flowered dress with black pumps, he could hardly take his eyes off her. She looked fresh and had a glow about her that he hadn’t expected.
Her smile kept him smiling at the party, even in those moments when his dad would catch his eye from across the room. As usual, his dad remained isolated most of the time. This gathering was for his mother’s family, a group of people who barely tolerated his dad for his mom’s sake.
Josh didn’t find himself feeling too sorry for him, though. The look on his father’s face wasn’t even close to remorseful. If anything, it was defiant.
“After all these years I forgot what she was like,” Kim said to Josh while Sophie was across the room talking to his granddad.
His heart did that little flutter thing just watching her. She had commanded the attention of everyone around her without even meaning to. That was the Sophie he first met.
“Isn’t she spectacular?” he said.
Kim smiled and nodded. “I always understood how you would fall in love with her.”
“You know she never had any part of that back then, right?”
“I knew that. She wasn’t like that. I just remember she was a woman struggling to make her marriage work.”
“She tried every way she could. The divorce wasn’t her fault.”
“No, it wasn’t. Most everyone knew her husband was running around on her. We had a mutual friend who told me more than I needed to know.”
“I don’t get that guy.”
“His loss was your gain.” Her smile was sincere.
“Mom, I know I’ve said this already, but I love her more than life itself.”
“I know that.”
“I hope you know I would never hurt you on purpose. This thing about kids, about you having grandkids, I can’t make any promises. I’m sorry.”
“I can’t help but pray anyway.”
“Honestly, I don’t know that I even want kids.”
“That may change.”
“I don’t know that it will. I just know that I want to be with her.”
Sophie’s laugh rang out and his granddad broke into laughter too. That made his hands begin to sweat. Within weeks she would be his forever. No other thought could bring him as much contentment.
“You better go claim that girl before Daddy takes off with her on his scooter.”
His mom went to talk to his aunt, and Josh was making his way to Sophie. When his dad stepped in his path, Josh nearly collided with him.
“Guess this makes you happy, that everyone likes her?” Bruce said.
“Nothing could make me any happier than her being treated well.”
“I didn’t intend to hurt her.”
“Yeah, you did.”
Josh tried to walk away, but his dad grabbed his arm.
“I’m not coming,” Bruce said.
“Coming where?”
“To the wedding. I’m not going to watch you throw your life away.”
“That works since you’re not invited.”
He pulled his arm free and walked off. None of this was what he wanted, but if he had to choose, he would choose Sophie over his father any day. He would choose Sophie over anyone.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Between work, fixing up the house, and getting her place packed up, Sophie had come down to the wire in getting ready for the move. The following morning the guys from work would arrive with trucks to take loads of things in different directions.
Since they had agreed she would bring only personal items to the new house and not things she had shared with Kevin, Sophie had given Chloe the pick of all the furniture. That would all go to storage until Chloe made plans for her future. Chloe’s bedroom furniture would go to the new house along with Sophie’s clothes and keepsakes.
Sophie was bringing very little from her old life with her. There was something about ditching all the old and starting over that made her feel more like a young bride-to-be.
After a successful yard sale the weekend before, she and Josh had taken several loads of household items to charity during the week. That left them this last night to pack whatever remained.
“Are you okay?” she said. He had been quieter than usual.
“I’m good.” He ran the tape over the lid of the box she was holding closed.
She wasn’t so sure.
A minute more passed when he stopped and turned to her. “This place is so beautiful. I just don’t want you to feel like you’re taking a step down.”
She moved in closer. “You have no idea how excited I am to get moved into our new place.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist. “I can’t promise that we’ll ever have anything as nice as this or a life like you’ve had here.”
“I don’t want that life ever again. It was all smoke and mirrors. This,” she moved in close enough that her lips brushed his cheek, “us, we are the real thing.”
“No regrets, then?” he said.
“Not one.” She grinned. “I’m starting over with you. We have so much to look forward to. I’m my happiest with you.”
“I’m my happiest with you.”
His kiss was sweet at first, playful even, but soon enough he had lifted her from the floor and pinned her against the wall. When he finally lowered her to the ground, she took a step on shaky legs.
“That, my Sophie, is what you have to look forward to.” He grinned and went back to stacking boxes near the front door.
It took her a moment to recover. Every now and then he would allow that side of himself to show, as if giving her a glimpse of what was to come. Something told her, no matter how much she tried to envision their lives together, she was underestimating what it would be like to marry a thirty-year-old man.
At that age Kevin had been so preoccupied with getting ahead at work that passions rarely flared, at least not at home. Sophie had become so accustomed to distance in the bedroom, she had to wonder what it would be like to be so openly desired by a man driven by such longing.
Her stomach sank at the thought of it. There would be those firsts, moments where she would have to undress in front of him or shower with him in the room. Over the past few weeks she had started cutting back on bread and sugar, but nothing much had changed. It may be too little too late to try to get a twenty-something body in the next two weeks.
“What in the world are you doing,” Josh said. �
��Are you daydreaming?”
She grinned. “Maybe a little.”
“Because of that kiss?”
Her voice was soft. “Yeah, because of that kiss.”
Josh came to stand before her and took her face in his hands. “Two weeks, babe. We’ve just gotta make it two weeks.”
“I know.”
This time his kiss held obvious restraint. After only a few seconds, he pulled away from her and took a step back.
Sophie tilted her head. “Speaking of two weeks, did you ever call your dad?”
“Nope.”
“Josh,” she shook her head. “you will always regret not inviting him to come.”
“He wouldn’t anyway.”
“But you should at least tell him he’s invited.”
Josh just shrugged. “I’m leaving things where they are. If he came, I would worry the entire time that he might do or say something to upset you. I want you to enjoy the wedding and not worry about his disapproval.”
“Don’t put this on me. I want him there for your sake.”
A suspicious expression crossed his face. “Hey, I know how you think. You better not call and invite him.”
That made her smile since the thought had already crossed her mind.
He grinned. “See how well I know you?”
“I think you’re making a mistake, but I’ll stay out of it.”
“Changing the subject,” he said, “When will Karen be here? She’s still coming, right?”
“She is. She’ll be here next week to take over the wedding details.”
“So you’re really going to let her handle everything?”
“Most everything,” Sophie said.
“’Cause I don’t want you stressed. I want you to look back at our day and remember the beauty of it, not the anxiety of planning.”
“Karen will absolutely take over. Think, me-on-steroids.”
“Scary thought.”
They took a break, ate a late dinner, and then went back to work. By the end of the night, with the last box packed for storage, Sophie fell onto the sofa next to Josh.
“You must be exhausted after getting such an early start,” she said.
“I’m running on fumes at this point.”
“Are you okay to drive?”
“Yeah. I’ll be fine.” He looked around at the pillow on the sofa and let out a quiet yawn. “Right after I take about a thirty-minute nap, that is.”
“Go right ahead. I’ll turn the TV off.”
“No, I’m good. I sleep better with the TV on anyway.”
“That’s already a problem,” Sophie said. “I can only sleep to the sound of a noise maker.”
“Umm,” he said as he settled in and closed his eyes. “We’ll figure all that out.”
Sophie sat for a few minutes and watched Josh sleep. To say the man was driven would be an understatement. Nothing could please her more than how much their future together mattered to him and how hard he had been willing to work for it.
Thinking back to the early years with Kevin only made her life with Josh seem more perfect. Every step with Kevin had been drudgery on his part since he had felt so trapped. Even starting their life together in such a pretty home hadn’t pleased him.
Josh’s insecurities over her moving to a smaller home came to mind. If he only knew how genuinely happy she was he would never consider it a step down. What thirty-nine-year-old woman wouldn’t want to be her? It was rare in life to get such an unexpected do-over.
Hours later she woke lying next to Josh. His arm was wrapped around her waist, and he had her pulled tight against his chest. Her movements woke him.
“What time is it?”
“Two,” she said.
“I’ll sleep a little longer and head home.” With that, he went right back to sleep.
Her old-lady body protested a night on the sofa. Her neck was stiff and her arm numb. Still, lying there next to Josh was the most glorious place she had been in maybe forever. Everything with him was new.
She scanned the room filled with brown boxes and upended furniture. Not one ounce of her held any regret. This man next to her was her next chapter in life, one she couldn’t wait to begin to read.
Sophie woke alone on the sofa. Josh walked into the room brushing his teeth.
“Is that my toothbrush?” she said.
He nodded and said with a mouth full of toothpaste, “Yeah, I couldn’t go without brushing this funk out of my mouth.”
“Yuck!”
He just laughed and kept walking. “Sorry, babe, it was there, and I needed it.” In the kitchen by that point, Josh spit and rinsed in the sink. “Have you noticed what time it is?”
When seeing it was nearly time for the guys to arrive, she scrambled off the sofa and ran to get changed. Josh popped his head in the bathroom and offered her the toothbrush.
“Gross, no way. It’s yours now. Consider it a gift.”
“Thanks. I’ll treasure it.”
Sophie swished with mouthwash and began to pull her hair up.
He took one more step in. “Do you realize we just spent our first night together?”
She stopped and looked at him. “We did, didn’t we?” Her face contorted into a grimace. “I feel a little cheated. I barely remember stretching out next to you.”
“How about I stay at the new house tonight.” A shy grin formed. “On the sofa of course. I wouldn’t trust me upstairs if I was you.”
“I trust you anywhere.”
With a quick peck on her cheek, he said, “You can always trust me.” He took a step back. “I hear the guys. Get a move on.”
Minutes later she went into the living room to see it nearly empty already. She peered out the window to see Josh had it all so well thought out that it had become a symphony of movements. The lawn and driveway were filled with RtG trucks and flatbed trailers, each becoming fuller with every trip. Each man seemed to know his role in the production.
Before long the house was bare. Chloe had arrived earlier than Sophie had expected and left again with Drake to make a trip to the storage facility. Trucks began to back out and caravan down her street. For some reason the sight was unexpected, her empty house and backyard.
All her pots and benches from out back were gone, leaving the place looking stark in places. She stood in the open back doorway wondering where the time had gone. So much life had happened in that home and in that yard. Not all of it was good, but not all of it was bad either.
Josh moved behind her and slid his arms around her waist. “Are you sad?”
“Not sad, just stunned I guess, to see it’s all gone. It went so fast.”
“I knew it would.” He took her hand. “We need to get going soon, but we have a minute for this.”
Once in the middle of the yard, he took her into arms and began to sway.
“Are we dancing?”
“We are.” The look in his eyes was tender as he pulled her closer. “This place where we now stand has made a greater impact on my life and future than any other I can think of. I fell in love with you here. You said yes to me here.” He kissed her cheek and looked back at her. “It makes me a little sad to walk away. It’s okay if you feel sad too.”
“Honestly, I don’t feel sad. Everything good leaves here with me. You and Chloe and every memory I have with both of you, they aren’t left behind here.”
“I’ve been thinking about this,” he said. “When I helped you clean things up here last spring, I asked you if maybe this place was the end of a chapter you refuse to stop reading.”
“I remember that.”
“It’s not a chapter, Soph. This was an entirely different book. It’s time to put that on the shelf and begin a brand new one with me.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“You can reinvent yourself and be anything you want to be. I want the real you, the one you grow into naturally, not a woman chiseled into any particular image.”
That made her smile, that
he wanted her for who she already was and who she would still become someday.
“In this past year with you,” she said, “I’ve learned so much about myself. I’m finding the Sophie who loves Jesus and flowers and sunshine again. I like things simpler than I ever knew. I like tattoos, and I absolutely adore you, Josh Taylor.”
He smiled at that, took a step back, stretched out his arms wide and shouted, “I love you, Sophie Banks!”
They arrived at the house just as the first truck was backing across the lawn and to the front door. There wasn’t much to unload, and it went so fast that before she knew it, the men were getting back into the trucks and heading out to a jobsite.
“Well?” Josh said when he found her wide-eyed, standing in the entryway.
“That was fast.”
“They are unloading the flowers in the back now.” He took her hand. “Will you be okay to get started here? I should go help Drake and Chloe.”
“Sure. I can come too.”
“No, just get started here unpacking. I won’t be long.”
When Josh was gone, she scanned the living room already filled with new furniture. This was her home and these were her things, yet nothing was familiar. The sofa was a large sectional called The Cloud. Josh had found it at the mall and made her go look. It was exactly as he described it, like sinking into a cloud. Life ahead would be exceptional snuggling with him on that sofa.
Sophie grabbed a box labeled “utensils” and walked with it into her freshly painted white kitchen. She had always wanted a bright white kitchen, and now she had it. Her old cabinets had been dark and formal, nothing like her. This, she sighed as she looked around, this was a kitchen she could live in. Already she could envision making breakfast on the weekends and having the holidays there. Natural light flooded through the windows and glistened on the glass panes of the cabinet doors on either side of the sink. She could hardly believe this was her new life.
After putting a few things away, she stopped what she was doing and headed upstairs. She was rarely alone in the house since Josh was always there sanding or painting or hanging new light fixtures.
She peeked in their room first, newly painted and looking crisp and clean. Though smaller than her former bedroom by far, it didn’t matter to her at all. A cozy room with Josh was all she could want.
