Story of Us

by Jody Holford

  “It’s for the best. If everything wasn’t okay, she’d want her family,” Marcus said quietly.

  A baby cried in the corner of the waiting room, and a voice cut through the otherwise quiet to page a doctor.

  His defenses went up on her behalf. “You guys haven’t exactly been showing up when she needs you.”

  “Don’t judge,” Marcus whispered harshly.

  Declan didn’t care. He leaned forward, pointing to the swinging doors that led through to the emergency rooms. “Your sister had to show up in a hospital for you guys to rally.”

  “It’s complicated.” Marcus crossed his arms over his chest and looked away.

  Declan didn’t have the energy to fight with his friend. He was here. That mattered. Maybe it was the first step. Sophia acted and talked tough, but she needed her family. She needed her people, and as much as he wanted to be included in that list, Declan knew she needed more.

  Mario Strombi pushed through the double doors toward the waiting area, his face drawn and angry. Declan had known him so long that he just took knowing him for granted. He was Pop. They’d been calling him that since grade school. It was the first time he’d really assessed the man, and he saw the evidence of aging.

  His gut turned when Mario stalked straight toward him and pointed a finger.

  “You’re going to look after her?”

  Declan sat up, wondering how the hell, at thirty-two, he could feel like he’d just been caught in a girl’s bedroom.

  “With all due respect, sir, I’ll do as much as she’ll allow me to do. But you know Sophia. If she can do it her way, she’s going to. You may not agree, but she’s done a hell of a job looking after herself. She’s an amazing woman.”

  Marcus mumbled something under his breath, but Declan ignored him.

  “What about the father?” Mario asked.

  Unease crawled up his throat. Declan cleared it and held Mr. Strombi’s gaze. “That’s a better question for Sophia. My understanding is he’s out of the picture.”

  “Fucking right he is. If he shows up, I’ll break his goddamn face,” Marcus said.

  Mario frowned and put a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Language. Your sister got herself in this mess. She’ll figure it out.”

  Declan wanted to tear something apart. He stood up, too many feelings closing in on him. He started to stalk away, but turned back to them.

  “She didn’t get herself into a mess. She got pregnant by someone she thought cared about her. She went off to school to make something of herself. She came home because she believed she had something to come home to. Stop finding her faults and see the incredible person she is. Both of you.” He looked directly in the elder Strombi’s eyes. “And sir? You asked if I was going to look after her? I am, even though I know she can take care of herself because that’s what you do when you care about someone. Which means I’m telling both of you to stay away unless you can accept her as she is. Without judgment. If you can’t, she’s better off without you. And she won’t be alone.”

  When he settled his gaze on Marcus, his stomach cramped. He’d done it. He’d picked a side, drawn a line. With permanent marker. There was a very good chance he’d lose a friend over it. Declan never thought he’d see the day he’d turn his back on a friend. Especially for a woman. But Sophia was more than a woman. She was everything. And she needed to know someone put her first. Above everything, and everyone, else.

  He turned and walked back through the doors, feeling like his anger and worry were twisting together to propel him forward. How many emotions could a man take in one night? He was on overload but still managed to slow his gait and soften his expression when Mrs. Strombi came out from behind the curtain.

  She came right up to him, all not even five feet of her, and tugged on his shirt, near his neck. He bent down so she could kiss one cheek and pat the other.

  “You’re a good boy. She’s a good girl.”

  At least someone could see it. “Yes, ma’am.” He stood straight and stared at her, back to feeling like he was a wolf waiting outside the sheep’s door.

  “She needs her family,” Mrs. Strombi said.

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  She wrung her hands together, looking back over her shoulder then up at Declan. “You take good care of her. I’ll speak to my family. These things take time. My Sophia, she isn’t patient. Never was. Came three weeks early because she was bored in my womb. She’s been in a rush ever since.”

  Declan smiled, even though internally he cringed at the mention of Sophia’s mom’s womb.

  “I’ll do my best,” Declan promised. He wasn’t even sure if she was talking to him.

  Mrs. Strombi tilted her head and assessed him. “You love her?”

  Declan’s jaw dropped, and he nearly took a step back. “I…I, that is, I love all of you, ma’am. You know that. Some summers, I spent more time with your family than my own.”

  The woman said nothing in return, but her smile morphed into something different. Something Declan couldn’t quite describe.

  “You’re a good boy,” she said again and walked past him.

  He let out a heavy breath, dropping his head for a second. Pull yourself together. Straightening, he peeked behind the curtain and saw Sophia had already pulled on her yoga pants and was working on her sweater.

  “Let me help you,” he said quietly, trying not to look at her gorgeous skin.

  “I’m fine,” she said. He heard the first sniffle while she was still buried in the sweater.

  Moving closer, he tugged it down, and when her head popped out, he saw her eyes were red. His heart twisted.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. For a few things, but he wasn’t sure which one she was most upset about.

  “For what? You didn’t phone my parents. The hospital did.”

  “I texted your brother.”

  She frowned but didn’t look angry, so he continued. “I didn’t know what else to do. If you had to take me to the hospital, wouldn’t you try to get a hold of someone important to me?” Declan picked her shoes up from the end of the bed, pulled a chair close, and sat so he could put them on her feet.

  She started to move away. “I can do that.”

  Declan steadied her foot, keeping the shoe out of reach, and held her stare.

  “I know you can do it. I haven’t found anything you can’t do. But when people care about you, they want to do things for you.”

  Sophia crossed her arms over her chest but didn’t fight him when he slipped the shoe on and tied it up.

  “Nothing like a night that ends with my dad being disappointed in me again.”

  Tying up the other shoe, he moved closer, staying in the seat, but at the edge of it, putting both hands on her thighs.

  “I’m sorry for that, too. But you have to know, he has no reason to be disappointed. And maybe he’s not.”

  She arched a brow, making him smile. He took her hands and held them.

  “Maybe he doesn’t know what else to do, Sophe. I gotta say, guys do not like feeling helpless. Your dad, hell, your family, is old school. Maybe he just doesn’t know how to deal with this. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to. He loves you.” He thought of Mrs. Strombi’s question. Did Dec love her? He wasn’t sure what it was supposed to feel like, but he knew if he lost her now, something inside of him would never be the same again.

  Her lips pursed into a pout. “He might have, but I’m pretty sure that was before he walked in on the doctor talking about penetration.”

  Declan bit back a grin. “Sorry about that, too.”

  Glaring at him, she pushed at his hands so she could stand. “That’s fine. I’m sure the mortification will dissipate in, oh, ten to twenty years.”

  Declan pulled her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head. Resting his cheek against it, he felt bone-deep satisfaction when she leaned into him.

  “Pretty sure your dad is familiar with the word, babe. He’s got four kids and several grandkids.”
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  She leaned back with a scowl. “Ew.”

  Declan shrugged and laughed at the look of disgust on her face.

  “Are you going to introduce me to your parents?”

  He frowned at the quick change of topic, but since he’d been thinking about that very thing lately, he nodded. “I’d like to, yes. They’re on a cruise right now, or I would have already. You’ve met them before, of course, but not as my…my…”

  Tilting her head, she grinned. “Your what? Girlfriend? Woman? Other half? We’ve sort of skipped a few steps.”

  God, she frustrated him, turned him on, and turned him inside out all at once. He felt his cheeks warm.

  “Girlfriend sounds so high school-ish.” And he felt like a high schooler talking about it.

  “Okay. So, they’ve never met me as…”

  “You being mine, okay? Use whatever term you want until down the road, but for now it doesn’t matter what anyone calls you as long as they know we’re together.”

  Her smile grew shy and a little playful. “So, I could call you my old man?”

  Declan choked on his own spit. Fortunately, he was a multitasker, so he could glare and cough at the same time.

  “What are we? An old hippie biker couple? Jesus, Sophia. I’m taking the choice away. Boyfriend-girlfriend it is until I get a ring on your finger.”

  She sucked in a sharp, audible breath and brought her hand to her chest. Her mouth dropped open, only slightly wider than her eyes.

  Dammit. He was fumbling everything tonight. How was he supposed to think when he felt so much, and how was he supposed to feel when there was so much to think about?

  “I want to get you home. You can’t be that shocked by anything I’ve said. I told you. I straight out told you. So, unless you didn’t hear me or understand me the times I said it, you know this. Screw the three dates. I’m all in. Can we go now?”

  Her eyes sought his, like she was trying to look deeper, harder, and measure the truth. Whatever she saw must have convinced her because she leaned into him, put her hand to his neck, and tugged. He leaned down to kiss her, and against his lips, she whispered, “Thank you. Let’s go home.”

  Finally.

  Holding her hand, he led them out to the car, waiting until she was seat belted before rounding the hood to get behind the wheel. His fingers practically strangled the leather as he realized, if loving someone took this much energy, no wonder parents were tired all the time.

  He was about to make a joke to Sophia about it, but when he glanced over on the drive, she was already out. Despite the fatigue, the worry gnawing like a dog on a bone, and the bucket loads of uncertainty he was carrying, Declan felt a level of contentment he’d never known. She—correction—they were his.

  He’d brought her back to her place even though he would have preferred his, because she’d need her clothes and whatever other things she used to get ready each day. Tomorrow, though, he’d be helping her pack a bag to come back to his place. If they were headed forward together, it was stupid to live separately. Besides, what if she fell? Started bleeding again? Got hurt? Dizzy?

  “Stop. You’re obsessing,” he muttered. He’d calmly and rationally explained all the reasons she should come back to his place. Without using words like stupid.

  Sophia stirred and turned her head to face him. “We’re home,” she murmured.

  “Your place, babe. We’ll go back to mine tomorrow.”

  “Hmm.” Her eyes shut again.

  Parking his truck, he came around to her side and took her hand. “Come on, let me help you.”

  “I’m not an invalid,” she said, getting out of the car.

  “Didn’t we talk about this?”

  He took her hand and pressed the lock on his truck.

  “We did. We agreed that we help the people we care for, but we don’t treat them like they aren’t capable of doing something they’ve done since they were eleven months old.”

  She went up the stairs before him, and he squeezed her hip.

  “Late walker, huh?”

  Sophia laughed, and the sound took away some of the sting from the events of the evening.

  “No. That’s completely normal. What? Were you running around hitting on women by six months?”

  He took the keys from her and unlocked the door, grinning down at her. “Probably. I think I had one of those little Hot Wheels Trikes that looked like a motorcycle.”

  Shutting the door behind them, he helped her with her jacket, hanging both of them.

  “Did you have a baby-sized leather jacket?” Sophia went to the counter and grabbed her kettle, filling it.

  “I did actually. I’m sure when I take you to see my parents, my mother will bring out all sorts of embarrassing pictures.”

  She glanced over. “You want some tea?”

  Moving behind her, he pulled her back against him. “How about I make the tea, you go have a bath or shower and crawl into bed.”

  She sighed and set the kettle aside. Declan turned her to face him.

  “Not because you aren’t capable, Sophia. Because I want to take care of you. If I were sick or something, wouldn’t you take care of me?”

  “I’m not sick.”

  Declan tapped her on the nose. “Remember you asked about how I knew so much about pregnancy?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ve been reading a lot. One of the common suggestions for couples and parents?” He grinned. “Pick your battles.”

  Running her hands up his chest in a way that made him want to do more than take care of her, she looped them around his neck.

  “You’re pretty awesome. You know that, right?”

  Leaning down to kiss her, he tried to make it soft and sweet, but her tongue traced his lips, creating fireworks inside of him, and unintentionally he pressed her back against the counter. Her hands threaded through his hair, and Dec forced himself to cool them both down. He gentled the kiss then pressed another to her forehead.

  “You make me forget everything.”

  “That’s a good thing,” she said, her voice breathy.

  “You need rest.”

  She sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. “If you think this means we aren’t sleeping together again, you’re wrong.”

  Declan laughed. “You’re such a brat. Seriously. Go to bed. I’ll bring you your tea.”

  “Yes, dear,” she said, winking at him over her shoulder as she sashayed out of the room.

  Sophia Strombi might very well be the end of him. But he couldn’t imagine being happier.

  While the water boiled, he checked in with Ty, who was closing tonight. He sent another text to Adam and one more to his parents. They’d missed a few steps on the speed dating itinerary, but they had five months before the baby came. That was plenty of time to romance her and establish themselves as a couple before both of their worlds changed for good.

  His phone buzzed as he was grabbing a cup from the cupboard.

  Adam: Sophia’s okay?

  Declan: She is. Doc says everything is normal. She was pretty pissed I texted Marc but she had her parents down as an emergency contact and they showed up as well.

  Adam: Little bit awkward?

  Declan: And then some. You up for some pool or cards or something one night this week?

  Adam: Sure. Saturday?

  Declan: Sounds good.

  Maybe his friend, who was an excellent dad, could put some of the worries surfacing in Declan’s brain to rest. He had no idea there were even so many things to worry about. His life had been pretty easy and steady. Sure, he’d struggled when he opened the bar, he’d had some issues with women and some falling-outs with buddies. But overall, he’d never faced anything like he was walking into with Sophia. Just because it was worth it didn’t mean it didn’t scare the hell out of him.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Declan shoved the two lounge chairs he kept in front of the wall of windows to the side. He set up the poker table there and put out chips
, dip, and a mix bag of artery-clogging snacks. He was cracking his first beer when Adam and Zach let themselves in, laughing.

  “Come on, man. Chocolate Chip is tame. Your kid rides him all the time,” Zach said.

  Declan grinned as they came into the kitchen, each of them carrying a six-pack.

  “Unless Megan leaves me, I’m not getting back on a horse,” Adam said, setting the cans of beer down.

  “So, it’s true?” Zach asked, putting his beer in the fridge. He glanced at Declan. “Were you there?”

  “Nope,” Declan said, taking a long pull of his beer. “But I heard all about it. Charlie is a fountain of information. This guy was trying to find his balls to get on C.C., and Megan walked in and saved him.”

  “I got on the damn horse,” Adam said, grabbing one of Declan’s cold beers when he put his in the fridge.

  “If that’s not love, I don’t know what is,” Declan teased. He kept it light because he knew his best friend had a legitimate reason—a dark, angry reason—for his fear. And he’d conquered it to get the girl. Which meant maybe, Declan’s head and heart would sort their shit out and he’d stop feeling like falling for Sophia was the equivalent of going crazy. He had no idea crazy could be so fun.

  “I sold off my land to get Stella, so I’m not one to judge.”

  “You girls want to play cards or talk about our feelings first?” Declan grabbed a handful of chips and his beer and headed for the poker table where he’d already set out the playing chips.

  “Feeling a little bitchy, Dec?” Zach asked, bringing his beer over, a wide grin on his face.

  Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not used to thinking so much about another person. It’s throwing me off.” Perfect. Now he was talking about his feelings.

  Adam clapped him on the shoulder. “My boy is growing up. No more one-night stands and collector’s edition Lego sets.”

  He flipped Adam off then grabbed the cards to shuffle. “I’m not giving up Lego.”

  Both guys laughed, but Declan thought about the room he had upstairs, dedicated to his collections. Big deal. It was his house, and he hadn’t had a reason not to display things. It was nice to have a space to work and put the sets together. But he remembered Sophia’s amusement when she saw the room and wondered if she saw it as immature. There were plenty of other rooms in his house. Two people joining their lives didn’t have to mean one of them giving up an entire part of themselves.