by Jody Holford
“How’s Sophia? Stella said she had a scare?” Zach leaned back in his chair, folding his hands across his stomach.
Since Declan felt responsible for that scare, he didn’t really want to talk about it. “She’s okay. Still stubborn, refuses to slow down. Says she’s fine.”
“Spotting after sex isn’t uncommon,” Adam said as if they discussed this kind of shit every day.
“Thanks Rachael Ray,” Declan snapped.
Zach grinned. Huge.
Declan glared. “What?”
“You know Rachael Ray is a chef, right?”
Son of a bitch. Why had he invited these guys over? To relax him? It wasn’t working.
Adam pushed Declan’s shoulder. “Relax, man. Why are you so wound up? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you out of sorts like this.”
“Love will do that to you,” Zach said. “It’s like stuffing your head and your heart into a blender and trying to figure out what happened.”
Declan couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s a good description.”
“How’s her family?” Adam asked. He knew more than a little about family disappointment, since his mother had walked out and his father had been a selfish, alcoholic prick.
Zach’s mom was awesome, but his dad, too, had been an ass. Declan realized in that moment that he’d taken his parents for granted. Obligatory phone calls, visits, helping out with the house or their yard. He loved them and most of the time, really liked them, but he treated them as if they’d always be there. That needed to change. They didn’t even know how far in he’d gotten with Sophia. If things went how he was planning, they’d be grandparents by summer.
“They aren’t doing what they should, and she covers it well, but it’s hurting her. They did show up at the hospital, though, so I’m hoping that was the first step,” Declan said.
They were quiet while they played a couple hands, and Adam took their money.
“You know anything about the father?” Zach asked.
Declan glanced up from his hand, which held a pair of kings. “Just that he’s an asshole who was leading a double life. He had a wife in another state.”
“Holy shit,” Adam said, folding his cards.
“Fuck. That’s rough. That’s a lot of baggage,” Zach said, also folding.
Declan scooped the chips toward him and nodded. “Yeah. She insists he’s out of the picture, but it bugs me, thinking he might pop back in one day.” He hadn’t meant to say it out loud. The worry had been hovering over and around everything else.
“He knows about the baby?” Adam asked.
Declan nodded. Sophia wasn’t open to talking about her ex, and a small piece of him worried it was because she wasn’t over the way he’d hurt her. She said she was, so he should just take her at her word.
“You think you’ll adopt the baby?” Zach asked cautiously.
That was Declan’s hope. He wanted a family with her. He’d never expected this to happen for him, and the fact that Sophia came with a ready-made family in her gorgeous body didn’t bug him at all. As long as they were his. Trying to date her and plan a future at the same time was proving tricky.
“You should have some legal papers drawn up. Or Sophia should, more likely.”
How the hell was he supposed to bring that up? There was so much they had to sort through, and he wasn’t entirely certain she was ready for him to add to her to-do list. He expected falling in love to be complicated, but this was like trying to get out of an escape room with no clues.
“She has a lot of shit to sort through right now. I’m trying to let her do that.”
The guys took the tone of his voice as a cue to talk about other things. Declan’s shoulders unknotted as the conversation switched to football and who they thought would win the Super Bowl. By the end of the night, he was more relaxed but still didn’t have any answers.
Saying good night to his friends, he headed up to bed, wishing he was crawling in beside Sophia. He stopped by his Lego room and turned on the light, looking at the sets that filled the space. He had everything from Yoda’s Hut to the Death Star. It had taken him years to collect everything. On the left side of the room was a specially designed shelf that housed his one-of-a kind and rare edition comic books.
On one hand, he knew it was perfect for kids Charlie’s age. His godson loved being in this room. They’d had a lot of fun putting things together and laughing over comics. Man, he loved that kid. But Charlie was a walking, talking, fully functioning ten-year-old. This room was a death trap for a baby. Not only was everything a choking hazard, he cringed at the idea of one of the sets tipping over and smashing apart.
Pulling his phone out, he dialed Sophia’s number because he didn’t feel like texting.
“Hey,” she said, her voice sleepy and soft. Heat and warmth had a dual effect on him, making him want to cuddle her and kiss her crazy at the same time.
“Hi. How was the music tonight?” He never did make it back to the pub, but if there were issues, Ty would have phoned.
“The crowd loved him. He was really good. How was poker?”
Leaning against the doorjam, he continued to stare at the room. “Good.” She hadn’t asked him to change who he was, and this was part of it. The Lego stayed.
Sophia’s soft breathing traveled through the phone. “Are you all right?”
He shoved a hand through his hair, switched off the light, and went to his bedroom. “I am. Wishing you were here with me.”
“You’re the sweetest man on earth,” she said, her voice all but purring through the phone.
“I was going for practical, but I’ll take that. I miss you. It’s silly for us to live apart.”
“Dec. It’s been less than a month.”
He sank down on his bed, leaning against the pillows. “So? We want to be together. I like my house better when you’re in it, and eventually, we’re going to live together, right? It’ll be hard to make this whole forever-and-always thing work if we don’t.” Why was he irritated? Because you need to know she’s as all in as you are.
“I want that,” she said, her voice lowering. “But we still have one date left. I teased you about it, but I think we should make sure we have it. I know we’re working with a weird timeline because of the baby, but I feel like if I move back in right away, we won’t get the beginning moments of a relationship, the excitement and first-time jitters, like most people do.”
He smiled, wishing he could see her face. “I don’t know, babe. The other night was pretty exciting.”
She laughed, and he pictured her sinking into her own bed, maybe wearing one of those slinky tank tops she favored. Her breasts had grown, so she’d be filling it out perfectly, no bra holding her in. His mouth watered at the thought.
“That is true. Let’s just not rush. Any more than we have to. Though, the other night was pretty exciting…before. I wouldn’t mind a repeat really soon.”
His throat went dry. “I don’t want to put you or the baby at risk.”
She groaned into his ear. “Seriously, Dec? The doctor said it was fine. You’re not holding out on me for six months.”
Chuckling, he tucked one hand behind his head. “I like the fact that you don’t think you can go that long without me.”
“Then come over.”
“I’ve been drinking.”
“How much?”
“Too much to drive.” Which was poor planning on his part.
“Hmm. I’m already in bed, and as much as I want to see you, my bed is really warm. Unlike outside. But…”
He grinned. “Sophe?”
“Maybe you could just tell me, over the phone, what you’d like to do the next time we’re together?” Had her voice gone sultry, or was he drunker than he thought?
“Do?”
“Yeah,” she said, her voice whispery. “To me.”
Holy fuck. The temperature of the room felt like it spiked over one hundred degrees. “Uh.”
He’d thought he was do
ne with his sexual firsts, but Sophia was changing that.
“Want me to start?” she asked.
“Fuck, yeah.”
“First, I need to get more comfortable, and you should do the same,” she said.
He frowned. “Have you done this before?”
She giggled, and even that turned him on. “No. But it can’t be that…hard.”
He laughed, his body feeling like a live wire. “Speak for yourself, babe.”
“Get rid of your clothes, Dec. Give me a second to do the same.”
He couldn’t believe he was about to do this, but anticipation flooded his veins as he dropped the phone on the bed and undressed, tossing his clothes, not caring where they landed. He yanked back the blankets. The cool sheets were a nice contrast to his skin, which felt like it was on fire.
He picked the phone up again. “Should we FaceTime or something?”
Sophia gave a sexy, throaty laugh. “Nah. This way you have to be really descriptive.”
He swallowed and his mouth felt dry. Jesus. “I can do that.”
“I hope so. And when we’re together again, I want to do everything we say.”
“You got it, babe. You naked?”
“Completely. You?”
“Oh, yeah.” He adjusted the pillows so he was comfortable.
“You go first,” she whispered.
He chuckled. “No way, baby. Your game, you go first. Plus, ladies always go first.”
“Such a gentleman,” she said, her voice low like a caress, making his hand move down without permission.
“Now, Sophe.”
Maybe missing her some nights wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sophia couldn’t stop grinning. It was ridiculous to be expecting a baby, on the outs with her family—though something had shifted there, something she couldn’t put her finger on—and be crushing, seriously hard, on her boyfriend. That’s the term she went with: boyfriend.
“What are you grinning about?” Declan asked with a scowl, still staring at the screen.
“You. I cannot believe what a poor sport you are,” she said.
He’d surprised her with a visit to Crazy Cade’s. She hadn’t been there in years and had several warm memories attached to the flashing game lights, bell-ringing noises, and the smell of orange, gooey, melty cheese.
“I’m not a poor sport,” Declan said, tugging on a lock of her hair. “I just think it’s ridiculous that these new games take such advantage. There’s no way to win that. Give me an old-fashioned arcade game, any day.”
She pointed to the back corner of the busy room. People of all ages played an assortment of games, but in one corner, they kept the vintage ones.
“We can go play PAC-MAN and Donkey Kong after you buy me some nachos with extra cheese.”
He cringed. “Babe. I don’t even know what that stuff is made of.”
She shrugged. “Happiness?”
Chuckling, he took her hand, and they walked toward the concession. “This baby is going to come out weighing eighteen pounds.” Then he side-eyed her. “That’s gonna hurt.”
Sophia swatted his arm and laughed, but that very thing —the baby coming out part—had been popping into her head lately, and she wondered if she should join one of those prenatal mommy groups. The rec center had a few, and it wouldn’t hurt to meet more people.
“I’m trying not to dwell on that part,” she said as they waited in line.
“You won’t be alone.”
She believed him, which said a lot about her heart. At one point, she hadn’t thought she’d believe in another man ever. Still, she didn’t get tired of him reminding her.
He laughed. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
She grinned. “You’re easy to look at.”
“Back at you,” he whispered, giving her a quick kiss before he ordered. They moved over to the side counter, and Sophia watched all the people racing around, adults and kids.
Declan pulled her out of her people-watching by taking her hand. He pulled her to one of the tables in a row of them. “Eat these while they’re still warm.”
Her stomach tipped upside down and felt like the cheese looked. She frowned.
“What?” he asked, laughing.
“I don’t know. I really wanted them, but now just looking at them is making me sick.”
“God, you’re adorable.” He took the chips, stretched out his long, gorgeously muscled and tattooed arm, and dumped the chips in the trash.
When he turned back, she knew her grin must have been goofy. “You have a strange scale of adorable.”
“Maybe. But it works. We work.”
She smiled, thinking maybe he was right. “Looks like.”
“Come here,” he said. He tugged her arm so she stood then landed in his lap.
“Dec. There are kids here.” But she didn’t move. He nuzzled her neck, and she sighed. Definite moments of perfection.
“There’s one right here. How amazing is that?” He covered her stomach with his hand.
She leaned back and looked down at him.
Declan’s hand slid up through her hair, and he pulled her face close so he was a little blurry. The scent of his cologne chased the lingering scent of nachos away.
…
Even in this noisy, crowded atmosphere, he managed to make her feel like they were alone. Just them. Regardless of what came at them. “You’re just about perfect.”
He laughed as he nipped at her bottom lip. “I’m not perfect. We’ll fight. We’re both too stubborn for us not to. But I figure the way I feel about you is what everyone meant when they kept saying I’d just know.”
With her heart hammering in her chest like a marching band, the words she longed to say tried to high dive off her tongue. But she’d said them before, and things had ended badly. Belly-flopping on cement badly.
“I might be addicted to you, Declan James.”
He grinned that sexy smirk that made her want to be alone with him. “Best news ever. Remember that, okay?”
She nodded, even though she didn’t really understand what he meant by that. As they made their way out of the arcade and drove back toward his home, she figured it out, though. Especially after he said he was getting hungry. When he pulled up in front of Pop’s, her heart tried to scramble in a hundred different directions.
“What are you doing?” She glared at him as he turned off the ignition.
Unclipping his seatbelt, he rested a forearm on the steering wheel. “Try not to be too mad. Your sister Viola texted me and asked if I could get you here.”
Sophia turned in her seat, anger—and fresh hurt— bubbling, at him and her sister. If her family wanted to talk to her, they should damn well do it, not go through Declan. She didn’t need everyone going behind her back to arrange her life or make her decisions.
He held up a hand. “I said I’d bring you. You don’t have to go in. But before you decide, know your dad and Marcus aren’t there today and your mom and both sisters are. On purpose. I know you have reason to be mad. Probably at me, too, but this is an olive branch, baby. Up to you whether you take it.”
Thickness in her throat made it hard to swallow. She looked out the passenger side window into the restaurant that was fairly quiet, with just a few tables full of families sharing pizzas. The sign, the decor, the counter, the menu…they all looked the same. Like her childhood had frozen in place and waited for her to return.
“Sophe? I didn’t know what to do. Please don’t be mad.”
Looking back at him, seeing the caring in his expression, her heart settled. “Next time just tell me, okay? If it’s you and me, Dec, then we have to be open.”
He nodded and leaned in to kiss her so sweetly it stole her breath. “Want me to come in?”
She pressed her lips together. Sophia felt stronger with him beside her, which she hoped didn’t make her seem weak. Still. There were always going to be roads she had to travel alone. It wa
s good to have support, but she needed to be able to carry herself. Now more than ever.
Patting his hand, she shook her head. “No. I got this.”
“Yeah, you do.” The look in his eyes told her he believed that completely. He believed her. In her. It made it easier to believe in herself.
“I’ll see you later?”
“I’ll be at home. I could spend some time moving your stuff back there,” he said with a smile.
She laughed. “One major life event at a time, okay?”
“You got it. No rush.”
Sophia pressed her palm to her stomach. “No. None at all.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Whatever she’d expected to feel when she walked into the restaurant, it hadn’t been nostalgia. It wasn’t the only thing racing around inside of her, but stepping through the doors, hearing the jangle of a bell that had come from her grandmother, pushed her back in time. She’d resented so much of the time she’d spent in this place. It had curbed her hangouts with friends, time with boys, and extracurricular activities, and while her siblings had seemed okay with it, Sophia had always felt like this building kept her from truly living her life.
As an adult, glancing around, seeing her mom behind the counter laughing with a customer, Rosie sweeping up under one of the booths, and Viola checking in with customers to see how their meals were, she suddenly remembered it wasn’t all bad. It just hadn’t been what she’d wanted for the rest of her life. Maybe it would have been if she’d ever felt like she had a choice. Standing here now, she could think of drinking lemonade at the counter during breaks on hot summer days and laughing with her siblings. She missed those days, but no part of her wanted to head behind the counter or pick up an apron.
All three sets of eyes, along with several others, landed on Sophia when the door shut. Her mom finished up with the customer, who smiled as he walked by Sophia as they passed.
“You came,” her mom said.
