Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Reid

“You are so out of it,” Maddie said the second time I’d dropped a glass. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d dropped something twice in one night. My head was all scrambled from endorphins. From Sophie.

“Just having an off night,” I told her. When it came to my personal life, my coworkers knew very little. I kept my work life and my home life as separate as I could. They didn’t need to know anything about me other than that I had their backs and would do my job.

“Hmm,” Maddie said, studying me. “Seems like something’s up with you.”

I rolled my eyes at her and cleaned up before heading to make a row of shots for a group of friends.

The hours trickled by and even though I knew she wasn’t coming in, I kept looking for Sophie. I was a disaster.

During my breaks, I checked in on her and she gave me updates on how she was doing with reading my fanfic. I still couldn’t believe how much she loved that story. She’d just gotten to the first sex scene and I was sweating about her reading it. Not that I thought I was some great erotic writer, but I hoped she didn’t think it was bad. And hopefully she’d think it was hot.

By the time I got home, it was so late, but there was another bag on my door, and I smiled when I opened it and found a cupcake and a sticky note.

Something sweet for someone sweet. Missed you. See you tomorrow/today.

-Sophie

Could she be any cuter? I didn’t think so. How had I gotten so lucky?

I slept well and woke up before my alarm. I smiled to myself and sent a message to Sophie.

Thank you for the cupcake. It was great. Pick you up in an hour and a half?

She responded right away. You’re welcome. I’ll be ready.

I’d told her that she didn’t need to bring anything with her to the party, but intuition told me that she might show up with something anyway. Sophie was just that kind of person. She’d always show up with a gift, never forget a birthday, always offer to help.

I got ready and checked in with Cade, Hunter, and Jo, who was apologetic, but couldn’t come. She just had too much work to do.

That was disappointing but expected. I’d have to get her to meet Sophie another time. Having her meet Cade, Eloise, Hunter, and Stace was already a lot. Plus, Stace’s family was going to want to know all about her and Sophie was going to be all sweet and polite even if she was uncomfortable. I didn’t want that for her.

“Hey, you ready to go?” I asked when she answered the door. She wore the white skirt and pink top she’d tried on for me to go to Sapph and she had an off-white sweater over her arm along with her bag over her shoulder. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she looked good enough to eat.

“Wow,” I said, forgetting whatever the hell I’d just asked her.

“Wow yourself,” she said. “Can you do a turn for me?”

For a second, I hesitated and stepped back, executing a perfect double turn, spotting automatically. I might not have been near a barre in years, but my body still knew the steps.

Sophie gazed at me and smiled. “You’re such a beautiful dancer, Reid.”

I shrugged. “I’m so rusty now. If I tried to do a leap or anything I’d bust my ass, but I can still turn.” If I really wanted to go wild, I could whip out a fouetté turn right here wearing my sneakers. It would be ugly, but I knew I could still do it. Turns had always been my specialty and one of my favorite parts of dance. Spinning around and letting the world flash by. It was almost like flying.

“Maybe someday you can get back to it. On your own terms. Or not. It’s completely up to you.” For years after I quit dance, I’d said that there was absolutely no way in hell that I’d ever go back. That I was done.

“Maybe,” I said, but my reaction wasn’t as hostile as it usually was. Whenever people would mention dance to me in the past, I’d freak out a little and get angry, but that anger had fizzled a little. Huh.

“Anyway,” I said, shaking my head. “I meant to ask if you’re ready.”

“Yup,” she said, reaching over to grab something she’d set on the little table by her door where she kept her keys.

When I saw what it was, I laughed. “I told you that you didn’t have to bring anything.”

“I know. But this peach crumble is really good. And it’s gluten free and nut free. Just in case.”

I snapped my fingers, remembering. “You know, Stace’s little brother has Celiac, and her brother’s boyfriend has a nut allergy, so that’s actually smart.”

Sophie beamed. “I figure it’s a good call to go as allergen free as you can when there’s a group.”

“You’re so smart. And kind.” I just had to kiss her while she held the baking dish between us. It wasn’t easy, but I didn’t care.

“Thank you,” she said. “Shall we go?”

“We shall,” I said and stepped aside so she could go down the stairs first.

The party was already going when we got there with cars parked up and down the driveway.

“Oh, that’s a lot of people,” Sophie said as I turned around and then found a spot.

“Hey,” I told her, reaching over to take her hand. “Why don’t we have a safe word? A word that you can say to me and if you say it, I’ll pretend to have some kind of emergency and we’ll leave.”

“A safe word?” she asked.

“Yeah, they’re not just for sex, in my opinion.”

Sophie nodded and looked down at the pan on her lap. “Peaches.”

“Peaches?” I asked.

“Yeah, peaches.” She blushed and I couldn’t stop myself from kissing her cheek before we got out and started walking toward the backyard where the party was in full swing. There were kids running around and jumping on a trampoline and adults congregating around tables of food and a few guys standing at the smoking grill. There were coolers overflowing with ice and drinks scattered on the grass.

I spotted Stace and Hunter and waved. Stace came right over, a huge smile on her face.

“Hey, good to see you.” She didn’t hug me, and I knew that was hard for her. Stace was a tactile, huggy person.

“This is Sophie,” I said, pointing to her.

“Hi,” she said, her voice bright. “I brought peach cobbler. It’s nut and gluten free.”

Stace beamed. “Wow, thank you so much. You didn’t have to, but this is going to make a few people happy. Let me take that for you.”

Sophie handed over the pan and Stace went to add it to one of the food tables.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Hunter.” Hunter could never shake her debutante rich-girl upbringing. She’d been taught manners from her old money family and even if she didn’t see them anymore, those habits ran deep.

Sophie shook Hunter’s hand and stared at her for a second. Hunter had that effect on people.

“There you are,” said a voice behind me and we turned to see Cade and Eloise.

“Sophie, this is my friend Cade and her girlfriend Eloise.” I’d warned Sophie ahead of time about meeting Eloise, but I could still feel her trembling beside me. I reached out and placed a hand on her lower back, making tiny circles the way she did when she was trying to calm me down. She leaned into my touch.

“So nice to meet you,” Sophie said, her voice shaky.

“Nice to meet you,” Cade said. “I’ve heard so much about you from Reid that I feel like we’ve already met.”

Cade’s smile was warm and open, and I could feel Sophie relaxing.

“Yeah, I feel the same way,” she said. “I mean, I’ve read articles about you, but seeing you in person is different, obviously.” That comment was directed at Eloise, who had been gazing at Cade with hearts in her eyes.

“Thank you. Don’t believe everything you read.” Eloise winked and Sophie let out a little squeak as her face blushed brilliantly red.

“Hey, are you hungry? Should we get something to eat?” I asked Sophie.

She nodded and I pulled her toward the food, setting a plate in her hands.

“I know you warned me about meeting Eloise Roth, but I’m still freaking out a little bit. She’s so famous!” she hissed at me as I served her.

“How do you want your burger?” I asked her. There was something intimate about doing this for her. Sophie didn’t seem to mind that I’d taken over.

“Uh, cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato. Oh my god, I need to calm down,” she said, putting the plate down and shaking her hands out.

“Hey. You’re good. Everything’s going to be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you, Soph. And if you need to go, all you gotta do is talk about peaches and we’re gone. My friends will all understand. Okay?”

I made sure she looked into my eyes and saw how serious I was. This was going to be a good day for her. I’d do whatever I could to make that happen.

“Yeah,” she said, and I handed her the plate again. She waited with me while I made one for myself and then we snagged some drinks.

There were plenty of chairs and my friends had grabbed a few, so I headed in that direction.

Stace’s little brothers ran by, chasing their friends.

We’d just sat down when Stace’s mother, Maggie, came over to ask us if we needed anything.

“Oh, you must be Sophie, it’s lovely to meet you,” Maggie said, giving Sophie a warm smile. “Thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for having me,” Sophie said.

“Of course. We just love Reid.” She winked at me and I snorted.

“She’s exaggerating,” I said.

“Are you calling me a liar?” Maggie said, hands on her hips.

“No, ma’am,” I said, and she grinned.

“Damn straight. I’ll be around if you need anything. My husband is at the grill if you have any requests.”

She pointed at the man wearing the apron with KING OF THE GRILL printed on it who was waving a pair of tongs around as he told a story to a group of other men who were all laughing.

A moment later a tall man with absolutely massive muscles walked over with a wiry man with red hair.

“Hey, Reid, how’s it going?”

I nodded. “I’m good, Tor, how are you?”

He shrugged and had a swig of his soda. “Eh, can’t complain.”

“This is Sophie,” I said, nodding to her. “Soph, this is Stace’s brother Torrin and his boyfriend Micah.”

She said hello to both of them.

“Wait, are you the one who brought the nut-free cobbler?” Torrin asked, setting one beefy arm across Micah’s shoulders and pulling him closer.

“Um, yes,” Sophie said. “That was me.”

“Thank you,” Micah said, leaning into Torrin. “I really appreciate someone taking allergies into consideration.”

“Oh, you’re welcome. I hope it’s okay. I can give you the recipe if you end up really like it.” Sophie clamped her mouth shut. Taking her hand, I pulled it until I was holding her fingers with both of my hands. She clutched onto me.

“I’m sure it’ll be amazing,” Torrin said, smiling.

“Tor! Tor!” a little boy ran over and yelled.

“What is it?” Torrin asked, leaning down to speak to his youngest brother, Carson.

“Can you pleaseeeee push us on the swings?” Carson asked, clasping his hands in front and begging.

Torrin laughed. “Course I can.”

He excused himself and Micah waved as they went to the swing set and started pushing some of the little boys.

“Do you think he works out a little bit?” Sophie asked.

“Uh, yeah. He and Micah actually met at the gym.”

“And I’m responsible for setting them up,” Hunter said from my other side. “They were both in my yoga class, so I had them put their mats nearby.”

“Hey, it was my idea to get them together,” Stace said, indignant.

“Of course, babe, but I did the work.”

Stace glared and then turned to us again.

“I really think I was the mastermind in this situation.”

Sophie and I watched as Hunter and Stace bickered adorably.

“So, Sophie, Cade told me you’re getting you MFA in creative writing?” Eloise said. Sophie froze beside me.

“Um, yes. I am. I’m not sure what I want to do with it yet, though. There are so many options and I’m just not sure. Editing, agenting, all of it sounds interesting.”

Eloise nodded. “Let me know if you ever want to sit down and talk about it. I’d be happy to put you in touch with my agent or my editor and they can give you more of an idea of what it’s actually like. It’s a tough industry, but I believe in bringing in and fostering new talent. I’m happy to lend a hand.”

Sophie’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, wow, that’s so generous. I mean, you don’t even know me.”

Eloise didn’t seem fazed by that. “Well how about we get to know each other?”

Sophie let out a little squeak and I wanted to know if this was too much for her. If she was overloaded yet.

“Oh, sure.” Eloise squeezed Cade’s shoulder and stood up, bringing her chair over to sit on Sophie’s other side.

Cade sat for a minute as she talked with Stace and Hunter but then she frowned and moved over to sit with Eloise.

“I’m not a clinger, I swear,” she said as we all watched her move closer to Eloise.

“Uh huh,” I said, but I still had Sophie’s hand in mine and Hunter was practically sitting in Stace’s lap.

Sophie turned to speak to Eloise but kept her hand in mine at the same time. I stroked her skin and felt her slowly unclenching the longer she talked.

I listened, but mostly kept out of it, satisfied to watch Sophie talk shop with Eloise. She was so animated and waved her free hand around as she rambled about her dreams and aspirations and she was so passionate and so beautiful and it made something ache in my chest. I just wanted to hold her and listen to her and kiss her and be with her all the time. I’d never been addicted to anyone before, but this felt like it might be something like that. I wanted to stand up and tell everyone how great she was. How gorgeous and smart and funny and wonderful. Everyone needed to know.

I had to squeeze Sophie’s hand so she’d pause and take a breath and eat something.

Stace’s middle brother, Eli, wandered over and hovered next to Hunter. They put their heads together and from what I could pick up they were talking about art. Eli ran into the house and came out with a stack of manga that he proceeded to flip through and show Hunter. Stace listened with a smile on her face.

It was really cute.

This was the first time I’d been at an event like this when I’d been truly comfortable. Not desperate to leave. Not trapped in small talk with some random person I didn’t care about. Not listening to my friends being happy and living their lives while I sat there and simmered in my own grumpiness.

I found myself smiling much more than I would have and even getting up on the trampoline when Carson dared me.

I jumped and did some leaps that the kids thought were pretty cool. I thought about doing a flip, but I didn’t want to end up in the hospital even though Torrin was an EMT. The potential embarrassment wasn’t worth it.

“Come on, Soph. Jump with me,” I called, and she scrambled up on the trampoline with me.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve done this.” She giggled and took my hands as we bounced together, getting higher and higher with each jump. She let loose a laugh and I couldn’t help but laugh with her.

“Who are you and what have you done with Reid?” Cade asked as Sophie and I bounced in a circle, laughing our asses off.

“Shut up,” I told Cade.

“Leave her alone. She’s happy,” Stace said, putting her arms around Hunter and kissing her head. My friends hadn’t pulled me aside and interrogated me about what I was doing with Sophie, but I knew I was going to hear it in the group chat later. I appreciated them holding off and not making Sophie uncomfortable today.

Sophie and I jumped until we couldn’t breathe and then got off the trampoline, collapsing into our chairs.

“Do you want dessert? I’ll grab it for you,” Stace said. She got her hosting skills from her mother.

I requested a plate with anything chocolate and Sophie said that she wanted a little bit of everything.

Stace saluted us and went to fetch our desserts.

Cade had taken the seat next to Sophie and I could hear them talking together, their voices getting progressively louder. Eloise sat on Cade’s other side and shared a knowing look. It wasn’t a shock that Eloise and Sophie would get along. Add Stace in the mix and the volume would really go up.

Sophie and Cade got going about books and then they were off to the races. I added a comment here and there, but I was happy to sit back and watch my girl go.

My girl?

Sophie wasn’t my girl. We had literally just started dating. I hadn’t called her my girlfriend or anything. We were seeing each other. That was it. This thing between us was new and fragile. So fragile.

I didn’t want to do anything to break it.