Expecting her to turn around and go inside her apartment, I let her go, but instead, she tugs my head down for another kiss, running her fingers into the back of my hair. I lose track of time and don’t care, to be honest. For once, I’m letting myself just be in the moment—with her. I’m tired of worrying about the future—mine and my sister’s. And I’m realizing I want more moments like this…with Sophie.
Maybe even a lifetime of them.
She rests her cheek against my chest as she wraps her arms around me. “Is this okay, too?”
I hum and kiss the top of her head, relishing the wayshe fits against me. And how easy this is. It’s as if we’re meant to be together. Right here, right now. “More than okay.”
She looks up at me. “Are you sure?”
Seems like a simple question, but I’m almost certain she’s asking if I trust her. And I do. She’s not at all what I first assumed her to be—she’s so much more. I don’t think I’ve ever been more sure of anything.
“Why do you ask?”
At first, she shrugs, then glances to the side as if she’s embarrassed.
I lift her chin and wait for her eyes to meet mine. “Tell me.”
“I’m not good at this.”
“At what?”
“Romantic relationships.” Even in the dim light, I can tell her cheeks are darkening with that adorable blush of hers.
“I find that hard to believe, considering what you want to write about in that column of yours.”
“It’s not mine yet.”
I trace her lips this time. “Just a matter of time, I’m sure.”
“Thank you, but you need to know that when it comes to relationships—the romantic kind—I’m jinxed.” Her eyes widen as if she hadn’t meant to say that. “Or rather, I’ve been told I’m a bit much at times.”
Again I brush away the silky strands the breeze teases across her face. “And who told you that? An old boyfriend?”
She tips her head down. “A few, actually.”
“Hey.” I lean to the side until she looks at me. “Those guys were idiots.”
The smile she brandishes settles the urge in my gut to find those jerks and ask them what their problem was. Sophie is the brightest, most caring and compassionate person in this sometimes dark world.
She tugs one side of her bottom lip between her teeth.
I study the fascinating display of emotions running across her face.
“You really think so? I mean, I do tend to spew words like a can of snakes. Especially when I get nervous, in case you didn’t notice.”
Soft laughter rumbles up from my chest. “Oh, I noticed.”
She cringes.
I rush in to reassure her. “I like it when you do that. It’s your tell.”
“You sure about that?” Her eyes dart back and forth as she searches my face, as if she wants to believe me.
I kiss the tip of her nose. “Surer than sure.”
I think I’ve searched for Sophie in the bleachers at least a dozen times during practice. She said she’d be here today, so maybe she’s just running late. I’m sure she’s fine, right? Probably had to check in with her editor or feed her cat—does she have a cat?
She’ll be here any minute—that’s what I keep saying to myself to stave off the panic. But the pressure building in my chest tells me another story. What if something happened to her? Memories of the night of my mother’s accident flood back in a torrent that makes breathing difficult. I thought…hoped that fear was limited to my sister, but my head and heart are more wrapped up with Sophie than I realized.
