“Ma, stop talking for a second and listen to me,” I say, waiting for her to stop rambling.
“I swear—Trojan owes me royalties for all the condoms I bought for you boys.”
“Ma, listen.” I shake my head.
“What?” she says, sounding annoyed.
“I found my girl, Ma.”
“What do you mean ‘found your girl’?”
“I mean I found the girl I’m going to marry.”
“Is it April Fool’s Day?” she asks jokingly, but I can hear shock and happiness in her voice.
“Nah. I wouldn’t joke with you about something like this.”
“When did you meet her? Who is she? When can I meet her?” she yells so loud I have to pull my phone from my ear.
“Her name is Sophie.” I laugh. “I met her when I found her phone and retuned it to her. She is beautiful, smart, and so sweet, Ma—so sweet I don’t even know how I got so lucky.”
“You love her,” she whispers in awe.
“More than love her.” I can’t even begin to explain the way I feel about Sophie, but I don’t think it’s normal love. It’s something more. I love my family, and I love my life, but what I feel for the girl who’s asleep in my bed right now goes beyond that.
“Oh, honey, I’m so happy for you,” she says quietly, “but you should try to take it slow.”
“Shit.” I look down at the ground. “I’ve been seeing her for a while now, Ma.”
“How long is a while?” she asks
“A few months,” I tell her softly.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I can hear the hurt in her voice. I knew this question was coming.
“She hasn’t had the easiest life, Mom. I needed to give her time to trust me without overwhelming her with everyone.”
“We wouldn’t overwhelm her,” she argues.
“Ma…” I say, the ‘who are you trying to kid?’ implied in my tone.
“Okay, okay,” she concedes. “So when do I get to meet her?”
“Soon.” I smile. “I’ll call you tomorrow and we can set up a time for us to come for dinner.”
“Okay, honey. I love you. And I’m so happy for you,” she whispers.
“Love you too, Ma. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“Bye, honey.”
“Later.” I hang up, setting my phone on the counter before looking at Daisy. “Let’s go to bed, girl.” I go back into the room and climb into bed with Sophie, who automatically curls into me. I hold her to me, kissing her hair before following her off to sleep.
Chapter 9
Sophie
“Hi.” I smile at David as he walks into the library. He’s a pleasant-enough guy; he asked me out a couple of times, but I just couldn’t go out with him. It’s not that he isn’t good-looking—he is—but he seems like he has to try too hard to be nice. It’s odd.
“Hey, Sophie. How are you?” He leans on the counter in front of me.
“Good, and you?” I ask, typing in the call number for another book a teacher asked me to check out for their classroom.
“I’m good. I was wondering if you’d want to go out and get a bite to eat after work?”
“No, sorry. I can’t.” I don’t even look up from what I’m doing when I respond.
“It must be hard for you moving to a new state all by yourself, living alone, and not having anyone around.”
“Pardon?” I ask, finally looking up at him.
His eyes appear darker, and something about him just seems…off. A shiver slides down my spine, and I sit back in the chair. Something is telling me to get away from him.
“Oh shit, I’m sorry. You look scared.” He laughs. “I didn’t mean anything, Sophie. Just that, if you need me, I’m here for you.”
“Thanks,” I wheeze out, finding it hard to breathe.
“See you around,” he says, smiling. He taps the top of the desk before leaving the library, and as soon as he’s out of sight, I grab my keys and bag, turn out the library lights, and lock the door before rushing down the hall and out to my car.
My hands are shaking as I open my door, and once inside, I engage the locks. I start my car and lift my head when I feel eyes on me, my eyes landing on David’s car a few spaces over. I can just barely make out David sitting in his car as he waves. I lift my hand quickly, put my car in drive, and speed out of the parking lot. By the time I reach Nico’s, the strange encounter with David is just that—a strange encounter. David’s always been nice. He knows I moved to Tennessee alone and was probably just worried about me being on my own all the time, and since he doesn’t know about Nico, that would be understandable, I convince myself.
I turn the key in the door and open it to complete silence; this catches me off guard. Daisy always greets me when I get home. I walk into the kitchen to set my bag on the counter. I lift my foot behind me, ready to take off my shoes before searching for Daisy.
“Leave them on,” is growled, and I look over my shoulder at Nico, who is shirtless, wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. Seeing him makes me forget about everything. My heart kicks up when I see his face; his eyes are dark and hungry. “Been home all day, worked out three times, and still couldn’t get the image of what you’re wearing out of my head.” He takes a step towards me.