“Ah.” The bag of s’mores brew from Black Bear Coffee he sent Sophie earlier this morning may have been too much. Four gifts in four days. Denver slipped his reading glasses off and dropped them into his shirt pocket. “Yeah, I get it.”
“Go a few days without. Throw her off a little. Better to keep her guessing, right?”
He nodded, wondering what he was going to do with the chocolate-covered macadamia nuts if he had to abort his secret admirer plan. He sure wasn’t going to eat them. He couldn’t stand them.
“Hey,” Tessa said, her voice lowering as Caroline’s singing grew closer. “I’m rooting for you, just so you know. If I wasn’t, I’d let you sabotage yourself.”
“Denver!” Caroline came to a jumping halt in the kitchen doorway, her hands thrown into the air. Her long hair, same dark blonde color as Sophie’s and braided into pigtails, bounced with her enthusiasm.
“Hey, Squirt.”
“I’m not a squirt!” she said with a giggle, hopping into the kitchen and tugging at his hand. “Do you want to see my new school clothes? I have lots of new shirts and sweaters and pants and even snow boots!”
“Snow boots? Well, I have to see those.”
Tessa gave him a wink before he was dragged down the hall, passing an elderly couple on the way. He’d always known he wanted children of his own, but spending time with Caroline made him more certain than ever that he wanted a family. He would love her as if she were his own, if only Sophie gave him that chance.
An hour later, everyone had gathered on the restaurant’s patio. Though temperatures from recent days lingered in the mid-fifties with a slight chill in the air—a promise of autumn not far behind—it seemed Mother Nature was kind enough to grace Sunset Ridge with at least one last warm, sunny evening so the party could be enjoyed outdoors without hats and gloves.
“Have you figured it out yet?” Denver nudged Sophie with his arm, still amazed at how her touch set his entire body ablaze. The golden hues in her dark blonde hair glistened in the sunlight. She rarely wore it down, but tonight it even had a slight curl to the ends.
“Not really. If it was a restaurant expansion, she’d have to run it through Cadence and me first. She’s already married. House built. The only thing left is—” Sophie stopped midsentence, her mouth agape.
She didn’t have to fill in the blank; Denver knew.
A baby.
Tessa tapped a glass goblet with a spoon, drawing everyone’s attention to the center of the deck.
“Guess we’re about to find out,” Denver said. He folded his arms and turned his attention toward Tessa and Liam, but he didn’t miss the way Sophie anchored her hand on the back of a patio chair.
He listened through the opening thank-yous and Tessa’s speech about what Sunset Ridge had come to mean to her. The home she found. But he was having trouble concentrating on the actual words. He kept stealing glances at Sophie, desperate to decipher the meaning of her blank expression hidden behind the forced smile.
He had no doubts she was happy for her oldest sister. But something else was stirring in that head of hers. He’d bet the success of his next book on it.
“Now for the announcement you’ve all been waiting for.” Tessa clapped her hands together, locking her gaze with her husband. Pure joy sparkled in both their eyes. “Liam and I are finally going to start a family! Little baby Davies will be joining us in February.”
The small crowd of family and friends applauded, cheered, and whistled at the news. A champagne cork popped. A few hoots followed.
“You were right,” said Denver, trying to stir Sophie from her trance. It was odd that now of all times, she wasn’t her usual, easygoing self. No matter the pressure or stresses going on in her own life, Sophie was practiced at shoving all of it down and being fully present for someone else. He worried that someday it would all catch up to her.
She flashed him a weak smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Yeah, guess I was, huh?”
“Do you want to give Tessa a hug?” Denver placed a protective hand on her shoulder, hoping to draw her out of her spell before her sisters noticed. Sophie would feel terrible if Tessa thought she was upset by this news. “Tell her congratulations?”
“Um, yeah. Yeah, I should do that. Of course.”
Denver slid his hand from her shoulder, placing it at the small of her back to urge her forward through the crowd. “I’ll be right behind you. We can take a walk to get some fresh air after if you want.”
“Yeah, I’d like that. Thanks.”
He waited as the three sisters embraced each other, offering his congratulations to Liam. Denver was relieved to see that Sophie’s real smile returned. The tears he feared, however, were only disguised as happy ones.
“Soph?” he interrupted, pushing away the guilt he felt at breaking up the sisterly celebration for her sake. If that meant Tessa and Cadence ended up upset with him, he’d gladly pay the price.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Sophie said to her sister, swiping at her tears. “Promised Denver a quick plotting session in exchange for those potatoes. Keep an eye on Caroline for me?”
“We got her,” Cadence promised.
