I’m falling for Sophie—fast. Or maybe it’s sneaking up on me,like autumn—barely noticed until suddenly, everything’s on fire with color.
You wish you could pause time to take it all in—to memorize, to feel—and if you're lucky enough to recognize that kind of beauty when it's in front of you, you do.
So, I do.
I take a long look at the woman who has caught my heart, who is holding it and hasn't let go.
I'm falling, and that does scare me a little. Not away from her—God, no, you couldn't drag me away from Sophie if you had an army. I've just never experienced any of this before, and that's terrifying to me.
I've never felt this absolute clarity thatyes, this is what it's supposed to feel like.
I want to do whatever it takes to keep that smile on her face—to keep her happy and healthy. And the wildest part is, I've realized that all I have to do to keep her happy is show up.
That's the bare minimum to me, and Sophie doesn't deserve the bare minimum.
Sophie deserves thebest, she deserves theworld.
And, I will do my damnedest to give it to her.
"So are you guys together?" Tonya asks, eyeing me, rolling the unlit cigarette between her thumb and forefinger.
My smile turns stupid, ridiculous, and no doubt goofy when I think back to the carnival, our date, and kissing her.
The night had been perfect from start to finish. I had been nervous, stupidly worrying that Sophie was used to better dates and fancier restaurants, so she might be underwhelmed with my choice of carnival date. I should have known better, because Sophie loved it.
It seemed like she could just forget that she had cancer, that she was sick, and the betrayal she had suffered through. And I was so damn happy that I could give that to her.
I've been happy in my life, I've been joyful, and I've felt true satisfaction. But there’s nothing on earth that could ever compare to holding the hand of my girl, seeing the radiant smile light up her face because of something I had done, and kissing those soft lips because she wanted me to.
She wasglowing. I wanted to give her that happiness over and over again, and those little otters were just a way to do that.
"Westley and Buttercup," she told me in the truck, blush coloring her cheeks as she held them to her chest. For a moment, the emotions bubbling inside of me wouldn't let me speak. She named them after my favorite movie, the one I obsessively watched until the tape broke. Of course, she would remember that.
The memory of the ride home from our date last week makes me smile. Sophie kept one hand on the otters, the other firmly clasped in mine, and I kept stealing kisses from her at every stoplight like two teenagers.
When we got to her apartment, we lingered inside for a bit, talking about anything and nothing to stretch the time, saying goodnight with slow kisses until she realized how late it was. In her worry, she ordered me to text her when I got home safely. The concern she shows always makes me feel good, and true to her word, she stayed awake until she received my text.
"Yeah, we are," I tell Tonya, who looks very pleased at my answer. "We haven't really labeled it yet, but..."
"You're together,you're together,”Tonya interrupts, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "That's that."
Tonya's words do ring true to me, but still, I don't want there to be any question of my feelings toward her. I'mseriousabout Sophie. I want to discuss boundaries—both mine and hers. I want to talk about what we are, what we're building, and where we're going.
I know it might be too soon to have the future talk, but Sophienever backs down whenever I talk about the future. She didn't even blink when I promised that I would top her birthday next year—in fact, she looked downright happy about it.
And I want all of it. All of her birthdays, all the holidays, and all the days ending in Y.
Mom always said to be patient, that love would find me, and that I couldn't chase it down.
You should never doubt Maeve Rhodes.
Tonya clears her throat, her voice dropping. "I ran into a littleratthe night of her birthday."
My head swivels toward Tonya, her expression downright smug. I frown in confusion until she gives me a significant look, and it clicks.
"Paul?" I ask, keeping my voice low, and casting a glance at Sophie, who's still distracted by Plot.
"Mhm," Tonya hums with a nod. "Was out for a smoke when I caught him peeking in on the birthday celebration. Hepukedwhen he saw her... and you. Serves the little shit right."
