But they’re working just fine. They each have a bowl of ice cream in front of them and together they’re laughing and talking as if they’ve known each other for years.
As if Sophie were his mother.
My heart swells watching the scene in front of me.
“Life is funny sometimes isn’t it, son?”
I look down as Ma slides an arm around my waist and pulls me close. She might be at least a foot shorter than her sons, but she was tough. “What do you?—”
“Sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason for the way it happens,” she says as if I hadn’t spoken. “But when love strikes, there’s no denying it.”
That’s the truth.
“It looks like William may have fallen just as hard.”
I can’t disagree with that. My son is cuddled up tight in Sophie’s arms in a way I’ve never seen him do before. Then again, I’ve never seen him with a mother figure in his life. My heart squeezes a little more.
“What are you waiting for, son?” Ma winks and smacks me lightly with the dish towel she’s holding. “Get over there and join your family.”
Sophie
The weightof him on my lap feels just right and when he snuggles into my embrace after I tell him my name, I fall head over heels in love with William.
“Wasn’t I right, Sophie?” His little boy face with chocolate ice cream rimming his lips, looks up at me. “Ice cream makes everything better, right?”
I don’t think it’s the ice cream so much as the cuddles I’m getting from Griff’s son, but regardless, everything is just fine.
There are a handful of kids in the restaurant, but I’d known William the moment he came over to me with a bowl of ice cream in his hand and without hesitation and crawled up into my lap. The connection between us was instant.
I was born to be this little boy’s mother.
“You were right, William.” I ruffle his hair a little. “How did you know chocolate was my favourite?”
He looks at me, his eyes so much like his father’s, turn serious. “I don’t know,” he says matter of factly. “I just had a feeling.”
“Sometimes that’s all it takes.” I squeeze him a little tighter.
I feel Griff’s presence before I hear him. “Do you think I can have some of that, too?”
“Dad!”
William reaches his arms out for his father who scoops him up easily into his arms. “Sorry your camping trip was cut short, little man. I hope you had fun.”
“It was so fun but Papa said that when there’s a fire the best thing to do is get to a meeting place and see how to be helpful.”
“Is that what you’re doing with Sophie?”
“You know her?”
“I sure do.” I bite back a giggle when Griff winks at me before sliding into the booth next to me, William still in his arms.
The little boy shifts so he can look at both of us and still eat his ice cream.
“In fact, I’m really glad you two have met.” A shiver races through me. “Because we’re going to be seeing a whole lot more of Sophie in the future.”
My heart catches in my throat. With anyone else, I’d think all of this was happening too soon, but with Griff it feels just right and I know what he’s going to say before he says it.
“I lied to you earlier, sweetheart.” Griff reaches for me with his free hand. “I told you everything would be okay before we drove through the fire but the truth is, I was scared. Not of the fire, but of losing you. I’ve never felt that kind of fear before, and it was in that instant that I knew without a doubt that I would literally drive through hell to keep you safe because I love you. Marry me, Sophie.”
