His brother shook his head. “No thanks. I’m busy today.”
“Me, too,” Gideon piped up.
“Are you sure?” Liliana asked, her face pleading as she looked at her older brothers.
Kellan’s face softened as he looked at his sister. “I can’t today, Little Bit, but maybe after Caspian goes back to Riyel I’ll have a tea party with you.”
His sister’s face grew somber. “I don’t want Caspian to go back to Riyel.”
“I know,” Caspian said, reaching over and pulling her into a hug. “I don’t want to go back, either.”
“You should stay,” she said, looking up at him with a big grin.
“We’ll see, Little Bit,” Caspian said. “I’m going to go to town and see about my tasks, and when I get back, I’ll have a tea party with you.”
“Yes, please,” Liliana said, bouncing up and down in her chair.
“Finish your oatmeal,” he said, pointing to the offending dish.
“If I must,” Liliana said, turning back to her mostly full bowl and tucking into it.
Caspian wiped his face with his napkin and stood, nodding to his mother and father before taking his leave. Maybe he could see if Sophia wanted to go to town with him and ask her opinion on having a tea party with the goats.
He pounded his way down the stairs to the kitchen, hoping to find Sophia, but she wasn’t there. He didn’t want to ask for her and draw attention to the fact that he was looking for her, so he poked his head into the storage room in case she was in there.
He didn’t see her at first glance, but there was a stack of apple crates, and he could see movement behind them. He made his way around them, and there she was.
“Sophia,” he said quietly, hoping she wouldn’t be scared by an unexpected person appearing. When she turned to see him, her eyes lit up, and joy rushed through him.
She was happy to see him, just as he was happy to see her.
“Good morning,” she said, standing from the overturned crate she was sitting on. “What are you doing here?”
“I have to go to town,” he said. “Will you walk with me?”
Sophia glanced down at the open crate on the floor. “I’m supposed to sort the apples,” she said. “I don’t want to get in trouble.”
“I won’t let you get in trouble.”
“I don’t know,” she said, concern filling her eyes.
“I promise,” he said. He reached out and took her hand, pulling her out of the storage room. He wove his way through the chaos to tap Cook on the shoulder. “I need Sophia to come to town with me,” he announced. “Oh, and Liliana wants a tea party this afternoon. I said I’d let you know.”
He towed her out of the kitchen before Cook could respond, but she wouldn’t say no.
She couldn’t.
“You just told her what you were doing,” Sophia said in wonder, as they began to walk down to the front gate.
Apparently Sophia hadn’t spent much time with nobility.
Leaves fluttered to the ground as they walked through the trees near the gate and began the walk to town. The sun was shining, and he held her hand the whole time. He couldn’t stop smiling.
It felt so right.
He didn’t know why it felt so right, but he didn’t want to let it go. He wanted to do more than hold her hand—he wanted to kiss her. But the moment didn’t feel right, and he wasn’t going to do it until the moment felt right.
Sophia’s first kiss needed to be perfect.
