“It’s okay,” she rushed to say, already mentally going over the set schedule in her mind. “I’ll leave in a few minutes and drive straight to your house to grab what Ma needs.” She glanced at the clock on the dashboard. “I should be at the hospital by two. What time is her surgery?”
“Don’t know yet.” He sighed. “I’ll call you when I do.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon,” she said before hanging up.
Ryder gently squeezed her hand, regaining her attention. “You okay?”
She nodded, feeling exhausted and full of adrenaline at the same time. “I have to go home. Well, to my parents’, then the hospital. My mother needs—”
“Her gallbladder out,” he finished for her, slight smile on his lips. “I heard.”
A snort escaped her. “Yeah…my family’s kind of loud.”
Understatement of the year.
“What can I do?” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
Her chest warmed, and everything inside her softened. “You’re doing it. Thanks. And I’m sorry. I’ll be gone a few weeks. I’ll need to be there while my mom recovers. Family comes first, right?” She smiled, but he didn’t return it. Not even a flicker.
As if realizing she was waiting for his reply, he nodded. “Right.”
But she got a weird vibe, like maybe he hadn’t quite been there. That he was lost in the past. A bad one.
Trepidation skittered down her spine. She brushed it off. It was just shock from the unexpected call, she told herself.
“What about Phoebe, and the youth show?” he asked, releasing her hand.
“It’ll be okay. I’m sure she’ll understand,” she said. “We’ve already got some of the sets built. And all the instructions are done. I know you and the others will do an amazing job.” A technical director is usually the one who oversaw the construction, anyway. It wasn’t usually the set designer, but Sophia didn’t bother to explain since she was doubling as both for Phoebe. “I trust you take over…if that’s okay?”
He nodded, but his mind seemed far away.
Reaching over, she cupped his chin and leaned close. “Thanks,” she said against his lips. “I’m going to miss you.” It took all her control to keep from blurting out that she loved him. The timing was wrong. She couldn’t just say it and then leave.
But she could show him. And did, pressing her mouth to his.
After hesitating long enough for her heart to stop and rock, he finally slid his hands into her hair and returned the kiss. Once the tightness in her chest eased, she relaxed against him. But all too soon, he broke the kiss and set his forehead to hers.
“I’m going to miss you, too,” he said, running a finger from her temple to her jaw.
And as she left him to go inside the theater in search of Phoebe, Sophia’s chest tightened once more.
What if he closed up again? She didn’t think she could bear if he shut her out now. It wasn’t just sex anymore. It wasn’t just a good time. Not for her, and not for him. She knew it, felt it.
She just hoped it was still there when she came back.
***
Ten days without Sophia might as well have been two lifetimes. Ryder was shocked to realize how much he’d grown accustomed to having the woman in his life. He missed her smiles, and laughter, her teasing, and taste, her sexy cries, and soft curves.
He was an idiot. He should’ve told her he loved her before she’d left. It would’ve given her a reason to come back, in case their great sex wasn’t enough.
Christ, he missed hot sex with her.
“Hey, buddy.” Ben dropped into the booth across from him, bringing his mind back to the fact he was in his dad’s restaurant, stirring sugar in an empty mug. “You may want to add some coffee to that.”
He snickered, reaching for the carafe in the middle of the table. “Definitely need caffeine.”
Ben chuckled. “That’s not all you need. It’s Sophia you’re lacking, not coffee.”
