Chapter 16 Mending Fences #4
Sophie’s stomach flipped twice over at the mention of grandkids.
She’d always known that they were off the table with Drew, or that at the very least he’d insist on a nanny so Sophie’s attention wasn’t pulled from her work at the firm.
That Brad had alluded to the possibility already was icing on the very rich cake she’d been served since she met him.
Her abdomen fluttered once more. Being a mother was very much on her agenda, but she and Brad had to talk about when, how many, who would stay home when they were little—the list was long but exciting.
She also noted that she needed to still get his phone number. Small details.
“I know you’re worried, Marge, and you have every right to be, but I’ll never hurt your son. I love him for a thousand different reasons, including all the things I don’t know enough to love yet. For how he handled Julia and come out of it on top despite it all, for starters.”
“Despite me, you mean?” Marge looked skeptical. Her eyebrows raised, and her frown returned.
“No, though I do think your support would have done wonders, and will from here. But I mean despite the town. They don’t know her for who she really is, besides the cheating, and Brad took the high ground.
I don’t know if I’d have been that strong.
I probably would have put out a full-page ad in the Courier that announced what a schmuck she is.
The thing is, she doesn’t realize that her suit will go public if it goes to court.
That’ll put a damper on her reputation if she sullies the work of Banberry’s local hero. ”
Sophie almost fell down in the snow when Marge laughed, a tiny bubble of noise that escaped from her throat and seemed to surprise her as well. Marge put her hand over her mouth like she was embarrassed to have been caught enjoying herself for a change.
“You should let that happen more often, Marge. It looks good on you.”
“I have a feeling that’s a possibility now. Thank you, Sophie. You’ve been kind to listen to me after the way I’ve treated you. I would not have been as generous.”
Sophie shook her head. “Not at all. Brad thinks the world of you, and I’m just glad I get the chance to see why. Because I don’t think either of us is going anywhere, right?”
“Not on my end. And it doesn’t seem like Brad will let you go no matter what anyone thinks.
Sophie, if you’d give me the pleasure of a second chance, I’d like to get to know you more.
Starting with dinner? Paige will be here, and despite my earlier behavior attempting to convince her otherwise, she seems to like you already.
Plus, you have this guy’s approval, so you can’t be all bad.
” Marge nudged Penske, who was nuzzled up against Sophie’s thigh.
“Yes, and yes,” Sophie said. She wrapped Marge in an embrace, who struggled against the unrequested display of affection, her body rigid beneath Sophie’s.
After just a moment, however, Sophie felt her begin to soften like butter, until Marge’s arms slid around her as well.
She closed her eyes over Marge’s shoulder, her hopes kindled.
“Well that’s a sight I didn’t think I’d ever see.”
Sophie pulled back from Marge, pleased to see Marge’s lips in the most natural smile.
Brad stood behind them, his arms crossed loosely over his chest, the same grin as his mother’s on his face, burnished by the cold.
Now that Marge had relaxed a bit, Sophie could see more of a resemblance between mother and son.
Besides both being tall with sinewy runners’ builds, they both had a naturally crooked smile that lifted a little more on the right side than the left.
Marge also shared Brad’s adorably scrunched eyes when she let the smile reach them, as she was just then.
“Where were you hiding?” Sophie asked.
“My mom needed some help with the CVT transmission and gear ratio on the tractor, whether or not she would admit it.”
“I would have been able to figure it out, eventually,” Marge said. “And if not, Mike is coming back tomorrow to help work out the kinks in the chisel plow before spring. He’d have taken care of the CVT and not given me any grief for it.”
“Yeah, well that’s what you pay him for. I come with snark, but I work for free,” Brad teased. With a twinkle in her eye that Sophie had only seen before in both Brad and his father, Marge walked over and hugged her son.
“This young lady has accepted my offer to join us for dinner, so I’d better be heading in to start the oven. Come in whenever you’re ready and help me with the veggies, Brad?”
Brad nodded, a suspicious look on his face. “You bet, Mom. Be there in a sec.”
He turned to Sophie, his hands resting on his hips, his crooked smile matched by an extended hand. She took it, the familiar comfort of his thumb grazing her palm, tracing imaginary circles into her skin washing over her.
“Before you say anything, Brad, can I ask you a question?”
“You know you can ask me anything, Sophie. What’s up?”
“Is this,” she said, raising their hands and indicating his thumb that was still tenderly stroking hers, “a residual gesture from Julia?”
Brad shook his head. “I wondered if you thought that when I first held your hand at the wedding. No, Julia never let me hold her hand. She considered it juvenile, all forms of PDA beneath her. You can imagine how romantic our love life was, huh?” He chuckled as his free hand combed through his hair.
“She never held your hand?” Sophie asked, incredulous. “Ever?”
“Not once,” Brad said. The corners of his eyes fell with each memory Sophie asked him about.
“I’m so sorry. I thought Drew was closed off,” Sophie teased.
“No kidding.” Brad touched her hands to his lips and kissed them as softly as she’d ever been kissed. The heat from his breath warmed her hand, spread to her arm, finally coursing through her whole body. She wanted to take those lips back up to his apartment, let him warm her from the bottom up.
“So, your talk went well?” he asked, changing the topic back to his mom.
“She came to me and apologized straight away. What the heck did you say to her, Connors, because for the life of me, I wasn’t expecting that to go a fraction of as well as it did?”
“Me neither, to be honest. She’s been so cold to me lately that she won’t even call on Sundays like she used to, so I knew coming today, catching her off guard, was the only way she’d listen to me. Shit, even that was a gamble.”
He ran his hand through his hair, and her stomach fluttered.
That one gesture of contemplation and concern she’d learned just in the short time they’d spent together.
She couldn’t wait to discover all Brad’s other tics and idiosyncrasies.
And for him to discover hers. She knew nothing she discovered about him would ever drive her away.
Hers was a love that would never wane or waver.
“But, she gave me the green light to talk while I worked on the tractor, which she was light-years away from fixing, by the way—engines are not her strong suit. I told her what had happened, really happened between Julia and me, and I’ll be damned if she didn’t listen, hug me even.”
“I’m so glad.”
“I think she just needed to hear what she already knew about Julia and her family, to know that I’ve found someone that I truly love, and who loves me.”
Sophie gazed up at Brad, tears building along her bottom lids, threatening to spill over.
He pulled her against him, where she could feel his breath catch in his chest. He leaned down, buried his hands in her hair, and kissed her like he never had before.
His tongue parted her lips and touched hers gently at first, then with more heat.
In that kiss, Sophie felt promise, passion, and love.
Penske barked up at them, his tail wagging.
Breathless, Sophie pulled back from Brad, laughing. They reached down at the same time to scratch one of Penske’s ears.
“I love you, too, you know. I think I might have even told your dad that earlier.”
Brad laughed. “Good, then dinner should be interesting, since I told my mom exactly how I felt about you. I’m sure they’re swapping stories and gossiping about us kids.”
“Then we’d better get in there and help so we can defend our honor,” Sophie said. She paused and a cloak of worry fell over her features. “Hey, do you need to call the library? You sorta ditched out on them this afternoon.”
He laughed. “I already did down at the barn. In fact, I told them I won’t be coming in at all anymore. Hopefully the sizeable donation I made over the phone smooths that over.”
Sophie reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re amazing. By the way, your mom said Paige and her husband are coming tonight, too.”
“Owen? Nice. I can’t wait to see how you two get on. She’s gonna love what you have planned for the domestic violence shelters, Soph. But we have one more thing we have to talk about before we go inside.”
“What’s that, Connors?”
“Will you go to Steve and Jackie’s wedding with me? I just got the invitation today, and I’m allowed to bring a guest. I’m sure we’ll have a real first date or two before then, but consider this me asking you, officially, to be my date.” Brad’s eyes twinkled, and Sophie tapped her foot.
“I don’t know, Connors, I got invited with a guest, too, and I was going to see if Bradley Cooper could make it…” Sophie trailed off. Brad feigned shock, his mouth agape, but turned up at the corners, showing his amusement.
“You know, as offended as I would like to be by that, he’s in talks with my studio to be the male lead in Jewel Thief.”
“Shut up! Okay, now we have to talk about how you introduce us,” Sophie said, laughing. “But on a serious note, Bradley Connors, I would love to go to the wedding with you. I think we’re safer going together than apart, as history has shown.”
Brad laughed, a ringing sound that went straight to Sophie’s heart.