Chapter Twenty
Sophia
After enjoying the breakfast buffet The Capitol Hotel provided to its guests, Axel took her back to her car and kissed her breathless before he once again followed her back to Cornwall.
Once home, she spent the day with her dad, Hallie, and Kingsley, celebrating her birthday as a family.
“Are you ready for this?” Hallie asked her as they prepared to leave for the clubhouse.
“Not really, but Indi would hurt me if I didn't show up, so…”
Hallie laughed. “That she would. Why don't you ride with me and Kingsley? That way, if you want to have a drink, you can.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Sophia admitted.
“Great. Let's go.”
“I'll be right behind you, Angel,” Sinner told his wife.
Sophia was so happy that they'd gotten their happily ever after and her thoughts went to Axel. Would he be hers?
“What were you thinking as we were leaving the house?” Hallie asked once they were on their way.
“Oh. Just that I'm really happy you two found your happy ending," she replied.
“Uh huh. And? There was more to it than that. You had a very wistful look on your face.”
“I just… wonder if I'll get that too.”
“You will. You just have to have faith,” Hallie told her.
After Hallie parked, she got out and took a deep breath. She didn't know why she felt nervous. She noticed Hallie typing on her phone while her dad got Kingsley out and wondered briefly what she was doing.
They made their way to the door and she was motioned to go in first. As soon as she stepped inside, a chorus of ‘happy birthday’ rang out.
“So that's what you were up to,” she said to Hallie. “You were letting Indi know we were here.”
“Guilty as charged,” Hallie replied with a grin.
Sophia glanced around the main room. It was decorated with red, gold, and black balloons and streamers.
There were vases of red dahlias scattered about, and the ever-present buffet table was laden with red and black cupcakes, each with small gold embellishments, various snack foods, and a bowl full of punch.
“This place looks great,” Sophia told Indi.
“Thanks. I did what I could in the time I had,” she replied.
“Well, you did fabulous. Thank you for this.” She hugged the other woman before she found herself surrounded by the other old ladies wishing her a happy birthday.
She spotted Axel watching her and gave him a small smile. She hated that she couldn't just go over to him and kiss him. Maybe they needed to take the plunge and tell her father.
With that thought at the forefront of her mind, she bided her time until she could get him alone. She was fairly certain it would happen at some point in the night.
“The other old ladies and I each got you a little something,” Indi told her.
“You didn't have to do that,” Sophia said.
“We know that, silly. We wanted to,” Ivy said before anyone else could.
She was dragged over to a table where ten wrapped gifts were. She opened each one and couldn't help but gasp. “Are you serious right now?” They'd all gotten her a paperback by C.M. Youngren. She now had the entire No Surrender series as well as the Soul Sisters trilogy.
“Happy birthday,” Hallie said, hugging her shoulders. “The way you lit up talking about them, we had to get them for you. Since there are eleven books and only ten of us, the last one is from all of us.”
“Thank you all, so much. This is amazing.” She was genuinely touched.
When Rose, Ronnie, and Liria stepped away, Sophia wondered what they were up to. When they returned, they had trays of drinks. Each one was a creamy yellow and she arched a brow when one was handed to her.
“What is this?”
“It's called a Painkiller. It has pineapple juice, dark rum, cream of coconut, orange juice, and a dusting of nutmeg,” Liria replied. “This one is yours, Hallie. It has everything but the rum in it. And yes, I'm drinking the same thing,” she added, handing a glass to her.
“Thanks for thinking of me,” Hallie replied.
“Oh, this is tasty,” Sophia admitted after her first sip.
Music started and they dragged her off to the dance floor. “Should you be dancing?” Sophia asked Liria.
“Maybe it'll make this kid decide to come early,” Liria grumbled.
“You are definitely not making me want to be a mother,”Sophia told her.
“Good. You're too young. I ain't ready to be a grandpa,” her father grumped before he twirled Hallie into his arms.
Sophia decided to take the opportunity presented with her father so distracted to slip away from the others. As she passed Axel, she murmured, “We need to talk,” and continued to the hall leading to the individual rooms all of the bikers kept there.
She stopped halfway down the hallway and waited for Axel to join her.
“Hey, babygirl. What's on your mind?” he asked when he reached her.
“I want to tell my dad. About us. Tonight.”
“Are you sure? I don't want you to feel rushed.”
“I'm sure, Axel. When the ladies were all hugging me, I looked over at you and realized I wanted to be able to kiss you when I want to.”
“If this is what you really want, then I'm behind you all the way.”
When he dipped his head down to kiss her, Sophia gripped his shirt and tugged him closer until she was leaning back against the wall. A soft sound escaped her as she lost herself in the feel of his lips on hers.
“WHAT THE FUCK?”
The bellow filtered through the haze caused by the kiss just as Axel was ripped away from her.
“You son of a bitch!” her father snarled as he swung, his fist connecting with Axel's jaw.
Sophia didn't stop to think about the potential risk, she just jumped into the fray, getting between her father and Axel.
“Dad! Stop!”
“Get out of the way, Sophia. This asshole has a beating coming,” her father replied.
“No! I will not move. You need to calm down!”
Others were filling the hall, drawn by the noise. Great. They had an audience.
“This bastard was taking advantage of you,” her father snarled and she laughed.
“What’s so damn funny?”
“You. Axel wasn't taking advantage of me, dad. We're dating.”
“You're what?”
“We're dating, dad. He was kissing his girlfriend.”
“When the fuck did this happen?”
“Umm… a few days after my attack,” she confessed. “And before you start, I was the one who initiated it. I kissed him.”
Her father looked between them and she could see the emotions warring on his face before he settled on hurt.
“I see.”
“Dad. I'm sorry we didn't tell you right away, but honestly, I knew you would flip out and I wasn't sure how to deal with that.”
“She's got a point, honey,” Hallie said, moving closer to them. “Look at how you reacted just now.”
“Fine. Maybe I am a little overprotective,” her father grumbled. Then he turned to Axel. “You and me, we're going to have a little chat tomorrow. Got it?”
“Got it, Prez,” Axel replied.
“Let's get back to the party,” Hallie said, looping her arm with Sinner's and dragging him away.
As the others left the hall as well, Sophia turned to Axel. “I'm sorry,” she said, touching his jaw where her father had struck him.
“Nothing to be sorry for,” he replied and kissed her palm. “You're worth it.”
She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his jaw. “That's probably going to bruise.”
“Still worth it. Come on. Let's get back out there,” he said before he took her hand and led her back to the main room.
The moment they stepped into the room, Sophia knew something was up because all of the old ladies were missing.
“What's going on?"
Havoc was the one who answered. “Liria's water broke. Doc says she won't make it to the hospital in time, so…”
“Oh, crap,” Sophia said and fidgeted.
“Go. I know you want to be with your friend,” Axel told her and kissed her cheek.
Sophia rushed to the exam room where she knew Liria would be, and joined Dagger and the other ladies to support her friend.
“Hey,” Ivy said softly, moving over to stand next to her. “I know this is an odd time for me to do this, but I wanted to talk to you about your degree. Do you have anything lined up for after graduation?”
“Not yet. Why?” Sophia was just as quiet.
“I wanted to bring you on to Butterfly Wings Designs. As a partner. I heard Ronnie asked you to do her book cover for her. That’s an avenue I hadn't taken but I think it—and you—would be a great fit. Don't answer right now. Just think about it,” Ivy told her.
Sophia nodded. She was stunned by the offer, but she wouldn't make a rash decision. Besides, they were there to support their friend. Business could be discussed later.
Fifteen minutes after her water broke, Liria pushed her second child into the world.
“Congratulations, you two. You have a son,” Doc said.
He took care of making sure the baby was fine before she handed him to Liria.
“You did so damn good, babydoll,” Dagger said gruffly. “I'm so proud of you.”
“We need to get you both to the hospital,” Doc said gently to the new mother.
“Already have an ambulance on the way,” Indi informed him as she returned to the room.
Sophia was startled to realize she hadn't even seen the other woman leave.
“Thanks, Indi,” Doc told her. “All right, everyone. Clear out or there won't be any room for the EMS when they arrive,” he added and they all slowly left the room.
“Don't you dare end the party early because of me,” Liria called out to them.
“Wouldn't dream of it,” Indi responded, making them all laugh.
As soon as she was back in the main room, Sophia went to Axel's side. When he draped his arm over her shoulders, she snuggled into him.
Even though her father had reacted poorly, she was glad the truth was out. Standing there with Axel, she felt like she was right where she belonged.