32. Pecker
Chapter 32
Pecker
“Tell her,” I whisper to Wes as they’re getting ready to leave.
“Tell her what?” He narrows his eyes on me.
“Tell Sophia the house is ready.”
I suck in a deep breath and blow it out slowly. I'm so nervous about this, but I know this is the right move.
“Are you sure about that?” He arches a brow, giving me a chance to change my mind.
“Yes.”
“Alright, I assume you’re moving soon then?”
“Hopefully. She hasn’t invited me to live with her though.”
“Aren't you living with her now? How does this change things?”
“I don’t know.” I run a hand through my hair. “I just keep having this crippling fear she doesn’t want me long term. What if this is really just a vacation romance and she doesn’t realize that until I move eight hours away from my family?”
“Pretty sure you’re moving in next door to your family.” Wes motions to Wyatt and I freeze. I never thought about that. I'm still going to have family close by.
“It’s going to take time for me to get a job though and put in my notice here. I might not be able to come right away.”
“Peck and Wyatt are going to help me pack the car. You ladies stay inside and stay warm,” Wes announces as he grabs two bags and waits for Wyatt and I to do the same.
“Want to tell me what’s really going on? We didn’t bring much,” Wyatt asks as soon as the door shuts behind us.
“Peck’s panicking and I think you’re the man to help him.” Wes tosses the bags in the back of his SUV, then he leans against the side and folds his arms across his chest. He stares at us and waits.
“What’s going on, Peck? Talk to me.” Wyatt takes a step closer and his brows pull together.
“What if this is just a vacation romance to her? What if I move to Mulberry Lane and she doesn’t want me anymore?” I voice all of my wildest fears and put them out there for Wyatt and Wes to mock me.
“It’s not,” he says simply.
“How do you know?” I want to scream. I think this fear has been sitting in the back of my head since we first met and I’ve been ignoring it.
“Because it’s Sophia. She wears her heart on her sleeve and she doesn’t know how to hide her feelings. She looks at you the same way Charlie looks at me. The same way Addi looks at Wes. She loves you, Peck. She’s in this for the long haul. She’ll never walk away from you and she’ll never regret a life with you unless you give her a reason to. And if you give her a reason to, you’re going to have a lot more issues than losing the woman you love.”
“So, I'm just freaking out over nothing?”
“Just a little,” Wes snorts with laughter.
“Definitely… Are you moving home with her?”
“Yeah, I think I am.” I nod my head as a sense of peace washes over me.
These two men know Sophia more than anyone else. They know how she feels and how she functions. If they say this is real for her, then I need to believe them. Hell, even if I knew this relationship was going to crash and burn the second I moved, I'm not sure I could willingly walk away from her. I love her too much for that.
“I think we need to prepare for another wedding, Papa!” Wyatt grins at Wes.
“I hope so. I keep telling him I approve and he’s taking a long time. If I had approved of you marrying Charlie this quickly, you would’ve been married before you hit puberty.” Wes chuckles.
“I probably would’ve made better decisions too. Really my past can be blamed on you.” His grin widens even further.
“Don’t blame your stupidity on me, son. I have the weight of my own stupid decisions on my shoulders. Let’s just make sure Peck doesn’t make any.” Wes pushes off the car and starts to climb the stairs to the house.
“Wait, what stupid decisions did you make?”
“That’s a story for another day… with alcohol.” Wes glances over his shoulder at me before disappearing into the house.
“Was it really that bad?” I turn my attention to Wyatt.
“Nah, but he still takes it hard. He almost destroyed everything with Addi, just like I did with Charlie. He didn’t take almost a decade to fix it though.”
“Yeah, I don’t want to do that.”
“Good. Then you act like Blake. You see what you have in life and you hold onto it with both hands. Don’t ever let it go.”
“That’s a plan I can get behind.”
“Are you ok?” Sophia whispers as her family pulls out of the driveway and onto the road.
“I'm perfect, baby.”
“Dad said the house is done…” she trails off, unsure of what else to say.
“I know, he told me.”
“I don’t need to move right away,” she whispers.
“I think you should. This is your dream, baby.”
“Maybe my dream changed. Maybe I just want to live with you and I don’t care where we do that.” She stares up at me as moisture gathers in her eyes, making them a brighter blue than normal.
“You belong on Mulberry Lane, beautiful.”
“And where do you belong?” A tear slips down her cheek and I swear the pain in my chest is worse than I’ve ever felt before. I hate how she doesn’t know where my head is. I need to make this clear to her.
“Give me one second.”
I hurry into our room to grab something and I'm back, tugging her into my arms a few seconds later.
“Ask me again.” When her brows tug together, I clarify what I want. “Ask me where I belong.”
“Where do you belong?” At this point both cheeks are wet and the tears don’t seem to be stopping. She doesn’t care though, she’s happy to be raw with me. To be vulnerable because she trusts me not to hurt her.
“I belong right next to you,” I whisper as I lean in and press my lips against hers. I cup her cheeks and deepen our kiss. I could get lost in her, but I know I have something I need to do first.
I pull away from her and stare down into her beautiful eyes. A smile tugs on my lips as I think about how I could be staring into these eyes for the rest of my life. And peace settles over me again. This is the right move and the right time.
I slowly lower myself onto one knee and stare up at the love of my life. Sophia’s mouth opens and closes, but she can't find the words.
“Beautiful, I fell for you the second I laid eyes on you. I knew there was something special about you and I didn’t want to let you go. I never want to let you go. I plan to hold onto you forever and help you get the life you’ve always dreamed of. Will you marry me, Soph?”
“Yes,” the single word comes out somewhere between a sob and a laugh.
“You’re ok with being Mrs. Pecker?” I smirk.
“As long as you’re my Mr. Pecker.”
“Always.” I stand to my full height and slip the ring I bought when we came home from Mulberry Lane onto her finger. “I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you too. I think we should celebrate.”
I don’t wait for her to say more. Instead, I check to make sure the front door is locked, then I lift her into my arms and race towards the bedroom.
“I meant we should have dessert!” She giggles the entire way.
“Fine, I’ll grab whipped cream.”
“Pecker!” She giggles even harder. “Actually, yes, get the whipped cream. I’ve always dreamed of licking something sugary off of you.”