Chapter 9
Sophie
Unknown Number: Just wanted to make sure you and Lou got home safe yesterday.
Unknown Number: I hope this is okay, I got your number from Myra.
Unknown Number: This is Linc - I should have probably started with that.
Waking up to texts from an unknown number had left a number of feelings running through me. As I read through them, realizing it was Linc, a stupid smile spread over my face.
Memories from the day before washed through me. One second, Lou was climbing around the playground, and the next, something had caught her attention. She was off running before I even realized where she was going.
Everything had seemed to slow down as I watched my girl launch herself into the arms of a massive man.
He was huge, in every sense. Well over six-foot, he was muscle stacked on muscle, covered in tattoos, with long dark hair pulled back.
The look on his face was even more alarming.
Lou had her small hands on his cheeks, making sure all of his focus was on her.
Instead of looking angry, annoyed, or alarmed, he was …
happy. He listened intently, unbothered by Lou’s intrusion into his personal space.
By the time I got to them, they were chatting like old friends.
Things clicked into place once I realized he was the firefighter she had met during her school trip.
I didn’t expect to stay there, and definitely hadn’t predicted sitting down for lunch with both Linc and Lou at the table.
Conversation was easy, and he made sure to include her.
It was clear how much Lou was soaking up the validation, how the small bit of interest Linc gave her was substantially more than she ever received from her father.
“Mommy and Daddy got unmarried when I was a baby so Daddy could marry Nat.”
Lou’s matter-of-fact statement had me reeling.
Unmarried.
I wondered who had phrased it that way. It sounded like either Natalia or Helen had been having adult conversations around Lou.
Shame and embarrassment washed through me as Linc processed what Lou had just told him. There was no judgment in his response. He moved on, quickly sparing me any additional discomfort.
Later that night, when I was in bed at home, I couldn’t help but go over the entire encounter in my head.
It wasn’t just how he had acted with Lou that interested me.
Linc was… stunning. There was no other word I could think of that fit.
Everything about him was imposing, masculine, and made me want to climb him like a tree.
Pulling the covers over my head, I groaned in embarrassment.
I hadn’t dated at all since divorcing Max.
I wasn’t interested in adding anyone to the chaos that was my life or adding any new dynamics into Lou’s life.
Those text messages, though… I couldn’t deny that I was excited.
Butterflies were in my stomach as I added his number to my contacts.
Sophie: Lou and I are home, safe and sound. Thanks to Benson, I might get an extra hour of sleep, Lou hasn’t slept this hard in a while.
Linc: Glad to be of service. If you ever want to borrow Benson I’m happy to bring her by. Even though I’m just babysitting her, I’ve been told she’s the most appealing part of having me around.
Sophie: It’s not screwing in a lightbulb without a ladder? Reaching the groceries on the top shelf?
Linc: Are you height shaming me Ms. Hart?
Sophie: How did you know my last name Mr. I’m Too Tall For My Own Good?
Linc: I asked Myra. I have a lot of other questions, I was hoping I could ask you directly. Maybe over coffee?
I froze. Is he asking me out? Why did I respond?
What do I say now? Before I could fully spiral, heavy footsteps hit the hallway as Lou barreled toward my room.
For such a small girl, she sure made a lot of noise.
Bursting through the door, she jumped into bed, curling up next to me.
Putting my phone away, I decided I could deal with Linc later.
This was my time with Lou. Whenever she woke up, she liked to cuddle in bed for a little while before getting ready for the day.
I knew that soon, she would be too old for that and would want her space from me, so I soaked it in as much as I could.
Pressing a kiss to her knotty hair, I shook my head.
Lou slept like a windmill, rotating 360 degrees each night, and woke up with a bird’s nest at the back of her head. I should buy stock in detangler.
“How’d you sleep, Lulu?” I asked, looking down into her expressive face.
Eloise’s features took after mine. We had the same thick hair, not quite blonde, but not quite brown either.
Green eyes that matched. But her expressions were all Max.
The way she scrunched her nose and furrowed her brow when she was thinking or angry reminded me so much of her father.
“Good. I wasn’t that tired, though. I could have stayed up for ice cream with Pops,” she told me, and I had to hold in a laugh.
“I’m sure you could have, but both Pops and I were too tired for ice cream. Next time, I’ll make sure we go early enough.” She wouldn’t forget my promise, so I knew I wasn’t going to hear the end of it until we indeed visited the ice cream parlor for dessert.
“Do you want oatmeal or eggs for breakfast?” I asked, switching the subject.
“Oatmeal. With cinnamon and brown sugar!” she yelled. My girl had my sweet tooth.
“Alright. Go get dressed, then bring your brush and spray down so I can take care of your hair,” I told her, and she rolled her eyes. She was a little teenager already.
“I can brush my hair, Mommy.”
“I know, but if you let me do it, I can braid it after. You can pick which type of braid,” I told her, and she hummed.
“Okay, deal.” She ran out of the room, any lethargy from before gone.
Once dressed and in the kitchen, I had breakfast ready for Lou, and was in the process of refilling my coffee cup. As she ate, I went about getting those knots out without tugging at her head, memories of my mother’s rough hands leaving phantom pains on my own scalp.
My mother wasn’t intentionally hurtful. There just wasn’t a lot of time for extra attention or frills. The animals had to be taken care of, so we got ready as fast as we could to get out and start working. Plus, I enjoyed those small moments with Lou.
Pigtail French braids, three backpack checks, and a last-minute sock change, and we were off for the day. The drive to school drop-off passed in a whirlwind of Lou’s excited chatter between singing along to K-Pop Demon Hunters. On repeat.
Around twenty minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of Baptist Health Louisville. Grabbing my purse and phone, I hesitated. I’d never replied to Linc. I didn’t want to leave him hanging, but I genuinely wasn’t sure what to do.
My reaction to Linc was different, visceral.
With Max, I’d had rose-colored glasses on.
I felt like my head was in the clouds, starry-eyed.
Not this all-consuming urge to drag him to the floor.
Clouded by lust, my judgment felt impaired.
Embarrassment washed through me at the lascivious turn my thoughts had taken.
Putting my phone away, I told myself I would reply during my lunch break.
I entered the hospital and made my way to the lab, clocking in and collecting my assignments for the day.
With my list of blood-draw orders in hand, I started my rounds.
I pushed my cart through the maze of hallways, moving from room to room, meeting every kind of patient—screamers, fainters, the stoic, and the terrified alike.
Over time, the pattern had become clear: needles were the great equalizer.
The day got away from me, and I never answered Linc’s text. Falling into bed, exhausted, I promised myself I would reply in the morning.
When I woke up, I was both excited and nervous to see a message.
Linc: Would you rather be able to teleport anywhere or be able to read minds?
The rest of the week went by in a similar fashion.
Each morning, I found a similar text from Linc.
He was determined to get to know me, and those ridiculous questions were more fun than I cared to admit.
I barely knew the man, but I was reaching for my phone first thing when I awoke, anxiously checking to see if he had reached out.
It was a Friday, and the weekend couldn’t come soon enough. There was a local fair in town, and Lou was so excited. We went every year. She loved it. The rides, the games, and especially the junk food.
Naturally, time seemed to slow down for the day, and by the time my shift ended, I was exhausted. The hours had passed in a blur of patients, paperwork, and lab orders. Lunch was half a sandwich I shoveled into my mouth standing in the corner of the break room between patients.
My feet were sore, and I had a dull headache from all the paperwork I needed to finish before I left.
All I wanted was a hot shower and to collapse into bed.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy. I had Lou to think about.
We had a pretty strict nighttime routine that I could maybe shorten if I got takeout instead of trying to cook.
Leaving the building, I turned the corner to enter the parking lot and stopped short at the sight of Linc, looking sheepish as he hovered near the entrance.
“You’re…here?” It came out of my mouth as both a question and a statement. I was so tired that part of me thought I was hallucinating and had conjured him.
“Sorry. Are you meeting someone?” I winced. Why did I assume he is here for me?
“Not exactly. I, uh, wanted to talk to you, and well, I didn’t want to do it over text. Feels… impersonal, I guess. But in retrospect, showing up to your job might be a bit too personal.” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking insecure, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“As long as I get to return the favor, I think we’re okay.” Lou had already asked to go back to the firehouse.
“You’re welcome at the station anytime.” He smiled, transforming his face. His eyes softened, the corners crinkling.
“So what did you want to talk to me about?” I asked, walking toward my car, waiting to see if he followed. In one long stride, he was next to me as we crossed the garage to where I had parked.
“Would you like to go out with me this weekend? I don’t usually do this, and I’m sorry if I’m coming on too strong, but I really want to get to know you. And I would kick myself if I didn’t at least ask.”
My heart raced. We had danced around my non-answer all week, but seeing him in person had my thoughts going haywire.
“I don’t. I—well…” My mind couldn’t seem to focus enough to formulate a coherent response. With Linc that close, my skin felt too tight. Every sense was heightened.
“Honestly? I’m kind of a mess. And I don’t really know how to date or how fair it would be to drag someone into all my drama.
” I fidgeted with my scrub top, trying to avoid making eye contact with Linc.
I didn’t know why I’d told him that, but it was the truth, and I was too tired to come up with a reason that sounded neater.
“Hey, it’s okay.” I hadn’t realized how upset I was until Linc gently pulled me into his arms. Without letting myself second-guess it, I snuggled into his chest, letting him hold me in a bear-hug that grounded me like nothing else ever had.
“Life’s messy. I definitely don’t have my shit together either. I’m just asking for the chance to get to know you. Anything else that comes up, we can tackle together. That is, if you want to see me?”
“It’s not just me, though. Lou and I are a package deal. That’s a lot to take on. Casual…I don’t know if I can do that. I don’t know how to do that,” I admitted.
“I know what I’m asking, and trust me, the last thing I want to do is hurt you or Lou. I’m a big boy, Sophie. I can handle myself, and am confident I can handle whatever you or Eloise throws at me,” he said, his voice soft and sweet.
My head was still buried against his chest, so I pulled away and looked up to study his face. He was so handsome. That close, I could see that his eyes were hazel, a swirling mix of green and brown.
“Okay,” I said, something in his gaze grounding me.
“Okay,” he said with a smile, before pressing a soft kiss to my hair. Taking a step back, he maneuvered me toward the driver’s door.
“Hop in and wait for me. I’ll follow you, make sure you get home okay.” I went to argue, but he gave me a look that had me shutting up. I unlocked the car door, then turned around quickly, almost colliding with Linc.
“I’m taking Lou to the festival this weekend. Would you want to meet us there? I mean, would you like to go? Together?” I sputtered out, knowing my cheeks were filled with color.
“That sounds perfect,” he said, a smile on his face, reigniting the butterflies in my stomach.
“Now, get in the car before I lose what little restraint I have left. I’m trying real hard to be a gentleman here.” I paused, wanting to ask what that meant.
I silently questioned whether I wanted him to be a gentleman or not, but he was helping me into the driver’s seat before I could make a decision.
“Wait for me,” he ordered, and I nodded, feeling like a bobblehead.
His large pickup truck was a constant presence on the ride home.
I checked the rearview mirror more times than I could count.
When I pulled into my driveway, the lights were on, and I knew Lou was waiting for me inside with Kendall, one of the neighborhood teens who babysat for me in the afternoons.
The familiar chaos, the warmth of the house I’d created for Lou and me called to me, but I was hesitant to go in, my focus locked on Linc. He stopped his truck at the end of my driveway, rolling his window down.
“Head on in and lock up. I’ll call you tomorrow morning so we can sort out plans.” His voice was husky. That southern drawl sent shivers down my spine. Shaking myself out of the stupor I was in, I gave a weird nod and wave before rushing to the front door.
“Sweet dreams, Sunshine,” he called out, his voice so low I almost missed it.
Warmth spread through me at the nickname, and I had to force myself to focus on unlocking the door.
Once inside, I leaned my head against the wood, taking a moment to let my heart rate regulate.
Out of the side window, I saw Linc’s truck finally pull away.
Now, I had my own riddle to work out.
Would I rather stay in the safe bubble I’ve wrapped myself in since my divorce… or do I risk it all?