Chapter 6 Sophie
SOPHIE
Itake a deep breath, wiping my arm across my face. Ethan’s words still echo in my mind, sharp and jagged, cutting deeper than I want to admit.
You can’t just come back and expect everything to be the same.
He’s right, of course. I know he’s right. But that doesn’t make it hurt any less.
Part of the reason I came back was to make things right, to apologize for the choices I made and the people I hurt.
I owe it to Ethan—and myself—to try. Aunt Claire always said that apologies don’t have to taste good; they just have to be made with heart.
Straightening my shoulders, I take another steadying breath and head for the door.
My feet are heavy, but my resolve keeps me grounded.
Racing down the stairs, I open the front door, my chest tightening as the humid air rushes in.
I’m vaguely aware that the storm passed, and a million raindrops glisten in the sudden burst of sun.
I’m so focused on chasing after Ethan that I don’t see the figure stepping onto the porch until I collide with him.
“Oh!” I stumble backward, my cheeks flushing as I lose my balance. Nearly landing flat on my ass.
Strong hands catch me before I can fall, steadying me with an effortless grace that sends a jolt through my system. “Careful there,” a deep, smooth voice says, warm and teasing.
I look up, startled, into warm amber eyes that seem to glow even in the muted light.
He’s tall, and broad-shouldered, radiating an easy confidence that makes me feel immediately off balance in more ways than one.
He may be the most beautiful and rugged man I have ever seen.
And with one look at his expression, I know that he knows it.
His sun-kissed skin and rugged stubble give him a rakish look that says mothers should lock up their daughters—but there’s something real and grounding about him, too.
“Sorry,” I stammer, brushing my hands down my sides to steady myself. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“No harm done,” he says with a grin, his voice laced with humor as his gaze lingers on mine. “Though I’d say you pack a bit of a punch for someone….” and instead of voicing his comment, he brings his hand up to about his mid-chest. indicating my height.
His teasing disarms me, and for a moment, I’m not sure what to say. “I—uh—” I stammer, still in his thrall, his scent wrapping around me, my body betraying me before I can stop it. I step into the circle of his arms, my cheek nuzzling his chest and my body pressing into his.
The brief contact sends a jolt of awareness through me, and I realize, too late, that I’ve leaned into him. My reaction was subtle but unmistakable, like my Omega instincts reached out before my brain could intervene.
The moment stretches, his warm, amber eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that makes my knees weak. His arms come around me, and I hear a low, deep hum coming from him.
Brodie’s lips twitch into a grin, sharp and knowing, like he’s fully aware of what just happened and is fully willing to take advantage of it.
Clearing my throat, I force myself to take a step back, trying to salvage my composure. “Sorry,” I mumble, my cheeks heating furiously. “Didn’t mean to…”
Leaning down so his lips are near my ear “Don’t apologize,” he says smoothly, his voice dipping lower, as if it’s just for me. “I don’t mind at all.”
My heart skips a beat, and I push out of his arms, my heart feeling like it’s outside of my chest. I’m fumbling to find something—anything—to say to distract me from the sudden heat flooding my core.
But Brodie’s gaze doesn’t waver, his presence wrapping around me like a warm, steady tide. It’s grounding, intoxicating, and utterly dangerous.
“Um, anyway,” I say quickly, gesturing toward the inn. “How can I help you?”
New plan: I’m just going to pretend I wasn’t pressed up against six and a half feet of Alpha.
“Brodie Callahan,” he introduces himself, extending a hand.
His grip is firm, his palm warm against mine as we shake.
“Old friend of Lily’s, here for a visit.
She said you may need some help, so I headed over,” he says, pointing to his truck in the drive.
The side of the truck reads, ‘Callahan Restoration LLC’.
Lily, of course. Just thinking of her name is like a warm cup of tea. I’ve missed her. She was always one step ahead. Lily and I used to be really close before I left.
“Sophie,” I reply, putting my hand into his and pulling it back a little too quickly. “I—uh—I own the inn now. I’m just trying to keep it from falling apart. You know how it is. Old houses and everything.” I shut my mouth, realizing that I’m rambling. I do that when I’m nervous.
Brodie tilts his head, studying me, and then tips his head back the other way and laughs wholeheartedly. It’s the most alluring sound I’ve ever heard. “The new owner, huh? That explains why you nearly knocked me off the porch. Big shoes to fill.”
There’s something in his tone—warm, teasing—that makes me feel seen and a little more at ease. “Big shoes, broken floors, and a leaky roof,” I say with a small laugh, gesturing toward the inn. “It’s a lot to take on.”
His gaze shifts to the house, his expression turning thoughtful. “It’s got good bones, though. A little faded, sure, but it’s got potential. Kind of like a diamond in the rough.”
His words catch me off guard, and before I know it, we’re sitting next to each other on the old porch.
I’m telling him more than I intended—about my Aunt, the summers I spent here, and how much this place means to me. The words tumble out, and Brodie listens with an intensity that feels almost tangible, nodding along as if every detail matters.
“I can see why you’d want to save it,” he says when I finish. His voice is low, steady, and carries a weight that makes me believe he means it. “A place like this deserves a second chance.”
I smile, my chest feeling lighter for the first time in days. “Thanks. I just…it’s overwhelming sometimes. There’s so much to fix, and I’m not exactly an expert.”
Brodie’s grin turns slightly mischievous as he steps closer. “Well, lucky for you, I am. Restoration’s kind of my thing.”
“I can see that,” I say, gesturing to his truck and to the obvious signs of paint on his clothes.
“Really?” he says, his grin widening. Chuckling he says, “I’m curious to see if this place is as much trouble as you seem like you will be.”
My cheeks heat instantly, and I bite back a laugh. “Trouble? I’m not trouble.”
“Jury is definitely still out on that one,” he teases, his amber eyes sparkling with mischief. “But I’ll help anyway. Consider it my good deed for the week.”
Before I can respond, the sound of boots on the gravel draws our attention. I turn to see Tyler walking up from the direction of the little cabin I saw driving in. His grin is as bright as ever, and his eyes sparkle with amusement.
“Hey!” Tyler drawls, hands in his pockets as he surveys the scene. There’s a haunted look in his eyes that is gone so fast that I think I might have been wrong about seeing it. He says, ”It looks like reinforcements have arrived.”
“You guys know each other,” I say. A feeling of home and rightness sweeps over me, almost unbidden. All of us, skin flushed, wrapped up in each other.
My Omega struts and preens at the idea of bringing these two into my nest. But there’s something missing. It takes me a moment to push away the thought.
“We do.” Tyler’s grin is easy, his handshake firm as he pulls Brodie into a hug. “Good to see you again, man.”
“You too,” Brodie says, his voice carrying that same effortless confidence, his smirk relaxed. “Thought I’d drop by and see what all the fuss is about.”
Tyler chuckles. “Lily mentioned she had someone in mind to help out, but she didn’t say it was you,” he says, throwing a glance my way before shifting his attention back to Brodie.
Brodie shrugs, slipping his hands into his pockets. “She always did like keeping things interesting.”
Their exchange is smooth, almost casual—almost. But there’s something underneath it, something quiet and unreadable, a thread of tension too subtle to name.
They know each other, that much is obvious, but the moment stretches just a second too long before Brodie shifts his weight, breaking the beat of silence between them.
I glance between them, my Omega instincts telling me smooth things over, do something to break the underlying awkwardness. There’s history here, something unspoken.
“So,” I say, injecting a lightness into my voice as I gesture toward the table. “Are you two going to stand there exchanging secret looks, or are we going to talk about how to make this place less of a disaster?”
Brodie smirks, and Tyler huffs a small laugh, but I don’t miss the way their eyes flick toward each other for the briefest moment before turning back to me.
Both men glance at me, their expressions shifting, though the tension lingers just beneath the surface. Brodie’s mouth quirks into a faint smirk, the edge of his guarded demeanor softening slightly.
“Less of a disaster, huh? That’s a tall order,” he says, his tone light but carrying a hint of something deeper as his amber eyes flick back to Tyler.
Tyler snorts, his arms crossing over his chest. “She’s got ambition, I’ll give her that,” he says, but his gaze lingers on Brodie for a beat too long, like he’s weighing a decision.
I can tell they are pondering what to do next from their scents—Tyler’s sharp citrus tinged with something raw, Brodie’s sun-warmed leather carrying a faint note of weariness. It hits me harder than I expected, the need to comfort them both rising like a wave.
My Omega instincts scream at me to soothe, to smooth over the rough edges between them, but I hold back. I don’t really know these men.
“I don’t know what’s going on between you two,” I say carefully, my voice softer, “but I really need more hands on deck. Can we do this together? This place needs all the help it can get.”
Brodie glances at me, his expression softening further, and Tyler’s gaze shifts to the floor for a moment before he looks up again.
“Fair enough,” Tyler says finally, his voice low but steady. “We’ll figure it out.”
“Yeah,” Brodie adds, his smile returning, though it’s tinged with something bittersweet. “We always do.”
The tension eases further, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding as the three of us head inside to give Brodie a tour.
Before we go back inside, Brodie turns back to me, his smile softening just enough to make my stomach flutter. “Well, Sophie,” he says, his voice low and warm, “This is a huge job, but when it’s done, it will be amazing.”
He turns to look at the part of the house that can be seen from the porch, and then back to me. “This town just got a whole lot luckier.”
I let out a laugh, though it sounds more nervous than I intended. “Luckier is definitely one word for it. Come in, and I’ll show you a bit of what I have going on.”
As Brodie steps aside, following right behind me, I feel the weight of both of their gazes lingering on me. The air feels charged, heavy with something I can’t quite name. Whatever it is, I know I won’t be able to ignore it.