Chapter 14 Sophie
Sophie
When Trooper stepped off the elevator and entered my apartment, he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. I didn’t know if it was about me or him, but I felt his tension.
He looked at me and forced a smile. I slipped my arms around his waist and pressed the side of my face against his chest. Shortly after, his hands moved up my back, pulling me into his body more before he kissed the top of my head.
I held that position a few moments before I leaned back and looked up at him.
“Are we okay? I don’t know what’s going on with you and my parents, and I really don’t care, I just want us to be okay.”
He inhaled and released it slowly before pecking my forehead. “We’re good. This right here is about us. Your parents don’t have to like it, but their vote doesn’t count, Sophie. Only mine and yours, but I need you to agree to that or it won’t work.”
“Just mine and yours,” I repeated. I meant it too. I’d deal with my parents one way or another, but who my heart belonged to was of no concern to them. I would hope they could respect that, and if not, I’d just have to figure out how to love them and keep my life with Trooper separate.
“Aight, good, ’cause I think you got me on some possessive type shit. I would have to fuck around and kidnap you if you called yourself trying to walk.”
“Possessive and kidnapping.” I laughed because he looked so serious. “That sounds like you don’t want to share me, Trooper.”
“Hell no I don’t and I’m not going to. You’re saying that like there’s a possibility of me sharing you. Don’t get fucked up in here, Sophie,” he stated with a sly grin.
“You most definitely are not sharing me, but that better mean I’m not sharing you either.” I narrowed my eyes at him and he laughed before his lips found mine.
“You don’t have to worry about that, but I need to ask you something. Come sit down.”
He took my hand and led me to my living room, taking a seat and pulling me into his lap. I had no idea what was coming, but it was important based on his expression.
“What’s wrong?” I was impatient and needed to know what was up.
“Nothing’s wrong, Sophie, chill. You have vacation, right? I mean, you have to because you own the company.” Trooper offered me that sexy crooked smile.
“Yes, I suppose technically I do, but things are so crazy right now.”
“Either you do or you don’t.” He frowned at me and waited.
“Yes, I do.”
“Good, we’re leaving tomorrow night.”
“I can’t do that, it’s such short notice, and leaving to go where?”
“Jamaica, just for a few days. I have to check on my property out there and need to get away for a minute. We need to get away for a minute, so I want you to go with me.”
“Property?”
“Yes, property. Don’t look at me like that. I told you I own shit. You just didn’t believe me.”
“I believed you, but didn’t expect you to own property in Jamaica. How do you even do that?” I asked, curious.
“You buy it.” He looked at me, shook his head, and laughed.
“I know that, but how did you even know about it?”
“I went a few years ago and loved it, so I purchased a house there. My realtor told me I could rent it and make a lot of money, but I didn’t want people all in my shit, so I purchased a small villa and rent that.”
“A villa? That sounds expensive.”
“It is, well it was. It’s paid for now because I’ve owned it for a few years, so it’s just maintenance.
I go a few times a year to check on things and I want you to go with me.
I have money, Sophie, a lot of it too. And just because I don’t move in the circles you’re used to doesn’t mean I don’t have business sense or like nice things. ”
“I wasn’t thinking that,” I said lowly, even though I was shocked by his confession about his property in Jamaica.
“Yes, you were, and it’s cool. I know what you see when you look at me, but I’m a lot deeper. Stay with me long enough and I’ll prove it. Now, are we going or what?”
“Umm, I need to make a few calls, and I might have to do work while we’re there, but yes, I’m going. Wait, for how long?”
He looked at me and smiled. “You’re the one with the nine to five, so you tell me. I’m good with whatever.”
I pouted a little at the thought, but it didn’t matter, I’d make it work. I worked hard, so I should be able to play hard. The crazy thing was, I wouldn’t have ever thought about this with anyone other than Trooper. He was changing me too.
Iwoke up the next morning feeling like a weight had been lifted.
Trooper and I stayed up most of the night just talking.
That was the most he and I had talked in the months we had been together, but we needed it.
After that, I wrapped my body around his and fell asleep feeling like nothing in the world could affect us.
So when he walked into my room and tossed the file Lincoln had given me my way, my heart almost stopped.
“What the fuck is this?” Trooper growled as he stared at me from the foot of my bed. His eyes were dark and his expression was hard. I could tell he was angry simply by his posture.
“It’s not what you think, let me explain,” I said, pushing the papers aside, climbing from my position on the bed toward him.
The look he gave me made me stop before I reached him.
“I didn’t do that.”
“Fuck you mean you didn’t do that? I went into your office to make calls so I wouldn’t wake you and this shit was sitting on your desk. So obviously you did.”
“I have it, but I’m not the one who requested it…”
“Sophie, I don’t give a fuck if you paid somebody to do it for you or not.
The fact is you’re looking into my life like you couldn’t open your fucking mouth and just ask me.
I don’t have shit to hide, I would have told you.
You already know where I come from, so why the fuck would you think I would lie about that?
I’m not ashamed of it. It’s part of who I am. ”
“Stop yelling at me.” My voice raised just as much as his but I didn’t care. He just assumed things and didn’t give me a chance to explain. “I didn’t request that or pay anyone to do it. My ex did, probably because of my father. He was here waiting for me yesterday and gave it to me.”
We just stared each other down for what felt like forever before Trooper finally spoke again. “So he pulled my shit and brought it to you?”
“Yes, and I told him I didn’t care. I knew who you were. He wanted me to be surprised and maybe feel like I needed to be with him instead of you. But I don’t care about that.”
“You sure about that, Sophie? The people in your world see me one way.”
“Yours and mine, that’s the only vote that counts, right?” I said, looking him right in the eyes. It took him a minute, but he relaxed.
“How you using my shit against me?”
“I’m not. I’m just requesting clarity on a previous discussion.”
Trooper laughed and moved toward me. “Clarity?”
“Yes, clarity,” I repeated.
“Look, I know who I was and I know who I am. That’s still in me, so I’m not going to lie and say it’s not. The difference is I did what I had to do to survive. I didn’t have what you had coming up, but I live differently now.”
“Trooper, I don’t care. How many times do I have to say that? You don’t want me judging you? Don’t judge me.”
He chuckled and slid his arms around my waist. “Aight, I’ll let it go and I’ll let you yelling at me like you lost your damn mind go too.”
“So you can yell at me but I can’t yell at you?” I asked with raised brows.
“We’ll discuss that later. Get dressed and pack. Our plane leaves at eight. I have to take care of a few things before we go, so I’ll be back to get you later.”
As much as I wanted to spend the morning with him, I also had things to do. I had no idea how I was about to explain just leaving for a few days. I never did that. Either way, I didn’t care. I was going and they would just have to figure it out. It was what I paid them for.
After a kiss on the neck, I headed to the bathroom and Trooper finished dressing so he could head home to shower and change. When he was ready, he joined me in the bathroom.
“Ay, what’s his name?”
“Who?” I looked at him through the mirror in confusion as he stood behind me while I washed my face.
“Your ex.”
I thought it was strange that he asked and I couldn’t read his expression. “Why?”
“I just need to know who he is. He knows me, but I don’t know him. That’s a problem.”
I turned to face him and just stared. “He’s not a problem.”
“What’s his name, Sophie?”
I didn’t know why, but felt like telling him would be even more of a problem. However, I didn’t really have a choice. If I didn’t, it would be an issue for us.
“Lincoln Olsen.”
Trooper kissed me on the lips and walked away. “Have a good day, Sophie, I’ll see you tonight,” he said just as he left the bathroom.