Page 34 of Rhett

Our shift was over two hours ago, but we were still out battling the fire. Now, I’m ready to head home and collapse into my bed for at least a few hours. As I'm getting dressed, I pull out my phone to check my messages. There's a text from Sofia.

Sofia: Hope your shift went okay. Miss you ??

A smile spreads across my face as I read her words. God, I miss her too. Without hesitation, I hit the call button.

She answers on the second ring. “Hey, you,” Sofia says, her voice warm.

“Hey, baby,” I reply, already feeling more relaxed just hearing her voice. “Sorry I'm just now getting back to you. We had a big house fire that took hours to put out.”

“Oh no, is everyone okay?” she asks, concern evident in her tone.

I fill her in on the details of the fire, including rescuing the little boy. “Everyone made it out safely, thankfully. But I'm exhausted.”

“You should get some rest,” Sofia urges softly. “Call me later?”

Smiling, even though she can’t see me, I answer, “I will. I love you.”

“I love you too, Rhett.” We disconnect and I gather up my stuff and head out. Once I’m home, I’m luckily exhausted and collapse onto my bed and in no time, I thankfully pass right out.

Sofia pushes the shopping cart down the aisle with me walking beside her, with my arm around her shoulders. Tonight, she’s having her mom over for dinner and I finally get to meet her. After that I still have to meet Sofia’s brother, Drew. I’m sure I won’t be meeting her father since it seems like he doesn’t have anything to really do with her.

Which is a damn shame, doesn’t he know how amazing his one and only daughter is?

“Are you sure you don't mind helping me cook dinner for my mom?” Sofia asks, looking up at me as we peruse the produce section.

I smile down at her, squeezing her shoulder gently. “Of course not. I want to help. Plus, I'm excited to finally meet your mom.”

Sofia beams up at me. “She's excited to meet you too. I just hope she doesn't embarrass me too much with childhood stories.”

I chuckle. “Hey, turnabout is fair play after all the stories my parents told you about me.”

We finish gathering ingredients for the meal Sofia has planned: a roasted chicken with vegetables and homemade rolls. As we're checking out, I notice Sofia eyeing a bouquet of fresh flowers near the register. Without hesitation, I grab them and add them to our order.

“Rhett, you don't have to—” Sofia begins to speak but I hold up a finger over her lips. “Hey,” she says, but I hold up a hand.

I run my card through the machine and can feel her staring daggers at me. As we walk out of the store, Sofia gives me a playful glare. “You really didn't have to pay for everything.”

I shrug, grinning at her. “I wanted to. Plus, those flowers will look nice on the table for dinner.”

Sofia softens, leaning up to kiss my cheek. “Thank you. You're sweet.”

We load the groceries into my Jeep and head back to Sofia's apartment. Once there, we get to work preparing dinner. I'm no master chef, but I follow Sofia's instructions as we work together in her small kitchen.

As Sofia seasons the chicken, I start chopping vegetables for roasting. “So tell me more about your mom,” I urge. “What should I know before meeting her?”

Sofia smiles as she works. “Well, she's pretty easygoing. Very smart, funny, and beautiful. Like I’ve told you, she’s a paralegal for a large law firm, well, she just got a promotion a couple of months ago. She is an amazing mom, but she’s not been very lucky in love, obviously.”

I listen intently as Sofia tells me more about her mom. It's clear she admires her a lot. “She sounds great,” I say sincerely. “I'm looking forward to meeting her.”

Sofia nods, her smile soft. “She is. She's been my rock through everything. I just...” she trails off, her expression turning pensive.

“What is it, baby?” I ask gently, setting down the knife and moving closer to her.

Sofia sighs. “I just worry about her sometimes. She's still hung up on my dad, even after all these years. I hate seeing her alone.”

I wrap my arms around Sofia from behind, resting my chin on her shoulder. “That must be hard to see. But hey, maybe she'll meet someone great soon. It's never too late, right?”

Sofia leans back against me, nodding. “You're right. I just want her to be happy.” She yawns widely.

---