Page 61 of Don't Leave Me

“Soph, I had one row of tiles left to lay. I thought Blake was going to murder you.”

“He loves me too much to get mad at me.” She sticks her bottom lip out in a pout and wraps her arms around Wes’s waist. “Thank you, Daddy. I love it.”

“Anything for my princess.”

“So, when are you proposing?” Wes asks in his gruff voice.

We just finished dinner and are relaxing on the deck while the girls are inside talking and laughing. I can see Sophia from where I'm sitting. She hasn’t stopped smiling all day.

“Who said I was proposing?” I arch a brow, but it’s almost impossible to keep my lips from turning up at the corners.

“You didn’t have to say it. This one made the same face when he was planning on proposing to Charlie.” Wes points to Wyatt, who’s smiling like an idiot.

“Is that because they have the same face?” Blake smirks, tipping back his beer.

“It must be a family trait,” Wyatt adds, making everyone chuckle.

“I don’t know. We’ve been dating for a little over two weeks. I figured it was too fast to propose now.”

“Do you love her?” Blake asks.

“More than I ever thought possible.”

“Do you want to spend the rest of your life with her?” Wes asks.

“Yeah, I do. When we walked through the house, I kept picturing coming home from work and seeing her dancing around the kitchen with a baby on her hip. A few kids running around the living room. The place would be a mess, but everyone was happy. I can't get the image out of my head.”

“Then don’t drag your feet.” Wes lifts his beer to his lips and tilts it back. He never takes his gaze off of me and I swear the man can see straight through you, seeing everything you think and feel.

“Youwantme to propose?” I blink in surprise. There’s no way he’s giving me permission to marry his daughter the day after we met. That’s crazy.

“I want my daughter to be happy.” He shrugs like nothing else matters in life.

“I’ve had to listen to so many conversations about how great you are, man. She’s head over heels for you and I'm thrilled she found someone who isn't in professional sports.” Wyatt grimaces at the thought.

“Why?”

“Most of them are man whores. They don’t really care about her, but they see a cute girl like her and they want to pounce. You should’ve seen how many of the guys were falling all over themselves to get Charlie’s attention. I had to threaten bodily harm to keep them away until I could convince her to give me another shot.” He shakes his head.

“I literally fell all over myself the night we met.” I chuckle, thinking back to the night. It feels like it was years ago, not a couple weeks. “She wasn’t impressed. I honestly don’t know how I got a chance with her. I probably looked like an idiot. I kept telling her how pretty she was and was making the dumbest comments.”

“It’s the abs.” Wyatt lifts his drink and takes a sip before continuing. “I started to feel bad about myself when she kept talking about some shirtless picture she found on social media. It’s why she always went after the guys on the Pythons and Pit Bulls. Charlie was talking my ear off about it that night. Soph isn't shallow, but she wants a man who’s in shape. She’s really active and she wants her boyfriend to be active too. She alsotold us how you walked with her around Colt’s property and how sweet you were. And the number of calls we got after she spent the night hanging out with you?” He blows out a breath and shakes his head. “I'm glad it’s the off season for me because they stayed up for hours talking.Pecker’s so sweet. He’s so hot. He’s the nicest guy I’ve ever met. He protected me,” he mimics the girls and grins.

“She wears her emotions on her sleeve and always has. She’s not going anywhere, Peck.” Blake clasps me on the back. “You better buckle up, because that girl is going to give you a run for your money. She’s the best, but she’s a handful.”

“Nah, she’s calmer with him. She doesn’t feel the need to impress him or beg for his attention. I never thought I’d see her find a man who makes her feel like she’s enough. It’s nice to see her just be herself.” Wes gazes through the kitchen window, watching his wife and girls with Kennedy.

“Does she not feel like enough?” My brows draw together. She’s perfect, how does she feel like she isn't enough for someone.

“She’s always struggled with it,” Wyatt says softly. “There’s no explanation for it that I know of, but I think she’s always felt like she was competing with the rest of the girls and Charlie.”

“Charlie’s a hard woman to follow in her footsteps. She’s incredible and has the biggest heart,” Blake agrees.

“Sophia’s incredible too,” I defend my girl a little too strongly.

“I wasn’t saying she isn't.” Blake smirks, holding up a hand to stop me from getting too riled up. “I’m just saying it’s hard to live up to that. She’s done it, but I don’t think she sees that. Then there’s Emma and Isabella. They’re best friends and thick as thieves. Cody told us they got more attention from the guys at school because they’re blonde and all the guys liked blondes. I think there have been little things said and done by others to make her feel like she isn't what they want.”

“I hope I make her feel like she’s enough,” I whisper, watching my girl again. It breaks my heart to hear she’s been thinking this for years.

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