Page 132 of The ABCs of You & Me

“Come on, Mr. Walsh,” Pete pants ahead of me.

He had started to fade under the late August heat, but then he heard the cheering and it was like his body immediately recharged.

I hear her before I see her, her voice carrying down the road cheering as loud for me as she is for Pete. There are other voices calling Pete’s name too, no doubt his mom and sister, but when they come into view, my feet nearly stop moving.

Standing beside Sophie are Nancy and Karl, Marley, Cass, my grandmother, and my parents. My mom is shouting that we can do it while my dad does his obnoxious fingers-in-mouth-whistle thing. Sophie is jumping up and down, her hands cupped around her mouth, and I have to remind myself that I’m doing this for Pete and not for me, which means I can’t finish this thing at a full sprint right into her arms.

Pete is engulfed by his family the second his feet cross the line, his mom lifting him off the ground and swinging him around, his legs flailing in every direction while his sister jumps back to avoid being kicked.

No one is lifting me off the ground, but Sophie launches herself at me, wrapping her legs around my waist, hugging me tightly.

“I’m sweaty,” I protest, but she only squeezes me tighter.

“I’m so fucking proud of you,” she whispers before letting her legs drop and sliding back to the ground. “So, um…” She steps back gesturing at my parents.

My mom steps forward, looking guilty. “Sophie invited us, I hope that’s okay,” she says, glancing at where Sophie is standing with her parents.

“Of course it’s okay. I’m just shocked you’re here.”

“What you did for that little boy is…” I watch her swallow, her lips quivering the tiniest bit. “Really wonderful.”

I shrug because her reaction seems excessive, but when she hugs me the emotion of them being here hits me. “I’m sorry it took us so long to see how special you are, baby.” She’s full-on crying into my sweaty shirt now, and I do my best to comfort her as my dad wraps his arms around us both.

“I’m just gonna stay over here,” I hear Cass say from my left side then she makes an “umph” sound as my dad grabs her by the shirt and hauls her in for a family hug. “Oh my god, you’re disgusting,” Cass whines when her arm touches mine.

“I guess I know why you were so frantic about cleaning the house.” I laugh as I pull Sophie into me and away from the veggie tray she’s been painstakingly organizing for the last ten minutes.

It’s the first time we’ve gotten a private moment since I left for the race this morning. Sophie had been a stress case last night, worrying about how clean the house was, and I couldn’t figure out what had brought the panic on. The house is always fairly tidy aside from what she calls doom piles and I call Sophie piles that accumulate now and again randomly.

“Your family was coming. I didn't want them to think you moved in with a slob,” she says, her fingers dancing over my chest, over the new tattoo that’s just for her.

“Not a word that belongs in the same stratosphere as you, sunshine,” I whisper, kissing the top of her head. “And I happen to like your Sophie piles. They remind me of where I am and who I’m with.”

“Only you could romanticize my least favorite ADHD trait,” she murmurs

“All your traits make you the person you are, whether you like them or not.” I take her hand in mine. “You don’t have to like them, but I do. I love every single piece of you. Even your weird love of ranch with your chicken wings.”

“Baby’s up for grabs,” Karl calls from the living room, and I chuckle as Sophie drags me toward him.

She drops my hand the minute she sees the newborn, reaching out. “Gimme, gimme,” she begs, and her father gently transfers Emma into her arms.

She sways slowly, staring down at Marley and Bennett’s daughter.

“She’s going to be a good mom.” Marley nudges me, smiling at Sophie and Emma.

“Mm-hmm,” I agree, but only because I know it’s what Soph wants to be one day. For now she’s quite content with being Aunt Sophie.

The contented look she gives me when she finally pulls her gaze from Emma is like a love bomb to the chest. I don’t know what’s in store for us as far as a family goes, but I know there’s no one else I want to explore that future with.

She kisses my cheek as she slips the sleeping baby into my arms and then steps back, humming approvingly as she takes in the view. I know exactly what this view does to her, the evidence clear as day in the dreamy look on her face. I’d hold a million babies to see that expression more.

“I cried for an hour straight when I saw him hold her for the first time,” Marley reminisces, pointing to where Bennett is chatting with my parents. “Never thought I’d be that person, but goddamn, that man.” She sighs.

When I look at Sophie, I expect to see her looking at Bennett too, but her eyes are on me. “I love you,” she mouths, sending my heart off to the races.

“I love you,” I murmur back, not even trying to keep my smile at bay. We don’t keep our feelings hidden anymore, even though I’m not sure we ever did. We were both just in denial when the other showed them off.

SIXTY

---