Page 74 of The Road Trip Romance

I get it. My life can be complicated and messy. But my career and my lifestyle also afford me so many opportunities. If I could just get her to see that. She, Cal, and Lizzie would never want for anything again. She could write full-time if she wanted to or keep working her day job. We could keep our home base in their town until the kids graduated. There are so many options for how we could make this work. And this little snafu is just a bump in the road. The damn paparazzi once printed that Lacey and I were having a baby for like three months because she gained ten pounds for a film. It was horrible. I felt awful for Lacey and that’s when I really realized I did want kids. Unfortunately, that solidified her not wanting kids. Looking back, it was the beginning of the end.

She once referenced my bad genes, referring to my parents and their fucked-up decisions. A part of me never got over that. It’s an insecurity that I bury deep down. Fortunately, my grandparents were at least a consistent part of my life. Or at least they were until my grandfather passed away and my grandmother was diagnosed with dementia. That’s been hard.

Maybe that’s why I want the life Sophia has. She has a family and friends. I have my friends, but they have their own lives too. Shit, I’m more confused than ever.

Rex pulls into Sophia’s driveway. “I hope you enjoyed your drive. Please give me a five-star rating,” he says as he parks and opens his door.

“Jackass,” Penn mutters as we all get out of the car and begin collecting our bags.

“Uh, what’s everyone’s plan?” Sophia asks as we stand in the driveway with our luggage at our feet.

“Well, I have a flight out tonight. Just booked it this morning. I need to go do some soul searching like I said,” Rex says.

Sophia steps up to him and wraps her arms around his waist. He hugs her back and places a kiss on the crown of her head.

“Thank you, M,” he says as he smiles down at her.

“You’re very welcome,” she replies with a grin, stepping back just as her front door swings open.

A stunning woman who looks to be around Sophia’s age walks onto her front porch. Her dark curly hair glistens in the midday sun. Her white teeth seem almost too perfect against her dark red lips. She’s so put together that I wonder if she’s a model or a CEO.

“Hey!” Sophia says, turning toward the woman who walks over and embraces her. They hug for a long moment, both whispering in hushed voices. I look over and see Penn’s jaw hanging open. I raise an eyebrow and he shuts his mouth after glancing at me.

“Boys, this is my very closest friend, Anissa. She’s in town for her work and happened to stop by. Anissa, this is Rex, Penn, and Tate.” She motions to each of us.

Rex reaches out and shakes her hand. “Nice to meet you, Anissa.”

“Yes, it’s really nice to meet you,” I say as I reach out a hand to shake hers. When our hands fall away, her eyes turn to Penn who is still standing there motionless.

“Hey, nice to meet you, Penn,” Anissa says without missing a beat.

“Oh, uh, yeah. Nice to meet you,” Penn says as he shakes her outstretched hand.

Sophia rolls her eyes. “OK, now that we’ve all met. Penn, what’s your deal? Are you staying tonight or leaving or what?”

“I…uh, I was going to leave tomorrow. I mean, if that’s OK,” Penn says.

Sophia laughs. “Yep. That’s OK. You can sleep in…” She turns to Anissa. “What kid’s room are you in?”

“Obviously Lizzie. Cal’s room has way too many Lego pieces on the floor,” she says.

“Lego room it is,” Penn says.

“Great. Rex, you want me to take you to the airport?” Sophia asks.

“Oh, that’s OK. I just ordered a car,” he says as he holds up his phone.

“Well, it’s weird to be back, huh?” Sophia declares as she places her hands on her hips and looks around.

A hand waves from behind some hedges. “You back from your trip?” George Fitzsimmons asks.

“Yep,” Sophia says with a sigh. “Hi, George. How are you?”

“Oh, I’m good. The old sciatica is acting up again, but I’m still here,” he says in a raspy voice.

“For the love of God, George. You’re not dying,” Wanda yells from their front porch.

Rex presses his lips together to keep from laughing and Anissa rolls her eyes. Penn just gives Sophia a curious look. Sophia shrugs.

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