Page 226 of Keep This Promise
“That’s for you then.”
“Oh no. I’m not eating that while you get the good stuff.”
Sophie quirks one brow. “You brought the banana, you eat it.”
“And what snacks would you have chosen?”
“The banana.”
“Then why the hell am I going to eat it?”
Sophie shrugs. “Because you brought it for me, and now, I want these.” She snatches the bag of M&M’s and pops a few into her mouth.
She’s so damn beautiful, and I don’t know what I did to deserve a chance to have this life, but I’ll take it.
“What?” Sophie asks with wide eyes. “You’re staring.”
“Because I can’t take my eyes off you.”
She smiles softly. “You’re very sweet.”
I grab the bag of M&M’s from her hand. “And so are these.”
Sophie lies against my chest as we eat candy and split the banana. I hold her in my arms, grateful that this is where we are. Before falling asleep, I look at the app, making sure Eden’s sugar levels are okay. It looks like she went a little high, but the machine gave her insulin, which is exactly what she needed.
“Everything okay?” Sophie asks.
“Yeah, her levels look good.”
“Good.” She breathes a sigh of relief and then yawns. “Will you stay the night with me?”
“Do you want me to?”
She smiles up at me. “I’d very much like it.”
After moving all the food to her nightstand, I shift so I can hold her more comfortably. Sophie rests in the crook of my arm and then drapes her leg over mine. “Comfy?” I ask.
“Very.”
“Good.”
Sophie lets out a contented sigh, and I smile. “I like this.”
She tilts her head up to me, and her blonde hair falls around her shoulders. “What?”
“This, us. I like holding you, making love to you, kissing you, coming home to you. I like it all.”
Sophie’s eyes sparkle in the light. “I do too. I didn’t know I would ever feel this way again.”
“What way?”
“Happy.”
My fucking heart aches at that single word. “I didn’t either.”
“Because of your divorce?”
It’s not something I talk about often, but Jenna leaving me was a huge blow. “I loved my wife. I wanted to build this life with her because it felt like it was what we should do. She was the only reason I made it through Kira’s death. When I tell you I was a fucking wreck, I’m not downplaying it. Kira was my world. When she was sick, I knew something was wrong. I would listen to her talk about being sick and tired. She would drink water from an endless tap and still be thirsty. When she went to my mother—” I pause, not really wanting to discuss this part.
