Page 129 of The Proposal Pact
“Really?”
“You’d do that?” Vassar raises an eyebrow.
I clear my throat, “Yeah, I’d like to meet all five of those munchkins.”
“Three,” Kira corrects me. “You’ll meet three munchkins.”
“But I thought…” I turn to Sophie. “You said they have five kids?” I frown, looking questioningly at Sophie.
“Oh, we do,” Kira answers with a sad smile. “But two of our kids have been taken by the ocean.” She gives me a knowing look that sends a chill down my spine.
She knows. But how?
“I lost my first child before I got to meet them. And so did Vassar. There are choices made by others in our lives that we bare consequence to. And these are ours, but they will always be our kids.”
She knows—and lived through—too much.
“I guess that’s settled then.” Vassar breaks our silent eye-contact with Kira, and Sophie smiles brightly. One of those smiles that pushes all the gray out of my life.
I thought telling her brother the truth would be difficult, but he took the news surprisingly well. When Vassar left to take a call from their restaurant, Kira explained all about their fake relationship back in New York, and I’ve got to admit it was quite hilarious.
“Well, show us this town you traded New York for,” Vas tells Sophie, and soon enough, we’re walking across Loverly Cave. From store to store, from one café to the other, to the diner where Sophie does indeed rub the grilled cheese into her brother’s face until he admits that it is quite good.
We end up meeting all of the crazy locals who’ve already heard about my wife’s brother coming to town. My friends included, and to the surprise of no one, Luke bonded quite nicely with Vassar while Kira enjoyed her time with Joy Levine.
It’s not until the very end of the day, when we’re finally alone and saying goodbye to them.
Vassar had pulled Sophie away, no doubt giving her a pep talk but I hadn’t noticed the one I was just about to get.
“There’s one thing you should know about me,” Kira says, sliding up next to me to watch Vas and Sophie.
“And what’s that?”
“I’m never wrong.” She turns to look at me. “You love her.”
“I—” She cuts me off.
“You want to say you don’t?” Kira quirks an eyebrow. “Fine. Go ahead. Keep saying that. But if you think eleven months is a long time, think again. And when those are over…what then?”
I swallow hard, turning my gaze back to Sophie who’s now laughing at something her brother has said. She’s in those same sweatpants she wore when we got married with daisies on them and her old Converse. Her hair is sticking out in every direction from the wind.
She’s a mess, as usual. The most beautiful mess.
I swallow hard, looking away from them. “I’m no good for her. I can’t give her what she wants, Kira.”
“Can’t you? Think carefully which fear outweighs the other. The fear to allow yourself to love again, or the fear of losing her?”
Without awaiting my response, she strolls away, and Vassar approaches, switching his wife.
“I’m going to be blunt here, Callum. I have no idea what you two think you’re doing here, and to be honest I don’t think either one of you knows either. But”—he cuts a look my way—“if you ever dare to hurt my little sister, I’ll end you.”
I clear my throat, my eyes slightly shifting over him. “Mate, I mean no offense, but just one look from your wife over there is a lot scarier than this threat.”
Vassar sighs, closing his eyes briefly as he turns toward her. “Kira, love, do you mind? I need to do this whole older brother thing here!”
37
Sophie
