“He calls me and tells me, ‘I’m Ryan Justice. I’m dating your daughter, and I want you to come to Tennessee so I can surprise Sofia and meet you in person. Will you let me bring you here?’ So polite and kind.”
Sofia’s eyes burn into mine. “Really?”
“Yeah, I wanted to make sure it was okay.”
“You’re the best.” Her words knock me hard in the chest.
Her mom laughs. “He is,” she agrees. “You’ve raised a good boy, Mrs. Justice.”
“We sure do love him around here. And I’ve told you since we left Nevada, call me Grace.”
Ms. Castilleja waves her off. “Ah, yes, Grace, sorry. You’re too kind to me. All of you, so kind.”
“We’re so glad to have you. Sofia talks about you all the time. It’s so nice to put a face with the stories,” Mom says, patting her free hand.
“Yes, right? I feel the same. She talks and talks about Amelia, Shelli, Shea, and Elli. Wait, did you two put your names together for hers?”
Shea smiles proudly as Elli rolls her eyes. “Yup, pretty proud of that.”
Sofia’s mom nods, pointing at Shea with a grin on her face. “Clever. I like it.”
Shelli rolls her eyes, but we all laugh. Ms. Castilleja looks to Sofia, a wide smile on her weathered face. “No wonder you’re happy here.”
Her fingers tighten in mine. “Yeah, I’m pretty lucky.”
“No, we’re lucky,” Mom says, smiling. “We love her dearly.”
“Ah, that’s wonderful. I worry,” she says before leaning in and kissing Sofia’s face. Before she backs away, she presses her finger to the pendant I got Sofia for Christmas. “My God, this is stunning in person.”
Sofia takes it between her fingers. “It’s the most amazing thing ever.”
“It is,” Ms. Castilleja says before winking at me. “You did good.”
I smile proudly, even though all I did was ask my mom for it, but I do love it. Before I can comment, though, Amelia asks, “Do you have any more videos of Sofia?”
Ms. Castilleja laughs out loud, reaching for her phone once more. “Yes, Amelia, love. Come here. I’ll show you everything I have.”
Everyone gathers around Ms. Castilleja except Sofia and me. She is looking at her mom, and I’m looking at her, admiring every single detail of her gorgeous face. “Mom, when do you have to leave?”
“I head out Monday. Yes, Ryan?”
I nod as they both look at me. “Yeah, at three,”
“Oh darn. You’ll miss Ryan’s birthday. It’s Tuesday.”
Her mom looks at me with her brow furrowed. When she nods, she’s grinning at me as she says, “I’ll cook for you this weekend.”
Sofia bounces in her seat as she looks back at me, an excited look on her face. “My mom is the best cook. It’s, like, the best gift ever.” She then drops her voice as she says, “And she only does it for people she likes.”
I chuckle lightly. “I can’t wait.”
As sounds come from Ms. Castilleja phone and everyone turns their attention back to it, Sofia looks to me once more. “You don’t want to see?”
I shake my head. “Actually, do you think we can sneak away real fast?”
She waggles her brows at me, and I laugh. “I’m sure I can get away for two minutes.”
I smile as she gets up. “We’ll be right back.”
With her hand still in mine, she pulls me up, and we walk out of the room. We head up the stairs, but before we reach my bedroom, I stop her. She looks back at me, a grin growing on her face before she presses her chest to mine. She rises up on her toes, touching her lips to mine, and I slide my hands down to the small of her back, pulling her in closer. I drink from her mouth, enjoying her sweet taste and thick lips against mine.
When she pulls back, she gazes up into my eyes. “I can’t begin to thank you for what you’ve done.”
“You don’t need to.”
“Ryan, you went out of your way—”
“I wanted to. I wanted to make you happy.”
Her smile spreads across her beautiful face, and she says, “Oh, you did. So much so.”
“Then that’s thanks enough,” I say, my lips moving against hers. “Listen—”
“Wait, sorry. Do you think your mom would mind if I stayed the night here too?”
I smile. “Yeah, I already made sure it was okay for us to stay.”
Her eyes light up. “I didn’t want to just expect you to. I’m so glad you asked, though.”
I cuddle her closer to my chest. “Think I’m going to let you sleep in my bed without me?”
“I was hoping not.” She tucks her hands under my chin, and I lean against them.
“Well, you hoped right,” I say, kissing her top lip. “Listen—”
“She looks good, right? I think she looks really good. Maybe moving in with my aunt Tia was a good idea.”
I nod. “For sure. She’s happy.”