A Chance Encounter
Sophia’s shoulders shake with silent laughter.
“Every song?” I ask.
“Yep.”
“All right, let’s see.”
I grab the remote and am switching through the songs to find a good one, when my sister and Jordan make their appearance.
“Oh my God!” Sophia gasps.
I spin around to see what’s wrong. “Are you okay?” I glance down at her stomach. “Is it the baby?”
Her eyes dart over to me. “What?”
“Are you okay?” I repeat.
“Yes, I’m okay,” she hisses. “Jordan Walker is in your home.”
My sister snorts out a laugh and Jordan grins like a fool.
“Yeah, I know. He’s my best friend.”
My sister clears her throat. “And my fiancé.”
I ignore her, focusing on Sophia and the damn sparkle in her eyes. “Wait a second. Hold up.” Everyone’s gaze turns on me. “You knew who Jordan Walker was just by looking at him, but you didn’t recognize me when we met at the park?”
My family, who are all apparently listening, laugh.
“Kendall told you ‘My Only One’ was my favorite song,” Sophia says.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you know who he is… And how the hell do you know him and not me?”
“Bro,” Jordan says, dropping a hand to my shoulder. “Jealousy does not look good on you.”
“I’m Nicole,” my sister says to Sophia, “Easton’s sister.”
“I’m Sophia. It’s nice to meet you.” Sophia’s cheeks tinge pink. “Sorry for fangirling over your fiancé. I met him a while back at the club I work at, and that night because he was there, they played his music. I’m more of a country girl, but I totally fell in love with his music.”
“It’s all good,” Nicole says, pulling her in for a hug. “It was worth it to see my brother’s face when he realized you knew Jordan and not him.”
“What the hell were you doing at Emerald’s?” I ask Jordan.
He laughs and then his face goes serious, his gaze going to Sophia. “I totally remember you,” he says. “Nic, remember when we met with Diddy about that liquor endorsement?” She nods. “She was our waitress.”
“Oh wow! What a small world,” my sister says. “I’ve heard a lot about you from my brother. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Are we going to sing or what?” Kendall asks, dropping her hand to her hip. At least she doesn’t care about who Jordan is.
“Yeah, but be prepared to get your butt kicked,” I warn her.
“How do I get my butt kicked?” she asks.
“Whoever sings more words correctly wins,” I tell her.
“Okay.” She nods.
When I get to one of my newer songs, Jordan laughs. “You can’t play your own song, man, that’s cheating.”
“What song?” Kendall asks.
“‘Lies,’” I say, curious if she knows it.
“That’s not your song.” Her little brows draw together in confusion. “I have it on my iPad and Mommy has it on her phone.”
“Sunshine,” Sophia says, “Easton is a singer. ‘Lost’ and ‘Lies’ and all those other songs you like are his.”
Kendall’s brows shoot up to her forehead. “They’re not just your songs. They’re everyone’s songs. You have to share.” It’s then I realize that even though she loves my music, she doesn’t really understand I’m the man behind the words.
Everyone in the room stifles their laughter, while Sophia tries again. “You know when you listen to the songs, there’s someone singing them?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, the person who’s singing them owns the songs. They sing it in a studio and record it and then they upload it so everyone can hear it. Easton is the one who sings ‘Lost’ and ‘Lies.’ It’s his voice on the songs.”
Kendall’s features morph into understanding, but then she says, “I’m still going to beat you.”
“At my own song?” I laugh.
“I know all the words to ‘Lies,’” she says, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.
This time everyone laughs.
“All right, kid,” I tell her, clicking play. “Bring it on.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
SOPHIA
“It says, ‘I’m looking for a love.’”
“No, it doesn’t,” Kendall argues, as we walk up to our apartment with Easton. “It says, ‘I’m looking for a dove.’”
I look back at Easton, who’s sighing in playful exasperation. After they karaoked the hell out of ‘Lies,’ where Easton won, Kendall demanded to sing another song. She beat him in another one of his older songs when he tripped up on the chorus. The tiebreaker had to wait until after dinner because Easton’s mom, Alicia, called us all into the dining room to eat.
I was nervous about how it would go, but everyone was nice and welcoming. They asked a little about me and Kendall and the baby, like when I’m due and how I’ve been feeling, but nobody got too personal. The food was delicious, and the conversation flowed smoothly amongst everyone. It was the first time in a while since I’ve sat at a family dinner like that, and it made me crave more of it. Kendall even warmed up to Easton’s cousin’s kids, and by the time we had dessert and sat down to watch The Grinch, she was sitting next to them, drinking hot chocolate. I sat next to Easton during the movie, and maybe it’s because everything caught up to me, but about thirty minutes in, I passed out on his shoulder, not waking up until he was gently nudging me awake to let me know the movie was over.