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“So I’ve heard. Do you want a glass?” She held up her water, and I nodded.
“That would be great, thanks.” I didn’t move to sit on the couch, even though I should have. What I wanted was to lie in bed and hold her in my arms while I told her about Derek.
She handed me a glass of water. “So, what happened tonight?”
“Can we go to your room?” I knew I was being a bit forward, but hoped she wouldn’t mind.
Sofia’s eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to seduce me, Ryan Fisher?”
“Not yet,” I teased, and she led me down the hallway by my hand, the curve of her ass taunting me the entire way there.
As we passed Matson’s room, I couldn’t help but stop and peek in on him. A small nightlight lit up his ceiling with stars, and I found myself grinning at how blissfully unaware he was.
“Come on.” She pulled my hand and led me through her doorway. A light was already on in her room, and I stared at her queen-sized bed.
“I need to lay down, but don’t let me fall asleep,” I warned, knowing that if her bed was half as comfortable as it looked, I might not get two words out before I started snoring and she wanted to plot my murder.
Just kidding. I didn’t snore.
Sofia tilted her head, studying me. “I think you’re strong enough to stay awake and tell me why you had to come over.”
“Won’t we wake him up if we talk?”
“No,” she said with a laugh. “He sleeps through everything. I could vacuum next to his head and he wouldn’t move an inch.”
“Lucky kid.” Actually, I was a little envious of that. I was a light sleeper, so damn near every sound woke me up.
I hopped onto her bed and propped two pillows behind my back, then leaned against them. Patting the spot next to me, I signaled for Sofia to sit beside me, where I could touch her. She did as I asked, snuggling into me as I played with her soft hair.
“Derek stopped by the bar,” I said, barely having a moment to enjoy her closeness before she stiffened and pulled away, sitting up to face me, her legs crossed Indian-style.
“What? What did he want?”
“He wants me to keep my distance.”
“From me or from Matson?” Her brows drew together, confusion written all over her face.
I sighed. “I got the impression he meant both of you.”
Sofia stared at me with a stunned expression. “Why is he doing this?”
“He said he wanted something. And he needed me out of the picture in order to get it,” I told her, hating the way the news was upsetting her.
“Do you think he wants Matson? Like sole custody or something?”
Her eyes welled up with tears, and I pulled her against me and held her close.
“I don’t think so. And no judge in their right mind would give him that. He’s been absent for the last eight years,” I said, trying to get her to look at it logically, but her emotions took over.
“But his family knows judges. They know people, important people. If he wants to take Matson from me, Ryan, I bet he could do it,” she cried out, getting more upset by the second.
I felt horrible for putting this on her. My coming over tonight was only to fill her in, not to upset her. “Sofia, we don’t know what he wants. Let’s not jump to any conclusions, okay?”
I pulled her close again, tucking her under my arm, and rubbed soothing circles on her skin. She wrapped an arm around me and held tight, and after a few moments, her panicked breathing slowed.
“Okay,” she said, her words muffled against my chest. “You’re right. So, what did you tell him?”
“Huh?”
