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“I believe that’s exactly what you said,” Ryan had answered.
“I like Sofia,” Grace said, staring at her. “Is she your girlfriend?”
“That’s exactly what she is,” Ryan replied. “I’m glad you like her.”
Likequickly turned to love, when Grace adopted Sofia as her mother. Overhearing Elizabeth Behnig refer to Sofia as her stepmother initiated a rebuttal from Grace.
“She’s my mommy, Grannie. Not my stepmother. Stepmother is like Millicent. Sofia is soft and pretty, not like a witch.”
Elizabeth confided that although it made her sad that Grace didn’t know Caroline, she was happy and content that she considered Sofia her mother.
“You can never have too many people love your children,” she’d said.
They had a nanny, a large and in charge woman named Claudia, who took care of so much of the work, but sometimes a mother was needed, for instance, this party. The minute the teacher had asked if the party could take place at the Albrights’ beach house, Sofia stepped in happily. When Grannie Albright got wind of the party after talking to Grace, they offered to drop everything and drive down for the weekend. They’d take Grace back home with them for a week after the party.
“You should move down here,” Sofia told them. “Grace talks about you nonstop. She needs you in her life.”
“Aw, I’m so happy you feel that way,” Elizabeth said. “We’ve discussed it in the past. Maybe now is the time to make the move.”
“It will be good for all of us if you decide to move,” Ryan had said. “And it’s cheaper down here anyway.”
Ed and Ruth were also frequent visitors, a little jealous of the time the other grandparents had spent with Grace. They were still determined not to let them completely grab all of her affection.
Ryan wasn’t the only busy one.Beach Newshad grown out of its tiny office to a suite of offices. Now that she was the publisher and head writer, the grandparents’ involvement was more important to Sofia than ever. She trusted the nanny completely, but having the grandparents around made the time Grace spent away from her father and stepmother more balanced.
In the meantime, Ryan and Sofia were looking for a bigger place to buy on the same beach block, with a third bedroom.
“Just in case,” Ryan said, reaching for her to kiss.
They were standing within the doorway, with the slider opened to the balcony, Ryan’s back to the water. Sofia peeked over his shoulder at that vista that had brought her so many conflicting feelings over the past two years, both comfort and pain.
“Just in case,” Sofia replied, daring to believe they might have a baby together someday.
“And just in time for our one-year anniversary.”
“Well,the one year that we first metanniversary,” Sofia said, laughing. “It was one year ago, on June 21, that I saw you at Poki Poki.”
“Not just saw. You picked me up.”
“I invited you to share my table for lunch,” she said, trying to set the record straight.
“I didn’t exactly sweep you off your feet.”
“No, that came later,” she whispered. “After the movie.”
“Yes, that movie did it. Sitting next to you after that kiss. I bet you didn’t know I was staring at you for the entire flick.”
“I thought it was the pizza afterward that made your desire for me grow.”
Holding her in his arms, he whispered in her ear, “After the first time in your bed, I was hooked.”
“Our relationship escalated pretty quickly after that.”
“It did. As soon as I met you, everything about my life fell into place. With your help, I found my apartment and, a week later, had to sublet it so we could move in together.”
“Ha! Isabella and Jeff swooped that one up in no time. My parents haven’t recovered from it yet. My sister, living in sin.”
“Then after Christmas, here comes the bride!”
