Andrew

It was still early when Sophie fell asleep. Her eyes closed, and soft snores echoed through our bedroom. I wanted to wake her, since it wasn’t even nine o’clock yet, but I thought better of it. If anyone needed a little extra rest, it was Sophie.

I gently rolled her away from me and got to my feet. My eyes never left Sophie’s face as I got dressed and tiptoed into Nina’s nursery. She was sleeping soundly in her crib, her eyelids fluttering as she dreamed. I smiled down at her and leaned against the crib railing. My mind was full after my talk with Sophie, and as I watched our daughter sleep, I realized what I needed to do.

Liam was still in the kitchen when I arrived. He was wiping the counters as I sank onto a chair and cleared my throat.

“Mr. Andrew,” Liam said, glancing over his shoulder at me. “What are you doing up? I thought you and Miss Sophie had gone to bed.”

“We did,” I said. “Sophie and Nina are asleep, but I’m wide awake.”

“What’s on your mind?” Liam asked. He tossed the rag into the kitchen sink and came over to join me at the table.

“Sophie and I were talking tonight,” I said. “All this wedding stuff is really starting to wear her down.”

“I thought you took care of that this afternoon,” Liam said with a frown.

“I booked the venue,” I said. “But there’s still the flowers and the cake. The place settings and the caterers. There’s a million things left to do, and Sophie just doesn’t want to handle it all. Honestly, I can’t say I blame her.”

“Neither can I,” Liam said. “From everything I’ve heard, weddings are horrible to plan.”

“It’s terrible,” I said. “And other than just doing it for her, I can only see one option.”

“What’s that?” Liam asked.

I shook my head. “It’s going to sound crazy, but Sophie told me tonight that she doesn’t care about the big wedding anymore. She said she used to want the whole thing, you know? That she always imagined herself having a huge wedding with her family and friends, but now…”

“That’s not what she wants anymore?” Liam asked.

I shook my head. “She said she doesn’t care about that anymore,” I said. “That she just wants to marry me without all the drama and fuss.”

“Then, give her what she wants,” Liam said simply. “Take all the pressure away and just get married.”

“What if she regrets it later?” I asked nervously. “What if, after everything is all said and done, she wishes she’d had a big wedding?”

“You can always do a vow renewal,” Liam said with a shrug. “Five years. Or ten. What matters right now is that Sophie feels special, that she gets everything she wants. And if what she wants is a stress-free wedding, then that’s what she deserves.”

Liam was right. If I could take all of Sophie’s worries away, I would. I hated to see her tied up in knots over a big party. If she didn’t care about the venue, the flowers, or the cake, then neither did I.

“I just want her to be my wife,” I said. “She’s already the mother of my child, but that’s not enough. I want to know she’s mine, Liam. I want to marry her. As soon as possible.”

Liam smiled and nodded. He moved closer to the table and slapped his hands firmly against the surface.

“Let’s do it,” Liam said. “Just tell me what you need.”

“Call Kaddy,” I said. “I need to go to Rick’s and see what he thinks about this whole plan.”

“When will we do it?” Liam asked.

“Tomorrow.”

Liam’s eyes widened in surprise, but I pressed on. Now that the plan was in place, I couldn’t stop myself.

“Call Kaddy,” I said again. “Explain everything to her and have her come over. She’ll know more about what Sophie wants. She can help with the decorations and everything.”

“I can do that,” Liam said, already jumping to his feet.

“Thank you,” I said.

I stood up and hurried across the room. It was still early for a Friday night, but I didn’t want to show up at Rick’s house unannounced. I grabbed the phone off the wall and dialed Rick’s number.

“Hello?” Rick said when he answered. “Sophie?”

“It’s Andrew,” I said quickly. “I hope I didn’t wake you?”

“Oh no, I was up,” Rick said. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything is great,” I said. “But I was hoping I could come over and talk to you.”

“Sure,” Rick said. “When?”

“Now,” I said.

“Tonight?” Rick’s surprise echoed through the phone.

“If that’s okay,” I said quickly. “I know it’s out of the blue, but trust me, it’s really important.”

“Is Sophie okay?” Rick asked nervously. “And Nina?”

“They’re both perfectly fine,” I said. “I promise, it’s nothing but good news.”

“Okay,” Rick said slowly. “Well, come on over. I’ll be here.”

“See you soon!”

I hung up and turned back to Liam. He held out his hand for the phone, and I handed it over.

“After you call Kaddy, can you call Teresa and Amy?” I asked. “Sophie will want them here, too.”

“Amy?” Liam asked. “The woman who used to care for the horses?”

I nodded. “She and Sophie have stayed in touch since she left,” I said. “She still lives in town. She works at a high-class ranch about ten miles from here.”

“Do we have the numbers?” Liam asked.

“In my office,” I said. “They’re all in my book.”

Liam nodded and immediately sprang into action. I hurried into the entryway and grabbed my jacket out of the coat closet before I ran outside. It was too cold to ride a motorcycle, so I jumped behind the wheel of my car and sped down the driveway.