Kade

“You two seem pretty serious.” Jenny nudges me in the side with her elbow, pulling my attention away from Sophie, who’s onstage, finishing a set.

“He’s even bringing her to family dinners,” Damon adds from the other side of the bar, grinning over his beer.

“Wow.” She grins at me.

“We’re taking it slow,” I say, turning my back to them to hide the frown that pulls at my lips.

I still don’t understand her reaction earlier today. Why she’d been so shaken up when Lola hurt herself. Obviously, it has to do with Noah, about losing him. But she won’t open up, and I don’t want to force her. Not when she’s obviously still in so much pain.

I just feel like there’s so much she hasn’t shared. And the more she holds back, the more my own insecurities flare.

Jenny chuckles as she pours a draft. “If the sounds I heard coming from your office earlier means taking it slow, I wonder what taking it fast sounds like—”

“Enough.” I glare at her. She clamps her mouth shut, but her grin is still there, teasing.

“Not sure what the big deal is,” Damon says. “She’s great. And Lola loves her.”

“Yeah,” I mumble, and I’m beginning to think I might be starting to as well.

Every moment I spend with her, I realize that she’s not just some girl. She’s special, talented, smart, and her heart, even though shattered, is bigger than anyone’s I know. She’s gone out of her way to spend time with Lola, even though I know at times it can’t be easy for her. I see the sadness in her eyes, the ache that will never fully go away.

And there’s still so much I don’t know about her. So much she hasn’t opened up about. I haven’t wanted to push her, knowing how sensitive her past is. But I’ve got this damn voice in the back of my head warning me that danger is lurking around the corner.

I watch Sophie as she closes her eyes, strumming her guitar, her emotions unmasked as she sings. So damn beautiful.  

Yeah, I’m falling hard for her.

“Slow, huh?” Damon grins at me.

I cross my arms, leaning against the counter. I frown as I admit, “She fits here, you know?”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

When Jenny walks away to serve a customer, I say roughly, “It will be if she leaves. She’ll break Lola’s heart.”

“And yours.”

I rub the back of my neck. “Yeah. Shit.”

Damon’s mouth twitches. “I read people for a living, and I’m telling you, that woman is head over heels for you.”

“I know.” I see it every time Sophie looks at me. But there’s still something I think she’s hiding. Every time we’re out, at the park, shopping, even sometimes here when she’s working, I get the sense that she’s expecting something terrible to happen.

And I get it. I’m the same way. Only my fear is she’ll leave. That whatever she’s hiding will eventually make her run.

“What are you afraid of?” my brother asks, obviously sensing the war inside of me.

That I won’t be enough to make her stay.

“She’s got a past.”

Damon grunts. “Don’t we all?”

“Yeah, but sometimes I think she’s running from it for more reasons than just needing a fresh start.”

“Has she said anything?”

“Just that her ex doesn’t want to let her go.”

“She’s afraid of him?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. I met the guy once.”

Damon frowns at me. “When?”

I haven’t told him about that first night with Sophie, hadn’t thought it mattered. Only Zee knows. But I’m beginning to wonder if I shouldn’t have had him look into the guy’s past before now.

Her story isn’t mine to tell, but there’s a pressure on the back of my skull signaling how badly I want to protect her.

Or maybe I’m letting my insecurities lead me. Either way, I give Damon a quick recap of everything I know. Her ex, Noah, our first night together, and the way she never seems to relax whenever we’re in public, like she’s expecting the world to collapse around her at any moment.

“Damn,” Damon says, roughing a hand over his beard. “That’s some heavy shit.”

I nod, catching Sophie’s gaze from across the bar. She gives a small smile at me as she belts out lyrics from a popular Wild Irish song.

On stage, all her emotions are bared. Her soul pours through her voice.

She’s incredible. And I feel the tug, the pull, the completeness.

And then a darkness wraps around me, reminding me that everything we have together could all be ripped away in a heartbeat.  

“What are you most worried about?” Damon asks.

Losing her.

“I just want to know more about this Charlie guy. If he is going to be a problem, it’s better to know what I’m dealing with.”

Damon raises a brow. “Are you asking me to look into him?”

I pause. “Yeah.”

Damon holds my gaze, then he sighs. “I’ll see what I can find on this Charlie guy, but I’ll need a last name, and a date of birth.”

“That might be difficult. Can’t you find him through her?”

The look he gives me doesn’t do much for my resolve on the matter.

“I can,” he says cautiously, like it’s the worst idea I’ve ever had. “But don’t you think it would be better to just ask her?”

Glancing over at Sophie, my chest constricts. “I trust her. But...”

His jaw tenses. “You sure about that? People who trust each other don’t do background checks on each other.”

I do trust her. At least, I want to. And I do, as much as I can.

“It’s not her I don’t trust.”

He grunts, looking uneasy. “Okay. But I still think you should talk to her about your concerns.”

“I will.” Or, I’ll try. Maybe I’m just being a paranoid bastard, but I can’t help but think there’s more she’s not telling me.  

But the moment she’s back in my arms, all insecurities flee. Or maybe they’re still there, just muted by the insane desire to touch her, possess her, consume her. Love her.

“Come home with me tonight,” I say against the shell of her ear.

She turns and my arms wrap around her waist, not caring who sees us, or the looks I get from my regulars. Raised eyebrows. Big grins. Whispers behind hands. And while I don’t care, I feel Sophie tense, looking around again like the boogie monster is going to jump out and attack us at any moment.

“You want me to stay at your place?” she asks when her gaze turns back to me.

I haven’t had her stay over yet, but I want her there. Every damn night for the rest of our lives.

Take it slow, my brain reminds me.

Except, I can’t. Not with her. I want everything with her. And I’d offer it right now if I didn’t think I’d scare her off.

What I told Damon is the truth. She fits here.

In Port Clover.

In my arms.

In my family.

“I want you any way I can have you,” I say, pressing my lips against hers, then pulling back to study her reaction.

Her lips twitch up, some of her tension melting away. “I like the way you had me yesterday afternoon.”

A small groan rumbles in my throat as I remember the way I’d taken her across my desk, her legs wrapped around my waist as I’d spilled deep inside of her, and the way her gaze had locked on me, and I could see the affection that poured from her without reservation. My soul had cried out her name. Sophie.

“You two really need to get a room,” Jenny chuckles behind us.

“That’s what I’m trying to convince her of.”

After a small coughing fit, she says, “Edie and I can close if you want to leave early.”

“Remind me to give you a raise.”

Jenny laughs. “Counting on it, boss.”