Sophie
Sophie smiled as she held up the loose, cotton dress, staring at it for a moment before packing it into the suitcase that lay propped open on top of the bare mattress. It was the same dress she’d worn the night after she’d gotten out of the hospital. After she’d been hit in the head with a large rock and knocked unconscious. After Cayden had rushed in and saved her. Turned out he was more of a knight in shining armor than either of them had given him credit for.
It had been months since that fateful weekend and she was in the middle of packing her suitcase to visit her parents. It amazed her sometimes, to think about how just a few months could change so much.
After resigning from the World News Sophie had started on as a freelance for a popular magazine based out of New York City and she had already been promoted. She loved what she was doing, and even though she still had moments where she missed Harry Brewer and working with Blair, she knew it had all happened for a reason. She was now exactly where she belonged.
In her work, and in her love life. She and Cayden had been dating steadily and he’d surprised her more than once with a kinder, romantic side that she’d never even known he’d possessed.
He’d also been true to his word, stepping down from the senior writing position and working damned hard over the past few months to earn it the right way. And she knew he was doing it all for her. To prove to her that he’d meant what he’d told her that he truly was sorry for how things had gone down.
Looking back, she’d been devastated when everything had been happening but now, there was nothing she regretted. Not if it meant she fell asleep in Cayden’s arms every night.
“Are you packing or are you just staring into space thinking about me?” Cayden’s voice startled her. He must have let himself in while she was lost in her thoughts. Sophie turned to him with a cheeky smile.
“Thinking about you, of course.”
“Of course.” Cayden said, leaning down to kiss her before moving to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her as they both looked around the now nearly empty apartment. “Everything just about packed?”
“Yep. Everything’s ready for the movers.” Sophie glanced over the neat pile of boxes in one corner. All she owned in the world. She felt Cayden tighten his embrace. Well, maybe not all.
It still seemed like a dream to her. They were visiting her parents over the weekend but when they got back they’d move in together. They’d gotten a little townhouse on the outskirts of the city and all that was left was to clear out the last of her apartment. It seemed surreal that they had come so far.
Through everything that had happened, the past five years of working at the paper, her relationship with Cayden, and how they had both grown so much. Not just as people, but grown together. She couldn’t imagine her life without him and those moments that she let herself think about what would have happened if she’d actually married that asshole Peter made her shudder.
“Sorry, did I tickle you?” Cayden asked, placing another kiss on her neck.
“No,” Sophie shook her head as she answered, “No, I was just thinking about the past.”
“Well that’s your problem. Much better to think about the future.” Cayden turned her in his arms until they were facing each other, their arms tangled together.
Sophie let out a soft laugh, “Is it?”
“Of course, it is. Our future looks bright Sophie Stone.” Cayden grinned at her and Sophie laughed again, shaking her head.
“You can’t tell me you’re honestly this excited about a trip to go see my parents. You remember the first time they met you?”
“Vaguely. I was pretty distracted at the time.” Cayden’s grin widened into a sexy smile, but then softened again into something warm and sweet that practically took Sophie’s breath away. “And yes, I am excited to see your parents. There’s something important I need to talk to your dad about.”
Cayden cleared his throat under Sophie’s wide eyed stare as his words sank in. Her heart raced, her pulse beating wildly but before she could open her mouth to question him, he was there, his kiss stalling her. It doesn’t matter, Sophie thought to herself as she melted against him. Questions could wait until later. They had all the time in the world.
Author Note: One more sexy contemporary romance novel from my bookshelf. This next one is never before published, and I’m not sure it ever will be. I wrote it for fun last summer. I hate having stories sit around untold, so we decided to share it here. I hope you enjoy it and get a laugh, a smile or a cold shower out of it!