The Ripple Effect

“I’m getting tired,” I choked, lying between my teeth as I hesitated, stuck as my feet refused to move.

The click of a lock told me that he had just closed the bedroom door, and we were now completely alone. This was not good…

“You are? Sophie, if you’re tired perhaps you should not drive yourself home.”

His hands suddenly dropped to my shoulders, and his fingers gently gripped my skin as his words sent heat trailing up my neck.

“I—I’ll be fine!” I sputtered, my entire body stiffening under his touch.

“Are you sure?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest as I backed away from him.

I nodded fervently. “Perfectly awake now, thank you.” He raised an eyebrow, and my face burned bright red. “I mean, I can drive!”

“Okay. But if you’re awake… Do you really have to leave so soon?”

I moved to nod, so then why did I shake my head? He smiled gently.

“Back to the den, then?”

He took my hand without a second thought, not even stopping to question the movement for one second. I allowed him to lead me only because I was surely in a stupor. He dropped carelessly onto the couch, pulling me with him so suddenly that I fell onto him. I moved quickly to create some polite distance.

But that damn arm around my shoulders stopped me!

“Sophie, of what are you afraid?”

I tried to ignore the question, but it was impossible when my eyes kept glancing to him out of their own accord!

“I can’t get involved with someone, Orion; especially not if my son is already attached to him!”

“But my son is attached to you. You can say we can be friends forever and they’ll never get hurt… But I can’t just be friends with a woman that I find so very beautiful, whose presence makes it impossible to even dream of keeping my hands to myself.”

“You’ve only known me one night.”

“That’s all I needed.”

“What are you even talking about? I don’t believe in love at first sight or whatever it is you’re trying to sell,” I muttered, still unable to bring myself to push his arm off of me.

“I’m not trying to convince you…yet. We’ll go at your pace for now, I promise. Just give me a chance, Sophie. What have you to lose?”

“I could hurt my son. He is my world, Orion!”

“Or you could give him what you never thought you could: a family. I don’t know the story behind his father or why he’s not around—and I’m not asking for answers right now, so you don’t have to keep worrying about me prying like that. I just think that we could have something beautiful. Why waste a chance at perfect happiness?”

“Can we talk about something else?”

I should have told him I was leaving, damn it! But I just couldn’t, not yet…

He sighed. “Okay. How did you come up with Rein’s name?”

I gave him a strange look, but he only offered that small smile. “I don’t know… His eyes. I’d rather think about them reminding me of rain than of any tears he’ll ever shed. I may not love the idea that he looks so much like his father, but I look at his eyes and I only see my baby boy, not that God-forsaken man.”

He looked like he wanted to ask, but he was biting his tongue. I thanked him inwardly when he appeared to drop it.

“Where do you work?”

I frowned. “I didn’t exactly get a college degree or anything, what with having Rein and all. The only job I could get was making a fair wage cleaning…” I sighed much too loudly. “What about you? Judging by this house and the way you dress—”

“I do okay,” he muttered quickly, biting his lip. “So you said your father is Italian. What about your mother?”

I had to wrack my brain over that one, they had been out of my lives for so long—nearly eight years. My mother… She didn’t have an accent or anything, and I didn’t know where she grew up or where her family lived. In fact, I never once met her parents. My father’s parents came out once when I was young, but never did I see my mother’s parents.

“I…don’t really know,” I murmured regretfully. So perhaps I knew very little about Rein’s heritage after all. “She never talked about where she grew up, and I never met anyone from her side of the family. I think I tried asking a couple of times, but I never really got a straight answer out of her… What about you?”

He smiled apologetically. “My family lives here, where I grew up. It’s home. My parents were both born here, grew up here, and had kids here. Both of my grandfathers and grandmothers live here as well. My dad’s entire family has actually been here since as long as we can trace, but my mother’s grandmother moved here when she was sixteen.” He sighed, but it was clearly a tease directed at his family. “I sat through quite a few lectures about traditions as a boy, as you can see.”

“That must be really nice.” I couldn’t help the frown that tugged at my less-than-convincing smile.

“I know this isn’t quite my place, Sophie, but it doesn’t sound like you see your family often. Has Rein ever…?”

“I’ve tried,” I choked, looking away from him as a sob tried to rise in my throat.

“I guess… Rein is the reason, then.” My eyes shot to him quickly, widening as he pressed his lips into a grim line. “I just guessed that was it. I mean, your ring finger is bare yet you have Rein… I don’t know the story behind that, but I know parents—my parents at least—like to jump to conclusions about things.”

“Can we talk about something else?”

He opened his mouth to protest, but then the reluctance was obvious on his face before he nodded. I could tell he was frustrated about letting me change the subject every time he thought we were getting somewhere. Clearly he hadn’t meant it when he said we would go at my pace. I stood quickly, effectively startling him onto his feet.

“I should really get home; there’s work in the morning.”

He caught my wrist firmly, an uncertain look on his face.

“Sophie, I’d really feel much more comfortable if you didn’t leave tonight. It’s just already so late, and this place can be really unpredictable at night.” I tried to protest, but he pleaded with just his eyes. “I have a shirt you can wear, and I’ll even sleep here so you can have my bed. Don’t worry about the boys—I’ll take them to school so you can sleep in…before work.”

Why did the thought of me going to work seem to make him so wound up?

“I don’t know… I—” Damn those eyes! “—I guess I can stay.”

After showing me to his closet and letting me dress in the adjoined bathroom, he took one pillow and a blanket and started down the hall. I stayed at the door for a bit, just watching him curiously. He smiled and bid me goodnight. I closed the door and settled into wonderful bed.

His sheets smelled like absolute heaven.