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“Oh, you’re welcome. I hope it’s okay. I can give you the recipe if you end up really like it.” Sophie clamped her mouth shut. Taking her hand, I pulled it until I was holding her fingers with both of my hands. She clutched onto me.

“I’m sure it’ll be amazing,” Torrin said, smiling.

“Tor! Tor!” a little boy ran over and yelled.

“What is it?” Torrin asked, leaning down to speak to his youngest brother, Carson.

“Can you pleaseeeee push us on the swings?” Carson asked, clasping his hands in front and begging.

Torrin laughed. “Course I can.”

He excused himself and Micah waved as they went to the swing set and started pushing some of the little boys.

“Do you think he works out a little bit?” Sophie asked.

“Uh, yeah. He and Micah actually met at the gym.”

“And I’m responsible for setting them up,” Hunter said from my other side. “They were both in my yoga class, so I had them put their mats nearby.”

“Hey, it was my idea to get them together,” Stace said, indignant.

“Of course, babe, but I did the work.”

Stace glared and then turned to us again.

“I really think I was the mastermind in this situation.”

Sophie and I watched as Hunter and Stace bickered adorably.

“So, Sophie, Cade told me you’re getting you MFA in creative writing?” Eloise said. Sophie froze beside me.

“Um, yes. I am. I’m not sure what I want to do with it yet, though. There are so many options and I’m just not sure. Editing, agenting, all of it sounds interesting.”

Eloise nodded. “Let me know if you ever want to sit down and talk about it. I’d be happy to put you in touch with my agent or my editor and they can give you more of an idea of what it’s actually like. It’s a tough industry, but I believe in bringing in and fostering new talent. I’m happy to lend a hand.”

Sophie’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, wow, that’s so generous. I mean, you don’t even know me.”

Eloise didn’t seem fazed by that. “Well how about we get to know each other?”

Sophie let out a little squeak and I wanted to know if this was too much for her. If she was overloaded yet.

“Oh, sure.” Eloise squeezed Cade’s shoulder and stood up, bringing her chair over to sit on Sophie’s other side.

Cade sat for a minute as she talked with Stace and Hunter but then she frowned and moved over to sit with Eloise.

“I’m not a clinger, I swear,” she said as we all watched her move closer to Eloise.

“Uh huh,” I said, but I still had Sophie’s hand in mine and Hunter was practically sitting in Stace’s lap.

Sophie turned to speak to Eloise but kept her hand in mine at the same time. I stroked her skin and felt her slowly unclenching the longer she talked.

I listened, but mostly kept out of it, satisfied to watch Sophie talk shop with Eloise. She was so animated and waved her free hand around as she rambled about her dreams and aspirations and she was so passionate and so beautiful and it made something ache in my chest. I just wanted to hold her and listen to her and kiss her and be with her all the time. I’d never been addicted to anyone before, but this felt like it might be something like that. I wanted to stand up and tell everyone how great she was. How gorgeous and smart and funny and wonderful. Everyone needed to know.

I had to squeeze Sophie’s hand so she’d pause and take a breath and eat something.

Stace’s middle brother, Eli, wandered over and hovered next to Hunter. They put their heads together and from what I could pick up they were talking about art. Eli ran into the house and came out with a stack of manga that he proceeded to flip through and show Hunter. Stace listened with a smile on her face.

It was really cute.