Page 7 of Valor
She nudges my shoulder with hers. “What about you? Everything else going well?”
“Of course.”
Naturally, nothing gets past Sofie. “C’mon, don’t bullshit me. You’ve got that look in your eye. Did something happen?”
Feeling guilty, I rush to say, “No, no of course not everything is great. Really.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
I don’t even know how to put into words the irrational fears that constantly plague me. How it feels sometimes like I have it too good, that I’m walking the tightrope of my perfect life, and all it will take is one push and I’ll crumble to pieces. It’s irrational at best, and ridiculous at worst. I have nothing to complain about. I should be rejoicing. Things could be so much worse. They have been so much worse.
Without waiting for me to answer, Sofie pulls me away from the crush of the reception to a hallway that must lead to the kitchens, if the scents wafting toward us are to be believed. “Spill,” she says.
“I don’t know. It’s stupid, I promise.”
“Of course it is, but what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t tell you when you were being stupid?”
“You don’t think Ben could be getting bored with me, do you? We basically just do the same things over and over. It’s definitely not as exciting as it used to be.”
“Oh, honey, what marriage is exciting, really? You don’t want the is-he-isn’t-he craziness of dating. Marriage is about sharing your life with someone else, being witness to their triumphs and failures. No, it’s not always sexy, but I don’t think you and Ben have trouble in that area.” She eyes me for confirmation.
I roll my own. “No, we’ve never had trouble that way. Sometimes I just wonder if he’s happy with us, this. He doesn’t say otherwise, but I was talking to Scott and Faith, and they have such big plans after they get married to travel and see the world. Ben and I never got to do that. Before there was Phoebe there was Cole, not that I regret either of them, but we’ve always been sort of tied down to Nassau. We never traveled. We probably won’t be able to, not with Cole, who needs to be monitored while he’s young and still in and out of hospitals for appointments. That’s one thing they don’t tell you about happily ever afters. That sometimes it’s not one-hundred-percent happy all the time.”
“It sounds like you two need some alone time to reconnect. Have you been going out on dates, just the two of you?”
“C’mon, who has time for that?” I say with a laugh. “You work and have kids, you know how it is.”
“Maybe it’s just what you need. Why don’t the two of you spend it at a swanky hotel or something? The kids can spend the night tonight with Jack and me at our hotel. We don’t have to go back to Fort Rucker until Monday. The boys will love it. Don’t say no. Go get your man and tell him you’re taking the night off to have some fun. Sofie’s orders.”
Chapter Four
Ben
“Don’t tellher momma you gave her two pieces of cake,” I warn Jack when I find him with Phoebe in his lap, frosting smeared all over her face. “She’ll kill you.”
Jack merely grins. “Livvie won’t kill me. I’m her favorite.” He dances his fingertips over Phoebe’s stomach. “Isn’t that right, Butter Bean?”
Phoebe giggles and squirms, trying to run. “No, no!” she shrieks. “I’m Mommy’s favorite.”
When she manages to break free, she runs screaming to where Sofie’s younger brothers are holding court at a pair of tables. Faith’s female cousins are surrounding them, blushing and giggling. Phoebe ignores them and climbs into Rafe’s lap. He pauses from charming a girl, who has to be a couple years older than him, and lifts Phoebe up, giving her his full attention. She speaks and he passes her a napkin to wash her face. Donny, Rafe’s brother, passes her his soda after she directs her attention to him.
“You know I thought the boys were the ones who had the opposite sex wrapped around their fingers, but clearly Phoebe has them beat.”
I scrub a hand over my face. “I know, she’s pure trouble. Thank God she has her uncles and cousins to keep the boys away when she gets older. I always thought that Daddy with a gun bullshit wasn’t going to be me, but I was wrong. Very wrong.”
“You’ve still got a couple years yet, but you sound just like Sofie. The boys have got girls calling the house twenty-four-seven now and it drives her mental.”
I press a hand to my heart and rub the ache there as I watch my little girl laugh. There’s no way I’m ready for her to grow up any time soon. Either of them.
“Don’t remind me,” I say.
An arm wraps around my shoulder and Scott says, “Good evening, gentlemen. Isn’t it a beautiful night?”
Jack and I roll our eyes. “How much have you had to drink?” Jack asks.
“Enough that even you are looking good, old man,” Scott replies. “I came to tell you the next song is a slow dance. You better find your ladies because it isn’t optional.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Jack says, as Scott moves on to the next table.