With Brave Wings

by Cara Dee

  "Yes, ma'am."

  "Okay…" She wasn’t sure what to say, but when Kayden entered the kitchen smelling like poop, it was a no-brainer. She couldn’t wait to start potty training him now that she had time off.

  "You don’t have to tell me." Tennyson grimaced and picked up their son.

  *

  To Sophie's relief, Noah, Emma, Daniel, and Zane arrived first. Then Asher, Brooklyn, and Maliah showed up, which loosened more of the tension in Sophie's shoulders. Now, if only Dad could get here, she'd be sufficiently armed and ready to face her future in-laws.

  Mendocino was evidently home to plenty of bed-and-breakfasts, so Tennyson had gotten the oldsters rooms in town, and that left the remaining guest rooms for their friends.

  Once everyone was settled in, the kitchen filled up with…actually, mostly the guys. Because Tennyson put on his Daddy voice and ordered Sophie to rest in the living room, and Brooklyn and Emma wanted to quiz her about the engagement and the wedding and the venue and the…

  "I don’t know yet!" she blurted out. She put her feet up on the coffee table and groaned in relief. "Sorry." She smiled sheepishly. "I'm just… This is new. I think we'll enjoy our engagement for a while and then decide on something together." After that, she happily turned her attention to her girlfriends.

  They filled her in on whatever had happened the past week, and Sophie got to rest her feet and eye-fuck her man in the kitchen.

  Good times.

  Then when the doorbell rang, she wasn’t sure if it was butterflies that raised a storm in her stomach or if it was Ivy kicking.

  "I think the bastard's here, darling," Daniel said mildly.

  "Play nice," Sophie told him. "If Tennyson can forgive Dad, so can you."

  "The jury's still out on that one, princess," Tennyson pointed out. "But I admit, he's doing well so far."

  Asher, with the dogs trailing after him, went to get the door. But it wasn’t Dad. It was Karen and Griffin.

  Here we go.

  Sophie stood up with a huff and straightened her dress.

  The Wright folks went through the smaller crowd slowly and greeted everybody, and the second Griffin had hugged Sophie hello and snatched up his grandson, he disappeared to the kitchen for a beer with the other men.

  Glancing over at Tennyson, Sophie saw she had his attention. He gave her a reassuring smile as Karen reached her.

  "Hello, dear." She hugged Sophie tightly, much to her confusion. "It's been too long. Let me see that belly." Her eyes got misty, and she gave Sophie's baby bump a small caress before meeting her gaze again. "Could we please have a moment alone?"

  "Um." Sophie managed a cautious smile and gestured to the hallway. "Sure. We can use the office."

  Karen followed her into Tennyson's office, the place where all his awards shone brilliantly in two large bookcases. Photos hung on the wall, each and every one taken from film sets he'd worked on. Scripts were framed, as were the diplomas from college and grad school.

  Two photos of Sophie and Kayden sat on his desk, but otherwise, this room was for his work. And it set the bar high. She'd just led Karen into the room of worship. Proof everywhere of how accomplished Tennyson was.

  "How are you, Karen?" Sophie asked politely and sat down on the couch to the side of the room.

  "I'll be good soon, I hope." She sat down next to Sophie. "First, I must apologize to you. I've been very unfair, and I decided I had you pegged before I'd even met you."

  "Oh," Sophie mouthed. She twisted her fingers nervously in her lap.

  Karen nodded then smiled softly when she spotted the engagement ring, though she didn’t comment on it. "The truth is, I admire you, Sophie. And I'm proud of both you and Tennyson for never rushing into a relationship. I rushed," she admitted. "I married Griffin the day after I graduated from high school. We were still children, but he was forced to grow up when he was deployed shortly after."

  "Different times," Sophie argued gently. Her own parents had gotten married fast.

  "Even so," Karen continued with a nod, "I was, in many ways, still a child when Griffin came home. We had a couple strained years after that, and it took time before we were compatible again. I did find my independence in between his deployments, but I still believe you and my son did the right thing. You've grown so much, and it's all on you. You faced your fears head on in ways many don’t."

  It was difficult hearing this from Tennyson's mother. Things had been so forced between the two women for, well, almost four years—or would be, next summer.

  "I was also worried for Tennyson's sake," Karen confessed. "Contrary to what I said, I knew he was very taken with you from the start. When we came up to see him for the Fourth of July in Vancouver, I saw the way he looked at you, and it scared me. I didn’t have faith enough in either of you, I suppose. And I'm very sorry."

  Sophie swallowed, slightly comfortable, immensely relieved. "Mothers and sons, right?" She needed to make it lighter, and that seemed to work.

  Karen chuckled softly and nodded. "True, we tend to have a hard time letting go and accepting we're not the only women in our sons' lives. But I know better now, and both my boys couldn’t have found better girls."

  Sophie's smile became wobbly, and she blinked past the stinging in her eyes. "Thank you, Karen."

  "No, thank you." She gave Sophie's hand a squeeze. "And I'm glad he's asked you to be his wife. I hope Asher will get his crap together soon, too. He's not getting any younger."

  Sophie laughed at that. "I don't think we'll have to wait long."

  *

  The minute she and Karen left the study, Sophie felt tons lighter, and Tennyson could probably sense it from miles away. Their gazes met, though before she could reach him, she was engulfed in a hug by Dad.

  "Oh, hey!" She hugged him back. "Did you just get here?"

  "A few minutes ago." He nodded and kissed her cheek. "How are you, pumpkin? My granddaughter treating you well?"

  "She's calmer than Kayden was," she chuckled. "Have you met everyone?"

  "Yes, except for Griffin's wife." He leaned close. "Daniel doesn’t like me very much, does he? Not that I blame him."

  Sophie hugged his arm. "He'll come around. I've ended up with a protective bunch."

  "You're lucky." He smiled and tapped her nose, something he used to do when she was little. "It's quite the family you've found. I'm very proud of you, Sophie."

  There was no way she'd take credit for that. "They found me." She shrugged and looked over at Tennyson. He, Asher, and Maliah seemed to be in a heated debate about what first car she should have when she got her driver's license.

  It'd be a while before then, but Tennyson was passionate about "tanks" and oldies, whereas Asher preferred sports cars.

  "I think I'm gonna go rescue my niece-to-be," she told Dad, chuckling.

  She reached them in the kitchen, and Tennyson pulled her close and kept rambling about Impalas this and Mustangs that.

  "I don’t even know how we got into this," Maliah said with wide eyes. "All I mentioned was my learner's permit."

  "Porsche or Ferrari." Asher nodded firmly. "It's what all the other kids at her school will drive."

  "Welcome to the world of private academies, sweetheart." Sophie draped an arm around Maliah's shoulders and led her away from the men. "I failed miserably. I got decent grades but was a total mean girl. If you wanna survive high school with the Hollywood elite, seek out the quirky crowd."

  Maliah giggled and snatched up a cookie from next to the stove. "I've actually made some friends already."

  "All boys," Asher shot at them.

  "Rawr." Sophie winked. "I see Daddy Beast runs in the family."

  "I'll show you Daddy Beast." Tennyson yanked her close once more and planted a hard smooch on her lips that melted her insides. "How're you feeling?"

  As the people around them paired off in smaller conversations, Sophie relaxed in his arms and rested her forehead over his sternum. "Amazing, thankful, full of butterflies�
��the good kind."

  He hummed and slid his hands lower on her back. "Let's keep it that way." The sexy bastard dropped soft little kisses along her neck and jaw. "Do you know how much I love seeing that ring on your finger?"

  She soared, higher than ever, and tilted her face to kiss him. "If it's half as much as I do, we're good."

  "Oh, my sweet Sophie"—he nipped at her bottom lip—"we're so much better than good."

  Epilogue

  A few years later…

  "Can you reach my foot?" Tennyson blew out a breath and wiped sweat off his forehead, looking down to where Sophie was. "I have a good grip. You can grab on to me and pull yourself up."

  RC Indoor Climb opened a few miles away from their loft last year, and Tennyson and Sophie were regulars—whenever they were in LA. Asher and Maliah showed up every now and then, too.

  "Are you sure?" Sophie grunted and adjusted her harness. Then when he nodded, she sucked in a breath and hauled herself to the left. "Shit!"

  "Christ." He shook his head. "How the fuck did you do that?" Of course, being smaller was an advantage when it came to climbing, but she was a natural. "You ready to grab on, monkey?"

  "Yeah." She pulled herself up and got a grip on his foot. Next, she kicked her leg up and found footing to climb to his level. "Maybe Brooklyn was right. Yoga's not this hard."

  "Nonsense." Tennyson grinned. "But you should know. You do both."

  She stuck out her tongue at him and climbed higher. "You coming, hubby?"

  "You little shit." He let out a laugh and reached for the next hold. "I think it's time to teach you belaying."

  She didn’t reply. She was busy focusing on the obstacle above them. The wall dipped slightly before it arched outward, forcing climbers to go upside down.

  "Chalk, baby," he reminded her. The slab of granite that protruded from the wall was a nasty fucker. "Can you reach that blue bolt?"

  "Yes." She panted and jammed her foot into a crevice, then stretched as much as she could to grab the bolt. "Okay, I'm ready. You go first." She paused as he hoisted himself up to where she was and detached a water bottle from her belt. "You think Asher and Brooklyn will be home today?"

  "The doctor seemed confident." His muscles strained, and he peered down the forty-something feet to the ground where their spotter stood.

  Ash was a great father to Maliah, and last week, Brooklyn gave birth to their second daughter. So much for praying for a boy. Unfortunately, the baby—who went by Baby Wright so far—had been a little premature. But the doctors said everything looked much better now.

  Maliah had been staying with Tennyson and Sophie because she worried too much when she was with her parents at the hospital.

  "You sure you wanna do this one today?" He jerked his chin at the boulder sticking out.

  Sophie twisted her hand to check her watch and widened her eyes. "What the fuck happened? I thought we had more time. Oh, shit, now I'm getting nervous again."

  One of the reasons he'd insisted they come here today. She needed the distraction.

  "Snap out of it, Wright," he told her, pretending to be stern. "Your only focus now is going home. Then food."

  "Then getting ready, then the car will pick us up, then—"

  "Enough." He leaned in and kissed her to shut her up. A glorious, sweaty, breathless kiss. "Let me check your ascender, and then we're going home."

  *

  They had lockers at RC, so after putting away their gear, they headed outside into the blinding sun. Tennyson slid on his shades and gulped down a bottle of water, and then they started their run home.

  They took the beach route and jogged past dog walkers and beachgoers. As always, Sophie timed them, and Tennyson kept track of the distance on his own watch.

  "I never wrote the speech," Sophie confessed, breathing shallowly. "Even though Daniel said I should."

  "Neither did I." He wasn’t superstitious in general, but when it came to award speeches, he'd always kept it short and unscripted. "You know my thoughts on it."

  She giggled and nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, I shouldn’t be nervous at all. It's not like I'm gonna win."

  Tennyson's only reply was to grab her hand briefly and kiss the top of it.

  It was her first time as an Oscar nominee. She'd done a brilliant job—beyond outstanding—with her last film. But she was up against seasoned actresses who had been nominated multiple times without winning.

  Hollywood was its own world and had its own politics, and Sophie had specifically requested that no one give her false hope.

  That said, he believed she deserved it. With all his heart. He'd been blown away by her performance.

  Ironically, it was a film based on a book by a certain Trisha Cummings. Tennyson hadn't directed, but he'd visited the set with the kids often enough, and now he was thankful he'd gotten the chance to clear the air with his ex. It had resulted in less awkwardness, and perhaps it helped that Trisha was married herself now.

  He would've felt like a prick if Sophie hadn't been able to get that part because of him, but that hadn't happened—thankfully.

  He wondered idly if Trisha would be at the show tonight, but he doubted it. Sophie was the only one who'd gotten a nomination for the movie. For this award show, anyway. Overall, the film was being praised by both critics and fans.

  "How're we on time?" He wiped at his forehead, looking forward to a long shower. "Should we speed up the hill?"

  Sophie panted and checked her watch. "If we wanna keep our regular time, yeah. Let's go."

  So they sped up and ran the last distance to their building, leaving them groaning and grinning and gasping and boneless as they tumbled into the elevator.

  "Fuck me twice, I'm done." Tennyson bent over, his hands supporting him on his thighs, and tried to suck air into his lungs. "You're killing me, princess."

  She scoffed breathlessly and sank down into a pile on the floor. "You're one to talk."

  The elevator ride was way too short, and they were leaning on each other when Tennyson pushed the door open and entered the loft.

  Maliah was on the couch, texting. Probably a boy, he thought grimly. The girl was too damn popular, and he wasn’t exactly thrilled about the fact that Ivy would grow up to be a teenager, either.

  "I can't wait to see you run that 5K next month," Maliah giggled. "But at least you'll beat my folks."

  Tennyson was looking forward to it, as well. Countless celebrities, all of them with different charity causes. He was running for Fight for Fighters with his brother, and Sophie and Brooklyn were running for Central Living.

  "That doesn’t take much," Sophie retorted with a laugh. "Asher's barely trained for it."

  Brooklyn, of course, had a valid excuse, what with her giving birth and all.

  "Hey." Tennyson nudged Sophie. "Isn't it awfully quiet?"

  Kayden and Ivy were not quiet.

  "They're painting!" Maliah exclaimed. "You always think they're up to no good."

  "That’s because we know our kids," Sophie chuckled. "Come on." Heading down the hallway, they peered into Kayden's room first, but it was empty. So they turned across the hall and opened Ivy's door.

  Tennyson groaned.

  Sophie sighed and grinned ruefully.

  Maliah winced. "Oops?"

  "Hi, Daddy!" Ivy waved, armed with a paintbrush. "Hi, Mommy!"

  Their four-year-old was the cutest girl Tennyson had ever laid eyes on, but she was a devil like her mother.

  Kayden wasn’t much better, and he didn’t even look away from the wall he was painting on. His clothes were ruined, covered in paint. He wasn’t using a brush. His hands worked just fine.

  "I'm the worst babysitter," Maliah whispered.

  Tennyson chuckled and threw a sweaty arm around her, which made her squeak and him laugh harder.

  "I'm taking a photo of this and sending it to your parents." He winked down at her. "Something they can expect in the future from your baby sister."

  She moaned miserably
and walked over to the little ones. "Hey, cousins, let's get you guys cleaned up."

  "I can do it, sweetheart," Sophie offered.

  "No, no, you're paying me the big bucks already." Maliah led the children out of the room. "Which bathroom?"

  "Theirs, please." Because Tennyson wanted a moment alone in the master bath with his wife. For stretching and such. "Sophie and I will be out in a bit. We'll order lunch before Daniel and Zane get here."

  "Are Noah and Emma coming?" Maliah asked. "I borrowed a book from her last time and haven't given it back."

  "No, they'll watch the show at home this year," Sophie answered. "Noah just got back from his last project, so I doubt they'll leave Mendocino anytime soon."

  "Okay. Next time." Maliah disappeared with Kayden and Ivy, and Tennyson ushered Sophie into their bedroom.

  "We have important business to tend to, my love." He groped her good and proper, making it thoroughly apparent how he'd continue to distract her from the Academy Awards later.

  *

  "I'm so nervous. I'm so fucking nervous." Sophie peered out the tinted window of the limo as they moved closer and closer to the red carpet. The line of limos was long, but probably not long enough for her.

  "Look at me." Tennyson sat across from her, torn between concern and arousal. Her dark green dress, silky and elegant, brought out the green in her eyes, and her brown hair hung in loose curls down her partially exposed shoulders. "Focus on the nomination—please. You have a BAFTA award. That’s monumental. You were praised to the skies in Cannes. This is the next step, and don’t rush it. There's an Oscar with your name on it, sweetie. Probably several. Unlike me—I'm toast."

  She chuckled at that, which had been his goal.

  He'd gotten his statue with A Killer's Walk, and once all was said and done, hindsight was a cunt. He'd worked hard, but he was already a rarity for winning two, especially at his age. Winning three was almost unheard of. It had caused his film after Killer to tank. The media had deemed it mediocre, and Tennyson had gone through a few rough months where he'd doubted himself and wondered if he'd peaked too soon.