by Leah Atwood
He turned to see Sophie bowing her head, trying to hide that adorable blush rising in her cheeks, but she was smiling at Gracie’s compliment. Lifting Gracie to the counter, they began work on their masterpiece. In minutes, the bowl’s contents transformed to a colorful arrangement of vegetables atop a bed of lettuce.
“What next?”
Sophie pointed to the plates. “You can set the plates and silverware out on the table. Ignore the two mismatched chairs—my table only seats four so I had to adjust.”
By quarter to six they had everything prepared, waiting for Sophie’s parents to arrive. Gracie was peering out the window in another room, waiting for Sophie’s family to arrive. Meanwhile, he wrung his hands, a nervous habit that rarely appeared.
Sophie covered them with hers. “They’ll love you. Stop worrying.”
“I feel like I’m in high school meeting my prom date’s parents.” He laughed with a touch of sarcasm. “Come to think of it, I never met her parents because we double-dated, and I picked her up from her friend’s house. You’re the first girlfriend whose parents I have met.”
“I kind of like that idea.”
“Me too. Not the worry of what they’ll think, but that you’re the first one. It sets you apart.”
“That’s the only reason?” she asked, frowning.
“No, no. See, I’m making a mess of it already.”
Sophie grinned. “Relax, I was just teasing you again.”
“You’ve got to stop that.” He laughed weakly. “Man, now I know why I avoided parental meetings.”
“It can’t be that bad. I remember being nervous meeting Ryan’s mom and dad, but not too much.”
“Sweetheart, you’re the girl every parent would love their son to date and marry. Me? I’m not exactly the poster child for boyfriend material from a parent’s point of view.”
Sophie opened her mouth then closed it before saying anything. He recognized the look passing over her. She knew what he’d said was true and was finding a way to refute it.
“A car pulled up,” Gracie yelled, running in from the living room.
Sophie gave him a final look before she went to greet her family. Grabbing Gracie’s hand, he stayed back for several seconds. He heard voices and moved to stand against the door frame between the dining room and living room. Observing their interactions before he was noticed, he wished his own parents were like Sophie’s. They greeted her with warmth and affection, actions about which his parents knew nothing. At least he had Gramps and Gram. And Uncle Gil, Aunt Robyn and Dani. Looking at it from that perspective, he was lucky to have a great extended family.
The room silenced and Sophie looked to him, waving him over. With his hands on Gracie’s shoulders, he guided her over to where Sophie’s family stood. Her parents wore kind expressions, putting him partially at ease while Mia, Sophie’s sister, stood behind, looking bored, and playing on her phone.
“Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet Bryce Landry, my boyfriend. Bryce, this is my dad, Alton Thatcher, and my mom, Lisa Thatcher.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Sir.” Bryce extended an arm, shaking hands with Mr. Thatcher then inclined his head to Mrs. Thatcher. “Ma’am.”
“We’re glad to meet Sophie’s new man,” Mrs. Thatcher said, giving him a warm smile.
Mia finally looked up from her phone and her mouth gaped open when she recognized him. Star-struck, she froze and her phone dropped to the floor. “You’re Bryce Landry,” she gasped.
“You must be Mia. Nice to meet you.” As he’d done with Sophie’s father, he extended a hand.
Shakily, she accepted it. “I can’t believe my sister is dating Bryce Landry.”
“And who is this darling?” Mrs. Thatcher asked. She gave Bryce a sympathetic smile, cutting her youngest daughter off from further gawking.
“This is Gracie, my daughter.” He nudged her forward.
Becoming uncharacteristically shy, Gracie remained silent.
“I like your braids,” Mrs. Thatcher complimented.
“Daddy did them for me,” Gracie squeaked. “Are you Miss Sophie’s mom?” she asked, warming up to Mrs. Thatcher.
“Yes, I am.”
“I don’t have a mom. She died, but I want Miss Sophie to be my new mom.”
His face instantly burned and Sophie’s wasn’t much better. He hadn’t seen that coming—Gracie had never expressed any such sentiment to him.
Unfazed, Mrs. Thatcher crouched to Gracie’s level. “I’m sorry about your mom. You must get your beautiful blue eyes from her.”
Watching Sophie’s mom with Gracie, it was easy to see from whom Sophie inherited her love of children.
“That’s what Daddy says,” Gracie replied, completely unaware of the shock waves she’d sent through the room with her previous comment.
“Shall we move to the dining room?” Sophie suggested, regaining control. “Dinner is ready and waiting.”
Mrs. Thatcher took Gracie’s hand, leading her into the dining room, followed by Mr. Thatcher. Mia continued to stare at him until Sophie gave her a gentle push. For a few brief seconds, he was alone with Sophie.
“I’m so sorry,” he apologized. “I had no idea Gracie had been entertaining thoughts like that, let alone that she’d choose now to voice them.”
Sophie giggled, presumably from an overload of nerves. “That was awkward, but it’s no one’s fault. She’s just a kid. You okay?”
“I’m fine. Hey, at least your sister’s not squealing as you’d anticipated.”
“Ha. Thank goodness for small miracles.”
Somehow, he made it through dinner even though he had no appetite. Sophie’s parents asked him questions, generic ones that any parent would ask, avoiding any talk of reputation or career. For that, he was thankful, but he couldn’t stop wondering what they thought. When the meal was over, he offered to help Sophie clean up, but her mom insisted the women take care of it.
Soon, he realized it had nothing to do with gender roles but was a calculated move to give him and Mr. Thatcher time alone.
“What do you say we go to the other room,” Mr. Thatcher proposed, his tone leaving little room for an alternative.
Stomach in knots, Bryce stood from his seat at the table and led the way. He was a grown man. He could face Sophie’s father alone. For Sophie, he could do anything.
In the living room, neither man sat.
“You’ve done well with Gracie. She’s a lovely young girl.”
“Thank you, sir, but I can’t take all the credit.”
“Your late wife, as well.”
Deep breath. Time to clear the air and be completely honest. He knew Sophie hadn’t told her parents the circumstances surrounding Gracie. Whatever way it changed any perceptions, he couldn’t allow Mr. Thatcher’s wrong assumption to continue. Long term, honesty was always best. “Gracie’s mother and I were not married. I only found out about Gracie last year, shortly before her mother’s death.”
Mr. Thatcher looked at him with appraising eyes.
Under the scrutiny of Sophie’s dad, he felt the objections coming and sought to defend himself first. “I know what you must be thinking, Mr. Thatcher. If I were in a similar situation years from now, facing a boyfriend of Gracie’s who had the same reputation and background as me, I would be less than thrilled. But before you make your final judgment about me, allow me to tell you, myself, who I am and how I’ve gotten here.”
“Fair enough.” Bryce detected a small measure of approval in the man’s words.
Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, he gave Sophie’s father the abridged version of his life, up until becoming a Christian. “Something changed in me once I realized Gracie needed me to be the best father I could be. She’d already lost her mother—she’d also lose her father if I continued on my current path. My grandfather showed me I couldn’t do it on my own. I needed God’s help. Once I accepted Christ into my life, I changed. I understand any concern you may have about me dating your daughter,
but I promise you, sir, that I will never do anything to hurt or disrespect Sophie.”
“Are you always this honest and forthcoming?” Mr. Thatcher’s voice held a certain level of respect.
“As a rule, yes.”
“A refreshing quality. I’ll admit, I’ve done quite of bit of research since Lisa told me that you were involved with my daughter. Many of the things I read caused me grave concern, but I believe in reserving judgment. I can tell that my daughter cares deeply for you, and you for her.”
“I do care for her, very much, sir.”
“Enough with this ‘sir’ nonsense. Please, call me Alton. Your openness tells me a great deal about your character and I’m convinced you have my good intentions at heart. That being said, I still have concerns.”
“What would those be?”
“Sophie is a not a girl who enjoys being the center of attention. I worry about her being cast into the limelight when her relationship with you is divulged and how she will handle the public nature your career.”
“With all due respect, Sophie is a strong woman. I understand how the nature of my life can affect her privately-led one, but we have discussed this at length. We’re not naïve—we know we’re facing a hard road ahead. The important thing is, we’re in this together. I’ll be there for her every step of the way.”
“What about the times you are on the road? Busy with your obligations. Long distance relationships are difficult—Lisa and I spent the first two years of ours apart.”
Sophie hadn’t mentioned that. “I can’t promise that Sophie and I will always have a perfect relationship, but we owe it to ourselves to try. We’ve prayed together and both feel this is the direction God is calling us in.”
“That’s what I needed to hear.” Alton grasped Bryce’s shoulder. “Lisa and I will be praying for both of you also as you pursue this relationship.”
“Thank you. We would appreciate that.” He breathed a sigh of relief.
“And I’ll be praying for you as an individual as well. That you remain on the straight and narrow. Sophie may be an adult now, but she’s still my child. I won’t stand idly by and see her hurt.”
“There is no turning back. Gracie and Sophie deserve my best.”
Backing away, Alton’s gaze drifted off before returning. “Cherish your time with Gracie. She’ll be grown before you know it.”
He swallowed the emotions choking him. Didn’t he know it?
Chapter 15
On Sunday morning, Sophie was getting ready for church when her phone rang. She ignored it and continued brushing her hair. Twice more, it rang. Giving in, she answered the fourth call after finishing with her hair.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were dating melt-your-heart-with-his-eyes star Bryce Landry?” Kate demanded without a greeting.
“What? What are you talking about?” How did Kate find out? If Kate knew, who else did?
“Mia posted it all over Facebook.”
“You’re friends with Mia on Facebook?”
“Yes and if you were on it, you’d have seen. This is huge. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
“Oh no,” Sophie muttered. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Since she didn’t use social media, she’d never thought to warn Mia. She should have thought ahead. “Kate, I’ll call you later and tell you everything, but I have to call my parents.”
“You better.”
As soon as she disconnected from Kate, she called her parents. “Please answer,” she begged to the phone. No answer. She took a deep breath. She was panicking for no reason. How many people could Mia be friends with? Trying Mia directly, she left a message when the voicemail greeting beeped. “Mia, it’s your sister. If you get this, please take down everything you’ve posted about Bryce. This wasn’t supposed to leave our family. Please call me back. Love you.”
After several minutes, she’d calmed down, convinced Mia’s breach wasn’t all that serious. So a few people, most of whom she didn’t know, would find out. Everything was fine. Yet, when her doorbell rang shortly after nine, she jumped. Cautiously, she approached the door. Relief washed over her when she saw Bryce. She opened the door for him.
His grim face made her stomach churn. “I’m so sorry, Sophie.”
“What about?” she asked, the sick feeling growing roots and sprouting.
“Ready or not, we’ve been made public.”
She pulled him inside. “Mia?”
“Yes. I didn’t think. I should have known.”
“It’s my fault. She’s my sister.”
“Caroline called me first thing this morning.”
His words struck her with the full force of hurricane strength gales. Word had spread beyond Mia’s online world. “How bad is it?”
“We’re trending.”
“Trending?”
“We’re the most talked about thing on all the major social media outlets right now.”
“Oh no.” She went weak, her legs like jelly.
Slipping an arm around her, Bryce led her to the sofa where they sat. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know. My mind is reeling. How did it spread so fast?”
“The nature of the beast. One person posts something with a tag and it spreads like wildfire.” He kept his arm around her, giving her the steadying peace she needed.
“What now?”
“The press is already hounding for information. We can have Caroline release an official statement or remain low-key and ride it out, see if the hype dies.”
Hope shot through her. “Do you think it will?”
“Hard to say. Depends on what else is going on in the world of entertainment.”
Hunching over, she buried her head in her hands. “What do you think we should do?” she mumbled.
“Right now, it’s conjecture and rumor as far as they know. All they’ve seen is a picture of you and me together.”
She moaned. “There was a picture?”
Bryce nodded. “My opinion— we go public and cut out the speculation. In the long run, that’s the option which will be less intrusive for you, because we’re giving them the info they want upfront.”
“I don’t know.” Her head was spinning.
Easing her chin up, Bryce cradled her face with a single hand. “I’m sorry, Sophie. This is too much, I know.”
Drawing strength from him, she felt her thoughts coming into focus. “If we make us public knowledge, how will this affect Gracie? Your personal life is going to be put into the spotlight, especially bringing it into Oden Bridge.”
An unfamiliar emotion flickered through Bryce’s expression. “I’d planned on having this conversation tonight, but I did a lot of soul-searching when I went back to Nashville. I missed Gracie so much, my heart hurt. She’s my daughter, and she belongs with me. True, I don’t want Gracie subjected to a media circus, but I realized, when it came down to it, I was using that as a cover, at least partially.”
“How so?” she asked, momentarily drawn out from her own worries.
“I’d convinced myself that taking care of Gracie meant giving up my career. After some introspection, I came to the realization I don’t want to stop making music, and that’s why I’ve put off making the decisions about Gracie. Horribly selfish isn’t it?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “I wasn’t trusting God. I was praying, but not willing to accept whatever answer he gave. Once I knew what I was doing, I broke down, praying on my knees for answers.”
“Did you receive any?”
“The answer was so simple, there all along for me to see. Adam, my piano and keyboard man, is married. His wife, Elle, takes care of their little girl Shannon, who is a few years younger than Gracie. Sometimes she travels with us and other times she stays behind. She’s pregnant with their second now, due at the end of September. You would like Elle—she reminds me a lot of you and is great with kids.”
“Maybe I can meet her when I come to visit.”
Bryce perked. “I like that idea. After I told the guys w
hat was going on, they were extremely supportive. Come to find out, Adam and Elle have been going to church. Both gave their lives to Christ years ago, but had strayed and are finding their way back. Last Thursday night, after our practice, Adam approached me with a proposition. Elle wants to babysit Gracie and care for her when I can’t be there.”
“That’s wonderful.” She was sincerely happy that Bryce had found a peace. “I’ll miss her.”
“She’ll still be in Oden Bridge until the new year. With Elle so advanced in the pregnancy and allowing time for her to adjust, we decided that Gracie will stay here until the fall school semester ends.”
“Sounds like you have it all worked out.” Her words were strangled and then came a flood of tears taking her by surprise.
“Sophie, what’s wrong?”
Selfish. That’s what she was being. “It’s nothing,” she lied, unwilling to rain on his parade.
He frowned, his brown eyes not letting her free of the lie. “What happened to the Sophie who told me everything and didn’t hold anything back?”
“She’s having a moment of self-absorbed pity.” When she dared look up at Bryce, he was smiling, holding back a laugh. “What?”
“There’s my bluntly honest girl. Though for the record, I have serious doubts that you have any level of selfishness in you.”
“But I do,” she protested. “I’m so happy for you, overjoyed, that you’ve found your solution with Gracie, but I’m sad because it means you won’t have a reason to visit Oden Bridge.”
In a flash, Bryce’s demeanor changed. He rose from the sofa and strode across the room. His jaw was clenched, his fists balled at his sides. Tension radiated from him as his gaze fixed on an unknown object.
“I’m sorry,” Sophie apologized, wiping away a tear, only for it to be replaced by another. “I never should have said anything—I knew it was a self-centered thought.”
“That’s not it,” Bryce replied, walking back toward her. He held out a hand, inviting her to stand.
When she was upright, he placed his hands on her shoulders. He swallowed, causing his Adam’s apple to bob. “I’m the one being selfish. From the day I met you, I knew you were special and wanted you in my life. Every time we talk or spend time together, I fall for you more. I knew what I was asking of you to be in a relationship with me, and it was greedy and unfair of me. But heaven help me, I couldn’t not ask you.”