Live In Position (49 page)

"I'm not good at this Sophia and I'm terrified you will be gone at any moment." He ran his hand through his hair. "I suppose I'm trying to hold onto you as much as I can so you don't leave."

"I would never just leave Collin." I placed a hand on his knee.

"But you could leave," he whispered out.

"Anyone could leave, but it's not my plan, unless you want me to."

He grabbed my hand as I slid it from his knee.

"I don't want you to go, ever."

"You say that now." I smiled small.

"I mean it forever." He was nothing but serious.

There was no mistaking his intentions. I knew this was a major point. I'm not completely sure how I realized it, but I had. Collin Bishop was planning to marry me. The evidence was all over his face and in his words. If I didn't want marriage, Collin, Victoria, and possibly more children, then this was the moment I needed to end everything. Either I walk away now or stayed for the duration. I pulled him toward me and wrapped my arms around him, accepting my future.

Chapter Twenty Five

The following morning brought a newly started tradition, Collin, Victoria, and I sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast together. The only thing different about this morning was the conversation about to take place.

"Victoria?"

"Yes, daddy?" She looked at her father with eyes of adoration.

"Sophia and I would like to talk with you about something. We also want your honest feelings, okay?" She nodded nervously. Collin cleared his throat.

"Sophia and I have become engaged." He paused and we both gauged her reaction.

Her eyes looked glazed over for a moment, but then a fire lit in them and a large grin spread across her face.

"You're getting married!" She jumped from the chair and jumped into my arms. "Can I be in the wedding? I want to be the flower girl. Please, please, please? Can I call you mommy now or after the wedding?"

"Slow down Victoria, we are not planning a wedding at the moment. It will be a long engagement." I tried to back pedal a little.

She crinkled her face in confusion.

"What Sophia means is that we will be taking some time to plan things, so it will most likely not be very soon." Her face fell at Collin's words. "I promise you will be our flower girl." She perked up a little at that.

"What about calling you mommy?" She turned expectant eyes on me.

"Sweetheart, I'm not –"

"I don't see an issue with it." Collin blurted.

My shocked eyes shot to him. I scowled.

"What?" He looked at me confused. "I figured you would like it if she did."

"Oh, I want to call you mommy, can I please Sophia? Please?" Her hands were clasped like she was saying a prayer, but instead this little red headed angel was begging to call me her mother. The antichrist sat across from us with a large smile on his face.

"I'm not sure you should –" She halted my words with a large pout of her bottom lip. "Okay." I surrendered.

"Yes," she cheered and threw herself into my lap. "Thank you so much Soph…mom!"

My heart skipped a beat the instant she called me mom. I only wondered what kind of result this was going to have with his family.

"I've got a mommy, Sophia is my mommy," she sang as she sat back down to her breakfast.

For the rest of the morning, up until I dropped her off at school, every question or response was accompanied with mom. "Yes, mommy." "Mommy, do I have to go to dance tonight?" "No, mom." It was almost humorous.

The drive back to the house was quiet which only allowed my mind start going over everything. In less than a year I had started a new job, fallen in love with a little red haired girl, finished my book, fallen for my boss and silently agreed to marry him. I groaned into the empty silence of the car. How did so much happen and what the hell could possibly happen next.

I never should've asked myself, because two weeks later a guest arrived in the Bishop home, an unexpected guest.

Victoria was in her room, cleaning up all the art supplies she had gotten out for a school project, and I was working on dinner when the house alarm went off. My first instinct was to run to Victoria, but when I got to the bottom of the stairs I halted. There at the alarm pad stood Allison.

"Goddamn thing! Why did he change the code? Christ!"

Slowly approaching her, she didn't hear me. I reached over her shoulder and punched in the code. She jumped to the side.

"Jesus, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She was her typical grouchy self. The phone rang. I hurried to answer it.

"This is Charles with Cole Security Systems—" I cut him off.

"Sorry Charles, it was a false alarm. There is no emergency."

"Can I have the password mam?"

"Password?" I questioned.

"Yes I need a confirmation –" the phone was pulled from my ear.

"Grace," Allison spit into the phone and hung up. Her eyes turned to me. "I see you are still here."

"I see you are still in a bitchy mood," I countered, returning to prepping for dinner.

She gasped. "I can't believe you haven't been fired yet." She huffed.

I ignored her.

"Where is Collin?" She spat.

"Work," I answered curtly.

The twins rushed into the kitchen.

"What are you making?" Gregory questioned.

"It smells so good," Michael added.

I turned and smiled down on them. They had grown so much, looking so much like Jonathan.

"Well, tonight is spaghetti and meatball night. I may have just enough for you two as well." I smiled large.

"That sounds good," Will entered the kitchen with a backpack on.

"Hey, how are you?" I stirred the sauce. With a quick glance I realized Allison had left the room. I relaxed a little.

"Good," he smiled.

"Come on boys, your mother wants us to get settled in a room." He looked at me nervously at the completion of his sentence.

"You guys are staying here?" My eyes were wide.

He nodded. "Yeah," then he gave me a small apologetic look.

I gave him an understanding smile.

"Well, it will be fun to have people around again." I winked at him.

"Sophia," I almost cringed at the sound of her saying my name. I turned to look at Allison.

"Yes?"

"Put together a salad. I am not much for pasta."

Now, I really had no problem with the salad, because hell there was already one made to go with dinner, but the flippant way she 'ordered' me was annoying as hell.

"And tomorrow, could you please make something a little healthier?" The snobby sound of her voice made it clear this was another order.

I opened my mouth to speak, but was cut off by a surprise voice.

"Sophia is not the cook or the maid for that matter. She doesn't function on your command." Collin stepped into the kitchen and looked down at his sister's shocked expression.

"Since she will be making dinner regardless, I don't see the problem with—" He stopped her by putting his hand up.

"Allison, you are welcome to stay here as long as you need, you know that, but you will respect Sophia."

I was still internally grumbling over 'as long as you need', when he continued.

"Also, you can have the suite to stay in." I wanted to sink into the floor or suddenly become the invisible woman. "There will be more room for you and the boys. Though Will and the boys are welcome to a separate guest roo—"

"The suite?" She gasped. "And where is it Sophia is staying?"

Collin started walking toward me as she began her questioning. He stopped next to me and kissed the side of my head before turning back to her.

"Oh God Collin, could you get anymore clichéd? Really, the nanny? You are sleeping with your nanny?" Allison's voice had risen and was laced in disgust.

"No," he responded and silence fell over the room. My insides twisted. "I am sleeping next to my fiancé."

The moment was face to palm worthy and that's exactly what I did. This was not going to go well.

"You can't be serious?" she spat.

"Oh, I'm quite serious." He grabbed my waist, spun me around, and lifted my hand to her. "I plan to marry Sophia and you
will
respect the fact that you are in '
our'
home."

Allison's mouth was wide open, but nothing was coming out. For a moment, I had to stop from laughing in her face. Though, I knew nothing good would come out when she started to speak again.

"I cannot believe this. You're just like our father," she growled.

"Allison," he warned. "Our father had an affair, who am I cheating on?" He pulled me closer to his side.

She opened her mouth and then closed it before she walked out of the room.

"Please don't let her get to you. It will take time, but she will accept things." He kissed my lips this time. "She has no choice in the matter." He grinned before kissing me harder.

"Daddy," Victoria skipped into the kitchen, "welcome home." She smiled brightly. "Mommy is making spaghetti and meatballs tonight." She climbed up to the counter and sat on a stool.

"I can smell that." He smiled and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I'm going to go clean up before dinner." His hand and fingers trailed against my back as he walked away. I shivered. Those damn fingers were talented.

"Did she just call you mommy?"

I spun and met Will, who had an amused look on his face. My face reddened and I felt the warmth of the blush. I nodded.

"Wow, so Allison is telling the truth." It wasn't a question, it had been a statement.

"What?"

"Oh, she is up there growling about men always sleeping with the help, marrying the damn nanny, etcetera." He shrugged, but then caught the look on my face. I really did feel like a cliché. "Soph, really, it's not that big a deal. It's the same as people who meet at a bar and end up together."

"You are so full of crap," I laughed at him.

"It's true. Think about it. You are just two people who met through a means and now you're a couple. I'm happy for you, if you are happy?" Now that was a question.

I turned with a large smile on my face. "I am."

"Then that's all that matters."

Will helped to make extra salad before going to get the twins for dinner. Victoria helped me to set the larger dining room table, since we had more people in the house. Once everything was placed out, everyone started to file in for dinner.

Collin took his seat at the head of the table, Allison sat to his right with the twins between Will and her, Victoria pulled my chair out for me putting me on Collin's left side, and then she took a seat next to me. Collin's hand rubbed my knee briefly before starting to place food on his plate. Halfway through the meal of silence, Collin addressed Allison.

"So, are you in town permanently, or will you be returning to Whidbey?" He pulled his wine glass to his lips and looked over the rim at Allison. She patted her mouth with her napkin before answering.

"I had to come back to finalize the divorce." She tried to be calm, but you could see sadness behind her eyes. "I have to meet with Jonathan on Tuesday evening to discuss some final terms before we get it all taken care of." She placed another bite of the pasta she doesn't care for in her mouth.

"So, you've decided to go through with it then?" He asked.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"Allison, we know you've been through a lot and we know John is no angel, but you two did share something –"

"Just stop right there. If it was so special then perhaps he wouldn't have ruined it."

That was the last they discussed the subject. The topic was turned to registering the kids for their transfer to St. Johns as well as Victoria discussing the school project she was working on. When dinner finished, I was happy to have Will help clean with me.

We talked a little about Amber and him, as well as about the time they spent in Whidbey Island. Apparently, Allison had come to terms with Juliette and staying with her had been interesting. I also found out the reason behind Connor staying with us instead of Juliette for so long.

From what Will said, Juliette wanted to spend time focusing on helping Allison. While, Allison was hesitant with Juliette and downright rude to her at times, Juliette did not give up. They ended up bonding through Juliette's interior design business.

"I think we are staying in Seattle and Allison is going to start her own interior design business."

"Really?" I was a little shocked. The snobby princess was actually going to work and it surprised me.

"Yeah, I guess she likes it and I overheard her telling Juliette she doesn't want or need a man in her life anymore."

"Wow," I finished loading the dishwasher.

"Yeah, but it's still not as wow as your news." He smirked at me. I threw a dishtowel at him.

Bedtime that evening was a little crazy. The twins were wound up and didn't want to settle down. William finally got them into the bathtub when I was climbing in next to Victoria on her bed to read to her. We were about five pages into 'The Little Mermaid' when Gregory and Michael burst into her room and jumped onto the bed.