My Love - Bobby & Sophie: A Crossroads Novella (9 page)

His brother thought he was really funny…

“Can I start you off with a glass of our Dolcetto d’Alba, which is a rich, Italian red, or perhaps our Gavi di Gavi, a refreshing white?”

“Yes. We’ll have a bottle of—”

“Actually, I’ll just take a sparkling water,” Sophie interjected.

When Bobby’s eyes shot to hers in confusion, she just smiled encouragingly.

“You should have a glass, though.”

“What’s wrong?” Bobby’s voice came out sounding much harsher than he’d meant it to. It’s just that they’d never
not
ordered a bottle of wine in all the years they’d been coming here.

“Nothing,” Sophie assured him as she reached out and covered his hand, which he hadn’t noticed was flexed tight in concern. Rubbing her thumb over his knuckles, she leaned forward, giving him a mouthwatering view down her low-cut dress, her hazel eyes sparking as she quietly explained, “I just want to make sure that I stay awake tonight, and you know wine makes me sleepy.”

“I’ll have water, too,” Bobby responded without tearing his gaze away from his wife.

He could have sworn he heard a small sound of frustration as the server turned on her heel and left, which was understandable. He’d just significantly reduced the size of his check, and more than likely, she equated that to receiving a smaller tip. Bobby knew that tips were the livelihood of waitstaff. He wouldn’t short her and planned on being extremely generous—unless, of course, she did a shitty job.

Sophie was the one to break eye contact first as she picked up a small piece of bread that had been delivered by a busboy almost immediately after they’d sat down. After chewing and swallowing, she took a deep breath and placed her hands flat on the table top.

“Okay, so I was just a little shocked by your
surprise
, but that doesn’t mean I want you to call anyone or change anything. I just want to know what happened.” She spoke in an even tone, and a smile lifted at the corners of her mouth as she waited for Bobby to elaborate.

And just like that, Bobby fell even more in love with Sophie. She was the most loving, caring, supportive person he knew. She wanted the best for everyone she loved. What other wife would take the fact that their husband had just made such a huge, life-altering career move in stride?

“This morning at breakfast, Seth mentioned that he needed people. I saw my opening and I took it.” Bobby could see in her eyes that she wanted more details than that. He wasn’t trying to be intentionally vague. He was just stating the pertinent facts.

“And you quit on the spot?” Her voice went higher at the end of the sentence, not in volume but in pitch, so Bobby knew she was asking a question, not making a statement.

“Yes,” he confirmed before trying his best to fill in the blanks for her. “And after I tied up the loose ends at the office, I headed straight to see Seth. I signed a six-month contract, but I’m sure he would let me out of it.”

The last part made his heart clench, but he would be more than happy to do it.

“No, I’m…” Sophie looked a little flustered as her hands came off the table and she began moving them animatedly, as if the motion helped her find the right words. “Happy. I’m happy if you’re happy.”

Bobby knew two things to be true in that moment. Sophie wasn’t a liar. But something about her “I’m happy” statement wasn’t quite ringing true.

He didn’t want to challenge her, but he couldn’t let it go completely. “Then what’s wrong?”

She began speaking in Sophie-talk, which meant a mile a minute, and he felt himself relax slightly. “I just really wasn’t expecting to hear you say that. I mean, not that I had even given much thought to what the surprise might be, but
whoa.
That one totally blindsided me.

“But I know that you’ve been unhappy in construction for a long time, and I’ve definitely noticed that you seemed more than casually interested when Seth would talk about his cases or jobs or contracts or whatever you call them. So it’s not like it’s really that much of a
true
surprise in the sense that I didn’t see it coming. I guess I just thought that it would be something we discussed. I mean, not that we had to. It’s fine that we didn’t. I know you made the right decision for you, for us.

“It’s just you’re such a planner. You don’t ever really do things that are unexpected. Which, I guess, this wouldn’t fall in the category of, because, like I said, it’s not like I thought you were happy. I mean, Jason probably had to see this coming, right? After you stepped down from V.P. last year and handed it over to Eddie, I feel like, if nothing else, that was the writing on the wall. So how did he take it?”

Strangely enough, Bobby had followed all of that. “He was surprised, and I don’t know…” Now it was Bobby’s turn to search for the right thing to say.

Before he had a chance to continue, the waitress, once again, appeared to take their order. He realized that, due to his announcement, they hadn’t had a chance to look at their menus. He knew that Sophie liked to take her time and usually discuss her options before deciding on what she would order.

Bobby turned to the waitress. “Could you give us a few min—”

“Actually, I’m ready. Can I have spaghetti with meatballs and a side salad with Italian dressing?” Sophie handed the menu to Valentina and looked at Bobby expectantly. He must have looked as shocked as he felt because she shrugged. “I’m starving.”

“I’ll take the Pollo Belvedere.” Bobby had been concerned that his stomach was going to rumble loudly when the hostess had described the dish. It sounded delicious.

“Soup or salad?” Valentina asked. Her eyes scanned down his chest as he handed her back the menu.

“Salad. Blue cheese.” He was all business, not wanting her to think he enjoyed her undressing him with her eyes.

She nodded, but not before a sharp intake of breath.

He really did not get women. Half the time, the shorter or ruder he was to them, the more it seemed to turn them on. Valentina smiled as she walked away, and Bobby had to stop himself from shaking his head at her.

When he looked back, he noticed that Sophie was grabbing another slice of bread and devouring it. She must be
really
hungry. Usually, she never ate the bread on the table because she said that she didn’t want it to spoil her appetite. Speaking of which.

“I’m surprised you didn’t try the Tagliolini Al Caffe. You love shrimp.” Bobby had thought that for sure that was what Sophie would have landed on—after careful deliberation, of course.

Sophie’s face scrunched up like she’d just bit into a lemon as she shook her head. Then she immediately grabbed another slice of bread.

Maybe she was just hungry for some comfort food. Maybe she’d been on the road so much lately that some good, hearty spaghetti and meatballs sounded like just the thing to hit the spot. There could be a million reasons that would explain his wife’s behavior tonight.

So why did he feel like something was wrong?

T
he intense scrutiny of Bobby’s stare bore into Sophie as they rode the elevator up to the fortieth floor. The heat of his gaze was like a microwave to the kernel of nerves bouncing around inside her. Every second he looked at her pop, pop, popped more anxiety. Just like a paper bag filled to the brim with freshly popped popcorn, she felt like she needed to let some of the steam escape or she would burst open.

Shifting from one foot to the other, she rolled her head from side to side to try to loosen the knots at the base of her neck and in her shoulders. Was she fidgety? Yep. She couldn’t help it. Not only was she trying to adjust to Bobby’s surprise, she’d also totally chickened out on telling him the rather life-changing announcement of her own. It had seemed like one surprise show-and-tell was enough for the evening.

The elevator doors opened and Sophie crossed her fingers that she would make it to the room on her wobbly legs. She felt like she was walking on top of a waterbed as she and Bobby made their way down the brightly lit hall. Wrapping her arms around herself, she tried to push down the nerves that were trying to overtake her. Her mind was spinning and she felt like she was being pulled in two directions. Like she had a small angel on one shoulder screaming, “
Tell him. Tell Bobby you’re pregnant,
” and a less-than-angelic figure on her other shoulder shaking its head, saying, “
No, no, no. Don’t tell him
.”

Of course she knew she was going to have to tell Bobby about the situation, but tonight was not the right time. This new job was Bobby’s dream opportunity, and he never did anything for himself. He’d sacrificed for his family and given up any dreams he’d had to immediately start working for the family business as soon as he’d graduated high school. Sophie knew Bobby. When he found out that they had a baby on the way, he’d sacrifice again.

They stopped in front of room 4030 and Bobby swiped the fob in front of the sensor. A loud click rang out through the deserted hallway just as Sophie’s mind was swimming. Her chest constricted and she placed her hands, one on top of the other, over her stomach as the gravity of her condition smothered her consciousness, pulling her down like she was in reality quicksand. The harder she tried to fight against being dragged under, the faster she sank.

Holy shit
.
I’m pregnant.

“Soph?”

Bobby’s voice sounded a million miles away, and it wasn’t until Sophie felt the warmth of his large hand on the small of her back that she lifted her head and noticed the concerned expression on his face as he stood holding the hotel room door open.

Damn. She needed to get it together. Put her game face on. Take Cher’s advice from
Moonstruck
and snap out of it.

In college, she minored in theater. She could do this. Deliberately, Sophie took a cleansing breath and relaxed every single one of her facial muscles as she stepped past her husband into the room. Her shoulder brushed against his solid chest, and even through the cotton barrier of her sleeve and his button-up shirt, his hard planes sent a thrill skittering through her that landed smack-dab in the center of her being.

More than once in her life, she wondered if there would ever be a scenario when Bobby wouldn’t turn her on. Now, she had her answer.

For all intents and purposes, Sophie was a total basket case tonight. Her life felt like a runaway horse, galloping with unbridled abandon, and she honestly had no clue how to pull in the reins and regain control. In one day, her perfect, balanced life had gone all
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
and gotten flipped, turned upside down. But none of that mattered when it came to Bobby’s unmatched effect on her mind, body, and soul.

With one touch, one glance, one word, Sophie was reduced to a quivering puddle of arousal. Just like on the drive into the city, Bobby made everything else in the world disappear, and all that existed was him.

Sophie heard the door click shut and felt (more than heard) Bobby move behind her. The heat of his breath fanned over her shoulder as his hands came to rest on her hips.

“What’s going on with you?”

The worry in Bobby’s voice created a stabbing sense of guilt twisting in her chest, and she leaned back against him under the weight of it. The movement brought her into direct contact with his groin. His rock-hard erection pressed forcefully against her backside, and a low moan rumbled through him at the same time that a needy gasp fell from her lips. Instinctively, she rolled her hips back, seeking more contact. Strong fingers gripped her hips, stilling her movement.

“Soph.”

Her name was meant to be a warning. She knew that. She just decided to ignore it.

“Please. I need you.”

Her whispered plea caused Bobby to tense behind her.

Placing her hands on top of his, she rolled her body seductively, grinding against Bobby’s hard length as she drew his hands up her body, over her ribcage, to her breasts heavy with need. When she closed her hands over his so that he was cupping her fullness, Bobby stilled, hesitating for a split second before cursing under his breath and tightening his grip. Looking down at his large, sun-kissed hands covering her mounds still bound in her snug, red dress was a visual turn-on. Sophie continued her hips’ sensual assault on Bobby’s steel-hard length as she let her head fall back against his broad shoulders and her hands fall limp at her sides.

Reaching back, she gripped his strong thighs, loving the feeling of his muscles jumping beneath her touch as she seductively moved her body against him. For several moments, Bobby let her take the lead. She knew her husband, and he was very aware that he was merely allowing her to have the illusion that she was in control of this encounter, that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to take advantage of the opportunity.

Her back arched, and she could sense how tightly strung his body was. After one particularly sinful grind, Sophie heard Bobby hiss as he sucked in an audible breath. She moaned in unadulterated lust as she felt the unmistakable feeling of his dick jumping beneath his zippered slacks and twitching against her firm, rounded butt cheeks.