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Still, he couldn’t leave just yet Not when the chance to sit and stare at Sophie a little longer was too good to pass up

"Sure I’d love to see you in action"

He was rewarded with another one of her radiant smiles "Maybe you could even read to the kids?"

Panic hit hiestion It wasn’t that he couldn’tit aloud in front of people? What if he got stuck on a word? What if he stumbled over a sentence? What if he was so distracted by Sophie’s nearness that the letters took control of his brain the way they always used to instead of the way he’d forcefully trained the to act like it was no big deal that he didn’t want to help her out with story time "They came to hear you"

She frowned at his refusal "Okay But if you change your h the odds of that were about as good as being able to throballs in hell

She introduced him to a handful of people as they e room He heard the pride in her voice every tih hione with her to tell her fa as soon as she’d infornant

But he’d been too ain He’d been too afraid that they’d see just hoorthy he was of her and try to keep him from her before he had any chance at all to convince her to marry him

Sophie drew him over to an open seat and leaned over to whisper, "Stop looking so hot Theat you to hear a word of the stories"

He knew just how that went, considering he could hardly make sense of what she’d just said to hi over hi over hilad you’re here" She pressed a soft kiss to his lips before turning to greet the children like old friends she’d been dying to see again

Jake watched little boys and girls happily surround her, even the babies crawling froet closer to her, and his heart turned all the way over

Everyone in his life was so predictable, but not this beautiful wo so ani ere playing with a ball As the children laughed with her when the elephant lost the ball, he realized Sophie Sullivan was the only person who had ever kept hiine anymore what life would be like without her Without her spark Without her laughter