The Setup and the Substitute by Jiffy Kate
Chapter 21
Owen
“This isn’t a very good look,”Sophie says quietly as I guide her up the stairs.
She’s not wasted, just a little tipsy, but it wouldn’t matter if she was. Regardless of my past history with Lisa, I’m not opposed to going out and blowing off some steam. And I meant what I said, I wanted Sophie to go out and have a good time.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tell her, squeezing her hand gently. “Every look on you is a good look. I like the wild and free Sophie Callahan. And I like it when you’ve got messy braids and my kids’ ketchup on your shirt. Naked Sophie might be my favorite, but tipsy Sophie is perfect too.”
When we reach the top of the stairs, I pull her around and press her against the wall.
“It’s not professional,” she mutters, her eyes now fixated on my mouth. Raising her hand between us, she reaches out and strokes a finger across my lips.
Letting out a strained chuckle, I lean in even further, loving the way her slight frame feels against my body. “I think we agreed the professionalism in this relationship went out the window.”
She nods as her tongue darts out to wet her lips. “In that case,” she says just before her arm snakes around my neck and pulls me forward, crashing her mouth into mine.
“Sophie.” Her name is somewhere between a warning and a plea, because I don’t want to take things too far without knowing she’s sober enough to want this. Not that she wouldn’t want it. I know she does. But I’d never want to take advantage of her or this situation or her tipsy state.
Her fingers run through my hair and she pulls herself closer, breaking away for a split second. “Don’t be chivalrous, Owen. I want this. And I’m perfectly aware of my actions and what I’m asking for.”
In that case.
Sliding my hands down her hips and around to cup her ass, I lift her up and press my hard cock into her soft center.
“God, yes,” she moans as my mouth trails down her neck. “This is exactly how you can take care of me. I want you so bad.”
As I continue to kiss her sweet, soft skin, she continues talking.
“When I was standing in my apartment tonight,” she says, her breaths coming out a little choppy as she grinds herself against me and I give her the friction she needs. “All I could think about was getting back here… to you.”
That confession does something to me and the next thing I know, I’m carrying her the rest of the way down the hallway to my bedroom and kicking the door closed behind us.
Once I have her undressed, I discard my clothes and grab a condom. Unlike our other times together, this feels different. It’s not as frenzied as the first time or as hot and heavy as the second.
When I slide into her, our eyes lock and breaths hitch.
For a moment, neither of us move and it feels like there are unspoken words being exchanged.
“You feel so good,” I tell her as I slowly begin to rock inside her. “So fucking good.”
She runs her hands up and down my back as she pulls her legs up, allowing me to go deeper.
Bottoming out, Sophie moans her pleasure.
“It’s never been this good,” she says. With her eyes closed, she’s completely lost in the moment and I don’t think she’s ever looked more beautiful.
Her confession vaguely registers in the haze of euphoria and I agree.
It’s never been this good for me either.
Ever.
Later, after we’re both sated, the room is dark and quiet except for Sophie’s soft sigh of content.
Pulling her into me, I love the way her skin feels against mine. “I bet you’re exhausted,” I murmur against the back of her head, laying a soft kiss there.
“Not really, just super relaxed, she says, turning in my arms to face me. “What about you?”
“Same,” I say, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from her face. “I actually slept a couple hours in Ryan’s bed after we read that damn dinosaur book for the fifth time.”
She laughs quietly, burying her face in my chest. “God, that book. I swear I read it out loud in my sleep.”
“We’ve gotta work on Molly’s reading skills. She can be the designated dinosaur book reader.”
That makes Sophie laugh even more. “She’s getting close. I was actually going to talk to you about getting her a library card.”
“That would be great,” I tell her, running a hand down her hair. “And you don’t need my permission for stuff like that.”
Her shoulders tense a little before relaxing. “I just don’t ever want to overstep,” she admits.
“Don’t worry about that,” I say. “I know you always have their best interest at heart and that’s all that matters to me.”
After a few moments of quiet, Sophie asks, “Can you tell me about Lisa?”
The way she looks up at me with a concerned expression lets me know she’s nervous about what she just asked. And there was a time where that question would’ve made me shut down, but not tonight. Not with her. Maybe the conversations with the guys over the past couple weeks have helped, but I’m no longer afraid to talk about Lisa.
“What do you want to know?” I ask in return.
Sophie swallows and shrugs. “I don’t know, just maybe what your relationship was like,” she says quietly. “Do you miss her?”
“It’s complicated,” I start and feel her tense a little. “But,” I continue, rubbing a soothing stroke down her arm. “The short answer is no, I don’t miss her, not anymore. But I did at first. Maybe I felt hurt abandoned when she left. It didn’t make sense to me how she could just up and leave me, but especially the kids. I think I was more hurt for them.”
“That’s understandable,” Sophie says, pulling back to look me in the eyes. “I know you’ve said you weren’t married, but you were obviously together for a long time. Were you ever engaged?”
“No,” I say quickly. “Which probably makes it seem like I have commitment issues or something, because why wouldn’t I want to marry the mother of my children.”
For a brief moment, I think about leaving it at that, but just like I want to know everything there is to know about Sophie, I also want her to know everything about me. It feels good to unload some of the baggage I’ve been carrying, even if it does paint me in a not so favorable light.
“Something not many people know is that Lisa had a drug problem. I didn’t even know for a long time. She hid it well. It wasn’t until I was traded to New York that I realized what was going on. I’d go on road trips and she’d go on benders. Her family is wealthy, she came from money and has a trust fund. It didn’t matter how much I tried to help her or prevent it, she did whatever she wanted, especially when I was gone.”
Pausing for a moment, I let my mind reflect back—to the happy times, the bad times, and all the stuff in between.
“Lisa and I had a lot of fun in the beginning and there was a time, after Molly was born, that I thought we should get married. Molly wasn’t planned, but once she was here, I knew that was how it was always meant to be. I was meant to be her dad. And it felt right to marry Lisa. But shortly after, I was away on a long road trip and the nanny called to tell me Lisa hadn’t been home in two days.”
Swallowing, I fight back the rush of emotion.
“I couldn’t believe she’d leave our baby. Molly was so tiny and helpless. I couldn’t fathom it. How could a mother abandon her baby? But she apologized and said it wouldn’t happen again. I told her the only way we could stay together, as a family, was if she’d get some help. So, she started seeing a therapist and went to counseling. After she had Ryan, I could sense things were slipping but I didn’t know what to do and if I mentioned seeing her therapist or counselor… going to a meeting… she’d get pissed and tell me I was micromanaging her life.”
Sophie sits up, giving me her full attention as her hair falls perfectly messy over her shoulder in the dim moonlight.
“It wasn’t too long after that she started seeing her old friends and then she left. That time for good. I should’ve been shocked... hurt… devastated, but ultimately, I felt… relieved,” I admit for the first time ever. “I hadn’t realized how much I felt like I was walking around in a mine field, waiting for an explosion, so to speak. With her gone, I knew I had to handle everything on my own. I didn’t have the false sense of security, thinking she’d pick up the slack when I wasn’t around. That probably makes me a horrible person.”
“Not at all,” she says, reaching over to lace her fingers with mine. “It’s understandable and you’re allowed to feel however you feel.”
“As messed up as it is, I do still worry about her.”
“Do you know where she is?”
Sighing, I roll over and throw a hand over my head, eyes focused on the ceiling. “I hired a private investigator and he tracked her down to California, which makes sense. Her family has a lot of property in the Los Angeles area. She’s probably staying there or with friends. That was always something Lisa was never short in. She had friends from California to New York and everywhere in between.”
Sophie scoffs. “That’s the benefit of having money.”
“I guess so.”
“I know so,” she says, an edge to her voice. “But they’re not all real friends. Those are few and far between.”
“That’s Greer for you, huh?” I ask, having an odd urge to meet her.
“Yeah,” Sophie agrees. “Greer has been my person for as long as I can remember. The moment we met each other, it was like we saw something in the other that we identified with, even at a super young age. And we’ve been that way ever since.”
Rolling back over, I look up at her and want to tell her I see that in her—something inside her that my soul recognizes. I’m drawn to her, like a magnet.
“Have you ever been in a serious relationship?” I ask, wanting to know everything about this girl.
Sophie twists her lips, shaking her head. “No, no serious relationships,” she says, eyes drifting down to her lap as she plays with a thread on the edge of the sheet. “My mother has been trying to marry me off to Gavin Winthrop for the last decade.”
A harsh laugh escapes her lips.
“Who the fuck is Gavin Winthrop?” Just his name makes him sound like an asshole. And I can’t deny the sudden surge of jealousy flooding through my veins.
“A friend,” she says, but doesn’t sound convincing. “We tried dating once, because our mothers forced us together so much, but it was awkward and after one kiss, I knew I’d never see him as anything but a friend. But he’s…”
“What?” I ask, not liking the sound of that.
“Not so convinced,” she says, but waves it off. “But he’s harmless. Just a rich boy who’s not used to not getting what he wants.”
That doesn’t settle well with me, but instead of letting my inner caveman out to play, I ask, “Are there any other gentleman callers I should know about?”
Sophie laughs, easing the tension that had settled around us. “No, definitely not. I’ve never been a relationship kind of girl,” she says with a shrug. “I enjoy sex, but I’ve never met anyone I wanted to attach myself to…”
As she drifts off, I can feel the vulnerability oozing off her and it only makes me want her more. Honesty is everything to me. It’s all I ever really wanted from Lisa, but the one thing she could never give me.
“That probably makes me sound bad,” she says, throwing back my statement from earlier.
“Not at all,” I say, sitting up and facing her, taking her cheeks in my hands. “I admire you for not being afraid to get what you want and being honest about it and unapologetic for it. It’s some of the most attractive qualities I’ve ever seen in another person.”
“You have a lot of attractive qualities too,” she says with a shy grin.
“Oh, yeah?” I ask, gently caressing her slender neck, feeling her pulse beat against my fingers.
“Yeah,” she whispers, leaning forward and brushing her lips against mine. “Let me show you.”
Before we can get caught up in each other again, I say, “Come to Florida with me next week.”
“What?” Sophie asks, leaning back so she can see my face.
“I want you and the kids to come to Florida. We’ll be playing in Miami and Tampa and we’ll have a bunch of night games. I can spend the day with you guys at the beach. Ryan’s birthday is in two weeks, so it’ll be a great way to celebrate and I think you could all use a little vacation. Besides all that, I’d like to spend some extra time with them… and you.”
Even in the dim light I can see Sophie’s face light up as she throws her arms around my neck. “That sounds amazing!”