The Setup and the Substitute by Jiffy Kate

Chapter 41

Sophie

“Today’s the day,”Owen murmurs as his finger traces patterns against my bare back, his voice barely above a whisper.

“It is,” I agree, grinning and loving the feel of his touch.

The kids come home today and Owen’s mom is flying down with them and staying with us for a couple of days. Although we’ve spoken on the phone and via FaceTime a few times, this will be my first chance to meet Cindy in person and I have to admit I’m a little nervous.

“Our little love-bubble is about to be officially popped.”

“Not popped,” Owen argues. “But it will definitely be stretched quite a bit. Are you ready for that?”

Rolling over to face him, I smile even bigger. “Stretched, huh? I like that. And, yes, I’m very ready.”

Owen doesn’t have a game today so we’ve decided to have a lazy morning in bed until it’s time to get ready and go to the airport. He woke me with delicious kisses between my legs and after I returned the favor, we grabbed various breakfast foods from the kitchen and returned to eat them here.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved all this alone time we’ve had but I can’t wait for Molly and Ryan to be here.”

“Me, too.” Owen’s face gets serious when he says, “I’m going to miss you.”

I sit up and move my wild hair away from my eyes so I can see him clearly. “What do you mean? Are you going somewhere?”

“No, but I know those kids. As soon as they see you, it’s gonna be all ‘Daddy-who’ and ‘Sophie-this’ and Sophie-that’ and I’ll never have you to myself until they’re in college.”

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed this dramatic side of you before,” I tease. “Don’t be jealous. You know they adore you.”

“Yeah, but just to be on the safe side, I think I need to fuck you one more time to make sure you don’t forget me.”

His words immediately hit their target, making my core tighten and my pussy wet and ready for him. Since he’s still laying down, I straddle his legs and wrap my hand around his cock. “I do love that dirty mouth of yours.”

“Well, hold on tight, love, because we’re about to get filthy.”

After we have our fun and clean up, we get in Owen’s Land Rover and head to the airport.

With New Orleans being quite the tourist destination, I’ve always wondered why our airport is so small and also thirty minutes outside the city. It’s nice, though, and easy to get around so I really shouldn’t complain. I’ve been to some crazy airports over the years and I definitely prefer this one.

Even though Owen is wearing a generic baseball cap and has it pulled down as low as it can go, a few people still recognize him, stopping him for a picture or autograph. He’s always gracious to his fans and you can see the joy on their faces as he makes time to speak with them rather than scribble his signature and walk off.

I love how my hometown embraces him, accepting him as one of their own now.

It’s just how the people of Louisiana are.

We find a couple of seats in the baggage claim area but only have to wait a few minutes before we hear screams of “Daddy” coming our way. Owen is sitting to my right, so Molly and Ryan see him first. I try not to appear too smug when I stand up and reveal myself, causing both kids to yell even louder as they run toward us.

“Told ya,” Owen mutters, nudging me in the side.

I just laugh and stretch my arms out as wide as they’ll go, bracing myself for the best hugs in the world. Molly reaches me first, followed closely by Ryan, who practically launches himself at his father. After we hug it out for a bit, we switch kids and start all over again.

Once we’ve settled down, I hear Owen laugh and say, “Sorry, Mom. We didn’t mean to ignore you.”

“Oh, stop,” she replies, waving away his concern. If I’m not mistaken, I detect tears in her eyes and I can only imagine how touching this scene must be to her. I know how meaningful it is to me.

I stand up straight and Owen places his hand on my lower back as I face his mother.

“Mom, this is Sophie Callahan. Soph, this is my mom, Cindy Thatcher.”

When I stick my hand out in greeting, she just laughs and grabs me by the shoulders, pulling me into her embrace. “Oh, honey, we’re huggers in this family.”

The Thatchers are not like the Callahans, but I’m not complaining. Where my family tends to be stuffy and reserved, the Thatchers are warm and open.

“I’m so happy to finally meet you,” she says as I return her hug. “My son and grandchildren absolutely adore you and so do I.”

Now, I’m the one who’s tearing up. I know Owen told his mom about us and I’m so grateful that she’s embraced me and our relationship so completely.

“Thank you,” I say, trying not to choke up. “They’re very easy to love.”

As we load the luggage into the car, Owen announces we’re stopping at our favorite ice cream shop on our way home.

We decided this morning we don’t want to wait to tell the kids about us. Since we have a couple hard topics to cover, we decided it would be best dished out over ice cream. Owen seems to think they’re going to be over the moon about our announcement, but I’m worried.

What if they’re confused?

Or what if they’re not okay with it?

They’ve been through so much over the past couple months, with their mom coming back into the picture, then disappearing. And now, she’ll be gone for a long time. I know I told Owen they’re resilient and I believe that, but it doesn’t make my worry any less.

Once we’re at the shop, Molly and Ryan give Cindy the rundown on each flavor as we all make our way through the line, placing our orders.

When the ice cream has been served and we’re all seated, the kids begin telling us everything they did while they were away. Most things we’d already heard from our many phone calls over the last couple of weeks but, of course, we act as though the stories are new and it’s such a joy to experience them in person.

“Hey, guys,” Owen says, getting their attention. “Sophie and I have some news for you.”

“Are we getting a puppy?” Ryan asks, his eyes lighting up at the possibility.

Laughing, Owen shakes his head. “No, no puppy. At least not right now.”

Molly takes her turn and asks, “Are we getting a baby?”

Owen’s laughter quickly changes to a choking kind of cough and I can feel my face flush with embarrassment. Cindy’s laughter breaks through the awkwardness, making me laugh as well.

Molly glances at both of us, wondering what’s so funny.

Kids, man. You just never know what they’re going to say.

“Um, no, Molls,” Owen finally manages after he composes himself. “That’s not it.”

“Aww, man. I figured if we can’t have a puppy, we could at least get a baby.”

Owen looks at me and his eyes are so warm and full of love, they make my insides go all gooey.

“One of these days” is all he says and I smile and nod my head in agreement, because hell yeah, I’m gonna have his babies.

One of these days.

“So, if it’s not a puppy or a baby, what is it?” Ryan asks.

Owen slides his fingers in between mine and places our joined hands on top of the table. “Sophie and I are together now. Meaning, we’re a couple.”

Both kids look at our hands and then up at us and back again, not seeming to understand what Owen is saying, so I clarify, “Your dad and I are boyfriend and girlfriend.”

My heart is in my throat for a split second as we wait for their reaction, but Molly quickly puts me out of my misery.

“Yay!” she exclaims, jumping up and down. “I was hoping you’d say that!”

“Are you gonna kiss her?” Ryan asks hesitantly, forcing me to fight back a chuckle.

“Oh, yeah, lots of kissing,” Owen says, laying it on thick.

When Ryan scrunches up his nose, I can’t help but laugh. Then he shrugs his shoulders. “If you have to kiss someone, I’m glad it’s Sophie.”

“Me, too, bud.” Owen fist bumps Ryan while Molly climbs into my lap.

“Who’s going to be our nanny?” Molly asks with furrowed brows.

Owen and I exchange a look. “I’m still going to take care of you,” I promise. And for some reason, it chokes me up a little. I’ll always take care of you, I want to say, but don’t want to burst into tears in the middle of the ice cream shop.

“Thank you for not leaving,” she whispers, reminding me of the conversation we had after she admitted to overhearing my phone call with Owen weeks ago.

My emotions bubble even closer to the surface as I kiss the top of her head.

Glancing at Owen and Ryan, I blink back tears as a feeling of peace and contentment like I’ve never experienced settles deep in my bones.

“You’re stuck with me forever.”