Healing Hearts (New Hope Falls #6) - Kimberly Rae Jordan Page 0,135
he’d never thought he’d want again. Others might look at the two of them and say that they weren’t a good match, but he felt otherwise. He knew otherwise.
Being with her and Bryson had softened his heart. They’d reached beyond the walls he’d put in place after his experience in Syria. Because of his desire to be the best version of himself for them, he’d found himself willing to go back to therapy. But even more than that, he’d once again found himself turning to God and desiring to be the man God would have him be.
“When Bryson is home from the hospital, I’d like to take the two of you on a date,” Ryker said.
Sophia’s brows rose. “The two of us?”
“I know that for now, any dates we go on will need to include Bryson, and I’m okay with that.”
For a moment, Sophia again looked like she was going to cry. “Thank you for being so understanding of him.”
“I know he’s important to you, sweetheart,” Ryker said. “He’s important to me too.”
“I never imagined that I’d find a man who was willing to accept Bryson and care for him the way he needed to be cared for.”
“I love him,” Ryker said, then hesitated for a moment. “And I love you too.”
His words seemed to take her by surprise, her eyes widening.
“I know that it seems like it might be too soon,” he hurried to say. “And I understand that it might take you longer to trust what I feel for you and what you might feel for me. Just know that I will wait as long as it takes. You and Bryson are worth the wait.”
Ryker knew that she might not believe him just yet, and that was okay. In the meantime, he was happy to shower her and Bryson with love whenever he could.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“He’s here, Momma!” Bryson’s yell brought a smile to Sophia’s face as she took one last look in the mirror.
It wasn’t often that she wore makeup. After five years of not using any sort of face products, she was surprised she still knew how to apply foundation and eye shadow. She could have gone for a while longer without using it, but what was happening that day seemed to call for makeup.
She was equal parts scared and excited about their evening—okay, maybe more scared than excited—so it had taken ages to decide what to wear and then to get ready.
They’d been home from the hospital for three weeks now, and Bryson was doing so much better. There were still a couple things that he struggled with. His energy levels were not completely back to where they’d been prior to him getting sick, and every once in a while, he’d forget words. Since it didn’t happen all the time, she’d think it wasn’t an issue anymore, only for him to stumble over or forget a word. She wasn’t sure what it meant in the long-term, but Ryker had seemed to think it wasn’t a huge concern.
“I’ll open the door for him,” Bryson called out as she walked down the hallway to the living room.
“Hiya, buddy,” Ryker said as he exchanged fist bumps with Bryson. When she approached them, he looked up at her, his expression softening. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
Sophia’s cheeks flushed as she looked down at herself. She hadn’t had many options since her wardrobe was still pretty basic. So when Ryker had told her that casual was okay, she’d settled on a pair of skinny jeans and a plain light pink shirt.
Thankfully, his outfit was pretty much the masculine version of hers—jeans and a green T-shirt. Bryson also wore jeans and a T-shirt. Only time would tell if the rest of the people there would be dressed as casually.
When Ryker had asked if she’d be willing to meet his family, she hadn’t been sure. It was hard to imagine that his family really wanted to get to know her and Bryson, but apparently, they did. Sophia wasn’t sure if that included Callie or not.
She moved closer to Ryker, anticipating the hug he always gave her when he showed up. He didn’t disappoint, and as he wrapped his arms around her, she hugged him back. That she even wanted to be that close to a man again was a minor miracle, but Ryker made her feel safe in a way no man ever had.
“Ready to go?” he asked as he moved back to peer down at her.