Sunshine After The Rain

Chapter Forty-Nine

It was a little over sixty degrees when they walked out of the airport, which would have felt brisk to Sophie only a few months ago. It was around a twenty degree difference between the two states, and oh how she missed it. Not that Sophie hadn't been kept plenty warm by the man in the front seat of the cab. 

There was no holiday approaching, yet her in-laws house was still decked out to the nines, welcoming them home. As soon as they exited the cab, Sophie could hear music playing in the backyard. They'd only been away for just over three months, and would be returning to Colorado at the end of the week, but a 'Welcome Home' banner still hung above the front door. 

Lucas just laughed and shook his head at that, then unloaded their bags from the trunk, seeming to need no help at all. 

The front door was unlocked, and as soon as they stepped foot in the house, Lucas unloaded dropped the bags to the floor. They wouldn't be staying here. After the welcome home dinner, Joel would drive them back to Lucas' house, where he'd return for the first time since saying goodbye to Arianna. Lucas seemed okay with it, ready to fill the house with a real family. 

"There you are!" Laura shouted as she stood from her chair on the patio. "We were beginning to worry."

"I would have picked you up, you know," Joel added in. 

Ella ran over to her grandparents, her arms already spread wide awaiting a hug. "Guess what!"

Laura scooped her up and held Ella against her chest, squeezing her daughter to oblivion. "What, cupcake?"

"Lucas loves my mommy!"

Joel just chuckled at that. "By God, you don't say." He feigned the shock lazily, bringing his hand up to his mouth and widening his eyes dramatically. 

"Yup! He asked me if he could be my new papa, and love my momma forever and ever."

The reaction this time held no faked dramatic reaction. Instead, all eyes once again landed on the pair, and Sophie held up her finger to confirm the not so cryptic reveal. 

Sophie hadn't even noticed Anna sitting there until she stood from behind where Laura was sitting and holding a sleeping baby in her arms, which she carefully laid in the stroller next to the table before running over to Sophie. "I'm so happy for you! For both of you!"

Sophie embraced Anna as if they'd been friends all their lives. "Thank you."

"Who's that?" Justin asked by Lucas' side. 

Since the situation had been of Sophie's own making, and her master plan, Sophie took over. "This is Anna. She's a very good friend of the family's and a good friend of mine."

Anna knelt down a bit so she was as Justin's level, and held out her hand. "It's very good to meet you, Justin. I knew your daddy, and your mom's become like a sister to me. I love her so much that I'm making her and Lucas my baby's godparents, which makes her your god sister. Did you want to meet her?"

Justin nodded and followed Anna over to the stroller. 

Sophie didn't dare say that the baby sleeping peacefully was Justin's actual sister. That would come with time. Her son was old enough to know the truth, but Ella had a ways to go. The longer the secret was kept, however, the stronger the betrayal would be. Somehow they would need to find a way to tell Ella in a way she would understand. That day was not today, but it couldn't be put off for as long as it took her daughter to grow up. 

So instead, Sophie and the rest of them watched as Justin stood above the stroller, staring in awe at the precious life laying within it. It was a beautiful moment that caused tears to fill her eyes. Another piece of Jason for them to keep. 

"So, a wedding is on the horizon, huh?" Laura asked as she walked over to stand by Sophie's side. "I couldn't be happier, Sophie. Truly."

"Because I'm not marrying your son?" Sophie joked, adding a laugh in so Laura was aware it was meant to be funny and not a jab.

"He's Joel's son, which makes him my son as well. Me and that boy didn't always get along, which I know is no big surprise, but I do care for him. All I had to do was open my eyes and shut my mouth long enough to love him like he were my own. Just as I had to do with you. No, Sophie. I couldn't be happier because two people I cherish found love with each other."

Sophie nodded and gave Laura a half-hug before they all sat on the patio, Lucas letting out and exhausted breath as he sunk into the chair, Ella jumping into his lap. 

"So, how did you propose?" Joel asked.

Lucas laughed and rubbed at the scruff on his face. "Siena and her husband came into town and we all went out to dinner. After talking about how we met and how we fell in love... just seemed like the right moment. I'd been carrying around the ring ever since asking the kids and her mom for her hand, and after listening to our story, I decided I didn't want to wait anymore."

"You proposed with your ex-wife at the table?" Joel was clearly holding back judgement, but not very well. 

"I know it's unconventional," Lucas agreed with a smile, "but it felt like a celebration of first love, and the love. Siena has worried about me for so long, knowing I was drowning and not being able to do a damn thing about it as my wife or my friend after the divorce. I wanted her to see that I was no longer just surviving, but finally content and where I was meant to be. That dinner was like I was officially closing the chapter to one life, and opening up to another."

"Well, I think it's sweet as can be," Laura chimed it. "So where are you all planning to live? I hope I get my grandkid's back soon, and maybe one more. After the wedding, of course."

Sophie laughed, not confirming or denying they'd planned to have a child together. "We'll be moving into the farmhouse once we're done in Colorado, maybe at the end of summer. But Lucas does want to build a cabin for us back there so we get to visit my mom without crowding her, and Justin we'll be able to stay in touch with the friends he made."

"And what about your house, Lucas? Are you planning on selling it?" Joel asked.

"Nope," Lucas answered with a shake of the head. "I'm planning on giving it to Anna."

Anna shot up from her seat, knocking over her glass of ice water in the process. "Like hell you are."

"Joel told me you lost your job at the restaurant," Lucas told her. "One of my friends from high school just so happens to be looking for a manager at his new restaurant about ten minutes from my house. He's hands on with the place, so he's just looking for someone for someone to help him with everything. I told him about you, and he thinks you'd be perfect for the job."

"I can't accept that."

"Yes, you can," Lucas assured her. "That house deserves a family. And it's not that big, so it won't need too much upkeep. I want you to have it, Anna. We're family, and we take care of each other. If you want it, it's yours. I can't bring myself to sell it, but I'm not going to go on living there, either."

Tears fell from Anna's eyes, but she relented with a nod.

"To family," Laura said as she held up her glass.

Everyone followed suit with their glasses. "To family!"

"And to true love," Lucas whispered in her ear.