Seeds of a Rose (The Rose and The Thorn Sequel)

Chapter 18 - The Idea

Sophia's POV

Mum and tony had been staying with us for a week now and after a drunk (on her side) conversation she had decided to get married in Italy with us. She had complained that apart from Tony she was alone in England and wanted me to be with her when she got married. She had booked a slot at the local registry office and then we had decided to have a meal at the palace before taking her and tony to the airport for their honeymoon.

The two of us stood in the bridal shop looking at wedding gowns, we had consumed a bottle of champagne between us and my mother was being to get tipsy, unfortunately for me alcohol had no effect. My mother suddenly squealed and held up an ivory knee-length dress. The dress flattered her figure perfectly as she spun round in the middle of the bridal shop. We bought matching shoes and a veil before heading back to the palace for tea. So much had happened over the past 10 months that we never stopped talking.

We placed the shopping in my mother's bedroom before heading outside, however the children's giggles stopped us.

"Sophia did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" I had managed to keep the children hidden up until this moment.

"Children laughing, it was coming from in here." She opened the nursery door to see Rina and Ben climbing on Caius who was lying on the floor pretending to be a dragon. I laughed at Caius but then remembered my mother who was looking between me and the children with her mouth open.

"Mum?"

"That boy looks just like your boyfriend but has your eyes and that girl looks just like you but with green eyes. She has your hair and your nose and your freckles." My mother stopped and closed her eyes. She looked as though she was trying to do the maths in her head. "That's impossible."

[C] "Hannah, we can explain."

"Okay, I'm listening."

[C] "Aro does a lot of charity work, he helps clear the local area of bad people and one day he was called to a house where two parents had been murdered, but not their children. He was supposed to take them to the local orphanage but couldn't so instead bought them here. They have lived with us since before Sophia moved in." My mother stood still for a moment before straightening up and smiling.

"Well that's good, you just scared me that's all. I'm only 48 I can't be a grandparent just yet." My mother left the nursery to find Tony so I joined Caius and the kids on the soft carpet of the nursery. Rina climbed onto my lap and gave me a big hug.

"Sophia, I've been thinking about what you said, about us being a family. Aro holds no ties over me, he didn't create me and I don't hold a gift, therefore technically I could leave anytime I wanted."

"I don't understand."

"I was thinking we could leave, buy a house in France or something just the 4 of us." I leaned over and placed a kiss on Caius, the children then copying me and placing a kiss on their father too.

"Okay, but not France, the weather is too much like England." As we sat there laughing and playing it was unknown to us that someone was stood outside the nursery door listening in.