Together we fall

26 | Keefe

The second Sophie's feet touched the ground, she ran toward Havenfield. She hurtled down the beautiful stony path like her life depended on it, even managing to not trip, which was very out of character for her.

Sophie had insisted they visit Grady and Edaline, despite the early hour. She'd dragged him out of bed only seconds after Ace and Ember had left for school, and Keefe was still exhausted from the loss of sleep.

He didn't know how Sophie survived, as sleep deprived as she always was.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and tucked the leaping crystal into his pocket.

Keefe ran after his wife, who was now nearing the front steps of the glittering mansion. By the time he reached her he was breathing heavily, bending over to catch his breath.

Sophie, on the other hand, didn't look tired at all. She simply knocked on the pristine door and tugged out an eyelash nervously as she waited for the crystal knob to turn.

As the seconds dragged on Sophie grabbed his arm, clutching it with a white knuckled grip. She was biting down on her lip so hard Keefe worried she would draw blood.

"Scared to see your parents?" He teased her.

"No," she said shakily. "I just can't wait to see them."

It couldn't have been more than a month since they'd last seen Grady and Edaline, yet Sophie's emotions indicated she hadn't seen them in years.

After a minute the knob finally turned and Edaline appeared in the doorway, her hand resting on the handle loosely.

Sophie's face lit up. "Mom!"

Edaline ran onto the porch and strangled her daughter with a hug, nearly knocking them both over in the process.

Keefe steadied them both before they could fall over, smiling at them. No matter how many times they visited, it was always the same scene.

And it was always beautiful.

After Edaline pulled back she smothered Keefe with a hug, embracing him so tightly that he struggled to breathe for a few seconds.

"Missed you too, Eda."

When Keefe pulled back he found tears pooling in his eyes, making it hard to see.

But he didn't miss Sophie running into the house, straight into Grady's arms. Her father twirled her around and kissed her on the top of the head, gently setting her down.

He hugged Keefe as well, but much less enthusiastically. It was still a hug though, and that was all that mattered to Keefe.

They'd come to terms years ago, and Keefe could now easily call Grady a second father. But he still clearly loved Sophie much more than he would ever love him.

She was his daughter after all.

Edaline was a different story. She loved Keefe like he was her own son, and her affection was just as strong for him as it was for Sophie.

It made even more tears spring to his eyes.

Grady and Edaline were the amazing parents he never had. They'd been there for him more than his own parents had, even before he'd married Sophie.

"Keefe?" Sophie whispered, staring up at him with her big brown eyes, "Are you okay?"

Keefe leaned down to her height and gently rubbed his nose back and forth against hers, giving her an Eskimo kiss. "I'm fine, Foster."