Read Online My Love - Bobby & Sophie: A Crossroads Novella by Melanie Shawn - Free Book Online Page B

didn’t have any negative feelings towards the kind of attention he got was because he made her feel so secure. So loved. So protected.
    She was his and he was hers. There was never any question of that.
    When they arrived at their table, Bobby pulled out her seat like he always did, and Sophie did not miss that his gentlemanly gesture caused the hostess to practically melt into a puddle of swoon.
    To her credit, the hostess almost immediately recovered. Clearing her throat, she set the menus down before she announced, “Tonight’s specials are the Tagliolini Al Caffe, which is rock shrimp, porcini mushrooms, oven-roasted tomatoes, tarragon, and white wine sauce. The Pollo Belvedere, which is grilled chicken paillard with arugula, balsamic tomato, avocado, pine nuts, and sliced Pecorino Romano. And last we have Scaloppine Alla Boscaiola, which is veal scaloppini topped with mushrooms and drizzled with white wine, veal stock, truffle, and fresh thyme. Valentina will be serving you this evening. Enjoy.”
    Sophie felt her stomach turn at some of the things the hostess had rattled off. Shrimp? Veal? Avocado? No, no, and no. Normally, Sophie considered herself adventurous when it came to her culinary palette. Apparently, her body was not the only thing that was going to be sacrificed in her newfound state of knockupedness.
    Picking up the menu, Sophie quickly glanced over it for anything bland and basic. Come on, spaghetti and meatballs. Don’t fail me now.
    “You are so beautiful.”
    Sophie lifted her eyes from her menu and found Bobby’s crystal-blue gaze directed intensely at her. “You’re not too shabby yourself, Mr. Sloan .”
    A small smile of acknowledgement lifted on his mouth at her repeating how the hostess had addressed him before she once again scanned the menu.
    Bobby had always been overtly complimentary, but since she’d been gone on frequent business trips, he’d definitely stepped up his compliment game. She guessed it was true—absence made the heart grow fonder. Although, in a few months, her absences were going to come to a screeching halt. Her mind was still reeling at all of the repercussions this pregnancy was going to have—on not just her life, but Bobby’s as well.
    He’d always worked long hours, and that had never been an issue. She guessed it still wouldn’t be, as long as she stayed put in Harper’s Crossing. If she even still had a job. Of course she knew that Amber and Haley would never fire her over this, but Sophie had too much pride to stay in a position if she wasn’t able to perform the tasks required to do a good job. And travel was definitely a necessity as a buyer.
    Somehow, this all seemed so abstract to her. Not real. Like it was just a hypothetical scenario that was running through her mind.
    It will be real when you tell Bobby, a small voice piped up in her head.
    Her palms dampened with nervousness when she thought about the fact that she needed to tell him. Like, now . She’d gotten sidetracked on the drive and then she’d passed out cold. It hadn’t been until the brisk one-block walk over to the restaurant that she’d actually perked up.
    She just needed to open her mouth and tell him. Yes, they were in a public place. But that might work to her advantage considering that she had a pretty good hunch that, every second she and Bobby spent in privacy this weekend, he’d be distracting her the same way he’d done on the trip in.
    Looking up, she took a deep breath just as Bobby beat her to the punch with his own surprise.
    “I quit Sloan Construction today and signed a contract with Seth. After the new year, I’m going to be working for Elite Protection.”
    It wasn’t that she hadn’t heard the words that had come out of Bobby’s mouth. She just wasn’t sure she could process them.
    “What?” Sophie heard herself ask in a whisper.
    *     *     *
    “I quit Sloan Construction today and signed a contract with Seth. After the new year, I’m